The peasants wore torn pants to see the leaders and participated in the founding ceremony
In 1945, Japan's surrender brought a brief peace to the country, and people began to recuperate from the pain of aggression. However, behind this peace, there is an undercurrent of danger.
Chiang Kai-shek tried to get his hands on the fruits of peace and wanted to rekindle the flames of war. Relations between the KMT and the CCP have also become strained. Just as the war was about to break out, one afternoon in April 1946, the roar of an airplane was heard in the sky of the Communist liberated areas.
In the bad weather of impending heavy rain and strong winds, the plane was forced to land. When people found out that it was a young soldier wearing a Kuomintang military uniform who stepped down from the plane, they did not directly abuse him to vent their resentment and hatred, but took him home, prepared a sumptuous tea and dinner for him, and took good care of him.
When the Kuomintang soldier landed in the liberated area due to weather conditions, his superiors in the liberated area conducted a detailed background check on him, and after confirming that he had no other purpose, they let him move freely.
He originally thought that the liberated areas would be a brutal and vicious place like his education, but when he felt the warmth and kindness of the people, he began to question his own perception.
He found that the people in these liberated areas treated him sincerely, and his soul was also rested and baptized for a short time in a simple and enthusiastic living environment.
He began to fall in love with this land, strengthened his belief in staying, became a member of the Communist Party Liberated Area, and helped the development of the flying career in the Liberated Area with his existing flight knowledge.
Wang Yanzhou, a former Kuomintang soldier, defected to the Communist Party because of an accident and became a member of the Flying Tigers. He was born in an ordinary peasant family in Rizhao City, Shandong Province, and although his life was difficult, because his family kept some land, he was able to go to a private school to study at an early age and cultivate his learning ability and insight.
After completing his private school studies in 1935, he became an apprentice in a shop. However, when his cousin Wang Yande returned to his hometown to visit relatives, he brought a life-changing news: "Do you want to join the army and serve the country?" ”
Wang Yanzhou replied without hesitation: "Yes!" ”
Wang Yanzhou, who has admired soldiers since he was a child, has always dreamed of wearing that majestic military uniform. Finally in the spring of 1936, through the recommendation of his cousin, Wang Yanzhou joined the 29th Army of the National Revolutionary Army and realized his military dream.
In the military training of recruits in Nanyuan, Beiping, Wang Yanzhou devoted himself wholeheartedly and was full of ambition to serve the country. However, the Lugou Bridge Incident on July 7, 1937 shattered his peaceful life.
In the face of the Japanese invasion, all the officers and men of the 29th Army, including Wang Yanzhou, threw themselves into the battle to resist the aggression without hesitation. In this unusually tragic battle, they fought to the death against the enemy with their blood and firm faith.
When the country is in crisis, we should stand up and be loyal to the country, even if we sacrifice our lives, we must leave traces of serving the country. "The soldiers at the front were fighting bravely, but Chiang Kai-shek and other Kuomintang generals in the rear were holding peace talks with the Japanese in an attempt to avoid war.
However, the Japanese offensive did not weaken due to negotiations with Chiang Kai-shek and others, but mobilized more troops and equipment to launch a fierce attack on the soldiers who insisted on resisting.
Numerous soldiers died heroically on the Lugou Bridge, and their corpses were strewn all over the battlefield. Tong Linge, the commander of the 29th Army, died heroically, and Wang Yanzhou's military training regiment also suffered heavy losses, and the number was less than one-third of the original.
The positions are constantly lost, but the reinforcements have not yet arrived, and the battlefield is about to be completely lost. At this critical juncture, the soldiers who were defending the battlefield received instructions from their superiors, "Save the remaining strength, avoid greater sacrifices, and retreat!" ”
Wang Yanzhou was exhausted and wounded, but he still received the order and followed the remaining comrades and withdrew from the battlefield gloomily. Under the cover of night and heavy rain, they desperately broke through the enemy blockade and fled from the battlefield.
Although their legion no longer exists, Wang Yanzhou and other comrades-in-arms are still moving forward, and their will to serve the country has not been extinguished.
In 1938, with his enthusiasm for military affairs, Wang Yanzhou was admitted to the 16th phase of the Whampoa Military Academy and began his unfinished military training. Knowing that the knowledge and skills he learned in school were his future life, he relied on his existing knowledge and talents, trained hard, doubled his studies, and finally graduated in December 1940.
These two years of military training and study have greatly improved Wang Yanzhou, and after graduation, he planned to immediately devote himself to the battlefield and fight bloodily. However, a few days before graduation, he saw a recruitment advertisement at the Air Force Academy and decided to become one of them.
