Wang Bingzhang was the first deputy commander of the Air Force, and after his death, his body was frozen for 12 years before he could be buried.
In 1914, Wang Bingzhang was born in a peasant family in Anyang, Henan Province, and had to drop out of school in the second grade of junior high school due to family poverty in his early years.
With some efforts, 15-year-old Wang Bingzhang was admitted to the newspaper class of the Northwest Army Radio School founded by Feng Yuxiang.
In 1930, Wang Bingzhang entered Jiangxi with Feng Yuxiang's troops, and later suffered a defeat in the Central Plains War, and his unit was reorganized by Chiang Kai-shek.
This did not shake Wang Bingzhang's revolutionary faith, and the following year, he participated in the Ningdu Uprising and devoted himself to the cause of the Red Army.
After the outbreak of the all-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Wang Bingzhang became the chief of the Operations Section of the 115th Division Headquarters of the Eighth Route Army.
In 1938, Wang Bingzhang's military career reached a new level, serving as the chief of staff of the 115th Division Headquarters, in which he was responsible for the division's operational planning, command and dispatch.
Subsequently, Wang Bingzhang moved to Shandong with his troops, opened up an anti-Japanese base behind enemy lines, and personally participated in the command of key battles such as the Lufang Breakout, making great contributions to the victory of the Eighth Route Army in the anti-Japanese struggle in Shandong.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wang Bingzhang served as chief of staff of the Air Force, and worked closely with Liu Yalou to jointly lead the strict training of the flight unit and the gradual improvement of the organ system.
As the person in charge of the equipment ordering work, Wang Bingzhang made meticulous plans to ensure that all units, aviation schools, and departments of the Air Force received the advanced equipment they needed. Thanks to Wang Bingzhang's efforts, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force has become an air force with strong combat effectiveness.
In 1951, Wang Bingzhang accompanied Xu Xiangqian, chief of the General Staff, to the Soviet Union to negotiate the procurement of air force equipment. In this contest, he adhered to national interests and facilitated the signing of a contract for the revision of the MiG-15 fighter plane, a historic achievement that gave wings to the leap in the equipment level of the Chinese Air Force and has immeasurable strategic value.
Two years later, Wang Bingzhang's military career reached new heights, and he was appointed as the first deputy commander and chief of staff of the Air Force, where he continued to shine brightly, deeply participated in a number of major decisions related to the future development of the Air Force, and contributed wisdom to the long-term development of the Air Force.
In addition, Wang Bingzhang has also crossed the border in the field of national defense science and technology, serving as deputy director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and other important positions, personally participating in and promoting the research and development, testing and launch of cutting-edge scientific and technological projects such as medium-range surface-to-surface missiles and the first artificial earth satellite.
In 1971, an accident involved Wang Bingzhang, then deputy director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, in a storm. With the exposure of a large number of materials from the National Defense Science and Technology Commission in the Lin Biao crash, Wang Bingzhang was unfortunately implicated and suffered from 10 years of organizational review and isolation.
During this period, Wang Bingzhang never gave up his self-defense, unremittingly collected evidence, submitted appeal materials to the organization, and was eager to clarify the facts.
In 1982, although Wang Bingzhang was exempted from prosecution, he could not escape the fate of revocation and retirement. In his later years, he organized and provided living security for Wang Bingzhang. On some key issues, he was not given a clear conclusion.
On September 25, 2005, his life was about to come to an end, and he left a last wish before his death:
"You must wait for the organization to make a final conclusion on me before you can bury me!"
The family obeyed their wishes and froze the body properly, waiting for the right time, but this wait lasted for 12 years.
Time flies, and in 2017, the Central Committee, in the dual capacity of "old Red Army" and "party member cadre", held a late memorial ceremony for this revolutionary veteran.
At the ceremony, family members and comrades-in-arms gathered together to commemorate Wang Bingzhang's great achievements and selfless dedication.