Ten years ago, the Office of Institutional Operations wanted to compile a history of aeronautical meteorology and appointed me editor-in-chief. The chronicle of 58 years made it difficult for me, a young business cadre who joined the army in the 1990s and was still a young business cadre at the time, to be the editor-in-chief. Especially for the initial air combat meteorological support part, my mind was blank. And this part is the one that needs to be dug deeper and recorded in history. I asked the director to resign, and he suggested to me: "Don't be afraid of difficulties, first go to the Dry Hugh House to interview Li Lishan." ”
Check Li Lishan's resume: male, Han ethnicity, native of Lixian County, Hebei Province, born in September 1929, enlisted in the army in January 1941, participated in the liberation of the gradual east coastal islands, combating enemy attacks and disturbing aircraft and other major tasks of meteorological support, and made great contributions to the creation and development of the meteorological cause of naval aviation.
wow! No wonder the leaders said that if they found Li Lishan, that period of history would exist.
Look at his honors again: Comrade Li Lishan was awarded a "May Day" commemorative medal by the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, a third-class meritorious service and a second-class meritorious service seven times during the Liberation War, and was awarded the Order of Independence Honor in 1988.
As a junior peer, I am both proud and surprised that I can get such a big honor. When he saw Li Lishan at the Dry Rest House, he was wearing an old military cotton jacket with white hair, crouching under the wall to bask in the sun. I held a bouquet of flowers in my left hand and a fruit basket in my right hand, with a smile on my face, and walked quickly toward him.
"Old chief, I'm bothering you!" I laughed. Li Lishan looked at me, frowned, and said, "How can the Meteorological Department send a little girl to compile the history?" I was a little unhappy in my heart, but I still kept a bright smile and said, "It's not small, children will play soy sauce." "In my eyes, that's a little girl too." "That's that, you're an old man."
He entered the house with Li Lishan, and as soon as he sat down, he handed me a stack of materials: "Your director called and said, especially the meteorological support for the liberation of Yijiangshan Island, he asked me to talk to you well." I wrote something, you look at it first. ”
Shortly after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the army, navy and air force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army carried out the first joint operation to cross Hayden Island on January 18, 1955, and conquered the enemy-occupied Yijiangshan Island. I was fortunate to be sent to the front to participate in the war, to undertake the meteorological support work in the war zone, not only have some personal experience, but also have a diary of the work at that time. It is my responsibility to record my experience in the war and leave the historical data to future generations.
On January 14, 1955, I received an order from the head of the Navy to carry out a special mission and return to Beijing as soon as I was finished.
I remember that it was a phone call from the director of the HNA Operations Department: "The train ticket has been sent to buy, and after arriving in Shanghai, it will go directly to the wharf." The first division of the ferry ticket has also sent someone to buy it, and the person who bought the ticket is an acquaintance, and he is waiting for you at the dock. ”
I secretly thought that carrying out such a special task as war reconnaissance was my old job, and I set out with confidence...
On the morning of the 16th, I went to the Ningbo Airport Meteorological Observatory, learned about the weather situation, studied the weather conditions for nearly 2-3 days, and immediately went to the command post located on the upper floor of the airport dispatch room (later became the Ningbo Airport Meteorological Observatory Duty Room) to report to Ji Tingxie, deputy chief of staff of HNA. Deputy Chief of Staff Ji instructed to study the recent weather. I said, "There is a cold air moving eastward, and there will be good weather for a short time after the tail sweeps across the East China Sea." Deputy Chief of Staff Ji nodded and said, "There is an Army car waiting for you downstairs at the command post, so you can get in the car and go to Haimen immediately." ”
In the afternoon of the same day, I arrived at the Haimen landing craft brigade, and i was greeted by a plainclothes cadre: "You are Comrade Li Lishan, the meteorological staff officer of HNA!" ”
I replied, "It's me." ”
Listening to this cadre's tone, it was as if he had come from the East China Military Region. He said, "Come inside!" You look at these things, they're the equipment you used for this mission. He introduced me one by one, "This is a radio, someone gives you debugging the machine you just need to use, this is a light wind direction anemometer, this is an empty box barometer, this is a gun mirror for artillery, this is a telescopic machine (rangefinder), these things you will use, right?" ”
I replied, "They've all been used in the past, and they'll use them." ”
He said, "Hurry up and get familiar with it, and rest well!" ”
When I got up on the morning of the 17th, I first familiarized myself with the method of sending reports, and then practiced gun mirrors and rangefinders. These instruments have not been used since I participated in the final battle in North China that liberated Taiyuan, Shanxi, on April 24, 1949, and I practiced them several times in a row, making sure that I was fully skilled before giving up.
On the night of the 17th, I boarded the ship, just entered the sea, the wind speed of the head wind exceeded 10 meters per second, the hull was bumpy and swaying very badly, and people were very uncomfortable on it. Arriving at the work zone on time at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I had just sent out the first live weather in the war zone, and the guard began to get seasick and vomited vigorously. Over time, the wind speed gradually decreased, and it became less uncomfortable. The command post required wind speed every 15 minutes and the weather live every 30 minutes, and I sent the report on time.
