Remember in some TV series we often see some sharpshooters in a hundred shots? In particular, when they hit the target with one shot, they are heroic and cool, which is always particularly admirable. Although this is a TV series deliberately creating an atmosphere for the sake of the plot setting. But in reality, there are also real sharpshooters.
Just like today's protagonist, his name is Zhang Taofang, a Chinese, and a member of the Chinese Expeditionary Force to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. As an ordinary warrior, his most famous trick is to make the enemy feel frightened by accurate sniping.
Among them, he became famous in the Battle of Shangganling, and only with an old-fashioned rifle accurately aimed at enemy targets, it can almost be called a dozen accurate. During the entire Campaign to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, he used 436 rounds of ammunition to annihilate 214 enemy people, setting a record for the highest number of cold gun kills in the volunteer army.
However, such a powerful sharpshooter, after returning home victoriously to resist the United States and aid Korea, ended his sniper myth of a hundred shots, and never touched the gun that accompanied him to kill the enemy. So why? Where should Zhang Taofang go after that?
The story also begins at the time when Zhang Taofang's name of "sharpshooter" was obtained.
Diligence can make up for clumsiness, and little rookies practice out of the mountains
Born in 1931 in Xinghua, Jiangsu Province, Zhang Taofang spent his childhood in the war of war, and from an early age he grew up listening to the story of the Red Army's resistance to Japan, so becoming a glorious People's Liberation Army became his dream from childhood to adulthood.
In 1951, Zhang Taofang joined the army and officially began his military career. Although New China had been established at that time, Zhang Taofang was about to face a difficult task.
Zhang Taofang had just been in the army for two months, and the Korean War had begun. Zhang Taofang received the task of organizing an expedition to resist US aggression and aid Korea, and Zhang Taofang, who had no experience, resolutely decided to pack her bags and rush to the Korean battlefield.
He was assigned to the 214th Regiment of the 72nd Division of the 24th Army of the Expeditionary Force, stationed at Wonsan, North Korea. The battle here is already in full swing, our army's battlefield is in urgent shortage of snipers, Zhang Taofang is like a duck on the shelf was assigned as a sniper.
Although Zhang Taofang was a hunter in her ancestors, she also liked to play with her father's shotgun since she was a child. But Zhang Taofang had never fired a gun, and she had no sniper experience to talk about. Zhang Taofang, who was confused on the field, could only do it hard, and at that time, the expeditionary force was equipped with guns or Soviet-made Mosin Nagant rifles, the model was old-fashioned, not even a sniper.
Zhang Taofang began to practice with the gun that organized him. At first he was completely unable to hit, firing three shots in a row, three shots empty. But the company commander was heartbroken, because at that time the bullet configuration was very tense, and every time a shot was released, it was equivalent to wasting a bullet. Just like this, Zhang Taofang was forced to waste bullets, and the company commander could criticize Zhang Taofang's solidity.
But Zhang Taofang is also a person who admits death and does not accept defeat. He couldn't believe he couldn't do even such a simple job of shooting. He secretly swore that he would practice it.
Since then, he has been holding a gun every day except eating and going to the toilet. From the basic gun holding and pulling the trigger posture to constantly doing aiming training, looking for the feel of shooting and the fulcrum of aiming.
At the same time, he also hung a sandbag on his hand, so that he could adapt himself to the state of weight bearing and increase the stability of shooting. In addition, he often consults the seniors in the team, humbly learns the skills and points of shooting, plus he speculates on integration. After practicing like this day after day, his progress was a sudden blow visible to the naked eye.
After just over a month, Zhang Taofang's sniper has become more and more accurate, and it can be said that there is no false shot. He grew into a qualified sniper with strict requirements for himself and hard training. The Battle of Shangganling, which immediately made him famous in the First World War, was officially launched.
World War I became famous, and the sharpshooter was awe-inspiring
The Battle of Shangganling was the most involved in the entire Korean War, and it was also the most critical battle. Its final victory also means that the Korean War is not far from the victory of our army. Of course, in this battle, it is inseparable from the heroic efforts of countless of our soldiers, including Zhang Taofang.
