Cen Zeliu

Cen Zeliu (Chinese: 岑泽鎏; pinyin: Cén Zéliú; Wade–Giles: Ts'en Chih-liu/Shen Tse-Liu; 1912–1941), also Shum Tsak-lau (Cantonese): was born in Enping, Guangdong, China. He trained in the Guangdong provincial aviation academy as a fighter pilot, graduating in 1934, and attached to the provincial warlord air force of General Chen Jitang. With the imminence of war between China and the Empire of Japan brewing ever since the Manchurian Incident of 1931, Cen Zeliu and his compatriots were indignant on taking the fight back to the Imperial Japanese invasion and occupation.[1]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Cen (surname).
Cen Zeliu
Native name
岑泽鎏
Birth name(Chinese: 岑泽鎏)
Born(1912-09-10)September 10, 1912
Juntang, Enping, Guangzhou, China
DiedMarch 14, 1941(1941-03-14) (aged 28)
Shuangliu, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Allegiance Republic of China
Service/branch Republic of China Air Force
Years of service1934–41
RankMajor
Unit8th PS/3rd PG
Commands held17th PS/5th PG
Battles/warsWar of Resistance/WWII
AwardsStar Medal 8th Class* (acknowledged to be a highly modest account of his combat accomplishments)

In May of 1936, General Chen Jitang conspired to join the warlord regiment of the New Guangxi Clique in an affront against the hope of joining with the central government of China under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek for a unified national front against the ambitions and aggressions of the Imperial Japanese invasion; this set the stage for Cen Zeliu and members of the Guangdong Air Force under General Huang Guangrui, the air force's Commander-in-Chief, to embark on the "Northern Flight" (北飛) defection to the centralized Nationalist Air Force of China in midst of the Guangzhou-Guangxi Incident in June-July of 1936.[2][3][4]

Career

With the outbreak of the War of Resistance and World War II in Asia following the 7/7 Incident,[5] then-Lieutenant Cen Zeliu along with his ex-Guangdong warlord air force squadron mates were all assigned to their station at Jurong Airbase as the 8th Pursuit Squadron of the 3rd Pursuit Group of the Nationalist Air Force of China equipped with the Fiat CR.32 fighter planes; they would engage the Imperial Japanese in aerial combat for the first time on 15 August 1937 when Imperial Japanese Navy G3M bombers of the Kisarazu Kokutai raided Jurong, and Lt. Cen Zeliu and Lt. Huang Chuku would each share a G3M kill each with their 8th PS squadron mates in this battle.[6]A total of fourteen G3Ms were shot down by various pilots of the 3rd, 4th and 5th groups (flying Hawk IIs/Hawk IIIs and P-26 Model 281s) in this engagement over the Nanjing area, and this was a severe blow to the Japanese Naval Air command whom were strongly influenced with the idea that they could simply neutralize the Chinese Air Force and the Nationalist government with the blitz of their schnellbomber (fast bomber) attack, based on the aerial warfare theories of Giulio Douhet as exemplified a few months prior in the Bombing of Guernica in Spain, but unbeknownst to the Japanese, the Chinese Air Force had the advantage of an effective early air raid-warning net, and fighter aircraft that were almost as fast as the modern and sleek G3Ms (G3M max-speed of 232mph vs CR.32 max-speed of 220mph, or 225mph and 234mph of the Hawk IIIs and P-26/281s respectively in primary use by the CAF), but can still engage the fleeing G3M bombers with the proper vectoring and diving maneuvers.[7][8]

Lt. Cen Zeliu attacked the cruiser Izumo on 8 September 1937, although his bombs didn't not hit the ship. He was then transferred to Gongxingdun Aerodrome in Lanzhou to train in, and help other Chinese Air Force fighter pilots with conversion into Soviet-made Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters supplied under the new Sino-Soviet Treaty of 1937. His next battles would take place with the close-air support at Fenglingdu, Shanxi province on 8 March 1938, and participated in an air-battle over the city of Xi'an on 11 March 1938 as the new commander of the 17th Pursuit Squadron. Lt. Cen would then be dispatched to the defense of the provisional wartime capital of Wuhan, at the Xiaogan Airbase, where he fought alongside the Soviet Volunteer Group aviators in the massive 100-plane air-battle against the IJN A5M fighters and G3M bombers over Wuhan on the 29 April 1938; shooting down 21 of the enemy aircraft.[9][10][11]

