Military of Macau under Portuguese rule
Encyclopedia
Macau was under Portuguese rule until 1999. Prior to the handover to the People's Republic of China
, Portugal
had limited military personnel in Macau
; the last major military presence was in 1974. No Portuguese
troops had been stationed in Macau since the Carnation Revolution
in 1974. There would be no military presence until the handover in 1999 with the establishment of the People's Liberation Army Macau Garrison.
During World War II, the Portuguese had:
Other installations included:
Portuguese naval ships
stationed in Macau:
A naval air station was established in 1927 with limited equipment.
.
A list of some aircraft stationed in Macau prior to 1974:
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
had limited military personnel in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
; the last major military presence was in 1974. No Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
troops had been stationed in Macau since the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
in 1974. There would be no military presence until the handover in 1999 with the establishment of the People's Liberation Army Macau Garrison.
During World War II, the Portuguese had:
Army
- 1 Portuguese infantry company - pre-WWII
- infantry company - 1st Light Mozambique (Mozambique Caçadores) and 2nd Light Mozambique (Mozambique Caçadores) - participated in WWII
- 1 Portuguese artillery company (companhia de artilharia)
- 1 heavy machine gun infantry (companhia de metralhadoras)
- 2 native companies
- 1 depot section
- 1 gunboat
- 497 men - 22 officers, 35 NCO's and 440 soldiers, including 224 native soldiers
Other installations included:
- Fortress of St. Paul of Monte or Monte Fort 1616-1762
- Barra Fort - once had 22 cannons
- São Francisco Barracks 1864
- Fort Mong HaFortaleza de Mong HáThe Fortaleza de Mong-Há is located on the Colina de Mong-Há in Macau. The fort is part of a greater military reservation - the Bairro Militar de Mong-Há, which included the Quartel de Mong-Há. The Bairro Militar is bound by the Rua Francisco Xavier Pereira and the Colina de Mong-Há...
1864-1960s - military detachment in TaipaTaipaTaipa is the smaller of the two islands in the Chinese special administrative region of Macao .- Geography :It is 2.5 kilometres from Macau Peninsula and east of the Lesser Hengqin Island of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province...
(Destacamento militar na Taipa) - military detachment at Ilha VerdeIlha VerdeIlha Verde , literally meaning "Green Island", is an area in the northwest of Macau Peninsula, Macau that forms part of the Our Lady Fatima Parish. It was formerly an island to the west of the Macau Isthmus, and was connected to Macau Peninsula in 1895 when a causeway was built....
(Destacamento militar na Ilha Verde)
Navy
The Macau Naval Aviation Centre was created in 1927 as a seaplane base to combat submarine activity in and around Macau. It was decommissioned in 1933, but re-activated from 1937 to 1940. The naval station was later moved to the Outer port in 1940 and de-commissioned after 1942. The naval station in Macau was part of the Far East Fleet.Portuguese naval ships
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal....
stationed in Macau:
- cruiser Rainha Dona Amélia - stationed early 1900s
- cruiser Vasco da Gama - stationed early 1900s
- gunboat Pátria
- small shallow-draught gunboat Macau - built in ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; later as gunboat Maiko and Chinese Nationalist Navy (later in PLAN) boat Wu Fang
A naval air station was established in 1927 with limited equipment.
Air Force
From 1956 to 1974, Macau was under the 3rd Aerial Region (3ª Região Aérea) with its headquarters in Lourenço MarquesLourenço Marques
Lourenço Marques was a 16th century Portuguese trader and explorer.-Biography:He explored the area that is now Maputo Bay in 1544. He settled permanently in present-day Mozambique, where he spent most of his life with his black wife and mixed-race children.By order of King John III the bay was...
.
A list of some aircraft stationed in Macau prior to 1974:
- 3 FaireyFairey-People:*Charles Richard Fairey, British aircraft manufacturer*Francis Fairey, , Canadian politician,*Jim Fairey, outfielder*Shepard Fairey, American artist-Companies:*Fairey Aviation Company, British aircraft company...
IIID - recon biplane - sent in 1927 - 4 Hawker Osprey floatplanes naval biplane light-bomber (sent before or around 1940)
- AvroAvroAvro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...
626 biplane trainer - Grumman G-21B amphibious monoplane
Commanders in Macau
- Navy Commander Gabriel Maurício Teixeira 1941-1945
- Chief of Staff: Major Carlos da Silva Carvalho