The party's absolute leadership over the army is the soul and lifeblood of the people's army, and it can never be changed or lost. The revolutionary ancestors of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC, during the stormy and arduous years of struggle, always regarded the party as the "fixed star" in their hearts, never forgot the party's mission in the face of life and death, kept firmly in mind the party's purpose in the face of temptation, thought of the party's instructions in the face of difficulties, unswervingly listened to the party's words, followed the party, and wrote a revolutionary history from victory to victory. The soul of the army will never change, and the military flag will always be toward the party. To build a strong people's air force in the new historical journey, we must carry out the eternal military soul of upholding the party's absolute leadership over the army throughout the entire process and in all aspects.
Starting from the old revolutionary areas, we are more aware of the difficulties and dangers of the revolutionary journey; after the baptism of the Long March, we have a better understanding of the preciousness of the party's leadership. From its establishment to its training, from overcoming difficulties to achieving success in learning, from organizational construction to fighting against the enemy, the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC has been carried out under the direct leadership of the party, unswervingly implementing the party's propositions and practicing the party's mission, and having a deep value feeling and emotional identity for upholding the party's absolute leadership over the army and an emotional identity that has been integrated into the blood vein, and has become a unique political gene that will never fade away.
——"Comrade Chen Yun, advocate". Taking advantage of the united front relations between our party and The Governor of Xinjiang, Sheng Shicai, Comrade Chen Yun, the representative of the PARTY Central Committee in Xinjiang, overcame many difficulties and founded the first multi-service military technical school of our army- dihua "new barracks." Under the personal initiative and organization of Comrade Chen Yun and the direct leadership of Comrades Deng Fa and Chen Tanqiu, 43 Red Army cadres were selected and transferred from the "New Barracks" in Dihua and the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and Motorcycle School in Yan'an to learn flight and mechanical maintenance techniques in Sheng Shicai's aviation unit. Before the Yan'an cadets set out for Xinjiang, Comrade Chen Yun enthusiastically exhorted: You will be the first batch of Red Pilots and the first backbone of the Red Air Force; don't be afraid of low culture, don't be afraid of being looked down upon by others, have strong perseverance, study assiduously, and be sure to learn technology; you must do a good job of unity, abide by discipline, and maintain the party's honor.
Group photo of the students of the second mechanical class of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps
- "Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai gave two encouragements." In August 1939, when Zhou Enlai, vice chairman of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, was passing by Dihua (present-day Urumqi), he received Lu Liping, the representative flight squad leader of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC, and Comrade Yan Zhengang, the mechanical squad leader, and conveyed the cordial condolences and encouragement of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman Mao to the cadres studying aviation. Sooner or later, he said, our Party will have to build its own air force. Some of your forty or so comrades can fly and those who are engaged in machinery, and as soon as they have an airplane, they can form combat effectiveness, and the Party Central Committee has placed great expectations on you. We must cherish the current opportunities for study, strive for better results, and report to the Party Central Committee. In February 1940, Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai was basically cured of his wounds, and when he flew back from the Soviet Union and passed through Dihua City, he again received Lu Liping and Zhu Huohua, the heads of our party's aviation team, in a busy schedule. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Chairman Zhou, in addition to encouraging the cadets of our Party's aviation corps to learn aviation knowledge and skills well, made a special explanation of how to deal with the deteriorating surrounding environment in light of the international anti-communist situation and the various activities of the Xinjiang warlord Sheng Shicai secretly colluding with Chiang Kai-shek. First of all, we asked the party branch of the aviation corps to temporarily change its name to the "study committee" to distract the secret agents; second, to explain the tactics of struggle against the "enemy," make full use of the policy adopted by our party toward Chiang Kai-shek and Sheng of the anti-Japanese united front, and emphasize jointly fighting the Japanese devils; finally, we reminded that in the face of Chiang Kai-shek and Sheng, we may plot against our party's aviation corps and make the aviation corps use them, stressing what can be done and what cannot be done, which party branch leaders must grasp, and which all cadets must be clear. Vice Chairman Zhou's targeted instructions and demands have played a very important role in effectively carrying out the struggle against the enemy by our party's Xinjiang Aviation Corps.
