Nie Fengzhi

Nie Fengzhi (聂凤智)
Born	1913 or 1914 Hubei Province, Republic of China
Died	1992
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Service/branch	People's Liberation Army
Rank	Lieutenant general
Commands held	27th Army East China (Huadong) Air Force Zhejiang Front Command air force Fujian Front Command air force Nanjing Military Region Deputy Commander, 1975–77 Commander, 1977–82
Battles/wars	Korean War Battle of Chosin Reservoir First Taiwan Strait Crisis Battle of Yijiangshan Islands Second Taiwan Strait Crisis

Nie Fengzhi (Chinese: 聂凤智, 1913 or 1914–1992) was a lieutenant general of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China.

Biography

Nie was born in Hubei Province in 1913^[1][2] or 1914.^[3] He belonged to the dominant Han ethnic group.^[3]

Nie in a group photograph taken during the Second Sino-Japanese War

Nie joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1929 and served with the force until his retirement.^[3] He was involved in founding the PLA Air Force,^[3] and commanded the PLA's first aerial unit, the 4th Mixed Brigade, which was established on 19 June 1950.^[4] He attained the rank of lieutenant general in 1955.^[2]

Korean War

During the Korean War, Nie commanded the 27th Army (9th Army Group) of the People's Volunteer Army, which participated in combat against the U.S. 1st Marine Division at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.^{[1][dubious – discuss]}

Taiwan Strait Crises

At the time of the First Taiwan Strait Crisis, Nie commanded the East China (Huadong) Air Force.^[5][6] During the Crisis, he served as vice-commander of the Zhejiang Front Command (ZFC)—established in 1954 by order of Mao Zedong and led by Zhang Aiping—and commanded the ZFC air force. He was one of the architects of the campaign to capture the Dachen Islands from the Republic of China. During a meeting of the ZFC commanders on 31 August 1954, Nie opposed the "majority opinion" favoring an immediate amphibious invasion of Dachen, and instead supported the "limited piecemeal tactics" proposed by Zhang. The resulting "Zhang-Nie plan" involved a focus on Yijiangshan Island, north of Dachen, and led to the Battle of Yijiangshan Islands in January 1955. During the course of the campaign, Nie personally spoke with every PLA pilot participating in operations in order to convey the order issued by the Central Military Commission to avoid direct confrontation with American air forces.^[6][7]

During the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, Nie served as commander of the Fujian Front Command air force.^[7]

Nanjing Military Region

From 1975 to 1977, Nie served as Deputy Commander of the PLA's Nanjing Military Region and was a member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Nanjing Military Region CPC.^[3] He became the Commander of the Military Region and Secretary of the Standing Committee in 1977, and remained in these posts until 1982.^[3] He was also a member of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which was in session from 1977 to 1982.^[3]

Death

Nie died in 1992.^[2][3]

Selected publications

• Nie Fengzhi et al (1985) (in Chinese). Sanjun huige zhan Donghai [Three services wield weapons in East China Sea combat]. Beijing: PLA Press. ^[5]
• Nie Fengzhi (in Chinese). Zhanchang: jiangjun de yaolan. ^[5]
• Nie Fengzhi. "Coordination with Army and Navy forces during the liberation of Yijiangshan Island". Lantian zhi lu 2. ^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "General Nie Fengzhi, Chinese Military Leaders During the Korean War". http://www.paulnoll.com/Korea/War/General-Nie-Fengzhi.html. Retrieved 10 March 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Lieutenant General - Nie Fengzhi". China Military Online. http://english.chinamil.com.cn/special/figures/zj/nfz.htm. Retrieved 10 March 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} "Biography of Nie Fengzhi". China Vitae. http://chinavitae.com/biography/Nie_Fengzhi%7C3375. Retrieved 10 March 2010. 
4. ^ "Chronicle of Major Developments in Chinese Aeronautics". Chinaculture.org. http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_26564.htm. Retrieved 22 March 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Xiaoming Zhang (2003). "Air Combat for the People's Republic: The People's Liberation Army Air Force in Action, 1949–1969". In Ryan, Mark A; Finkelstein, David Michael; McDevitt, Michael A. Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe. pp. 270–300. ISBN 978-0-7656-1088-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=D0Z5KbjUeaUC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 14 March 2010. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Shu Guang Zhang (1992). Deterrence and strategic culture: Chinese-American confrontations, 1949–1958. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-8014-2751-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=jcUSFc76XEYC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA218#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 22 March 2010. "General Nie Fengzhi, then air force commander of the East China Military region, recalls ordering his pilots not to engage any U.S. planes without express and prior approval from the Zhedong Front Command headquarters." 
7. ^ ^{a b} Xiaobing Li (2003). "PLA Attacks and Amphibious Operations During the Taiwan Strait Crises of 1945–55 and 158". In Ryan, Mark A; Finkelstein, David Michael; McDevitt, Michael A. Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe. pp. 143–172. ISBN 978-0-7656-1088-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=D0Z5KbjUeaUC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA143#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 10 March 2010. 

Persondata
Name	Nie Fengzhi
Alternative names
Short description	Chinese general
Date of birth	1913 or 1914
Place of birth	Hubei Province, Republic of China
Date of death	1992
Place of death