Han Decai (Chinese: 韩德彩; June 1933 – 1 April 2024) was a lieutenant general in the People's Liberation Army Air Force of China. He was a MiG-15 pilot and shot down five American aircraft, including Harold Fischer, during the Korean War.[1]
Han Decai | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
韩德彩 | |||||||
| Deputy Commander of the Nanjing Military Region Air Force | |||||||
| In office May 1983 – June 1995 | |||||||
| Commander | Jiang Yutian Sun Jinghua Xie Decai | ||||||
| Personal details | |||||||
| Born | June 1933 Fengyang County, Anhui, China | ||||||
| Died | 1 April 2024 (aged 90) Shanghai, China | ||||||
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party | ||||||
| Spouse | Zhu Rongfen | ||||||
| Alma mater | PLA Air Force Aviation School | ||||||
| Military service | |||||||
| Allegiance |  People's Republic of China | ||||||
| Branch/service |  People's Liberation Army Air Force | ||||||
| Years of service | 1949–1995 | ||||||
| Rank |  Lieutenant general | ||||||
| Unit | 43rd Regiment of the 15th Division of the PLA Air Force | ||||||
| Commands | Nanjing Military Region Air Force | ||||||
| Battles/wars | Korean War | ||||||
| Awards | Order of the National Flag (1st class) Order of Freedom and Independence (2nd class) | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 韩德彩 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 韓德彩 | ||||||
| |||||||
Biography
editHan was born into a peasant family in Fengyang County, Anhui, in June 1933.[2][3] He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in March 1949, and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in March 1953.[2][3] He graduated from the PLA Air Force Aviation School in 1951.[2]
In 1952, he served as a pilot and squadron leader of the 43rd Regiment of the 15th Division of the PLA Air Force during the Korean War.[2][3] On 7 April 1953, he shot down the famous American fighter pilot Harold Fischer in Chinese airspace north of the Yalu River.[4][1] In October 1997, he met Fischer, when he joined a group of Flying Tiger pilots who had been invited to visit China.[4][1] Fischer presented him with an F-86 model and they became friends.[4][1] He once served as commander of the 4th Army of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. In May 1983, he was promoted to deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region Air Force, and served until June 1995.
He attained the rank of lieutenant general (zhongjiang) in 1991.[5]
Family
editIn 1957, Han married Zhu Rongfen, a medical doctor and a Chinese air force colonel, in Wuxi, Jiangsu.[1]
Awards
edit- Order of the National Flag (1st class)[6]
- Order of Freedom and Independence (2nd class)[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "The Private Life of a Chinese MiG Pilot". Evergreen. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Wang Jinzhi (王金志) (4 April 2024). 痛悼！战斗英雄韩德彩逝世. 2 April 2024 (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Shen Lei (沈蕾) (1 April 2024). 缅怀！曾击落美军王牌飞行员的战斗英雄韩德彩逝世. xhby.net (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Davis, Rebekah (2009-05-25). "Harold E. Fischer Jr. dies at 83; Korean War ace". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ Yue Huairang (岳怀让) (1 April 2024). 志愿军空战英雄韩德彩逝世，曾击落美军“双料王牌”飞行员. thepaper (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Zhou Chen (周晨) (2 April 2024). 鹰魂不朽！送别91岁战斗英雄韩德彩. whb.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 4 April 2024.