-- "It was the Party Central Committee that rescued us." From June 1944 to October 1945, our Party negotiated with the Kuomintang on many occasions, proposing that the Kuomintang release political prisoners, and wrote this content into the "Double Tenth Agreement" between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Comrades Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao visited Kuomintang deputy Zhang Zhizhong and solemnly proposed the release of political prisoners, saying that if the Kuomintang side did not believe what it said, the Chinese Communists would openly expose Chiang Kai-shek's behavior of violating the "Double Tenth Agreement." After more than a year of repeated negotiations and struggles, with the assistance of General Zhang Zhizhong, the cadres of our party's aviation corps and communists in Xinjiang, who had been imprisoned by the warlord Sheng Shicai for more than 3 years, were acquitted. In May 1946, when the prison authorities read out the release notice, the cadres of the Air Force burst into tears: "It was the Party Central Committee that rescued us!" It was Chairman Mao and Vice Chairman Zhou who rescued us! ”
The cells where our Party aviation personnel are being held
Interrogation rooms for the persecution of our Party's aviation personnel
The red gene is eternal, and the revolutionary spirit is eternal. The turbulent revolutionary history, thrilling revolutionary struggle, and touching revolutionary story of the Xinjiang Air Force of the CPC are red classics for upholding the party's absolute leadership over the army, which not only contains our genetic code of "where we came from," but also marks our spiritual roadmap of "where we are going." History and reality have repeatedly shown that ensuring the party's absolute leadership has always been the overall situation and the overall situation that has a bearing on the rise and fall of the people's army, its success or failure, and its life and death. On the new journey, to draw the wisdom and strength of building a strong people's air force from the history of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC, it is necessary to forge absolute loyalty in safeguarding the core and obeying the party's command, persist in political army building, inherit the red gene, resolutely resist the "non-partyization, non-politicization" of the army and the "nationalization of the army," and ensure that the troops are absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable; we must strengthen the ideals and convictions of socialism and communism, and master the "housekeeping skill" of Marxism. Deeply study and firmly believe in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Army, be a firm believer and loyal practitioner of the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics; we must cultivate the fighting spirit of not being afraid of suffering and not being afraid of death, keep firmly in mind the fundamental functions of our army, strengthen the awareness of distress, crisis, and war, break through the shortcomings of peace, carry forward the spiritual quality of daring to fight and win, and maintain the high fighting spirit of revolutionary heroism at all times and under any circumstances; we must be strict and highly conscious. The revolutionary discipline that is forbidden by order, the strict rule of law, the strict management of the army, the opposition to formalism and bureaucracy, the use of iron discipline to unite the will of iron, the style of tempering iron, and the forging of iron troops, to ensure that all actions at all times and under all circumstances are under the command of the command, and march forward in unison.
As long as you follow the party, you will certainly be able to win. The revolutionary ancestors of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC came from the cadres of the Red Army, all of whom were revolutionary volunteers who had gone through thousands of tempers and tried their best, all of whom were communists who resolutely obeyed the party's words and followed the party with an iron heart; their awareness of upholding the party's absolute leadership over the army was particularly strong and lasting; their actions of implementing the party's absolute leadership over the army were particularly resolute and thorough; and they constantly burst forth a powerful spirit and will force that stubbornly rose up in the face of setbacks and bravely forged ahead in the face of hardships.
- "How to spend silver tickets". Sheng Shicai's air force was paid according to the rank of each person. In the first month of the chinese communist aviation corps cadets arrived in the aviation corps, they were issued silver tickets equivalent to about 10 yuan according to the rank of sergeant. They were accustomed to a supply-oriented life in the Red Army, often penniless. Holding the money, everyone looked at each other: "How can this silver ticket be spent?" "Love to learn ready to buy books, love to smoke plan to buy packs of Soviet cigarettes to enjoy, love clean plan to buy a piece of soap." At this time, the party branch proposed: We have changed from a supply system to a monthly allowance, and the material conditions have become better, but the style of arduous struggle cannot be lost, and every silver or two must be saved and used for the cause of our party. In addition to buying a little necessities of life, everyone consciously paid the party fee for the rest of the allowance.
