This is undoubtedly the "ace"!, Led by the commander-in-chief three times and repeatedly set air combat records, the Eagle Regiment | Ministry of National Defense | Air Combat

There is such a battle flag, and the troops behind it are quite legendary: it was named by the Ministry of National Defense, ordered three times by Mao Zedong, and referred to by Zhou Enlai as "immediately upon call, capable of fighting, capable of winning in battle.".

This is the "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" flag, supported by the People's Navy's flagship aviation unit.

On December 29, 1995, the 30th anniversary of the naming of the Sea and Air Eagle Regiment. The pilot is conducting ground simulation flight training. Image | Xinhua News Agency

Opening the history of the "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment": From 1952 to 1965, this unit participated in anti US aid to North Korea and national air defense operations, transitioning to 13 airports, from the Yalu River to the East China Sea outpost, and from the Shandong Peninsula to the foot of Wuzhi Mountain. A total of 31 enemy planes of 11 models were shot down and damaged, making it a true "ace".

Today, let's start with the "chicks" before the "eagle" spreads its wings.

Article | Chen Hui, former president and senior journalist of the Beijing Military Region Branch of Xinhua News Agency

Editor | Xie Fang Outlook Think Tank

This article is an original article by Wang Think Tank. If you need to reprint it, please indicate the source and author information of Wang Think Tank before the article. Otherwise, legal responsibility will be strictly pursued.

1

Having gone through three major branches of service, invincible

The Sea and Air Eagle Regiment was a heroic force that had gone through three major military branches: land, sea, and air, and was invincible as early as the "chick" stage before spreading its wings and flying.

The predecessor of the Sea and Air Eagle Regiment can be traced back to the Jiangnan Anti Japanese Volunteer Army formed during the Anti Japanese War. In 1941, it was reorganized into the 54th Regiment of the New Fourth Army. On April 28, 1945, the Sanduohe Ambush launched by the regiment in collaboration with the 52nd regiment and other sister units was another major victory in the central Jiangsu region after the Battle of Cheqiao.

[Editor's note: The Battle of Cheqiao liberated the area 200 miles east of Huai'an and Baoying, consolidated and expanded the base area in central Jiangsu, disrupted the Japanese puppet plan of "clearing the countryside" and "cultivating land", and opened the prelude to the strategic counterattack in central Jiangsu.]

In the ambush at Sanduo River, more than 840 Japanese and puppet soldiers were killed, 965 Japanese and puppet soldiers were captured, as well as 7 Japanese military advisors such as Yamamoto, as well as the commander of the puppet army, Major General Ma Youming, and Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Commander Han Yong'en. They seized a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and military supplies, dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese and puppet army, and were commended by the New Fourth Army headquarters.

During the Liberation War, this regiment was the famous "Tiger Five Regiments" in northern Jiangsu. They "suppressed Xinghua", "attacked Lianshui", "broke through the Heavenly Trench", and "fought in Shanghai", and made great achievements multiple times. They were truly great meritorious troops.

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the "Tiger Fifth Regiment" was reorganized into the 257th Regiment of the 86th Division of the 29th Army, and in March 1951, it was reorganized into the 49th Regiment of the 17th Division of the Air Force Aviation Corps, entering the ranks of the Air Force and continuing to make a name for itself in the Korean War.

In order to counter the air superiority of the US military, the 49th Regiment of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army Air Force was ordered to participate in the war as soon as it was established, becoming the only air force aviation unit in the Korean War that did not deploy or rest. At that time, the pilots in the entire group only underwent brief training for less than a year, with an average flight time of only over 20 hours per person. Their first opponent was the world's top US Air Force aviation.

Most American pilots participated in World War II, flying for over a thousand hours. As soon as the young eagle entered the battlefield, it encountered the seasoned eagle. But the pilots of the 49th Regiment were not afraid of tigers when they were young, not only defeating the US military multiple times, but also setting two records in the history of air combat by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

The first record was created by Wang Kun, the captain of the 49th Flying Squadron.

