Yan Haiwen was born in 1916 in Beizhen, Liaoning Province, and his life was originally very peaceful, but the September 18 Incident changed his life. After the September 18 Incident, Zhang Xueliang fled without a fight, so that the land of northeast China fell into the hands of the Japanese, and Yan Haiwen, who was only 15 years old, was not willing to be a slave to the country, and traveled thousands of miles to Beiping to study, hoping to avenge his compatriots in northeast China in the future. In his diary, Yan Haiwen wrote: "After the fall of the northeast, the country will not be a country, and the chinese nation, which is magnificent, has been devastated and ravaged by the slaves, which is heartbreaking, so I often grieve and weep for it."
After Yan Haiwen graduated from high school in 1934, the Central Aviation School came to Beiping to enroll. Yan Haiwen wants to learn skills and cultivate himself so that he can have a good opportunity to serve the country in the future. So he signed up, passed the exam, and was quickly admitted. The Central Aviation School is a good environment for learning military technology, and Yan Haiwen is very attentive to studying. Later, he wrote in his autobiography: "After graduating from high school, I was admitted to the aviation school, and after entering the school, I only knew that I would learn with one heart and one mind, and the method of saving the country would be achieved." The purpose of his study is very clear, that is, to save the country. He is also interested in aviation. He said: I love the versatility of airplanes and I am determined to work research. "Yan Haiwen not only pays attention to learning, but also attaches great importance to the cultivation of moral character, the tempering of will, and the cultivation of lofty ambitions. He wrote: "Speaking of my self-discipline, I must revise my noble personality, my pure heart, my vigorous physique, my spirit of perseverance, my rich knowledge, my pure conduct and the spirit of struggle, to treat others with courtesy, to teach righteousness, to emphasize discipline, to stress credit, and to be a good young man who serves the country and the people." ”
After the outbreak of the National War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the time had come for Yan Haiwen to realize his ambition of killing the enemy and serving the country.
In 1936, Yan Haiwen graduated from the Aviation School and was assigned to the Twenty-fourth Squadron of the Fifth Brigade, first as a probationary officer. In April 1937, he was appointed second lieutenant pilot. When the Songhu War of Resistance broke out on August 13, Yan Haiwen's Fifth Brigade was stationed at Yangzhou Airport, and their task was to be responsible for the air defense of the capital Nanjing, while also supporting the Songhu front and cooperating with the army. From August 14 onwards, the Fifth Group carried out bombing of Japanese warships anchored near Shanghai, the Japanese Marine Corps Command on the Huangpu River, and Japanese positions. For several consecutive days, the Chinese Air Force fought fiercely and intensely, and the results were brilliant.
On August 17 of the same year, the Fifth Brigade received the task of sending six aircraft, each carrying 500-pound bombs, to bomb the Japanese Marine Corps Headquarters in Hongkou, Shanghai. Yan Haiwen flew to participate in the expedition. The pilots of the Fifth Group flew a Hawker-3 destroyer. When these planes flew over Shanghai, the Japanese Marine Corps Command made an air defense deployment, the reinforced concrete roof was originally very strong, and anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns were installed. The Pilots of the Chinese Air Force braved the risk of anti-aircraft artillery fire and took turns dropping bombs, which was very heroic. The sound of aircraft rumbling in the air, and the sound of artillery shells exploding on the ground was also heard. The fire was shining and the smoke was billowing. How fierce the battle is! Suddenly, the No. 2510 fighter piloted by Yan Haiwen was hit by an enemy shell, and the fuselage shook. Yan Haiwen was responsive, he knew it was not good, the plane was going to fall. He quickly jumped out of the cockpit and opened his parachute. Originally, Yan Haiwen could have done this to be relatively safe. Unfortunately, at this time, the wind over the Huangpu River was very strong, and the parachute floating in the air carried Yan Haiwen to the ground near the enemy position with the wind.
When Yan Haiwen floated to the ground, he did not know that he had landed around the enemy position. He thought that he could rest assured that he would be able to land on the ground on the outskirts of Shanghai. However, as he untied the rope of his parachute and peered around, he noticed some Japanese soldiers not far away, and at the same time heard gunshots. Yan Haiwen immediately found a small mound and lay on the ground to hide. He thought to himself: How did it fall around the enemy's position? I'm going to fight the enemy!
It turned out that when Yan Haiwen's parachute was still floating in the air, the enemy had already seen it. The enemy stared at the place where the parachute was falling and surrounded it from all sides. They searched for Yan Haiwen's hidden place, because the parachute was large, the target was obvious, the landing site was exposed, and the Japanese soldiers were bent on taking a Chinese air force prisoner.
At this time, Yan Haiwen's mind was also clear: It seems that there are many fierce and few auspicious, how can I alone be able to defeat so many Japanese soldiers? In any case, there are still a few bullets in the pistol, and it is enough for me to knock them down. Repay the country with death, just today. I must not be a prisoner of the Japanese devils.
When the Japanese army saw that a Chinese air force pilot had fallen, they were overjoyed and raised their guns to surround them. At this point, Yan Haiwen had only two choices: either surrender or be killed. The Japanese army surrounded Yan Haiwen and shouted: Surrender quickly, you can still live! Yan Haiwen sneered: Let me surrender? Dream! Raising his hand was four shots, killing four devils. Yan Haiwen didn't want to waste one, one killed a devil, and the last one aimed at himself, shouting: "China has no surrender air force!" "A gunshot rang out, and the 21-year-old young talent fell. Yan Haiwen, this young Chinese Air Force fighter, ended his life himself in the enemy's encirclement! So majestic, so noble! Do not be a prisoner, and preserve the personality of the Chinese soldiers. It is better to die unyieldingly and serve the country with one's own example.
The sound of the gunfire also stunned the Japanese soldiers who had surrounded Yan Haiwen. Their desire to capture a Chinese pilot as a prisoner is a complete dream.
Yan Haiwen's bravery and indomitability also shocked the Japanese army present, and a funeral ceremony was held for him, and the tombstone was engraved with "Tomb of the Warriors of the Indochina Air Force", which was the first time that the Japanese army erected a monument for Chinese soldiers.