References
  1. "【恩平故事3】抗日战争传承冯如精神的革命烈士——岑泽鎏_日军". SOHU 搜狐. Retrieved 2020-11-17. 广东军阀陈济棠还在那磨拳擦掌着以反蒋之名扩充势力。军阀们不顾民族安危而同室操戈的行径，引起岑泽鎏及其同学们的极端反感。他认识到如果继续留在广东空军，就只能成为军阀混战的工具，这对国家对民族，对人民百害而无一利。1936年6月30日，借练习飞行之机，岑泽鎏与队长丁徐、队员黄居谷、黄志刚等7人，驾机7架北飞南昌，投效国民党中央，被编入空军第十七队。
  2. Gustavsson, Hakans. "Chinese biplane fighter aces - Shen Tse-Liu (Cen Zeliu)". Biplane Fighter Aces - China. Retrieved 2020-11-17. In July 1936, General Chen Chi-Tang (Chen Jitang) attempted to break away from the central government. This infuriated Shen Tse-Liu and his squadron mates that he flew to Nanchang together with Huang Chu-Ku and others to join the central government air force.
  3. 烟雨戏平生. "南粤白鹰——1932-1936年陈济棠时期广东空军主要作战飞机！ - 快资讯". www.360kuai.com. Retrieved 2020-11-17. 广东空军实力大增，成为当时中国实力最强的一支地方空军，也成为陈济棠得以和南京国民政府的重要倚仗，1936年“两广事变”中，广东空军不愿同室操戈，在司令黄光瑞的率领下，其主力战机七十四架北上归附南京国民政府。至此，广东空军作为一支独立的空中武装力量已经不复存在。
  4. Chen, Jin; Liu, Jintao; et al. "回忆广东空军 (Memories of the Guangdong Air Force)". 广州市政协门户网站 (GZZXWS). 广东空军有一小部于1936年6月30日，由飞行员黄志刚、黄居谷、岑泽鎏等分驾机七架，北飞投蒋...
  5. Sun, Lianggang. "Shanghai 1937 – Where World War II Began". SHANGHAI 1937: WHERE WWII STARTED. Retrieved 2020-12-01. When did World War II begin? Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began answers that question in a way most audiences will find surprising. Americans might say December 7, 1941… The day the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. For Europeans, it was September 1, 1939… When Nazi Germany invaded Poland. But in China, people will tell you a different date. August 13, 1937.
  6. Gustavsson, Hakans. "Chinese biplane fighter aces - Liu Chi-Wei". Biplane Fighter Aces - China. Retrieved 2020-12-01. From Chu-Yung (Jurong)... Wong Pan-Yang led eight Boeing 281s from the 17th PS. Chen Yau-Wei, Commander of the 8th PS, led five Fiat CR.32 fighters. Scrambled were also seven Hawk IIs from the 28th PS, 5th PG, and one Hawk III and five Hawk II from the 34th Provisional PS... four G3Ms were shot down and six damaged... Japanese aircraft fled and the 8th PS Chen Yau-Wei and Huang Chu-Ku shared a victory near Chu-Yung while Shen Tse-Liu and Liu Chi-Wei together shot down an enemy plane west of Lui Shui.
