Gao Zhihang: The Soul of the Nationalist Chinese Air Force
Commander Gao Zhihang was a hero and a
patriot. Combined with his fury about
the Japanese occupation of his homeland Manchuria[i]
in 1931 and the Japanese invasion of China in 1937, his ardent commitment to his
country and his leadership as a military commander rightfully earned him the
title of “The Soul of the Chinese Air Force.” As demonstrated by the first ever
large-scale aerial battle in China, his leadership of the 4th
Pursuit Group, which scored a resounding victory on August 14, 1937, truly
embodied what came to be known as “Gao Zhihang Spirit.”
In 1936, the 4th Pursuit
Group was initially established in Jianqiao, Zhejiang Province and subsequently
moved to Qingyunpu[ii]
Air Force Base at Nancheng, Jiangxi Province. Under Gao’s planning and
supervision over a 6-month training period, each pilot received vigorous and
continuous training. In addition to
aerial fighting the courses included aerial target shooting, ground target
shooting, on-water floating target shooting and bombing. All of these courses of instruction required a
strict 90% success hit rate in order for the pilots to pass the course.
An example of Gao’s leadership is
represented by the following anecdote.
After an instructional lecture session was over, Commander Gao casually
said, “If any one fails the shooting on water floating target, don’t think
about going to lunch or taking a rest!” The results of that comment? Every one of the Group passed the test. And
the only pilot who failed? Commander Gao
himself. Displaying his determination
and fortitude, Gao stayed on, practicing taking off, shooting and landing
until, at dusk, he finally met his own requirements. In class the next day, he showed the object
of his hit target to all of us. This was
a man who truly set himself as a role model. There was no exception to meeting
his strict training requirements, including and especially himself.
The 4th
Pursuit Group became the main target for the Japanese Air Force. They were shocked by their ignominious defeat
on August 14, 1937. From their internal
intelligence investigations, they were made aware of the rigorous training of
the 4th Group by Commander Gao and knew their main target was to rid
the skies of the 4th Pursuit Group.
The
Marco Polo Bridge incident ignited the outbreak of the War of Resistance
against Japan. The 4th
Pursuit Group received their orders and flew to their station at Zhoujiakou Air
Field, Henan Province, to await their attack orders. Commander Gao conducted a strategy meeting on
how to carry out the attack on the six Japanese planes at Bailingmiao Air Field
in Sueiyuan Province. He then quizzed
Zheng Shaoyu on how to attack. Zheng
recommended, based on military tactic principles that they attack at dawn when
the enemy planes would still be on the ground. Then Commander Gao sternly gave
his instructions to the pilots of the 4th Pursuit Group. Before dawn, at three different altitudes,
they would fly into the airspace above Bailingmiao. He himself would lead a group at the lowest
altitude. No one was permitted to attack
the Japanese planes while they were on the ground. Instead, the 4th Pursuit Group
would only attack the planes after they had took off, one by one. To Gao, this
would be the beginning of our way of letting the Japanese know the prowess of
our Chinese Air Force.
The battle done, and after recovering
in the hospital from his arm injury sustained in the “8.14” battle, Commander
Gao reported for duty in Nanjing. By
that time, the whole 4th Pursuit Group had moved to Hankou, then to
Lanzhou[iii],
Gansu Province, preparing to receive military aid from the Soviet Union. By then, despite our previous victory, our
primary fighting planes had been decimated because of the constant battles and
directed attacks by the Japanese forces while without any replacement. Only a
few airworthy planes were available, making it hard to combat the much superior
Model 96 planes of the Japanese. Commander
Gao refused to take this assessment and prediction of failure. He asked to lead the dog fighting himself.
Commander
Gao needed to reduce the plane weight in order to increase speed and improve
maneuverability. He ordered the bomb rack, the secondary fuel tank and the cowl
taken out. In an October battle over
Nanjing, Commander Gao led a team of five Hawk III fighters, intercepting and
engaging in a fierce dogfight with 12 enemy planes, before successfully chasing
them away. Our team of pilots suffered no casualties. Once again, Commander Gao demonstrated that
in the air the most courageous offense was the best defense.
Yet again, this battle showed
Commander Gao’s valor, intelligence, exemplary flying skills and unwavering
conviction that the underdog can win. He
changed the prevailing notion that the Hawk III with its inferior performance
ability was inadequate against the higher performing Japanese Mode 96. Gao Zhihang became known as the “Soul of the
Chinese Air Force.” His heroism both inspired generations of Chinese fighting
airmen and created a record of epic victories in a grand chapter in the
Nationalist Chinese Air Force history.
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