Zheng Shaoyu

Maj. Zheng Shaoyu, a battle-scarred survivor of countless air battles with the "Zero scourge", a Flying Tigers liaison officer, and the commander of the 4th Pursuit Group, who led his men against the Japanese aggressors on more-equal terms, died after his new Republic P-43 Lancer fighter aircraft he had received in Karachi, India (now Pakistan) under the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, caught fire and crashed near Jaipur while en route to combat operations in China in April of 1942.

As Lt. Zheng was recovering from his battle wounds he sustained during the Battle of Shanghai, Capt. Liu Qihan (wg: Liu Chi-Han) assumed command of Zheng's 22nd PS, while Capt. Li Guidan assumed the overall command of the 4th PG following the death of Col. Gao Zhihang in a bombing strike at Zhoujiakou Airbase. With the new wartime capital of China pushed back to Wuhan as the Battle of Shanghai and Nanjing were ultimately lost, Lt. Zheng would recover in time for the next major air battle on 18 February 1938 in defense of Wuhan; fifteen G3M bombers led by Lt. Cmdr. Sugahisa Tuneru escorted by eleven A5M fighters led by Lt. Takashi Kaneko (not to be confused with Tadashi Kaneko) approached Wuhan, the Chinese fighter squadrons took-off in three separate flights, with the 23rd PS I-15 fighters led by Capt. Lu Jichun from Xiaogan Airbase at 12:45 hours, the 22nd PS I-15s led by 4th PG CO Capt. Li Guidan with Lt. Zheng at #2 position out from Hankou Airbase at 13:00 with squadron leader Capt. Liu Qihan flying in the 22nd PS rearguard, and the 21st PS I-16s led by Capt. Deng Mingde also from Hankou Airbase, at 13:10.

Zheng Shaoyu (Chinese: 郑少愚; pinyin: Zhèng Shǎoyú; 1911–1942), also spelled Cheng Hsiao-yu (Wades-Gile), was born in Qu County of Sichuan province. In 1933–1934, he passed initial qualifications for admission into the China Central Aviation School at Jianqiao Airbase. He graduated top-3 in the class in 1935. When the War of Resistance/World War II broke out between China and the Empire of Japan following the 7/7 Incident, then-Lieutenant Zheng Shaoyu was attached to the 22nd PS, 4th PG at Zhoujiakou Airbase of the centralized Chinese Nationalist Air Force in anticipation of operations in the northern front. On 13 August 1937, his fighter squadron would immediately be redirected from Zhoujiakou to Hangzhou Airbase, 175 kilometres (109 mi) southwest of Shanghai to engage the Imperial Japanese at what will be the first major battle of World War II in Asia; the Battle of Shanghai.

On 14 August 1937, in the first air battles of World War II in Asia, Lt. Zheng Shaoyu's 22nd PS, 4th PG of Hawk III fighter-attack planes landed in Jianqiao Airbase 175 kilometres (109 mi) southwest of Shanghai for refueling, but arriving behind the 21st and 23rd squadrons of Hawk III fighters that already fueled up and were able to take off in time as the air raid sirens sounded just before the initial arrival of the eighteen Imperial Japanese Navy G3M medium-heavy bombers of the Kanoya Kokutai flying in from Matsuyama Airbase near Taipei in Japanese-controlled Formosa, and from Omura Airbase on Kyushu, led by Lieutenant Commanders Nitta and Asano on a schnellbomber mission to neutralize the Chinese Air Force assets at Jianqiao and Guangde Airbase. Lt. Zheng's Hawk III was ready only after the Japanese bombing run over Jianqiao, and he managed to catch up to the fleeing G3M bombers, riddling at least one bomber (of PO3c Ogushi) with 73 bullet holes, which somehow managed to make it back to Matsuyama Airbase in Formosa, but was written off and put on display in Tokyo as evidence of what is generally called the "Japan-China Incident" (Jpn: 日華事變/日支事變: "Nikka Jiken"/"Nisshi Jiken") in Japanese text.

In the early morning of 15 August 1937 (some sources erroneously list the date as "17 of August"), Lt. Zheng Shaoyu led his squadron with wingmen Lt. Zhang Guangming (Zh-Wiki) and Lt. Yue Yiqin (also: Le Yiqin) on an intercept mission against approaching Japanese aircraft, encountering an inbound flight of 12 B2M (Type 89) attack-bombers belonging to the IJN fleet aircraft carrier Kaga over Hangzhou Bay. Lt. Zheng shared a kill of a B2M with 21st PS squadron leader Capt. Li Guidan (Zh-Wiki), while his wingmen Lt. Zhang shot down one, sharing in another, and Lt. Yue claiming four, which were most certainly shared-kills among the "17 Type-89s shot-down" as claimed amongst all twenty-one Hawk III pilots of the 4th PG in the battle that morning, which is more than the total number of the B2M Type-89s they had engaged; the actual number of B2M Type-89s shot down in that battle was eleven, with a lone surviving although bullet-riddled B2M piloted by Lt.(jg) Tanaka and his gunner PO1c Mitsui making their return to Kaga.