- "Please Fight Book". In 1939, Stalin did not meet Sheng Shicai's request for equipment assistance, and Sheng Shicai was indifferent to the Soviet Union and our Party. In the summer of 1940, under the pretext of suppressing the so-called rebellion in Tacheng and Kashgar, Sheng Shicai forced our party cadets to stop their flight training. Summer has passed, autumn has passed, and the third squadron of our party's cadets has returned to fly like a stone sinking into the sea, and there is no news. At this time, everyone demanded one after another, "If we don't let us fly, we will go back to Yan'an and go to the front line to fight the Japanese devils!" After Comrade Chen Tanqiu learned of everyone's desire for war, he agreed to send a telegram to the Party Central Committee reflecting the request of the CAD cadets of the CPC Aviation Corps to return to Yan'an to participate in the war. After the telegram was sent, there was no response for a long time. The aviation team members also drafted a long petition in the name of all party members, asking Comrade Chen Tanqiu to forward it to the party Central Committee. After more than a month, the Party Central Committee called back to the comrades of the Aviation Corps: "Strictly abide by discipline and study with peace of mind." The Chinese Communist Air Force immediately organized a transmission and discussion: although it has not yet been fully figured out ideologically, the instructions of the Party Central Committee should be unconditionally and resolutely implemented. At the beginning of 1941, the Soviet Union assisted Sheng Shicai with some aircraft and other equipment, and Sheng Shicai's attitude toward the Soviet Union and our Party was somewhat relaxed. With the active representations of Comrade Chen Tanqiu and the assistance of Soviet advisers, the Xinjiang Air Force of the Communist Party of China finally resumed flight training after 8 months of grounding.
Party history is like a beacon that illuminates the way forward; party history is like a clarion call, inspiring the strength to forge ahead. We remember the revolutionary ancestors of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC in order to inherit their legacy, carry forward their spirit, and struggle unremittingly and forever on the road they have opened up with their lives and blood. Stride on the road to a strong army, reform in the middle of the current, climb in the world's first-class. With a myriad of tasks and challenges everywhere, it is all the more necessary to hold high the party's banner, practice the party's mission, and devote ourselves to the party's strong military cause with the spirit of sacrificing one's own responsibility and the passion for indomitable struggle. On the new journey, to draw the wisdom and strength of building a strong people's air force from the history of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC, it is necessary to firmly establish a sense of the soul of the army, profoundly understand the historical inevitability, scientific truth, and institutional superiority of the party's absolute leadership over the army, implant the principle of the party commanding the gun into the soul and integrate it into the bloodline, and always ensure that no matter how the form of war evolves, how the internal and external environment of army building changes, and how the organizational form of the army is adjusted, the soul of the army's absolute leadership over the army can never be changed, and this lifeline can never be lost It is necessary to comprehensively and deeply implement the responsibility system of the chairman of the Central Military Commission, abide by it as the highest political requirement, safeguard it as the highest political discipline, effectively internalize it into political conviction and rule of law thinking, externalize it into a code of conduct and conscious action, strictly abide by political discipline and political rules, always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core in ideological and political actions, and resolutely obey the command of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and President Xi Jinping; we must continue to fight the active battle in the ideological field and face the hostile forces against our army." In the face of the fierce contest between casting the soul and the "moth soul", and between the solid and the "root destroyed", the political transgenic project dared to struggle, was good at struggle, saw the tricks and tricks, and effectively responded to them, so as to ensure that the fundamental principles and systems of the party's absolute leadership over the army were implemented through and implemented in the air force units to the letter, and a good ideological and political environment was created.
Having a strict party organization system and having the strong leadership, organizational strength, and execution power of party organizations to ensure that the party's will and propositions are fully implemented is where our army's unique advantages and strength lie. The party branch of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC has always placed party members under the leadership, management, and constraints of the party organization, promptly requested instructions and reports on major problems, discovered new situations and collectively studied and solved them, and formed a fist in the struggle against the enemy, showing strong cohesion, creativity, and combat effectiveness.
- "Party branch of the Air Force". Before the beginning of the school year in late February 1937, under the presidency of Comrade Deng Fa, the representative of our Party in Xinjiang, the Party Branch of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the Communist Party of China was established, and 44 trainees were divided into 6 party groups, and Comrade Lü Liping was voted as the first secretary of the Party Branch. Since then, the party branch of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC, as the party's grass-roots organization, has persisted in carrying out party activities in secret, fulfilling the party's tasks, strictly abiding by the party's discipline, and has always played an indispensable and important role, becoming a fighting fortress for carrying out training and struggle against the enemy, and a steel collective that cannot be defeated or destroyed, making itself stronger, and making the enemy more afraid.
