Zhang Tingfa

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Zhang Dingfa, the naval commander.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhang.
Zhang Tingfa
张廷发
Political Commissar of the PLA Air Force
In office
October 1975 – April 1977
Preceded byFu Chuanzuo
Succeeded byGao Houliang
Personal details
Born9 April 1918
Sha County, Fujian, China
Died25 March 2010 (aged 91)
Beijing, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Military service
Allegiance China
Branch/servicePeople's Liberation Army Air Force
Years of service1933–85
Rank Major General
Battles/warsSecond Sino-Japanese War
Chinese Civil War
Korean War
Sino-Vietnamese War

Zhang Tingfa (

Political Commissar and Commander of the PLAAF, and was a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC). He also served two terms as a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, before retiring in 1985. He fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War, and commanded the Chinese Air Force during the Sino-Vietnamese War
.

Republic of China era

Zhang Tingfa was born on 9 April 1918 in Xiamao Town,

Red Army in September 1933, and participated in the Long March in 1934–35. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in November 1936.[1]

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Zhang was an officer of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and fought in the celebrated Hundred Regiments Offensive. In 1944 he was appointed commander of the Seventh Subdistrict of the Taihang Military District, and participated in several battles against the Japanese occupation force in northern China.[1]

During the

Xiangfan Prefecture, and Commander of the Xiangfan Military Subdistrict.[1]

People's Republic of China

After the Communists won the Civil War and founded the People's Republic of China in 1949, Zhang Tingfa fought in the

Chinese People's Volunteer Army.[1]

In February 1953, Zhang was transferred to the nascent

PLA Air Force (PLAAF), initially serving as the first deputy chief of staff, and later chief of staff and deputy commander. He was awarded the rank of major general in 1955. In May 1956, he was responsible for the successful inauguration of the Beijing–Lhasa flight.[1]

During the turmoil of the

Political Commissar of the PLAAF.[1]

After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Zhang Tingfa was promoted to Commander of the PLAAF in April 1977. He was elected to the 11th and 12th CCP Politburos, and was also a member of the Central Military Commission from 1977 to 1982.[1]

Zhang commanded the Chinese Air Force during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, and was made chief of staff of the Southern Front, the main front facing Vietnam.[2]

Zhang retired from his leadership positions in July 1985,[1][3] and became a member of the Central Advisory Commission (CAC) in September.[1] He was reelected to the CAC in November 1987, and largely disappeared from public view afterwards.[4] On 25 March 2010, he died in Beijing at the age of 91.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 张廷发同志生平 [Biography of Zhang Tingfa] (in Chinese). Xinhua. 31 March 2010. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010.
  2. ISBN 978-0-8179-8573-8
    .
  3. ISBN 1-58487-126-1. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  4. ISBN 978-3-11-096823-1
    .
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