Zhang Taofang followed the troops to the battlefield of Shangganling, and there were special arrangements for how to strategically deploy the organization here.
At first, Zhang Taofang came to the nearest sniper station with a gun, which was only 100 meters away from the enemy, and every move on the other side was in Zhang Taofang's eyes, he first fired a shot at an enemy, and immediately pulled out his leg to evacuate when they did not react, completely exposing himself.
The US troops on the opposite side did not expect this sudden shot at all, and then immediately entered a state of strict preparation for war, and sent the best snipers to attack our sniper point fiercely.
However, at this time, Zhang Taofang had already shifted his position, and he set up his gun on the Beishan position and continued to shoot at the opposite side, catching the enemy by surprise. You know, he fired 240 rounds on 597.9 high ground, killing 71 enemy troops. You can clean up the U.S. army well.
The commander of the 24th Army at the time heard the report from the front and said that his team had such a sharpshooter was unbelievable. He immediately took his staff officers to watch the battle.
He also made a bet with Zhang Taofang, but whenever he could get three shots, he gave Zhang Taofang a new pair of leather shoes. Zhang Taofang could not disappoint him, and with his ability to wear Yang in a hundred steps, he would collect the military commander's shoes in a moment's kung fu.
Zhang Taofang also had a hobby at that time, he liked to store the bullet casings of the enemy in his shoes. Before Shangganling was about to end, he already had countless booty in his shoes, and counting another 211 bullets, which meant that he had eliminated more than two hundred enemies. But at this time, the commander was still encouraging him to continue to hit three more targets, and the number of 214 was just in line with their 214 regiment.
As soon as the military order came out, Zhang Taofang immediately re-erected the sniper point with a gun without saying a word. After a few shots in a row, he hit the enemy strongly, so that the strength of a hundred shots made everyone give him a thumbs up, and his strength was also obvious to all.
In the end, Zhang Taofang used 436 rounds of ammunition and killed 214 people. He became a well-deserved sharpshooter and was directly awarded the honor of "Second-Class Sniper Hero" by the organization after the end of the campaign. In addition to winning the battle beautifully, it also made him a god again.
The sharpshooter became a pilot
However, after the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Zhang Taofang's road to "sharpshooter" that returned to China came to an end, and he never touched a gun again. The reason for this is that the Korean war has been exhausted, the domestic situation has tended to be peaceful, and there is no need to use snipers for the time being without a large war.
Second, due to the need to shoot, one of Zhang Taofang's eyes habitually squinted into a slit, which caused trouble to his eyesight, and he had no way to continue high-intensity shooting work.
At that time, it coincided with the recruitment of domestic military pilots, Zhang Taofang was selected for the examination, and he became China's first generation fighter pilot, soaring between the blue sky and white clouds. Although the mighty reputation of the "sharpshooter" of that year is no longer there, the motherland has the honor of having one more pilot. This is the best arrangement for both sides.
Since then, Zhang Taofang's deeds have also become a generation of legends in the military circles, and his stoic spirit and strength of wearing a hundred steps through Yang have always been a quality worth learning for everyone.
Zhang Taofang died in Weifang, Shandong Province, in 2007 at the age of 77. This old man used his life to portray a life trajectory from "little rookie" to "sharpshooter", and he used his youth and strength to show us the indomitable military soul of Chinese soldiers.
brief summary:
Zhang Taofang is indeed a figure worthy of admiration. A small warrior grows into a generation of "sharpshooters", who use his sweat and efforts to create his unique talents. When he is needed on the battlefield, he can kill the enemy bravely, and in peace and prosperity, he can join the ranks of the air force.
He will not lie complacent in the praise of his "sharpshooter" or proud of his past achievements. He can afford to put it down and find his new life goals again, and it can be said that he gave his life to the motherland.
After all, behind Zhang Taofang's legendary history of "sharpshooter", what we see is his unremitting hard training and performance that is not left behind. It is precisely because of this spirit that he has cultivated himself into a generation of legends.
His spirit inspires everyone. He is only a typical representative of our Chinese soldiers, and we and thousands of soldiers rely on this spirit to win all wars and drive out the invaders. As long as our military spirit never perishes, China will stand tall forever.