In the following weeks through the remainder of August and September of 1937, Lt. Zheng Shaoyu and his 4th PG of Hawk IIIs squadrons were heavily involved in air-interdiction of Japanese positions and close-air support for the National Revolutionary Army of China in their intense battles for Shanghai, attacking troop-landings, warships and various other Japanese assets; these attacks were coordinated with various bomber and attack-plane squadrons consisting of A-12 Shrikes, B-10s, Gamma 2Es, O-2s, among others, although these coordinated efforts often poorly executed due lack of training time and familiarization with this motley mix of these Chinese aircraft types. Lt. Zheng's 4th PG CO Capt. Wang Tianxiang (acting CO standing-in for Col. Gao Zhihang who was wounded during the interception of the Kaga attack-bombers on 15 August) was shot-down and killed by Lt.(jg) Tadashi Kaneko or his wingmen (flying A4Ns from Ryūjō) during the Shanghai air-interdiction operations on 22 August over the Baoshan area on the northern shores of Shanghai; 4th PG, 21st PS Lt. Tan Wen (Zh-Wiki) fought against Japanese fighters in a 1/2-hour long dogfight during the continued close-air support for the National Revolutionary Army in the Baoshan operations when his plane burst into flames, killing him (leaving behind his pregnant wife and unborn son) on 3 September, while Lt. Zheng was himself was shot-up in the first-ever dogfight against the sleek-new Mitsubishi A5M fighter on 4 September in course of these Shanghai operations, wounded by the A5M's machine gun fire, and surviving a crashed-landing, but also suffering serious burns as a result, while his squadron-mate and fellow native north-Sichuanese 2Lt. Li Yougan (Zh-Wiki) repeatedly dive-bombed and strafed Japanese warships along the Huangpu River amidst intense anti-aircraft fire on 18 September 1937 but was hit by the barrage and crashed to his death.

In the patriotic war drama Heroes of the Eastern Skies (1977), the convalescing 4th PG CO Col. Gao Zhihang is seen throwing his cup in rage, as he hears on the radio news broadcast about the "heroic martyrs of our air force; Yue Yiqin, Zheng Shaoyu, Tan Wen (Zh-Wiki), Shen Chonghui (Zh-Wiki) making the ultimate sacrifice for our nation", and laments about how he must sit and wait while his brothers are out fighting, and dying. While the scene accurately portrayed Col. Gao recovering at Mount Lu from the battle injuries he sustained in August of 1937, the film was inaccurate about the martyrdom of both Yue Yiqin and Zheng Shaoyu, as the two of them were still alive when Col. Gao himself was KIA in November of 1937. Zheng Shaoyu's squadron-mate and fellow north Sichuanese-native Hawk III pilot 2Lt. Li Yougan was shown in the movie as having been strafed to death mid-air while descending in his parachute, but in fact 2Lt. Li was KIA getting shot-down in a barrage of heavy anti-aircraft fire on 18 September 1937 while dive-bombing and strafing Japanese warships on the Huangpu River in Shanghai; Lt. Liu Lanqing, a P-26/281 Peashooter pilot from the 17th PS, 3rd PG based in Jurong Airbase, was in fact strafed by Japanese pilots in mid-air while trying to descend to safety underneath his parachute on 19 September 1937, the day after the death of 2Lt. Li.

Having to recover from battle wounds again, Lt. Zheng Shaoyu would miss fighting in the Battle of Taierzhuang just a month later, of which his squadron-mate Lt. Zhang Guangming would earn an intriguing reputation for himself with 23rd PS fighter pilot Lt. Chen Huaimin.

While both sides were initially caught in the confusion of the low-cloudy weather over Wuhan, it was particularly unfortunate for the Lt. Zheng's 22nd PS as the A5Ms led by Lt. Kaneko caught Lt. Zheng and CO Capt. Li Guidan's forward flight of the 22nd PS from above and behind just three minutes into their steep takeoff from Hankou, and were effectively bounced by the A5Ms; Lt. Zheng's rudder cable was immediately shot-off and he spiralled out of control, but maneuvered enough to make a survivable crash-landing, while the #4 position, Lt. Ba Qingzheng who was simultaneously hit and spiralling out-of-control along with Lt. Zheng, crashed to his death. CO Capt. Li was also hit hard, and while managing to regain control, flew his stricken I-15 back to base, where unfortunately on approach to landing, his plane exploded, killing him in the crash. The 22nd's #3 Lt. Zhang Guangming was able to maneuver against three A5Ms attacking him from all directions; the squadron commander Capt. Liu Qihan who was at the rear of the 22nd PS flight managed to dogfight the A5Ms, shooting down one, but was hit himself, and while Lt. Zhang Guangming made his safe egress, Capt. Liu's I-15 engine was hit, and exploded, forcing him to bail out, and while descending underneath his parachute, two A5Ms took turns strafing at him, with the slugs zipping past him "like hailstones"; finally playing dead, the A5M pilots took him for dead, and left him alone, descending to safety. Lt. Zhang Guangming managed to land his I-15 fighter back on base, unscathed, but with 210 bullet holes in his plane, and three bullets lodged in his parachute pack.