On October 1, 1949, at the founding ceremony, Chairman Mao solemnly announced the founding of the People's Republic of China.
This historic moment not only marks the dawn of a new era, but also shows the selfless dedication and heroic deeds of countless revolutionary heroes.
Over this solemn Tiananmen Square, 26 planes flew in formation, and the leading plane was controlled by Zhang Zuli.
What kind of family background and revolutionary process does this legend have? What are some memorable stories of his upbringing?
Zhang Zuli was born in February 1919 in a revolutionary family in Bobai County, Guangxi Province. His grandfather, Zhang Luzhen, was a member of the Guangxi Legislature after the Xinhai Revolution, and his father, Zhang Jinming, served as Huang Shaohong's secretary during the Northern Expedition.
Influenced by the revolutionary tradition of his family, Zhang Zuli has been exposed to it since he was a child, and he is determined to contribute to the independence and liberation of the country.
In such an environment, his fourth sister Zhang Zuwen, cousin Zhang Zugui and aunt Zhang Bowen also became underground party members and participated in the revolutionary cause.
Zhang Zuli's family background and revolutionary experience undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for his growth.
Influenced by revolutionary ideas since childhood, he joined the student army and the "Reading Club" at an early age, and gradually formed his own firm revolutionary beliefs.
However, how did Zhang Zuli gradually embark on the revolutionary road under the influence of his family? What were the twists and turns in his early education and ideological formation?
1. Young and determined to serve the country
Zhang Zuli was born into a revolutionary family, and his grandfather, Zhang Luzhen, was a member of the Guangxi Chamber of Deputies after the Xinhai Revolution.
After Chiang Kai-shek's rebellion, Zhang Luzhen returned to his hometown, and his revolutionary spirit influenced the entire family.
Zhang Zuli's father, Zhang Jinming, served as Huang Shaohong's secretary during the Northern Expedition, and served as a middle school teacher, county magistrate, and a clerk of the Ministry of the Interior.
Many of Zhang Zuli's family members were staunch revolutionaries. His fourth sister Zhang Zuwen, his cousin Zhang Zugui, and his aunt Zhang Bowen were all underground party members who actively participated in the revolutionary cause of resistance to oppression.
Zhang Zuli grew up in such a family environment, and revolutionary ideas and beliefs took root in his heart.
Under the influence of his family, Zhang Zuli was determined to serve the country since he was a child, and at the age of 18, he joined the student army and the "Reading Club".
His educational background and the process of forming his ideas were full of twists and turns, but it was also in this process that he gradually established his revolutionary beliefs and life goals.
In that turbulent era, young people threw themselves into the torrent of revolution with the enthusiasm of serving the country.
Zhang Zuli is no exception.
At the age of 18, he joined the student army without hesitation and became a member of the "Reading Club".
In the student army, Zhang Zuli not only received military training, but also read various revolutionary books extensively, and gained an in-depth understanding of Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles and the basic ideas of Marxism.
The activities of the reading club enabled him to meet a group of like-minded friends, and they often discussed the future and destiny of the country together, and looked forward to a better future together.
During these passionate years, Zhang Zuli gradually established his firm revolutionary beliefs.
In order to further improve his ability, he decided to join the army and be admitted to the Kuomintang Air Force Aviation School, hoping to contribute to the War of Resistance against Japan by mastering advanced aviation technology.
Second, the pen from Rong: across the ocean to learn the navigation technology
In 1943, Zhang Zuli was successfully admitted to the Kuomintang Air Force Aviation School and began his enlightenment in aviation.
During his time at aviation school, he studied hard and quickly mastered the basics of flight and aviation theory.
However, the study at the aviation school was not all smooth sailing, and Zhang Zuli not only had to face heavy study tasks, but also had to overcome all kinds of corruption and darkness within the Kuomintang. He often felt confused and confused, but his firm conviction and dedication to revolutionary ideals supported him to go on.
In February 1944, Zhang Zuli was sent to Lahore (in present-day Pakistan) to study aviation theory.
In Lahore, he not only learned the principles of flight and pilotage, but also came into contact with more advanced aviation equipment and technology, which laid a solid foundation for his later flying career.
In July of the same year, Zhang Zuli was sent to the United States for further study to learn more advanced navigation technology. For Zhang Zuli, this is a rare opportunity.
During his time in the United States, he not only learned how to guide the aircraft, but also obtained a Class A Navigator Certificate through continuous practice and training, and became a qualified navigator.
