Lin Hu (general)
Lin Hu | |
---|---|
林虎 | |
PLA Air Force | |
In office 1985–1994 Serving with Li Yongtai, Liu Zhitian | |
Commanders | Wang Hai, Cao Shuangming |
Personal details | |
Born | Northeast China Democratic United Army Aviation School | 26 December 1927
Military service | |
Allegiance | People's Republic of China |
Branch/service | Eighth Route Army People's Liberation Army Air Force |
Years of service | 1938–1994 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Battles/wars | Second Sino-Japanese War, Korean War, Second Taiwan Strait Crisis |
Lin Hu (Chinese: 林虎; pinyin: Lín Hǔ; 26 December 1927 – 3 March 2018) was a Chinese aviator, fighter pilot and lieutenant general of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Born to a Russian mother and a Chinese father, he was orphaned at a young age. Lin joined the Eighth Route Army to fight in the Second Sino-Japanese War before he turned 11. After the Second World War, he was trained as a fighter pilot and fought in the Korean War and the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. He served as deputy commander of the PLA Air Force from 1985 to 1994 and attained the rank of lieutenant general in 1988.
Early life
Lin Hu was born on 26 December 1927 in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.[1] His father, originally from Zhaoyuan, Shandong province, moved to Harbin. There he met Lin's mother, a Russian woman, who gave birth to three children.[2] Lin was the middle child, with an older sister and a younger brother. When Lin Hu was just a few years old, his father froze to death in a winter night after falling asleep on a coal train. Soon afterward, his mother and brother both fell ill and died. Orphaned at a young age, he was adopted by a family surnamed Lin and was given the name Lin Gensheng (林根生). His sister was adopted by a different family.[2]
Wartime career
After the
In 1945, Lin became a member of the
During the
Later career
Lin later successively served as deputy corps commander, deputy commander of a PLAAF command post, deputy commander of a military region air force, and deputy commandant of the PLAAF Command Academy. In 1985, he was promoted to deputy commander of the PLA Air Force,[2][3] serving under Commander Wang Hai, and alongside Li Yongtai and Liu Zhitian, all Korean War veterans.[5] He was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1988.[2][3] He was also a deputy to the 7th and the 8th National People's Congress.[2][3] He retired from active service in October 1994.[2][3]
In August 1997, Lin made his last flight with a
In January 2002, Lin published the book Fight to Protect the Motherland's Airspace—A Retrospective of the Air Battles in the First Twenty Years of New China (保卫祖国领空的战斗—新中国二十年国土防空作战回顾),[2][3] describing the PLAAF's defense operations between 1949 and 1969.[8]
Death
Lin died in the evening of 3 March 2018, at the age of 90 (91 by East Asian age reckoning).[2][3] He died on the same day as his friend and colleague, fellow Korean War veteran and PLAAF lieutenant general Yao Xian. They were born in the same year and graduated from the same aviation school.[9]
Personal life
Lin Hu had a daughter named Lin Li (林莉).[1]
References
- ^ a b Lin, Li (5 March 2018). 深切悼念父亲林虎将军. Crt.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ Phoenix News(in Chinese (China)). 4 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j 空军原副司令林虎中将昨晚去世,享年91岁. The Paper (in Chinese (China)). 4 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ Gao Peng (13 March 2014). 战鹰挟弹受阅开先例——访空军原副司令员林虎将军 (in Chinese (China)). Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-8330-1648-5.
- ^ 戎马一生为蓝天——访原空军副司令员林虎中将. 现代军事 [Modern Military] (in Simplified Chinese). 6: 28–29. 1999.
- ^ 一次难忘的飞行. 中国航空报 [China Aviation News] (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ISBN 1-58487-126-1. Archived from the original(PDF) on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ Wang, Ruiwen (4 March 2018). 91岁空军中将耀先与空军原副司令员林虎同日离世. The Paper (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 5 March 2018.