Heaven’s Pride: The Birth of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and Paratroopers

This book covers: 1. The founding and development of the Air Force, including the official establishment of Air Force Headquarters; the Central Military Commission’s order to set up Air Force leadership bodies; the Northeast Bureau’s assignment to establish the Northeast Old Aviation School; the Aviation Bureau’s formation of the Air Force’s first flight team; the Central Military Commission’s approval to open aviation schools; Air Force leaders’ founding of the People’s Air Force magazine; the gradual establishment of specialized aviation schools; and the Military and Political University’s training of its first female pilots. 2. The development of the Air Force, including the establishment of the Beijing Nanyuan Aviation Repair Factory;

Liu Shaoqi’s trip to the Soviet Union to negotiate the establishment of the Air Force; the Air Force’s aerial review during the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China; the Chinese Air Force’s valor on several battlefields; the founding of the first aviation unit; Zhou Enlai’s instructions to establish an aviation industry; and the Air Force’s establishment of its first missile school, among other topics.