On August 6, 1952, a large number of American fighter jets attacked the Yalu River, and the 49th Regiment immediately took off to confront them. The ground command post reminded Wang Kun, who was flying, "There are four American F-86 fighter jets in front of you to the left."

Wang Kun quickly conveyed the information to his comrades, while he immediately launched a direct attack on the American fighter jet from above, firing at a distance of 300 meters, firing three guns in unison, causing the enemy plane to explode in the air. Immediately, he adjusted his angle and grabbed another American plane. Unexpectedly, the American plane saw the situation and attempted to escape. Wang Kun fired multiple shots, and the enemy plane fled with injuries. Vice captain Ma Zhirong was also exceptionally skilled, and as soon as he went up, he destroyed a US military fighter jet.

At that time, Wang Kun had only over 80 hours of flight time, and in less than 20 hours of piloting the MiG-15 fighter jet, he defeated American pilots who had flown for thousands of hours.

The 49th Regiment achieved a great victory in its first aerial battle, which is also the first victory record of the Volunteer Army Air Force's counterattack.

On September 17 and December 17, 1952, Yang Hanhuang, the navigation director of the 49th Regiment, shot down one US F-86 and one F-4U fighter jet respectively over Kuandian County in Liaoning Province and Datong River in North Korea.

The second record is the deciphering of the US military's air combat tactic "Circle Tactics".

The so-called "circle tactic" refers to forming a group of aircraft into a circle in the air, flying forward in the shape of a flying saucer, covering each other and attacking. The US Air Force called this tactic the "unbreakable aerial fortress", which was their winning weapon in World War II.

On February 17, 1953, pilots of the 49th Regiment, Yu Kailiang, Geng Dongqing, Li Chunmeng, and Chen Taiqu, flew in the airspace of the Datong River in North Korea to confront five American planes using the "circle tactic". They adapted to the situation, changed their formation, inserted at a small angle and medium speed, identified the flaws of the US military, and launched a decisive attack. In the end, three US F-4U fighter jets were shot down.

The 49th Regiment pioneered the Volunteer Army Air Force to break the US military record.

On March 13th shortly after, the US military dispatched 174 planes in an attempt to bomb important targets such as the Yalu River Bridge and the Lagushao Hydropower Station. Commander Song Gexiu of the 49th Regiment was ordered to lead the entire regiment into the air and engage in combat with American fighter jets five times my size.

In the battle, Song Gexiu's fighter jet was surrounded by 8 American fighter jets. He boldly passed under the enemy's belly, made a sharp turn to the tail of the enemy plane, took a favorable position, and quickly aimed. He pressed the gun button and shot down an enemy plane, disrupting the formation of the enemy planes. But unfortunately, Captain Song was shot and sacrificed himself. In this battle, a total of 3 American fighter jets were shot down and 2 American fighter jets were damaged.

During the Korean War, the 49th Regiment shot down 13 and injured 3 American fighter jets, and the Sino Korean Air Force Joint Command praised them as "air superiority".

In 1954, the 49th Air Force Aviation Regiment was incorporated into the Navy Aviation Corps sequence, with the designation of the 10th Regiment of the 4th Division of the Navy Aviation Corps. It entered the Navy family from the Air Force sequence and completed a historic evolution of three branches of service.

In January of the following year, the People's Liberation Army's land, sea, and air forces collaborated for the first time to launch the Liberation of Yijiangshan Island Campaign.

The 10th Naval Aviation Regiment was the first to launch an air strike on Yijiangshan Island, marking their first air combat since becoming part of the Navy. In the battle, they cooperated with their brother's troops and damaged the Nationalist Army's ships such as the "Zhongquan", "Taihe", and "Hengshan". They completed tasks such as reconnaissance and photography of the theater, covering bomber attacks and bombing, and played an important role in the victory of the Battle of Yijiangshan Island.

2

Only by Mao Zedong's three point troops, unparalleled

After being incorporated into the naval battle, the 10th Regiment was ordered by Mao Zedong to go on three expeditions, which is unprecedented in the history of our military.

