Wang Bingzhang (general)

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Wang.
Wang Bingzhang
王秉璋
PLA Air Force
In office
1949–1958
Preceded byNew position
Succeeded byZhang Tingfa
Personal details
Born(1914-01-14)14 January 1914
Hanyu Pinyin
Wáng Bǐngzhāng
Wade–GilesWang Ping-chang

Wang Bingzhang (Chinese: 王秉璋; 14 January 1914 – 25 September 2005) was a

Northwest Army of the warlord Feng Yuxiang in 1929, before participating in the Ningdu uprising and defecting to the Communist Red Army in 1931. He fought in the Red Army's Long March, the Second Sino-Japanese War where he was credited with devising a trench warfare tactic that helped destroy enemy pillboxes, and the Chinese Civil War
.

After the

China's nuclear tests and the launch of its first satellite. However, in the aftermath of Marshall Lin Biao's alleged coup attempt
and subsequent death in October 1971, Wang was purged and imprisoned for ten years. He was released in 1981 and discharged from the army without being prosecuted or convicted of a crime.

Early life and Guominjun

Wang Bingzhang was born on 14 January 1914 into a peasant family in Anyang, Henan Province. Owing to poverty, he dropped out of school second year in junior high school and apprenticed at a blacksmith's shop.[1]

In September 1929, Wang enlisted in the

Communist Party in 1935.[1] He served in the Fifth and later the First Army Group of the Red Army, and participated in the army's Long March to Northern Shaanxi.[1]

Second Sino-Japanese War

During the

guerrilla base in the Japanese-occupied province. After September 1940, he became acting commander of the Third Brigade and then commander of the Fourth Brigade in charge of the 11th military subdistrict.[1]

In December 1942, Wang was appointed commander of the Fourth Brigade and of the Communist base in Huxi (湖西), located southwest of Shandong. The area was under frequent attacks from the Japanese, the pro-Japanese Wang Jingwei regime, and the Kuomintang forces.[4] Wang devised the jiaotonghao (交通壕) tactic using a network of interconnected trenches from which to attack the enemies' pillbox system. In the "Anti-Pillbox Battle" in July 1943, Wang's brigade, by using his tactic, reportedly inflicted nearly 10,000 enemy casualties while losing around 100 men.[4] Mao Zedong later personally praised Wang for his performance in Shandong. In late 1944, Wang led three regiments of the Eighth Route Army south to support the New Fourth Army. He made a report on his trench tactic, which was circulated by the Fourth Division of the New Fourth Army as a booklet titled Jiaotonghao Attacks (交通壕攻击). Zhang Zhen, chief of staff of the Fourth Division, wrote its preface and praised jiaotonghao as an innovative and effective tactic.[4]

Chinese Civil War

The Second Sino-Japanese War ended with the

Pingjin Campaign.[4]

Early People's Republic of China

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Wang assisted commander

MiG-15 fighter planes. In 1953, he was the first-ranked deputy commander of the PLAAF.[1] During the Korean War, when the PLAAF suffered high casualties in May 1953, Wang was tasked with analyzing and rescuing the situation.[5]

In 1955, Wang was among the first group of PLA commanders to be awarded the rank of

Dongfeng-1, in November 1960, and the Dongfeng-2 to Dongfeng-5 followed.[7]

Cultural Revolution

When the Cultural Revolution erupted in 1966, Wang came under attack by the radical 16 September or 916 Group of the Red Guards. On 23 January 1967, the 916 Group, under young engineer Ye Zhengguang, launched a coup in the Seventh Ministry. Wang refused Ye's demand to surrender the Ministry's official seals, the symbols of its authority, but the rebels used a blowtorch to cut open the safety box where the seals were kept and ousted Wang.[8]

Wang avoided serious repercussions, likely due to the protection by the pro-establishment New 15 September Group and by Marshall Nie Rongzhen, director of the Science and Technology Commission of the National Defense Ministry (NDSTC). He was rescued after being held by various Red Guard factions for four months and suddenly disappeared, ostensibly being hospitalized for medical treatment. He did not re-emerge until October 1968.[9]

After Nie himself was purged in 1968,

Dong Fang Hong I, was successfully placed in orbit by the Long March 1 rocket, which was based on the design of the Dongfeng-4.[7]

In October 1971, however, Wang was purged in the wake of Marshal Lin Biao's alleged coup attempt and subsequent death.[10] He was labeled a "sworn follower" of Lin and imprisoned.[10]

Later life and death

Wang was held in the

People's Liberation Army General Hospital (301 Hospital) in Beijing.[7]

Honours

In 1955, Wang was awarded the Second Class Medal of the

Order of Bayi, the First Class Medal of the Order of Independence and Freedom, and the First Class Medal of the Order of Liberation.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "王秉璋". People's Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  2. ISBN 978-0-8108-7874-7
    .
  3. ISBN 978-7-80005-066-4
    .
  4. ^ a b c d "抗战中王秉璋将军发明交通壕攻击战术 歼敌近万人". China.com. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  5. ISBN 978-1-58544-340-6
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-85233-566-3
    .
  7. ^ a b c d "去世12年后，开国中将王秉璋遗体在301医院告别". Phoenix News (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  8. ISBN 978-0-7867-2565-6
    .
  9. ISBN 978-0-521-64538-6
    .
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8047-2804-1
    .
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