Major General Lü Liping (January 1917 – January 22, 2001)
-- "Party Representative Chen Tanqiu". In the summer of 1939, after Comrade Chen Tanqiu took over the work of the central party representative in Xinjiang, it was not until the autumn of 1942 that the cadets of the Xinjiang Air Force of the Communist Party of China were illegally detained by Sheng Shicai, and the party branch of the air force carried out work under the direct leadership of Comrade Chen Tanqiu. Under very busy circumstances, because he could not visit directly, he was required to report to him every Sunday when the party branch secretary or deputy secretary was required to report to him. He attended almost every branch meeting of the party branch of the aviation corps, personally arranging, inspecting, and commenting on the work of the branch.
- "Clay sculpture wood carving does not understand emotion". Xinjiang, which accounts for one-sixth of the motherland's area, only has more than 40 pilots, coupled with high salaries, good treatment, and good health, whenever the young pilots of the air force go to the street, there are always girls who cast a warm and admiring eye, and the pilots of the first two phases of the air force almost all married the students of the only girls' middle school in Dihua City. In the face of the high-ranking officials and nobles among the women, the progressive young people in the interior, constantly entrusting people to thread the needle and thread, and some girls handing over love letters, the party branch of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC clearly pointed out: Communist Party members should have the strong will to sacrifice everything to realize the revolutionary ideal, and their temporary interests should be unconditionally subordinated to the party's long-term interests. Therefore, refusing the gentle words of proposing relatives, making excuses to avoid going to the door, and letting it sink into the sea with love letters, Dihua girl said everywhere that the students of the Xinjiang Air Force of the COMMUNIST Party of China were "wooden people" and "clay sculptures and wood carvings did not understand affection." However, the cadets of our Party's aviation corps are very clear in their hearts: What we Communists attach more importance to is not the private feelings of our sons and daughters, but our infatuation with devoting ourselves to the party's cause, our pride in striving for national independence, and our enthusiasm for realizing the people's liberation.
The strength of the party comes from the organization, and a strong organization is a strong army. In the course of long-term revolutionary practice, our army has gradually formed a strict organizational system that runs from the party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and the grass-roots party organizations from top to bottom, ensuring that the party's leadership goes directly to the grass-roots units and to officers and men, and gathers together a powerful force for implementing the party's will and propositions and fulfilling the missions and tasks entrusted by the party. The purpose of our review of the revolutionary history of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps of the CPC and the study of the party's consciousness and mission consciousness of the revolutionary ancestors is to always keep firmly in mind that "no matter how far we go, no matter how far we go, no matter how glorious the future is, we cannot forget the past we have traveled and why we set out." We cannot use the strengthening of the army's leadership in the new era and the new achievements in party building to ensure that the development of army building will move toward a brighter future. On the new journey, to draw wisdom and strength from the history of the Xinjiang Air Force of the CPC to build a strong people's air force, we must always adhere to ideological party building and theoretical strengthening of the party, arm our minds with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Army, strengthen the study and education of party history, national history, and military history, further strengthen political determination, stand firm in political positions, improve political ability, and constantly lay a solid ideological and political foundation for holding high the banner and obeying the party's command; we must grasp party building around the center. The only fundamental criterion of combat effectiveness runs through all aspects of the party building of the air force units, sets up Xi Jinping's military strategic thinking, sets up the military strategic principles for the new era, sets up the baton of preparing for war, and assumes the responsibility of grasping and preparing for war, and uses a clear public opinion orientation, work orientation, personnel orientation, and policy orientation to focus on the main task of main responsibility, improve the ability to prepare for war, and transform our army's unique political and organizational advantages into victory advantages; it is necessary to implement the requirements of comprehensively and strictly administering the party. Taking the party's political building as the command and the leading bodies of party committees and middle- and middle-ranking cadres as the focus, we should vigorously strengthen the building of party organizations at all levels of the air force, profoundly promote the rectification of work style and discipline, punish corruption and anti-corruption, solemnize the political life within the party, strengthen supervision within the party, purify the political ecology, ensure that the party's absolute leadership over the army is carried out in a down-to-earth manner, and ensure that the blue sky voyage of the people's air force will never be lost and will continue to be brilliant. (The author of this article, Liu Ze, is an expert in military history)