On January 8, 1966, the garrison on the southeast coast was alarmed, and all officers and men were waiting in a tight line. Subsequently, a report on the defection of the three Wu brothers to Taiwan was sent to the desk of the Central Military Commission, and after reading the report, Premier Zhou took the case and urgently ordered the troops to intercept and kill them on the way.
What kind of defection incident made the always mild-mannered Premier Zhou furious? Will the interception mission be successfully completed? What caused the three to defect?
Let's first understand the international background at that time, and those who are familiar with modern history understand that China in the 1960s was in a stage of adjusting its foreign policy and the international environment was complex. On the one hand, Sino-Soviet relations are tense, and on the other hand, the US Government, which has not taken advantage of the Korean battlefield, is not satisfied and is trying to use the Taiwan issue to interfere in China's internal affairs. In Southeast Asia, where it secretly unites with other countries to isolate China, national defense construction is particularly important in the context of such a tense international situation.
In many respects, the Taiwan issue is the most difficult. The Chiang Kai-shek government, which had been defeated in Taiwan, was never dead-hearted and always looked for opportunities to attempt to counterattack the mainland; due to the geographical proximity of the two sides of the strait, the central authorities set up the Seventh Garrison Division of the Fuzhou Military Region. Most of the officers and men of this unit are recruits who have joined the army or personnel drawn from various units, and the old and the new alternate and do not know each other well. There were some loopholes in the management, and the three Wu brothers served in this unit after enlisting in the army.
The three Wu brothers are Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia, and Wu Chunfu, all three of whom are from Putian, Fujian Province, and they are fellow villagers with each other, and they were playmates when they were young. When they grew up, the three of them enlisted in the army together and served in the Fuzhou Military Region. Because the three men served on the same ship and were inseparable, they were known as the Three Wu Brothers.
Although they joined the People's Liberation Army, the three were not accustomed to the strict discipline of the People's Liberation Army. In the 1960s, China's economic development was facing difficulties, and the People's Liberation Army was always known for its hard work and simplicity. The three mischievous people naturally could not stand such a hard day, so in private they often stole the assets of the troops, and secretly hid the booty obtained from the battle.
The three people who coveted pleasure knew that there was no hope of promotion in the army, and at the same time, the three stole the property of the army many times, and they were afraid of being discovered, so they hoped to escape the army with these belongings and go to another place to live. So, where is the right place to go?
Once they left the troops, they would certainly be hunted down. So, the shorter the escape distance, the better. Not far from the sea from the Seventh Garrison Division was the jurisdiction of Taiwan's Nationalist Government, and although Chiang Kai-shek and others fled to Taiwan in defeat, they still dreamed of counterattacking the mainland. In many contests with the Platon Army, Chiang Kai-shek knew that he could not compete with the PLA militarily, so he thought of relying on brainwashing propaganda to demagogue the people's minds.
To this end, the "Voice of Taiwan" radio station was founded, learning the tricks learned from the United States, advocating democracy and freedom, and publicizing the prosperity, openness, and tolerance of the Taiwan region. In order to weaken the combat effectiveness of the People's Liberation Army and shake the hearts of the army, chiang Kai-shek's government also promised on the radio that those officers and men on the mainland who surrendered to the mainland would not only not be blamed for the past, but would also be promised high-ranking officials Houlu and golden beauties.
In the face of such sugar-coated shells, the three Wu brothers, who had planned to escape, were excited. They seem to have foreseen their own life in Taiwan, accompanied by beautiful women, and can't wait to plan their escape and find the right time.
On January 8, 1966, the superior ordered the 7th Garrison Division to send soldiers to send a batch of supplies from Mawei, Fuzhou to Xiapu in landing craft, and it was Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia and Wu Chunfu and seven other soldiers who carried out the task. The task of delivering supplies had been carried out many times before, so not too many people were arranged.
When Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia, and Wu Chunfu boarded the landing craft of this mission, they exchanged glances with each other, and a perfect opportunity came. On the night of January 8, landing craft sailing along the established route sailed on the surface of the sea. Due to the proximity to the Kuomintang-controlled area, all lights were turned off on the landing craft as required. What the warriors never expected, however, was that danger was approaching them.
That night, the three took on the task of night guard. Taking advantage of the night, they gathered together on the boat, took out the submachine gun prepared in advance, quietly sneaked into the lounge, and fired a crazy strafing at the bed of their comrades, killing all six sleeping comrades and the captain. In any case, these soldiers would not have imagined that they would be brutally killed in their sleep, and that they would be killed by their comrades-in-arms who lived day and night.
The three men in control of the landing craft immediately changed course and headed at full speed toward zuma waters. In order to show their sincerity and eagerly defected to the Kuomintang, they also hung a white cloth on the boat and wrote on it with the blood of their comrades-in-arms: Uprising surrender, hope that the king will respond.
The three people who had just brutally killed seven comrades-in-arms not only had no guilt, but were full of yearning for a new life after defecting. On the dark sea, the three of them grinned like demons, discussing with each other what kind of official position they should ask for, and how to squander the reward that was about to arrive...
