Chapter 35 6. The Volunteer Air Force Shows Its Power

In the summer of 1951, the U.S. military launched a "strangling war" to "block the railway line in the air".The U.S. Air Force has increased to 19 wings and brigades, with more than 1,400 combat aircraft. On August 26, the Volunteer Air Force was ordered to take on the task of protecting the main communication line north of Pyongyang and covering the construction of the airport in Anju with the Soviet Air Force One. In September, the Volunteer Air Force took divisions as units, led by the Soviet Air Force, and took turns entering the first-line airports to participate in the battle.

On September 12, a total of fifty-five MiG-15 aircraft from the two regiments of the 4th Division, under the leadership of the division commander Fang Ziyi and the political commissar Xie Xiyu, entered Langtou Airport again. On the 25th, the 4th Division dispatched 32 aircraft to cooperate with the Soviet Air Force to engage in battle with a mixed fleet of more than 100 US aircraft that attempted to attack the Qingchuan River Bridge. During the battle, Li Yongtai, the captain of the 1st Battalion, was besieged by American F-86 fighter jets, and the plane was injured fifty-six places. However, he calmly faced the battle and drove the plane back to the base. He was known as the "air tank".Pilot Liu Yongxin fought six F-86s with a single plane, shot down one of them and died a heroic death.He set the record for shooting down the latest American "Saber" aircraft.

In the next five sky battles, the 4th Division cooperated closely with Soviet Air Force pilots, shooting down 26 American planes and injuring eight. On October 2, Mao Zedong gave instructions in the Air Force's report on the combat situation of the 4th Division: "It is very good and comforting for the 4th Air Force Division to fight bravely. It is correct for you to encourage them. The families of the heroic victims should be comforted." In October, with the cooperation of anti-aircraft artillery and the Soviet Air Force, the 4th Division and the US military conducted six consecutive large-scale air battles.Among them, on the 5th, the 4th Division took off a total of 20 planes to attack the US fighter-bombers over the Qingchuan River, covered the ground troops crossing the river, shot down three US F-80 fighter-bombers, damaged two, and lost one plane. .

The 4th Division of the Volunteer Air Force fought for a month, and dispatched a total of 508 sorties. Among them, there were seven air battles involving more than 200 fighter jets from both the enemy and the enemy. A total of 17 American planes were shot down, 7 were damaged, and 17 of them were lost. On October 20, the 4th Division transferred to the second line to rest and summarize combat experience. On the same day, the 3rd Division, led by Yuan Bin, acting commander, and Gao Houliang, political commissar, went to the front line to participate in the battle.The division is equipped with fifty MiG-15 aircraft and fifty pilots. On November 4 and 16, the 2nd Division (division commander Zhang Qinghe, political commissar Zhang Baichun) and the 14th Division (division commander Wang Yuhuai, political commissar Xie Jiyou) were transferred to the front line to participate in the battle, led by the 3rd Division. In December and January 1952, the Volunteer Air Force's 6th Division (political commissar Zhang Zhiyong, deputy division commander Beisha) and 15th Division (division commander Huang Yuting, political commissar Cui Wenbin) entered the front line to participate in the battle.A large number of units of the Volunteer Air Force entered the battle one after another, which greatly weakened the "air superiority" of the US military between the Yalu River and the Qingchuan River, and grew stronger in the battle. Together with the Soviet Air Force, they mastered the air supremacy north of the Qingchuan River for a certain period of time.

In September 1951, the U.S. intelligence agency discovered that three large airports were being rapidly constructed in the northwest of North Korea 90 miles from the Chinese border.The U.S. military estimates that once these airports are completed and put into use, the air power of the Chinese and North Korean armies will be greatly strengthened, and the air and ground activities of the "United Nations Army" will be seriously threatened. The U.S. military acted quickly, and began a series of attacks on three airports under construction starting on October 18. On October 23, the U.S. military used eight B-29 bombers and a convoy of about 100 fighter jets to carry out air strikes on a jet fighter base under construction in northern North Korea—Nanshi airstrip, and was intercepted by 150 MiG planes. .

The 3rd Division of the Volunteer Air Force, on the basis of learning the combat experience of the 4th Division, first launched a small fleet, and after accumulating actual combat experience, it launched a large fleet.From November 2 to 10, it fought five times with the scattered small fleet of the U.S. Air Force and shot down eight U.S. planes.From November 16th, the 3rd Division began to compete with the American University fleet. On the afternoon of the 18th, the 9th Regiment of the 3rd Division of the Volunteer Air Force took off 16 planes to face the large US fleet.When the six planes of the No. 1 Battalion arrived over the Qingchuan River, they found more than 60 F-84 fighter-bombers at low altitudes in front of the left, some of which were bombing the Qingchuan River Bridge.Captain Wang Hai led his team into the U.S. planes, and he and his wingmen each shot down two U.S. planes.Pilot Sun Shenglu dared to bayonet in the air and shot down a US plane at a close range of 300 meters.In this battle, the 9th Regiment shot down a total of six US planes, five of which were shot down by the 1st Brigade.During the entire war, the 1st Brigade fought more than 80 times in the air and shot down and damaged 29 American planes. It was known as the "heroic Wang Hai Brigade".

