After the successful Soviet defense of their homeland during the
Battles of Nomonhan, the Mongolian people expressed their gratitude by sending Stalin a sample of their national beverage.
A disgusted, dysenteric Stalin withdrew military aid and cut all ties with Mongolia which returned to being ruled by the traditional Great Khan.
...ahem...
Realizing his Mongolian Khanate was again under threat from the
Japanese Kwantung Army, the Great Moghul Khan decreed that a modern air force be created at once. Fortunately, the Mongolians are a self-sufficient and innovative people and soon were able to field a somewhat modern pursuit aircraft.
Using bits and pieces left behind by both the Japanese and the Soviets and incorporating an insanely intimidating spatted landing gear design inspired by the American Boeing P-26, the first squadrons took to the air in March, 1940.
The new fighter plane was named the Flying War Horse or "yalaa dain mori" (ялаа дайн морь) in Mongolian which, through an unfortunate mis-translation of the almost unintelligible local dialect would be known in the west as the Thoughtful Horse or "ukhaalag mori" (ухаалаг морь).
Incorporating the fuselages of abandoned Japanese Mitsubishi A5M4 type 96 "Claude" monoplanes improved by fitting a more aerodynamic enclosed canopy and powered by salvaged
Shvetsov M-25 engines, the Thoughtful Horse equipped 23 Mongolian air defense squadrons by the summer of 1940 and none too soon.
The Kwantung Army is known for many things, yet their great hunger has been under-appreciated by historians. The most popular eatery frequented by the Japanese in the border town of Mega-dish-u was the Mongolian Grand Buffet whose All-U-Can-Eat Ham Special would spark trouble.
On the afternoon of August 14th, 1940, disaster struck when the Mongolian Grand Buffet ran out of ham. Frustrated at having to explain the shortage over and over again, the waiters took to yelling "No mo' ham! No mo' ham!" at the hungry Japanese Kwantung Army customers.
The mood within the Mongolian Grand Buffet soon turned ugly as the Japanese soldiers were insulted by being yelled at and not getting what they came for. This spilled out into the streets of Mega-dish-u and would become known as the Mongolian No Mo' Ham incident of 1940.
While order was soon restored to the small border town of Mega-dish-u by Mongolian lancers, the Japanese Kwantung Army wasn't about to take this lying down and soon commenced offensive operations along the entire border.
Fortunately for the Mongolians, their vast squadrons of Thoughtful Horses proved to be the terror of the skies and quickly took control of the air. Once this was established, the Mongolian air force was able to initiate bombing attacks on the invading Kwantung Army.
Their own fighters swept from the skies, the Japanese reeled at the relentless Mongolian air attacks. It got so bad that units of the Kwantung Army would take flight at the mere sight of the Thoughtful Horses' intimidating spats.
The last Japanese stragglers stumbled back across the border in ignominy, squadrons of Thoughtful Horses hot on their heels.
You've got to admit, that landing gear does send a chill down one's spine:
The Mongolians would keep their borders secure throughout the coming World War and the Great Moghul Khan would continue to rule until shortly before the release of
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982. This would be due in no small part to the Mongolian air force and their fleets of Thoughtful Horses.
The Mongolians continued to improve their wildly successful fighter, and a version with retractable landing gear known as the Thoughtful Horse Mk. II began replacing older, fixed gear models in 1941.
This version would, for a short time, be the most advanced pursuit in all of central Asia.
Boasting a top speed in the 350 m.p.h. range yet maintaining the outstanding maneuverability of its predecessor, the Thoughtful Horse Mk. II would continue to defend Mongolian skies throughout the early 1940s.
Eventually replaced by more modern types imported from the west, the Thoughtful Horse was finally phased out of service in 1946. Only one example remains today, on exhibit in the Great Moghul Khan's Grand Air Force Museum which is across the street from an All-U-Can-Eat buffet.
Brian da Basher
