Military of Macau under Portuguese rule

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:

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 Ha 1864-1960s
• military detachment in Taipa (Destacamento militar na Taipa)
• military detachment at Ilha Verde (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 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 Scotland; 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 Marques.

A list of some aircraft stationed in Macau prior to 1974:

• 3 Fairey IIID - recon biplane - sent in 1927
• 4 Hawker Osprey floatplanes naval biplane light-bomber (sent before or around 1940)
• Avro 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

See also

• Portuguese Armed Forces
• British Forces Overseas Hong Kong