  7. Hui, Samuel. "Chinese Air Force vs. the Empire of Japan". www.warbirdforum.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01. While the Chinese Air Force began to attack the Japanese troops and ships around Shanghai, the Kanoya Kokutai stationed at Matsuyama Airfield in Taihoku, Formosa was also ready to launch its “transoceanic bombing”... strongly influenced by Italian airpower theorist Giulio Douhet, the Japanese believed that they could force Chiang Kai-Shek and his government to submit using only strategic bombing... the Japanese planned to penetrate Chinese airspace and use superior speed to avoid fighter interception and drop their bombs in safety... the schnellbomber (fast bomber) was just what the Japanese believed...
  8. 萨沙. "一支失去番号的王牌部队：抗战空军第五驱逐大队". 知乎专栏 - 萨沙讲史堂第七百九十五期 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-12-01. 本文作者为烦恼的爱，主编为萨沙，如果转载请务必注明 一支失去番号的王牌部队——空军第五驱逐大队--- 抗战全纪录--- 中国空军在抗战中有三支王牌驱逐机大队，分别是第三、四、五大队。第三大队是以广西空军为主体组建，堪称最草根的王牌大队；第四大队是最负盛名，也是战斗力最强的大队，而抗战空军中最具传奇色彩的一支王牌大队就是今天的主角——空军第五驱逐大队。
  9. 蔡, 乔治. "第五大队副队长 岑泽鎏". flyingtiger-cacw.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30. 1938年春，岑泽鎏升任第17中队长，率机队转孝感。1938年3月8日，在山西风陵渡炸敌。11日，参加西安空战。4月26日，在湖北孝感与僚机合力击落敌机一架。29日，在武汉击伤敌机一架。5月11日，在安徽蒙城炸毁敌军阵地。20日，在河南仪封炸敌阵地，座机中弹百余发，仍勉力飞回。
  10. 贾晓明, 于美玉 (2017-05-19). "武汉保卫战中的中国空军 - 中国军网". www.81.cn. Retrieved 2021-01-30. 4月20日，驻扎在孝感机场的一架中国空军战机在试飞中发现一架日军飞机，并将其击落，在检查敌机残骸时发现了日军近期准备发动新一轮空袭的重大情报。果然，在4月29日下午，日军为庆祝天皇生日，特派佐世保十二航空队的39架飞机空袭武汉，目标是中国的空军基地和汉阳兵工厂。早已严阵以待的中国空军由毛稼初和董明德率领19架伊-15型战斗机，会同苏联飞行员图恩、别斯帕洛夫绷图斯等驾驶的45架战斗机占据了有利高度，奋起迎战。日军被打了个措手不及，半个小时后，中苏飞行员击落日机21架，打死飞行员50名，两名跳伞的飞行员被活捉。
  11. 张, 波 (2017-04-12). "4.29空战 - 武汉会战 - 抗日战争纪念网". www.krzzjn.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30. 1938年4月29日下午2时30分，日军数十架战机分多层编队，从安徽起飞，偷偷向武汉袭来。中国空军和苏联意愿航空队枕戈待旦，出动数十架战机升空拦截。陈怀民的战机是第4大队副大队长董明德的僚机。他们在空中纵横驰骋，连续击伤敌机。一番酣战，怀民痛快地击落1架敌机后，招来几只红了眼的恶狼的围攻。5架敌机死死咬住他，将他包围起来，集中火力猛射。怀民飞机的油箱中弹起火，支配不灵，飞机冒着烟向下栽去。这时，敌人的子弹也射中了他的胸部。在此紧急关头，陈怀民本可依照操作规程，跳伞求生。但是，令空中无数人惊愕、动容的是，陈怀民拉平飞机，倒扣着向上翻转180度，奋力冲向一架高速而至的敌机。敌机飞行员做梦也没想到，中国的飞行员会视死如归。

Bibliography

  • Cheung, Raymond. Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 126: Aces of the Republic of China Air Force. Oxford: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2015. ISBN 978 14728 05614.
  • 徐 (Xú), 露梅 (Lùméi). 隕落 (Fallen): 682位空军英烈的生死档案 - 抗战空军英烈档案大解密 (A Decryption of 682 Air Force Heroes of The War of Resistance-WWII and Their Martyrdom). 东城区, 北京， 中国: 团结出版社, 2016. ISBN 978-7-5126-4433-5.
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