Quick Facts
Biography
Han Decai (Chinese: 韩德彩; June 1933 – 1 April 2024) was a lieutenant general in the People's Liberation Army Air Force of China. He was a MiG-15 pilot and shot down five American aircraft, including Harold Fischer, during the Korean War.
Biography
Han was born into a peasant family in Fengyang County, Anhui, in June 1933. He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in March 1949, and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in March 1953. He graduated from the PLA Air Force Aviation School in 1951.
In 1952, he served as a pilot and squadron leader of the 43rd Regiment of the 15th Division of the PLA Air Force during the Korean War. On 7 April 1953, he shot down the famous American fighter pilot Harold Fischer in Chinese airspace north of the Yalu River. In October 1997, he met Fischer, when he joined a group of Flying Tiger pilots who had been invited to visit China. Fischer presented him with an F-86 model and they became friends. He once served as commander of the 4th Army of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. In May 1983, he was promoted to deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region Air Force, and served until June 1995.
He attained the rank of lieutenant general (zhongjiang) in 1991.
He died in Shanghai on 1 April 2024, at the age of 90.
Family
In 1957, Han married Zhu Rongfen, a medical doctor and a Chinese air force colonel, in Wuxi, Jiangsu.
Awards
- Order of the National Flag (1st class)
- Order of Freedom and Independence (2nd class)