Without informing relatives and friends, he immediately signed up for recruitment at the Air Force Academy. With his intelligence and tenacity, he was successfully admitted to the Air Force Academy and started a new journey.
At the Air Force School in Kunming, Yunnan Province, he quickly adapted to the new training method after a short adjustment, and finally successfully completed the rigorous training with excellent performance and hard work.
In 1941, Wang Yanzhou was sent to a U.S. military base for advanced military training. The United States was in the midst of a battle with Japan, and Wang Yanzhou honed his flying skills in actual combat.
After completing his training, he did not hesitate to return to his homeland and join the ranks of defending his homeland. He wanted to help the Motherland and drive out foreign enemies. After returning to China, Wang Yanzhou became a member of the famous Flying Tigers.
The Flying Tigers, also known as the "American Volunteer Air Force for China", was created by American General Chennault to train Chinese Air Force pilots, improve China's air combat capabilities, and assist the Chinese Air Force in fighting Japan.
As a member of the Flying Tigers, Wang Yanzhou played a key role on the battlefield of the Anti-Japanese War. With his excellent flying combat ability, he defeated enemy aircraft many times. On June 2, 1942, Wang Yanzhou flew his first combat mission, flying a P-40N fighter to escort a bomber.
During the escort, his fighter broke down, and he made an emergency landing to check for the malfunction. After troubleshooting, he took off again to join his teammates. In the process, he spotted an enemy aircraft in front of him.
After careful observation, Wang Yanzhou recognized that it was an enemy transport plane. With a quick reflex, he immediately activated the combat mode, quickly went around the rear of the enemy aircraft to intercept it, and immediately launched an attack on the enemy aircraft.
In the end, he succeeded in shooting down the enemy plane, and smoke billowed in the air for a while. This was Wang Yanzhou's first major victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan, shooting down an important enemy transport plane and killing seven of its Japanese generals.
In the many battles that followed, he shot down enemy planes many times, established many combat exploits, and even crossed the "Hump Route" known as the suicide route many times, proving his excellent flying combat skills.
These achievements earned him the honor of "Ace Pilot". After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China ushered in a brief period of peace, but it faced a new crisis at home. Due to his outstanding performance during the War of Resistance Against Japan, Wang Yanzhou was transferred to the Ninth Theater Command of the Kuomintang Air Force to serve in the Kuomintang Air Force.
As a patriot, he cherished his hard-won peace, but he was dissatisfied with the situation of the civil war. That afternoon in April 1946, he joined the Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in the Liberated Areas of Hebei Province and served in the Air Force Academy, thus dedicating his life to the people.
On October 1, 1949, Wang Yanzhou, an Air Force pilot who soared into the blue sky in the War of Liberation, sailed through Tiananmen Square as a member of the flight formation and was inspected by the leaders and the people.
However, in 1957, the special circumstances of the rectification movement caused Wang Yanzhou to be branded as a bourgeois rightist, and his wife was separated after three years in prison.
After being released from prison, he returned to his hometown and became an ordinary farmer. Although he was once a hero, his light was not permanently obscured. In 1983, Xia Liangbai, the head of the ** Department of Rizhao County, Shandong Province, came to the village where Wang Yanzhou was farming.
He has kept a low profile in the village, and the villagers are unaware of his past. When Minister Xia Liangbai came over, Wang Yanzhou, who was serving tea and water to the county leaders, was called over.
Minister Xia Liangbai noticed his special pants, and Wang Yanzhou told him that these were his pants when he was in the army. This encounter allowed Wang Yanzhou's honor to see the light of day again.
In a conversation, Xia Liangbai was surprised to find that this old man who had made him awe-inspiring was actually a member of the Flying Tigers Air Force, participated in many battles such as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, and also participated in the founding ceremony, and made countless meritorious contributions in his life.
However, when Xia Liangbai asked why he didn't fight for his honor, Wang Yanzhou just said lightly: "The past is the past, I'm used to it, it's nothing." ”
Xia Liangbai could not calm down, and explained the situation to his superiors in December of the same year, and Wang Yanzhou's air force identity was re-identified. At this time, the hero who once soared into the sky was 63 years old.
His deeds began to be widely known, remembered by the world, interviewed by the magazine "Flying Globe", and also became a patriotic educator in nearby village and town schools, carrying out patriotic propaganda activities.
However, there is an end to the hero's life. On April 30, 2012, the 92-year-old Air Force pilot ended his glorious and tortuous life.