In August 1958, Mao Zedong made his first military call. At that time, the Nationalist Army planes attacked Fuzhou, and Peng Dehuai suggested sending the 10th Regiment of the 4th Division of the Naval Aviation Corps. Mao Zedong said, "Okay, just send the 10th Regiment!"

On the afternoon of August 12th, division commander Li Wenmo flew to Beijing to receive a mission. On the morning of the 13th, the 10th Regiment secretly entered Fuzhou Airport from its base in Qingdao. Within 40 minutes of landing, two Nationalist RF-84 reconnaissance planes attacked, and Ma Mingxian's squadron took off, injuring two enemy planes in one fell swoop.

In November 1964, Mao Zedong made his second military call. At that time, the Nationalist Air Force used the American made RF-101 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, which could not be reached by anti-aircraft guns, missiles could not be accurately aimed, and planes could not catch up, repeatedly attacking the coastal areas of eastern Zhejiang. After reading the intelligence from the General Staff, Mao Zedong pondered for a moment and said, "Isn't there a 4th Division and a 10th Regiment in the 4th Division of the Naval Aviation? Please let them go..."

After receiving the order, the 10th regiment secretly transferred to eastern Zhejiang. On the afternoon of December 18th, when the Kuomintang RF-101 reconnaissance plane attacked again, Deputy Commander Wang Hongxi piloted a J-6 fighter jet and shot it down in one fell swoop over Wenling, setting a record for a domestic fighter jet shooting down an American made Chiang Kai shek RF-101. Kuomintang Air Force ace pilot and Lieutenant Colonel Xie Xianghe was captured after parachuting.

In January 1965, Mao Zedong made his third military call. At that time. The United States is gradually expanding its invasion of Vietnam, dispatching AQM-34 "Firebee" unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to frequently invade Chinese airspace and conduct reconnaissance attacks on some of China's waters. Mao Zedong asked, "Where is the 10th Regiment?" So, the 10th Regiment was once again ordered to go on a campaign and move to Hainan, stationed at Haikou Airport.

The flying altitude of the "Fire Bee" unmanned reconnaissance aircraft is over 18600 meters, while the practical ceiling of our military fighter jets is only 17500 meters. But the pilots of the 10th Regiment were inspired by the car's uphill attack and came up with a new strategy: using power to lift the limit, they rushed to high altitude at high speed to attack the enemy.

On March 24th, a US drone, the "Firebee" type, invaded the airspace over Hainan Island. Captain Wang Xiangyi of the 10th squadron took off and intercepted, jumping 3.8 kilometers away from the American plane. The fighter plane approached the American plane with inertia and fired three consecutive shots at an altitude of 16000 meters. The enemy plane was hit on the left wing and smoked, before falling into the sea. Subsequently, Vice Captain Shu Jicheng shot down two more planes.

On the morning of September 20, 1965, the US military claimed to be the world's most advanced F-104C "ghost" high-altitude high-speed combat bomber and invaded the airspace over Hainan Island, China. Captain Gao Xiang and Deputy Captain Huang Fengsheng of the 10th Regiment flew straight towards the theater of war. Faced with American fighter jets with much higher performance than our own, Gao Xiang showed no fear. He fired a long shot from 291 meters away from the American plane and only pulled up the nose to detach when it was only 39 meters away from the American plane and about to collide. Due to being too close, Gao Xiang's fighter jet was hit 13 times by debris from an American plane explosion, and one engine stopped spinning. However, miraculously, he landed safely with another engine.

The US fighter jet was hit by Gao Xiang, causing it to explode in mid air and fall into the sea. Pilot Philip Smith was captured by Hainan militia after parachuting. This person was the "ace" pilot of the US Air Force and later served as the commander of the Pacific Fleet Air Force. This is also the first time a "ghost" has been shot down since leaving the factory.

After more than 20 years, Philip Smith, who had been released back to the United States and continued to serve in the naval aviation, came to China to visit the Chinese pilot who shot him down that year. Under the arrangement of the relevant department, the two met and Smith asked Gao Xiang about his long-standing doubts, "What did you think at that time? You were about to bump into me?"