On the 23rd, Meng Jin, deputy head of the 7th Regiment of the 3rd Division of the Volunteer Army Air Force, led 20 aircraft to engage more than 20 F-84 aircraft, creating an air battle that shot down and injured eight US aircraft, and only slightly injured one. A successful example of a battle.In this battle, team leader Liu Yudi set a record of shooting down four US planes in one air battle. On December 2, 5, and 8, 300 planes fought fiercely in the sky every day, and the U.S. aviation forces received new blows every day.In the first round of the 3rd Division of the Volunteer Air Force (October 21, 1951 to January 14, 1952), sixty-four U.S. aircraft were shot down and damaged, of which Liu Yudi and Zhao Baotong each shot down and damaged eight U.S. aircraft. Wang Hai and Fan Wanzhang each shot down and damaged five U.S. planes.The 3rd Division was shot down and wounded twenty-three.

Under the joint attack of the Volunteer Air Force and the Soviet Air Force, at the end of October 1951, the US Far East Air Force Commander Wayland was forced to cancel the daytime bombing operation of the B-29 strategic bomber. In November, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Hoyt S. Vandenberg admitted at a press conference that "we have suffered the worst loss since the Korean War..." In a somewhat sinister turn of events, ... almost overnight China became one of the most powerful air forces in the world ... the air superiority that we have relied on in the past is now face serious challenges."

The history of the U.S. Air Force says: Due to the numerical superiority of the Communist MiGs, they took the initiative everywhere in the north of Pyongyang in November, while all the pilots of the United Nations Army can only resist the attack launched by the Communist pilots. On December 16, Whelan admitted at a press conference that air blockades of lines of communication were becoming more and more difficult. After preliminary training in actual combat, starting from January 1952, the Volunteer Air Force has been able to fight independently.The Volunteer Air Force adopted the method of bringing the old with the new, and continued to take turns to fight in units of divisions.According to the situation at the front-line airfield, each round of combat troops maintains three to four divisions.

On January 16, the 4th Division of the Volunteer Air Force reached the front line again. In February, Mao Zedong instructed the Air Force: "We must seize the opportunity to carry out actual combat training, and we must attach great importance to the significance of actual combat training to the Air Force. Even if we only want to fight a few air battles, it is good." According to Mao Zedong's instruction, the Volunteer Air Force 12. The 17th and 18th divisions went to the front line to participate in the battle one after another. On the morning of February 10, U.S. military planes flew over Pyongyang, Sariwon, and Gecheon. Among them, two batches of F-84 and F-80 combat bombers bombed Junyu under the cover of 18 F-86s. near the railway line.The Volunteer Army Air Force Command ordered the 4th Division to take off thirty-four MiG-15 aircraft to meet the enemy.

The U.S. plane quietly approached the Volunteer Army fleet using the cover of the clouds.Zhang Jihui, captain of the 3rd Battalion of the 12th Regiment, discovered the US plane and immediately reported to the leader, who decisively issued combat orders.Zhang Jihui and wingman Shan Zhiyu threw away the auxiliary fuel tank and climbed up, striving for the advantage of altitude, and preparing to attack.In the process, they found themselves out of formation.So they chased the formation while searching for enemy planes. Suddenly, Zhang Jihui noticed eight American planes coming towards him from the clouds behind him.Zhang Jihui reminded Shan Zhiyu to keep the formation, then made a right turn and went up, and the American plane flew into the air.Zhang Jihui and Shan Zhiyu took advantage of the opportunity to bite the lead American plane.The U.S. plane tried to escape, dived and pulled up, but couldn't escape.When the first shot missed the target, Zhang Jihui fired three shots at a distance of 600 meters from the U.S. plane. Dozens of shells were fed to the U.S. plane, and it was shot down on a hillside in Bochuan County.Then, with the cooperation of Shan Zhiyu, Zhang Jihui shot down another American plane. At that time, Zhang Jihui had no way of knowing who was driving the US pilot who was engaged in aerial combat with him.After the air battle, a driver's badge was found from the wreckage of the US plane, engraved on it: "Major George A. Davis, Squadron Commander, 334th Squadron, 4th Wing".Only then did I know that Zhang Jihui was competing with the famous Davis.Davis participated in 266 combat flights in World War II, with a total flight time of more than 3,000 hours. He is a so-called "air hero" who is "indefatigable" and "specially brave and good at fighting" highly praised by the US Air Force. The famous "ace" pilot. In a special statement on February 13, Lieutenant General Wayland, commander of the US Far East Air Force, confirmed that Davis was killed.He said that this was "a big blow to the Far East Air Force" and "a tragic loss". From September 1951 to May 1952: The Volunteer Army has 9 divisions, 18 regiments of fighter plane units and two bomber division units taking turns to participate in the battle, 447 pilots participated in the battle, 680 batches of battles were dispatched, 1602 air combat sorties were shot down, and 123 US planes were shot down. 43 aircraft were damaged, which made an important contribution to defeating the "strangulation battle" of the US military.