"Courier Brother" is a nickname for the well-known and well-known emerging mail courier delivery. You see, they are in high spirits, driving lightweight courier cars, walking through the streets and alleys, handing people express delivery packages sent by online shopping or distant relatives and friends, and then waving and saying goodbye to the recipients.
Seeing the courier brother driving away in a special courier car, I can't help but recall the scene 55 years ago when I drove my beloved "dog bear car" to the launch site of the "Dongfeng No. 2A" missile used for missile nuclear weapons testing, which the people of the whole country had high hopes for.
I am an Anhui veteran who joined the army in 1959 to launch the second squadron at Dongfeng Base. After enlisting in the army, after selection and rigorous training, I became a driver who drove a traction car to transport the "Dongfeng" missiles to the launch site. In my decades in the military, I have transported missiles hundreds of times, and the one that participated in the missile nuclear weapons test was unforgettable.
First of all, it was not easy to participate in the last world-renowned experimental mission. The drivers participating in the test must undergo strict training and layer by layer, and they are all excellent drivers selected from various units, and most of them are communist party members. Second, there was a certain danger that the mission would come into contact with nuclear weapons. Before we went into battle, we all wrote letters of guarantee, and some comrades also wrote blood letters, and we were all mentally prepared to sacrifice ourselves. The squadron approved me to participate in the mission and to take on the heavy responsibility of sending missiles from the technical position to the launch position, and I myself felt a heavy responsibility, fearing that I would not be able to complete the task and fail to fulfill the sacred mission entrusted by the party and the people, and at the same time I felt extremely honored and proud to be able to participate in this mission.
The day of the mission has finally arrived. It was October 26, 1966, and I personally drove the DF-2A missile to the launch site. The large tractor I drove was a 25-ton Soviet-style Yas 212 high-power diesel car, because the marker in front of the head of the car was a white polar bear with a very cute shape, so we all affectionately called it the "Big Dog Bear Car". Due to the large body, the missile lying on the trailer is also dragged behind, and the total length reaches more than 30 meters, which requires the driver to have extremely high driving skills.
On that day, the temperature dropped to more than ten degrees below zero, and there were rare sandstorms, flying sand and stones, covering the sky, reaching out and not seeing five fingers, sand and stones crackling on the glass of the car, and turning on the headlights of the car could not see the situation of the road in front of it. I stared wide-eyed at the pathfinder ahead, carefully following slowly. Since this test launch was carried out at the No. 50 simple launch site, the last section had no roads, the vast Gobi, potholes, and large and small sand dunes, driving such a long and large tractor loaded with missiles, a little carelessness could lead to a major accident, so I did not dare to slacken off, and it took more than two hours to reach the destination.
After arriving at the launch site, the missile must be safely and accurately erected on the launch pad, which requires the driver to have extremely high driving skills. The first is to aim missile nuclear weapons at the launch pad without any mistake, so that the "three points and one line" (that is, the car, the tow frame, and the launch pad must be in a straight line), and there is no difference at all. The second is to ensure absolute safety and stability when erecting, because the missile placed on the trailer is a delicate treasure, which cannot collide or vibrate.
When the commander issued the password to "start docking", I quickly activated the "big dog bear car" and slowly drove to the launch pad with the missile on board. I grasped the steering wheel with both hands, stared at the commander's gesture with both eyes, listened intently to the whistle with both ears, used both feet (one foot on the accelerator, one foot on the brake), adjusted the position of the car and the vertical bracket according to the commander's gesture, pulled the vertical bracket to the launch pad one centimeter at a time, and I nervously held my breath... Beep, a whistle, and I saw the commander make a gesture to stop. After parking, I saw that the vertical bracket and the launch pad were aligned in a straight line. After arriving at the designated position, I cooperated with the bracket technician Yin Haitian to operate the hands Miao Maoxin, Zhou Guoxi, Wang Zhenting, and Xue Shengzhi to accurately dock the vertical bracket to the launch pad and fix it.
The docking was a complete success. Then, at the commander's behest, I drove the "big bear car" to the outside of the launch site. Through the window, I saw the squadron's comrades docking the missile with an atomic warhead, and then the "Dongfeng No. 2A" missile loaded with the atomic warhead was lying on the erection and was steadily erected on the launch pad. After that, other tests were carried out and everything was fine. Finally, the propellant is filled and checked before firing. On October 27, all but the Seven Warriors remained in the underground control room to carry out the final ignition launch, and all the other personnel were evacuated from the launch site. I also drove my beloved "big bear car" and reluctantly left...
"Ignition!"
"Take off!"
On October 27, 1966, China's first and only missile nuclear weapon launch test was successful! People cheered loudly and jumped with joy...
I drove my beloved "Big Dog Bear Car", facing the brilliant morning sun, galloping on the vast Gobi Desert, honking all the way, not only playing the trumpet of victory, but also blowing a new marching horn to meet the arrival of the next "Dongfeng" missile launch test mission!
The author Li Yuzhu, an 82-year-old Veteran of Dongfeng, this article was written on October 25, 2021, assisted by Li Wei and Xu Hong, reviewed by Miao Maoxin, and provided pictures by Xu Hong.
Author: Li Yuzhu
Editors: Yang Guijin, Zhang Yan, Wu Yuyang, Fang Min