"Yeah, I'm going to knock you down even if I hit you!" Gao Xiang said quickly.

After listening, Philip Smith clenched Gao Xiang's hand and said with a smile, "I am convinced to be defeated in such an army!"

In the history of naval aviation, the 10th Regiment was dispatched by the commander three times, defeated the enemy three times, and shot down multiple American planes, making it the number one "ace unit" of naval aviation.

3

Four world first air combat records

The Sea and Air Eagle Regiment has set four first-ever world air combat records in its homeland air defense operations against the US Air Force and the Kuomintang Air Force.

*On March 27, 1953, Wang Kun, the captain of the 49th Regiment of the 17th Division under the Air Force Aviation Corps, piloted a fighter jet and his wingman Wang Haicheng, respectively, injured and shot down a US military fighter jet, and their fuel was about to run out. When they flew over both ends of the airport runway, the fuel gauge indicated "0", but the two remained calm and attempted to land simultaneously from both ends of the runway. In the end, the two planes miraculously landed safely, setting a record in the history of world air combat for "two planes landing head-on".

*On June 21, 1955, the Kuomintang Air Force dispatched four Thunderbolt bombers to attack the mainland. The 10th Regiment, which had been transferred to the Navy Aviation, dispatched the MiG-15 Fighter Squadron to confront and quickly destroyed enemy planes. The Nationalist pilots parachuted and escaped. In the afternoon of that day, the Kuomintang Air Force dispatched another PPY-47 maritime patrol ambulance in an attempt to search and rescue parachuting pilots. Deputy Commander Wang Kun quickly took off and cast a net, but unexpectedly caught the PPY-47 aircraft at ultra-low altitude and immediately took off to shoot it down. Thus, the miracle of annihilating enemies at ultra-low altitudes in the history of world air combat was born.

*On February 18, 1958, the first day of the Lunar New Year, Taiwanese Air Force colonel pilot Zhao Guanghua, who had won the "Flying Tiger" medal, flew the RB-57 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft from the sea into the airspace over the Shandong Peninsula. Commander Hu Chunsheng and member Shu Jicheng of the 10th Regiment were ordered to immediately form a formation and take off, leaping into the atmospheric stratosphere at 15000 meters - this is the ceiling of our military's fighter jets.

The air in the stratosphere is thin, and if a fighter jet fires in the stratosphere, the gas produced will run into the engine, which is likely to stall and cause both the aircraft and the aircraft to be destroyed. But the two of them were not afraid. Hu Chunsheng ordered Shu Jicheng to cover up while charging towards the reconnaissance plane of Kuomintang pilot Zhao Guanghua. Hu Chunsheng fired first, causing the enemy plane to emit black smoke. Shu Jicheng then fired several rounds in a row, turning Colonel Flying Tiger and the plane into a ball of fire, emitting black smoke and falling into the sea. As a result, the first record of stratospheric warfare in the history of world air combat was born.

After this battle, Shu Jicheng shot down 2 enemy planes, a total of 3 enemy planes, and was awarded the honorary title of "Battle Hero" by the Ministry of National Defense.

*The fourth world record is mentioned earlier: on March 24, 1965, the captain of the 10th Regiment, Wang Xiangyi, fought against a US drone named "Firebee" alone, setting the world record for the first time that a fighter jet shot down an American unmanned aerial reconnaissance aircraft.

On December 29, 1965, the Ministry of National Defense awarded the honorary title of "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" to the 10th Regiment of the 4th Division of the Naval Aviation Corps.