Zhang Zuli often sighed: "During my study in the United States, I not only learned to lead the way for airplanes, but also found a direction for myself. ”
While studying in the United States, Zhang Zuli came into contact with the "American Overseas Chinese Daily".
This newspaper published Mao Zedong's "On Coalition Government", which gave him the first systematic understanding of the political ideas of the Communist Party of China and the theory of communism.
Zhang Zuli was deeply attracted by Mao Zedong's ideas and began to actively think about and explore the road of communism. He and some like-minded classmates privately agreed that after returning to China, they would try to find the Communist Party in the liberated areas.
After returning to China, Zhang Zuli was assigned to the 35th Squadron of the 8th Brigade of the Kuomintang Air Force stationed in Shanghai as a navigator.
As a young and talented navigator, Zhang Zuli quickly rose to prominence in the team.
However, he also saw corruption and darkness within the Kuomintang Air Force in his work.
He was disappointed by the performance of the Kuomintang army in the Sino-Japanese War, and he was even more distressed by the corruption of internal officials.
During the bombing mission, Zhang Zuli witnessed the tragic situation of many compatriots, and the pain and anger in his heart continued to accumulate. He realized that only by joining the Communist Party could he truly contribute to the independence of the country and the liberation of the people.
3. Aircraft Uprising: From the Kuomintang to the Liberated Areas
During his stay in Shanghai, Zhang Zuli became acquainted with many young officers with progressive ideas, and through them he met Wang Yueying, an underground party member.
Wang Yueying was an underground party member sent to Shanghai by the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan City Work Department to liaise with progressives like Zhang Zuli.
Zhang Zuli and Wang Yueying meet every Saturday in Hongkou Park to exchange information. Through these contacts, Zhang Zuli transmitted to the party organization a large amount of important information about the deployment of the Kuomintang Air Force, aircraft performance parameters, weapons allocation, etc., which provided valuable information support for the victory of the PLA.
In the autumn of 1948, with the successive victories of the People's Liberation Army on various battlefields, Zhang Zuli's air force unit was transferred to Nanjing to carry out bombing missions.
However, Zhang Zuli had long been tired of it, and was determined to make his own contribution to the cause of liberation through the uprising.
Through contact with the underground party organization, Zhang Zuli conspired with Hao Guiqiao and others to prepare for an uprising.
They agreed that Hao Guiqiao would choose the time for the uprising, and agreed: to see Hao Guiqiao every day at dinner, and if he nodded, it meant that he would revolt that day; If you shake your head, you are on standby.
In order to prevent the plan from being leaked, Zhang Zuli and other insurgents kept a high level of vigilance and actively prepared various emergency measures.
After much discussion and preparation, the plan for the uprising gradually matured.
On December 16, 1948, a notice was posted on the notice board of the air crew canteen of Nanjing University: "After dinner, President Chiang and his wife invited all the pilots to watch a movie at the Xinsheng Club (Kuomintang Air Force Club)."
When eating in the canteen at noon, Hao Guiqiao nodded lightly, and Zhang Zuli immediately realized that the time for the uprising had come!
In the evening, Zhang Zuli and others turned down Chiang Kai-shek's invitation to the film for various reasons, and quietly brought a pistol, headphones and flight drawings to gather in Yu Bo's dormitory.
Yu Bo was determined to become a benevolent man if he did not succeed, and mobilized before the uprising: "If the action is exposed, Zhou Zuozhou will detonate the bomb, and we will die with the planes on the tarmac; In the event of a shootout, everyone has to save the last bullet to themselves. ”
At 19 o'clock, Zhang Zuli and other five people quietly entered the airport and finally identified the B-24 heavy bomber numbered 514.
That night, the plane not only had five 1000-pound bombs in its bomb bay, but also enough fuel to fly to the liberated areas.
At about 20 o'clock, when Chiang Kai-shek was still giving a lecture to all the pilots in the club, Zhang Zuli and five others had already flown their planes over Nanjing.
At 20:15, five bombs were dropped from the bomb bay at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain.
Although the bomb did not directly hit the "presidential palace" due to the removal of the bombing system, the success of the uprising laid a solid foundation for the liberation cause.
After the successful uprising, Zhang Zuli and others increased the throttle and flew to the liberated areas.
Unable to contact the party organization, the PLA stationed in Shijiazhuang mistook it for a Kuomintang plane that had come to attack them, imposed emergency control on the ground lights, and opened fire on them.
In desperation, Yu Bo used the navigation light as a signal light, repeatedly signaling to the ground several times, and finally the PLA stopped shooting and lit thousands of torches on both sides of the runway.
