Wang Hai

Wang Hai (Chinese: 王海; 19 January 1926 – 2 August 2020) was a Chinese fighter pilot and general. A flying ace of the Korean War, he served as commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) from 1985 to 1992. He was awarded the rank of general (shang jiang) in 1988.

This article is about the air force commander. For the admiral, see Wang Hai (admiral).
In this Chinese name, the family name is Wang.
Wang Hai
王海
Wang Hai in the Korean War
5th Commander of the PLA Air Force
In office
July 1985 – November 1992
DeputyLi Yongtai, Lin Hu, Liu Zhitian
Preceded byZhang Tingfa
Succeeded byCao Shuangming
Personal details
Born(1926-01-19)19 January 1926
Yantai, Shandong, China
Died2 August 2020(2020-08-02) (aged 94)
Beijing, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Military service
Allegiance China
Branch/service People's Liberation Army Air Force
Years of service1944–1992
Rank General
Battles/warsKorean War
MiG-15 - 079

Biography

Wang Hai was born on January 19, 1926, in Yantai, Shandong Province. He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in September 1945 when he was a student at Weihai High School, and studied at Linyi People's Revolutionary University in Shandong. In June 1946 he entered Mudanjiang Aviator School, the first aviator training school of the CCP. In May 1950, he graduated from the training program to become a fighter pilot.[1][2]

During the Korean War (1950–53), Wang was a pilot of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Division. He shot down or damaged nine American aircraft.[3][4] The MiG fighter he flew is exhibited in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing.[1]

After the war, he was promoted to command an air force division, and later commander of the Guangzhou Military Region Air Force. In 1985, he was appointed commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. When the PLA re-instituted military ranks, he was awarded the rank of general (shang jiang) in September 1988. He retired in 1992. Starting with him all PLAAF commanders have been career aviators.[2][5]

Wang Hai was a member of the 13th and 14th Central Committees of the Chinese Communist Party.[1]

Wang died on 2 August 2020, aged 94.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Wang Hai" (in Chinese). Xinhua. Archived from the original on March 26, 2006. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  2. 王海: 从朝鲜战场飞出来的空军司令员. Netease (in Chinese). 2008-06-11.
  3. Zhang, Xiao Ming (2004), Red Wings Over the Yalu: China, the Soviet Union, and the Air War in Korea, College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, ISBN 1-58544-201-1
  4. Bowers, Al (1999-05-17), Fighter Pilot Aces, United States Air Force, archived from the original on 2010-03-01, retrieved 2011-08-28
  5. David L. Shambaugh (2002). Modernizing China's Military: Progress, Problems, and Prospects. University of California Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-520-22507-7.
  6. "空军原司令员王海上将逝世 曾在朝鲜击落击伤9架敌机". sina.com.cn (in Chinese). 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
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