Liu Yalou

Liu Yalou (April 1910 – 7 May 1965) was a general in the Chinese People's Liberation Army who served as the inaugural commander-in-chief of the PLA Air Force. During the Chinese Civil War, he was chief of staff of Lin Biao's army group, which occupied the entirety of Manchuria in 1948 and captured 472,000 Kuomintang troops in the Liaoshen Campaign.

Early life
Liu was born in Wuping County, Fujian, China. He joined the CPC in the Jinggangshan Mountains in August 1929, and participated in the Encirclement Campaigns on the communist side. Like many late communist commanders, Liu was also a veteran of the Long March. During the Second Sino-Japanese War he became Lin Biao's chief assistant in the Red Army University in Yan'an.

During the Long March in 1934, Liu and his commander Chen Guang succeeded in forcing a way across the Wu River, securing the Chinese Red Army's passage across the river. He also led troops to capture Zunyi, Lou Shanguan. At the Dadu River banks, he ordered the Red Fourth Army to attack Luding Bridge.

Russia
Liu was sent to study in Frunze Military Academy in 1939–1941, and was commissioned as a major in the Soviet Red Army and participated in the Soviet-German War, and wrote several important essays on the Battle of Stalingrad.

In August 1945 Liu returned to China by following Soviet Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky's troops that invaded Manchuria during Operation August Storm before joining the communist Manchurian field army. In the same month, he was appointed as the Principal of the Northeast Aviation School, which would later serve as the backbone of the People's Liberation Air Force. He became Lin Biao's chief of staff of the North Eastern Armies prior to the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War.

Chinese Civil War
With the outbreak of the Manchurian Campaign in 1947, he led forces in Linjiang. In 1948, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Northeastern Military Region and assisted Lin Biao in the Liaoshen Campaign. During the assault on Pingjin in January 1949, Liu secured a victory over a 130,000 strong Nationalist force after 29 hours of intense battle, capturing the Nationalist General Chen Changjie. In the same year, he was appointed as a field commander of the Fourth Field Army.

Creation of the People's Liberation Army Air Force
On 25 October 1949, Liu was appointed as the chief of air force in the People's Liberation Army and by 11 November, air force command was officially formed. In enhancing the PLA's air force, he formed 7 aviation schools and established the doctrine for the air force. After the establishment of People's Republic of China in 1950, Mao Zedong prepared to support North Korea in the Korean War. Mao ordered Liu to go to the Soviet Union to lobby for their aid and to train Chinese pilots based on the Soviet model, so Liu was appointed First Commander-in-Chief of the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 1949. At that time the Chinese air force only possessed 15 MiG fighter planes. By the end of his career, he would form 27 schools dedicated to air force training.

After the Founding of the PRC
Alongside his position within the Chinese Air Force, he was appointed as the Deputy Minister for Defense in April 1949. He was also appointed various academic positions, such as Director of the 5th School of Research within the Ministry of Defense. During his political tenure, he was a member of the Central Military Commission and was a member of the 8th Central Committee. In 1964, he was elected as the honorary chairman of the Chinese People's Airways Association.

Life as a writer
Liu was competent in Russian, and wrote several books of his experiences as a military leader in both Russia and China. These included his memoirs as the Chief of Staff of the Northeastern Field Army during the Manchurian Campaign in 1947–49, and books concerning Stalin and his subordinates.

Illness
In the early 1960s Liu fell ill with symptoms of liver cancer. Liu was visited in hospital by Lin Biao, who had otherwise never visited the sick before. After one year of considerable weight loss and worsening symptoms, Liu died in Shanghai in 1965. Lin took personal charge of Liu's funeral arrangements as he was one of the best assistants and staff officers in his military career.