When the ship broke through the thick night and was about to reach its destination, the three turned on all the lights on the boat so that the soldiers of the National Army could find them at the first time, and even ran to the deck of the landing craft, waving their arms and shouting in the direction of the island that was about to land. Sure enough, the soldiers stationed there were ships coming from the sea, and they couldn't help but be shocked, thinking that the Platon Army was going to organize an armed landing of troops. Immediately report to the commander and organize manpower to prepare for battle. At this time, I don't know who in the crowd shouted , "Look! There was a white flag hanging on the boat with the words on it, and they had come to surrender! After the panicked Nationalists saw the words on the flag, they relaxed, fired a light signal at the ships, and arranged for them to enter the harbor.
When the three men stepped off the ship and told the officers of the Nationalist army stationed on the island about the killing and seizure of the boat and the uprising, the three were warmly welcomed by the officers and men of the nationalist army. Immediately, the three men's surrender was immediately reported to the Nationalist government in Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek and other kuomintang top brass who received the telegram were particularly excited, and under the continuous brainwashing of the "Voice of Taiwan" radio, the People's Liberation Army finally came to surrender. Although the three men's official positions are not high, this is not important. The defection of the soldiers can better explain the people's will of the mainland government, and at this time it must be widely reported to hit the morale of the Platon.
The Taiwan side immediately issued instructions to immediately dispatch a special plane to pick them up, and must give preferential treatment to the three people, so that the reporters could immediately set off to report on the "heroic struggle" of the three people. As a result, Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia, and Wu Chunfu became heroes on the Taiwan side, and the officers and men stationed on the island immediately dressed the three of them in the new uniforms of the Nationalist army, gave them a haircut and bathe, straightened out their appearance, put on ribbons for them, and were interviewed by reporters. The Taiwan side also promised to give them a reward of 120 taels of gold each, compared with the hard and simple life of the People's Liberation Army, Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia and Wu Chunfu are really beautiful at this moment.
At the same time, our army also received news of the defection of three people. After receiving the news, Pi Dingjun, deputy commander of the Fuzhou Military Region, immediately reported it to the Central Military Commission. Our military intelligence officers also inquired that Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia, and Wu Chunfu would be picked up by a military plane from the Taiwan side in the afternoon of the next day. What is even more ridiculous is that in order to gain political capital, the local high-ranking Kuomintang officials rushed to jointly escort the "uprising righteous soldiers," and in the end, there were fourteen high-ranking Kuomintang officials on the plane in addition to the three Wu brothers.
When he got the report and learned about the incident, Premier Zhou was furious and immediately instructed the three people to intercept and kill them on the way to Taiwan! The reason for Premier Zhou to issue an interception order is that in addition to the cruel killing of comrades-in-arms by the three men, there is also the complexity of the current international community, and once the incident of the defection of the three people is used by the Taiwan side, it will cause diplomatic disadvantages if the United States jointly accuses our army. More importantly, this kind of despicable little man who is unscrupulous and shameless, who disregards the feelings of his comrades-in-arms and is only for the glory and wealth, must get the punishment he deserves.
After receiving the order to intercept and kill the three people, Major General Zeng Youcheng, who was in charge of the combat mission, immediately arranged the battle plan.
There are two main difficulties in this mission: First, the Matsu Sea is relatively close to Taiwan, which means that the battle must be completed in a short period of time, and it must be hit with one blow, otherwise it is difficult to have a second chance of combat. Second, the Taiwan side transported three people using a HU-16 amphibious aircraft, although the combat performance is not good, but it has an obvious advantage, can be low-altitude flight, known as seaplanes. If the aircraft is flying at a low altitude close to the surface, ordinary radar is difficult to find its tracks, in addition, there are two F-100 fighters as escort missions, F-100 fighters and HU-16 aircraft are developed and manufactured by the United States, which shows that the National Government is really willing to pay for the three people.
In order to solve these two thorny problems, Major General Zeng Youcheng immediately launched a deployment, and four pilots with rich combat experience of our army formed a fighter formation to carry out this combat mission. At the same time, a special radar is used to detect the movement of enemy aircraft. In order to be foolproof, Major General Zeng Youcheng ordered that the special radar be adjusted to a pitch angle, and the monitoring of the aircraft was abandoned, and the movement of the aircraft flying only above sea level was fully monitored. All the technicians waited in full line, waiting for the moment of battle.
At three o'clock in the afternoon of January 9, the soldiers in charge of monitoring the radar sounded an alarm that enemy aircraft were flying in the monitor area! The four pilots who received the order immediately flew the plane and flew toward the target. The pilots sent by the Taiwan side this time had great piloting experience, and instead of flying at the altitude required by the usual aircraft, they used ultra-low-altitude flight in an attempt to evade the monitoring of our army's radar. However, this plan of theirs was already in the judgment of our army.