In the Korean War and national defense, the "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" shot down and injured 31 American and American made Chiang Kai shek planes of 11 models with inferior equipment. 140 people in the unit were recorded for their military achievements, and a large number of famous combat heroes and meritorious pilots emerged, including Wang Kun, Shu Jicheng, Sun Laishen, Li Hongsheng, Yang Hanhuang, Ma Mingxian, Gao Xiang, Xiao Guang, and others. Mao Zedong received the 41 representatives of this regiment 25 times, while Zhou Enlai received the 79 members of this regiment one after another, calling it a heroic unit that "can fight and win when called upon.".

four

Building a Blue Sky Barrier for China's Sea and Sky

The "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" has modified new models three times, popularized ultra-low altitude, and achieved all-weather conditions, taking the lead in entering the "Class A Regiment". The pilots have achieved 100% of the four meteorological flight capabilities, from an altitude of tens of thousands of meters to a super low altitude close to the sea surface of 20-30 meters, all of which are capable of attacking and defending with ease, advancing and retreating. They have successfully completed dozens of combat readiness patrols, sea and air surveillance, and major exercises assigned by their superiors, setting a series of new records for the first new type of fighter aircraft to attack the sea and the first 100% hit rate of a new missile launch in the entire army.

[Editor's note: The four types of weather refer to simple daytime weather, simple nighttime weather, complex daytime weather, and complex nighttime weather. The four types of weather pilots are also known as "all-weather pilots" and can perform flight tasks under all four weather conditions.]

The first squadron of the "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" conducted aerial dual aircraft formation flight training. Image | Xinhua News Agency

In 1993, the "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" entered the ranks of exemplary organization in military training of the whole army and won the third class collective merit; In 1995, it was designated by the Central Military Commission as an emergency mobile combat force; In 1996 and 2002, he was awarded the Second Class Collective Merit.

In June 2007, the "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" formed the first third-generation aircraft "Blue Army Detachment" of the Navy Aviation Corps. The team members are all top trainees, but the training syllabus still puts them through a lot of hardships: only basic training courses such as single player and formation attack defense tactics and maneuvers are set up with dozens of sets of movements, and almost all movements are carried out under extreme physical conditions. In the end, each pilot of the "Blue Army Squadron" was able to proficiently master and fly the maximum performance of both humans and aircraft: continuous rolling, high-speed hovering, rapid pulling up, etc. In one flight, it could fly more than 10 times beyond the limit data.

On November 23, 2013, China announced the establishment of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone. On the same day, the "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" was ordered to take off, responsible for 24-hour combat readiness duty tasks, and almost every day, they had to fight and take off, conduct reconnaissance and surveillance, and drive away external threats.

On March 31, 2022, the "Sea and Air Eagle Group" became the focus of attention for domestic and foreign media. Pilots Wang Mao and Li Liang, piloting the Su-30MK2 fighter jet, encountered a major danger during a long-range maritime patrol mission. At that time, two pilots were preparing to return to the mission airspace during the handover when they suddenly discovered that foreign fighter jets were attempting to approach the mission airspace at high speed from one side.

They immediately turned at maximum slope and revved up their engines, returning to the airspace where they had just completed their patrol mission. At this point, due to prolonged flight, the fuel of the Su-30MK2 fighter jet was running low. When the fuel gauge showed that it had entered the limit area, Wang Mao and Li Liang still chose to engage in a one-on-one confrontation with foreign military aircraft, ultimately forcing them to withdraw from the mission airspace.

In 2022, the "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" took the lead in retrofitting new fighter jets, cultivating a large number of outstanding carrier fighter pilots to be transported to aircraft carriers, and strengthening the aviation team on aircraft carriers.

The current "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment" has been expanded into a naval aviation brigade. As the "ace" force of the People's Navy's aviation, it continues to play a major role in maintaining the security of the country's sea and air.

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1. The first regimental level unit to be awarded an honorary title by the Ministry of National Defense - the Sea and Air Eagle Regiment: repeatedly setting the first place in world air combat history | Mei Shixiong, Yang Zurong, People's Liberation Army Daily

2. The Spirit of the Eagle in the Sea and Sky | "Voice of China's National Defense Time and Space: Famous Experts Talk about Military Affairs"

3. The Chinese Sea and Air Eagle Regiment's New Type of Fighter Exhibition has achieved the first place in eight categories | Wang Chaowu, Fang Lihua, Liang Qingcai, Qian Xiaohu, China National Defense Daily

4. "Sea and Air Eagle Regiment": Chairman Mao's "Ace" in Three Summons | Jiang Yonghong, People's Liberation Army Daily