At 1 a.m. on December 17, 1948, Zhang Zuli and others landed safely at Shijiazhuang Airport, and the fuel gauge showed that the remaining fuel could only fly for another 20 minutes.
After the plane landed safely, the insurgents were warmly welcomed.
The next day, entrusted by Chairman Mao and Vice Chairman Zhou, Luo Qingchang made a special trip to Shijiazhuang to express his condolences to them.
A few days later, Zhang Zuli and five others flew to Shenyang and officially joined the People's Air Force.
4. Appointed to participate in the founding ceremony
At the end of August 1949, Zhang Zuli and his comrades-in-arms received a glorious and arduous task: to participate in the parade flight of the founding ceremony.
This is not only the first appearance of the People's Air Force in front of the people of the whole country, but also an important moment to demonstrate the military strength of New China.
For Zhang Zuli and others, this is both an honor and a responsibility.
They are well aware that this flight is not just a simple air show, but an important opportunity to show the world the strength of new China's aviation.
After receiving the mission, Zhang Zuli and his comrades-in-arms immediately threw themselves into intense flight training.
At that time, they faced three very difficult problems: first, there was only one month before the founding ceremony, and the training task was urgent; Second, the aircraft at Nanyuan Airport are not only complex and old, with heavy maintenance tasks and huge safety pressure; Third, flight and maintenance personnel come from all over the world, their technical level is uneven, and their flight experience is different, so it is difficult to form effective combat effectiveness in a short period of time.
At dawn every day, Zhang Zuli and others began a day's training.
Flying, having meetings, discussing, solving technical problems, and sometimes staying up all night.
They train day and night, trying to overcome all kinds of difficulties and challenges.
During this period, Zhang Zuli and others put forward the proposal of asking the Central Military Commission for instructions and first conducting several drills on the flight route under review.
Soon, the central government agreed to their request.
Therefore, under the leadership of Xing Haifan, Zhang Zuli and others quickly completed the navigation calculations and map operations, and drew up a flight plan for dividing the 17 planes into six squads to pass through Tiananmen Square.
At 16 o'clock on October 1, 1949, a grand military parade was held. On Nanyuan Airport, 17 planes are ready to go.
At 16:35, when the army's mechanized chariot division marched to Tiananmen Square, the planes under review took off in turn and flew to Tiananmen Square, pushing the founding ceremony to a climax.
As the navigator of the long plane, Zhang Zuli flew the Mosquito bomber over Tiananmen Square. He recalls: "At that time, I sat in the pilot seat of the long plane, and I was extremely excited and proud. I know that Chairman Mao and the people of the whole country are watching us. ”
According to the time and route of the flight reservation, Zhang Zuli and others first circled over the Shuangqiao in the eastern suburbs, and then flew from east to west.
After entering the route, three P-51 fighter detachments were in front, followed by two Mosquito bombers of the fourth detachment, followed by three C-46 aircraft of the fifth detachment, one L-5 communication aircraft and two PT-19 trainers of the sixth detachment.
The formation flew in an orderly manner and the scene was spectacular.
In order to increase the visual effect of the number of aircraft, nine P-51 fighters, after flying through Tiananmen Square, again joined the formation for a second overflight.
This makes it look like the number of planes reviewed has changed from 17 to 26.
5. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it participated in the opening up of new routes
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhang Zuli did not stop moving forward. Together with Liu Shanben, Xu Junying and others, he participated in the opening of the route from northwest China to the Soviet Union.
This route not only connects the two socialist countries of China and the Soviet Union, but also lays a solid foundation for China's aviation industry.
During this period of time, Zhang Zuli successfully completed many flight missions with his excellent pilot skills and rich flight experience, ensuring the smooth flow of the route.
From 1950 to 1955, Zhang Zuli served as the chief of navigation in the 3rd Independent Regiment of the Beijing Air Force, and participated in the mission to resist US aggression and aid Korea.
In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Zhang Zuli not only demonstrated excellent flying skills, but also demonstrated a high degree of political consciousness and responsibility. His outstanding performance has won high praise from his comrades-in-arms and leaders.
In 1956, Zhang Zuli was ordered to be transferred from Harbin First Aviation School to Guanghan, Sichuan, to participate in the preparation for the establishment of the Aviation School of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (now the Civil Aviation Flight College of China), and served as a pilot teacher.
As a teacher, Zhang Zuli has unreservedly passed on his knowledge and experience to the new generation of pilots, and has cultivated a large number of talents for China's civil aviation industry.
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