At 3:50 p.m., accompanied by the roar of the aircraft engines, the four fighters of our army had confirmed the position of the Kuomintang aircraft, and the first fighter immediately fired a shell, but the Kuomintang pilots also noticed the situation in the rear, and urgently maneuvered the aircraft, dodging the first attack. The pilot of our army piloting the second fighter plane immediately made a decision and immediately fired the second shell, which hit smoothly!
The Kuomintang plane that was hit did not completely lose control, and the enemy pilot quickly adjusted the plane in an attempt to reduce the flight altitude and try to avoid the attack of our fighters. When the enemy planes were seen trying to escape, the four pilots of our army cooperated with each other, lowering the flight altitude on the one hand, and covering the other two planes to fire shells at the engines on both sides of the enemy planes.
With the hit of the two shells, the enemy plane instantly ignited a raging fire, completely out of control, and fell rapidly towards the sea level. As they approached sea level, there was a "bang" and the fuselage exploded, and Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia, and Wu Chunfu, together with the other fourteen senior Kuomintang officials on the plane, were all buried at the bottom of the sea. Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia, and Wu Chunfu would never have imagined that the life of glory and wealth they had longed for and longed for had vanished like an airplane explosion, and that they themselves had been duly punished within 16 hours of brutally killing seven comrades-in-arms.
On January 10, 1966, the People's Daily published the news that "our air force shot down a US-made Chiang Kai-shek plane", reporting on this exciting interception and killing of traitors, and the people of the whole country clapped their hands and applauded. The shameless behavior of the three traitors disgraced the Wu clan in Fujian, and local villagers removed the names of the three and their relatives from the family tree. This operation not only punished the most heinous traitors, but more importantly, the prestige of the Chinese army, but also made some swingsters in the country who were not firm in their positions recognize the reality.
For a long time, the strength of our army's air force was relatively weak, and even before the founding of the People's Republic of China, our army did not have a complete flying fleet. In the 1949 National Day military parade, our army was ordered by the Central Military Commission to reassemble seventeen aircraft from the captured enemy aircraft using patchwork parts, of which only nine were fighter planes, and the rest were non-fighter planes such as transport aircraft. Even so, the people of the whole country are extremely excited, because we finally have our own plane!
In the later Korean battlefield, in the face of the indiscriminate bombardment of the US military, our army once again realized the importance of grasping air supremacy to the war and cultivating a strong air force. It is precisely on this basis that Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Government, with the help of the United States, receives material support from the United States, of which the US-made fighter jets are the capital of the Nationalist Government's ostentation.
It was the US-made fighters that transported the three Wu brothers to Taiwan this time, but in the face of the increasingly powerful PLAAF, the US-made military aircraft no longer have the advantage. The J-5 and J-6 fighters who served as fighters this time adopted the mode of mixed-flight operations, did not fall behind in the battle with the US-made fighters, and finally successfully shot down the enemy aircraft, which is also an important reason for the people of the whole country to rejoice. Those foreign forces that are trying to isolate China and wait for the opportunity to create friction have also realized that China is no longer a China that can be slaughtered by others, and that the Chinese military and people have the determination and ability to annihilate all enemies who come to attack!
Originally, Taiwan's Nationalist Government attempted to take advantage of the defections of Wu Wenwen, Wu Zhenjia, and Wu Chunfu to wantonly smear the Communist Party and create international public opinion. Even on the way to Taiwan, the Nationalist government temporarily organized tens of thousands of people and held a grand welcome ceremony in Hsinchu, Taiwan, waiting for the arrival of the three people. I thought that after the three of them arrived in Taiwan, they would set an example and publicize the National Government's preferential treatment of those who surrendered to the people who surrendered, but they did not expect that the bamboo basket was empty, the Central Military Commission's immediate decision, and the bravery and fearlessness of the officers and men participating in the war made the National Government's wishful thinking frustrated.
Afterwards, the Kuomintang government posthumously appointed the three as second lieutenants of the Nationalist Army, and the gold promised earlier was kept by the central government and distributed after the future counterattack on the mainland. In 1995, the families of the three people also wrote a letter to the Taiwan authorities asking for the bounty promised by the government that year, but the Taiwan government never thought of fulfilling the promise, and moreover, thirty years have passed, and naturally no one is willing to pay attention to the empty cheque issued by Chiang Ching-kuo that year. This is also another farce derived from the defection incident of that year.
Any attempt to sever the nation, undermine the integrity of the country's territorial sovereignty, and damage the interests of the broad masses of the people will ultimately fail!
This interception and killing on the way also correctly warned the Taiwan authorities, abandoning their illusions, and the Communist Party will never waver in its stand of safeguarding national reunification! Today, we can still see from the historical materials of that year the determination of Premier Zhou when he ordered the interception and killing, the posture of the officers and men participating in the war driving the fighter plane straight into the sky, and the smiles of the broad masses of the people taking to the streets to exchange praises. The smoke of history has dissipated, and the road leading the Chinese people to become strong and prosperous is still continuing...