In the late 50s of the 20 th century, when the United States learned that the mainland was stepping up the development of an atomic bomb, it was "curious" and scratched its heart. In order to find out intelligence, the United States reached an agreement with the Taiwan side, and Taiwan sent a reconnaissance plane to listen to the news, and the United States assisted Taiwan in developing its air power. Against this background, the squadron "Black Cat" was formed. Batch after batch of Taiwan pilots and fighters took to the skies and became "spies" for the United States to spy on the mainland's news.
But the air power of the Central Continent is no longer what it used to be, and many of them eventually have never returned. One of them, Zhang Liyi, was shot down in 1965, and the Taiwan authorities immediately announced to his family that he had "died," but 17 years later he came back from the dead.
"Black Cat" pilot Baotou crash
Zhang Liyi was a very talented air force pilot, and at the age of 14, he was admitted to the fourth phase of the Kuomintang Air Force Infant School for training. But before he graduated, the Kuomintang had fled to Taiwan, and the school was moved to Donggang, Taiwan. After graduating from the infant school, Zhang Liyi entered the Gangshan Air Force Officer School in Taiwan to study.
Not only did he excel in school, but he was also good at managing his contacts and maintained a good relationship with Chiang Ching-kuo and others. In 1951, Zhang Liyi was selected to go to the United States for training, adding another beautiful stroke to his already excellent resume.
Excellent flying ability, and an elite who came back from studying in the United States, this is a sweet and sweet spot. So when the squadron "Black Cat" was formed, he was unsurprisingly chosen. At the end of 1963, Zhang Liyi went to the United States again for training to learn the piloting skills of the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance plane. This was the safest reconnaissance plane at that time, so Zhang Liyi was glad when he was selected, feeling that his personal safety had been guaranteed in a certain sense. However, the news that the U2 had been shot down again and again shattered all his illusions.
This reconnaissance plane, which claims to be the safest in the world, did have the earliest record of escaping safely from the mainland, but everything changed from September 1962 onwards. After several encounters, the mainland has mastered the relevant technology for dealing with U-2 reconnaissance planes, and the downing of Taiwan's U-2 has become commonplace. Driving it out of the task now became a chore.
On January 10, 1965, Zhang Liyi was ordered to take off. Before taking off, his commander repeatedly stressed to him that the U-2 has the most advanced electronic reconnaissance and early warning device for anti-surface-to-air missiles, and that the route has undergone the most precise calculations and careful consideration by the United States and Taiwan.
However, when Zhang Liyi flew the U2 over Inner Mongolia, the mainland's missile units were already eyeing him. As soon as Zhang Liyi turned on the infrared night vision camera equipment and started to take pictures, a string of fireballs shot from the lower right side of the fuselage. Zhang Liyi's U2 was hit, and he had to parachute to escape.
A reunion after 17 years
Zhang Liyi did not return at the scheduled time, and the Taiwan authorities immediately pronounced him dead. But in fact, at that time, he was eating egg noodles on the edge of the stove in the reception office of a village commune in Baotou.
It turned out that Zhang Liyi landed near a farmer in Baotou after parachuting, and he was seriously injured before he climbed to the door and knocked on the farmer's door. Unexpectedly, he was rescued, but the owner of this farmer was the captain of the local production team, although he was ordered to lead the militia team to search the mountains and was not at home, but his wife saw Zhang Liyi's identity.
Zhang Liyi was later transferred to the Air Force Guest House in Beijing. His life there was still relatively comfortable, with a small stove to eat, pocket money, and he could go out to ventilate. He lived there for five years, and originally thought that these were all bribes from the mainland, so that he could say something secret, but he didn't want to have no one ask him about U2 for five years, but everyone really cared about him.
With the help of the party, Zhang Liyi saw clearly the true face of US imperialism and the face of the Taiwan authorities, and began to change himself in thinking and action. In 1969, Zhang Liyi was released, and with the help of the party, he had a stable job and met with his relatives on the mainland. After 27 years, he can still reunite with his mother and brother and sister, which is a great comfort for Zhang Liyi.
At this time, Zhang Liyi still had a wish, that is, to join hands with his wife again. He never thought about starting a family again during his days on the mainland, and he always thought about his wife.
In 1982, the People's Daily reported on Zhang Liyi and another U2 pilot, and wrote: "Chinese mainland allows them to return to Taiwan to visit relatives." However, the mainland agreed, but the Taiwan side did not allow them to return to Taiwan. Fortunately, Zhang Liyi's wife works for China Airlines and has come to the mainland several times to meet Zhang Liyi. It was supposed to be a reunion between husband and wife, but Zhang Liyi's wife was a little at a loss.
In 1973, after waiting for 8 years, his wife decided to move on to a new life - she was introduced to a retired military officer. However, she also made a pact with the officer that if Zhang returned, he would have to step aside. Zhang's wife didn't think about Zhang for a moment, but on the other side was an officer who had been with her for nearly 10 years, and Zhang's wife really didn't know how to speak. Knowing his wife's concerns, the officer secretly applied for the "Home of Veterans" in southern Taiwan, fulfilling Zhang Liyi's family.
Speaking of which, the story of the pilot of the "Black Cat" squadron is more or less over. After that, it belongs to Zhang Liyi's own story. In 1991, under the influence of public opinion on the island, Zhang Liyi was allowed to return to Taiwan. He remarried with his wife and returned to Taiwan to live, and so far it was a consummation.
In 2015, Zhang Liyi returned to Beijing to participate in the military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and he expressed his gratitude to the media and sighed: "I feel the strength of the motherland, and I am very proud to be a Chinese!" ”
Bibliography:
[1] Yao Huafei. The "black cat" pilots who flew the U-2[J].Archives Spring and Autumn,2010(01):30-33.
[2] Guo Guanying. The story of Wang Xijue and Zhang Liyi after "defection"[J].Communist Party Member,2008(03):47.)