After 10 o'clock on the 18th, the command post urgently called for the artillery ballistic correction meteorological data. The long-range artillery test-fired the enemy to occupy a Jiangshan Island, because the amount of correction used was before 24:00 on the 17th, the wind deviation was large, and the latest wind direction and wind speed correction I sent back finally hit.
Soon after the long-range artillery strike, groups of black-pressed aircraft roared past me in batches, including Du'er bombers, La-9 and La-eleven fighters, and strong strike aircraft. Suddenly, the enemy-occupied island was in flames and filled with gun smoke.
The landing force began to attack, the scene of the former servants and the follow-up was spectacular, but the visibility was only 2.5 kilometers, and my observation point was 3 kilometers away from the enemy-occupied island, and it was not clear what was happening when the troops landed.
The wind helped me, the smoke cloud began to move south, and the guard shouted at me: "The command post is going to have weather!" ”
I immediately compiled and sent out the various meteorological data I had observed, and I continued to do so until dusk, when my superiors ordered me to withdraw from the sea area at 19:00 and return. I carefully determined my position before withdrawing, and in this unforgettable battle, my observation point at sea was located 2.83 kilometers northwest of Haimen Reef on Yijiangshan Island and 3.3 kilometers from Huangyan Reef.
More than half a century has passed since the battle to liberate Yijiangshan Island, but the rumbling sound of artillery, the ultra-low-altitude sea-skimming aircraft, the rapid landing ships, and the battle scenes filled with gun smoke often come to my mind and make me unforgettable. Although I am eighty years old, I am willing to participate in maritime meteorological support work if the battle requires it.
Seeing this, I closed my eyes and recounted the scene in my mind: a small landing ship was at the forefront of the naval battlefield, with shells falling in front of me, and the small boat was pushed and swayed by the surging waves that bounced and clicked. Young Li Lishan stood on the ship with a wind direction anemometer in his hand and carefully observed, recorded, compiled and issued meteorological reports.
Li Lishan on the small boat is full of style and bright eyes...
Attached to the article is a three-page live report of the weather, which he calls "working diary information." I looked at the data measured by the group that risked my life, and I couldn't help but feel awe-inspired and respectful.
"How's it going?" When Li Lishan saw me finish reading, he put down the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic in his hand and sat down to ask.
"Great! It's so precious! ”
"If you think it's useful." "You also study TCM?" "Forget it, you little girl can't possibly know." I have an old leader who is from a medical background, very concerned about meteorology, and when he was dying, he specially called me to his side, saying that meteorological soldiers are also scouts, and in wartime they are going deep behind enemy lines to scout the weather. I thought it made sense and agreed to him. ”
"What's the point?" Can meteorology and medicine be pulled together? ”
Li Lishan told me the truth, he said: "A small detachment went out to scout the weather, there was no hygienist, and the meteorological soldier who understood medicine was Xiang Bao. The mission of Yijiangshan Island, if you only understand the weather, you can't turn me, you say? ”
Because of this simple idea, Li Lishan insisted on studying medicine for decades! I was struck by the persistence of the old man.
"Old chief, studying medicine is really good, at least for yourself and your family's physical health."
"I don't learn this benefit alone." Li Lishan said to me in a serious tone, "Little girl, you are still young, you still have to crawl and fight in the meteorological industry, learn a little, and maybe use it when you have the opportunity to go to the battlefield in the future." He stood up and solemnly handed me the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic in his hand, "To you, if you don't understand, feel free to ask where you don't understand." ”
I took the book and nodded softly.
After compiling the meteorological history, I never saw his old man again, and only called to greet him during the New Year's Festival. Over the years, I have been in the meteorological industry, and have made some achievements, slowly growing into a senior engineer who can stand alone.
The year before, I was selected by my superiors to join the Liaoning to participate in the meteorological support work of the long-distance voyage of the aircraft carrier formation. When I sat in front of the Liaoning ship's meteorological combat position and analyzed the weather on the computer to ensure the flight of the aircraft carrier-based aircraft, the image of Li Lishan, who went deep into the sea battlefield 62 years ago to observe and publish the report, appeared in front of me. In the past 62 years, the meteorological cause of New China has made great progress, especially since the reform and opening up, and the meteorological support capability of our army has made rapid progress.
The formation entered the depths of the ocean, and I stood on the deck of the giant ship, bathed in the western Pacific sea breeze, looking at the deep blue waters, and remembering the small boat that was ricketing on the sea 62 years ago, and for a moment I had mixed feelings. From small ships to giant ships, from yellow water to blue water, the pace of the people's navy is so heroic! However, after passing through the tunnel of time and space and returning to the original point, how can we forget the thousands of soldiers of the previous generation who, like Li Lishan, were painstakingly pursuing on all fronts of naval construction? Without them driving the boat out of the coast in the rain of bullets and bullets, there would be a giant ship in the breaking waves of the open ocean today!
In September this year, Li Lishan turned ninety years old. I sincerely hope that the elderly Li Lishan will take good care of his body and witness a more powerful tomorrow for the people's army.
