Yeh Cheng-min

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yeh.

Yeh Cheng-min
Native name	葉拯民
Born	(1921-12-23)23 December 1921 Liaoyang, Fengtian, Republic of China
Died	23 June 1956(1956-06-23) (aged 34) over Guangfeng, Jiangxi, China
Allegiance	Taiwan
Branch	Republic of China Air Force
Service years	late 1930s–1956
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Air Force Special Mission Group
Conflicts	Second Sino-Japanese War Cross-strait conflict  †

Yeh Cheng-min (simplified Chinese: 郑洞国; traditional Chinese: 葉拯民; pinyin: Yè Zhěngmín; Wade–Giles: Yeh Cheng-min; 23 December 1921 – 23 June 1956) was an officer and military aviator of the Republic of China Air Force. He served as commander of a special operations crew in the predecessor of the Black Bat Squadron. During a clandestine mission over mainland China in June 1956, the aircraft he commanded was intercepted and shot down by the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

Early life

Yeh was born in Liaoyang County, Fengtian Province (now Liaoyang city in Liaoning) on 23 December 1921. Following the Mukden Incident in 1931, he enrolled in the 17th Class of the Central Military Academy, majoring in military logistics, before transferring to the 15th Class of the Republic of China Air Force Academy in Kunming, from where he graduated in the bomber pilot training.

Military career

During the Second Sino-Japanese War and the subsequent Chinese Civil War, he flew approximately 80 operational missions. Following the Chinese communist victory in mainland China, he along with other ROCAF personnel withdrew to Taiwan. In 1951, while serving as a captain and staff officer with the 8th Air Group, Yeh was accused of harbouring Communist agents. He was tried by the Ministry of National Defense but was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Recognized for his flying ability and composure under pressure, Yeh was selected to join the Special Mission Group (SMG) of the Intelligence Directorate of Air Force Headquarters, the covert unit later known as the Black Bat Squadron (Air Force 34th Squadron), where he served as a pilot flying reconnaissance missions over mainland China.

The RB-17G (left), similarly to the one flown by Yeh on his final mission, was shot down by MiG-17 (right).

On the night of 22 June 1956, a Republic of China Air Force B-17G Flying Fortress reconnaissance aircraft, flown by Yeh and consisting of 11 crew members, departed Hsinchu Air Base at approximately 21:20, flying at an altitude below 1,000 metres on a covert mission over mainland China. At approximately 22:20, the aircraft crossed the coast near Yuhuan in Zhejiang, before proceeding over parts of Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, where it conducted leaflet-dropping operations while maintaining radio contact with base in Taiwan. Beginning at approximately 23:04, the aircraft was detected and tracked by the Fifth Air Corps of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, which initiated an interception operation. The duty pilot that night was Lu Min, commander of the 34th Regiment, 12th Air Division in Quzhou, Zhejiang. After receiving an alert placing the unit on its highest state of readiness, Lu took off in his MiG-17 fighter. Guided by ground-controlled interception, Lu established visual contact with the B-17 at an altitude of approximately 2,000 metres and a range of about 9 kilometres. After reporting the sighting, he closed on the bomber and initiated his attack over Guangfeng, Jiangxi. Lu opened fire at a range of approximately 600 metres but did not immediately disable the aircraft. After repositioning, he made a second attack from a distance of approximately 270 metres, firing for approximately two seconds. The B-17 caught fire and subsequently crashed in Guangfeng, killing all eleven crew members including Yeh. The shootdown marked the People's Liberation Army Air Force's first successful nighttime aerial shootdown. The following morning, personnel from the 12th Air Division recovered the wreckage and the remains of the aircraft's 11 crew members.

Following his death, Yeh was posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel in recognition of his service. Following his death, Lu Ch'ien-yüan was appointed acting commander of the Special Mission Group (SMG).

Crew of the RB-17G

Source:

Name	Flight position
Yeh Cheng-min (葉拯民)	Aircraft commander and pilot
Yang Sung-wen (楊頌文)	Co-pilot
Lin Ch'i-jung (林其榕)	Electronic countermeasures officer
Lo P'u (羅樸)	Electronic countermeasures officer
Chou Hsing-kuo (周興國)	Navigator
Ch'ien Tuan-hsin (錢端信)	Navigator
Tu Han-p'ing (杜漢萍)	Communications officer
Kao P'eng-fei (高鵬飛)	Flight engineer
Ch'en Li-jen (陳立仁)	Air-drop operator
Hao Shu-ch'in (郝書勤)	Air-drop operator
Wang Mao-sen (王茂森)	Air-drop operator

Honors

Statue of Yeh in Yunlin County

For his military service, Yeh earned many decorations including Medal of Achievement, Exemplar Medal and China War Memorial Medal.

The elementary school later known as Cheng-min Elementary School in Huwei Township in Yunlin County, was named in Yeh's honour. Then school erected a bronze statue commemorating Yeh on its campus. The school also established the "Black Bat Historical Corridor" (黑蝙蝠光陰迴廊), an exhibition introducing students to the history of the Black Bat Squadron.

In August 2012, Yeh's family applied for compensation for his 1951 pre-trial detention. In February 2013, the Compensation Foundation for Wrongful Trials on Charges of Sedition and Espionage during the Martial Law Period approved the application, finding that his detention before his acquittal qualified for compensation under the relevant legislation.