Zhang Jihui Zhang Jihui ( ) was the Deputy Commander of the Chinese People ' s Liberation Army Air Force ( PLAAF ) and a highly decorated fighter pilot during the Korean War . Zhang joined the PLAAF in 1945 and was one of the first combat pilots trained for the PLAAF . He was later posted at the Chinese 4th Aviation Division , which was also the first Chinese air unit that entered combat during the Korea War . On February 10 , 1952 , Zhang became famous in China due to the death of American ace Major George Andrew Davis , Jr . , and he was credited for shooting down the American ace until Russian sources disputed his claim 40 years later . Zhang claimed a total of four victories during his service in Korea , and he was awarded the title Combat Hero , 1st Class during his service . After the Korean War , Zhang had held various commands and became the Deputy Commander of PLAAF in 1973 . Outside of his military career , Zhang was also the Deputy Mayor of Yantai . Early life and military career . Zhang Jihui was born at Rongcheng , Shandong in January 1927 . He was born into a poor peasant family of seven that lived off of land . His father , Zhang Benzhou , was a farmer and a member of the Chinese Communist Party . Zhang entered elementary school at the age of 10 , and he became a school teacher after finishing elementary school at Ningjin County in 1943 . Zhang soon abandoned his job in order to pursue higher education . While studying at university in 1945 , he joined the Chinese Communist Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino - Japanese War . After the Japanese surrendered , his unit was moved into Manchuria , where the Chinese Communist People ' s Liberation Army ( PLA ) had set up its first pilot school . Zhang was sent to study at the school and graduated in 1948 . He was among the first group of pilots trained for the fledgling People ' s Liberation Army Air Force ( PLAAF ) . In 1950 , Zhang became a group leader at the 4th Aviation Division . Combat in Korea . When the PLAAF officially entered the air war over Korea in September 1951 , Zhang ' s 4th Aviation Division was the first PLAAF unit sent into combat , and it was under the command of the Soviet 64th Aviation Corps . The 4th Aviation Division was stationed at Langtou Airfield in Liaoning Province , and it was composed of 55 MiG - 15 s . Zhang first entered two aerial engagements with no victory , but he soon claimed his first victory on October 16 , 1951 . While intercepting an UN flight on October 16 , Zhang claimed to shoot down one aircraft while forcing a F - 86 Sabre to crash . For this action he was awarded the Meritorious Service , 1st Class . On February 4 , 1952 , Zhang claimed his third victory against a F - 86 and received the Meritorious Service , 2nd Class . Death of Major Davis . On February 10 , 1952 , US F - 86 Sabre ace Major George Andrew Davis , Jr . was shot down by a MiG - 15 during his 16th mission in the MiG Alley near Kunu - ri . Davis was the highest ranking Korean War ace at the time , and he was posthumously celebrated as a hero and received the Medal of Honor . About 36 MiG - 15s from the 4th Aviation Division were involved in the engagement in which Davis was killed , and Zhang was among the group . According to Zhang ' s own report after the battle , while the MiGs were en route to intercept Davis ' group , he and his wingman became separated from the main element . As Zhang was trying to rejoin his formation , he spotted a group of eight F - 86s in the area between Taechon and Chongye at 0740 . Zhang and his wingman then swung down onto the tails of two Sabres and opened fire . Zhang claimed that he shot down both Sabres , but enemy reinforcements soon destroyed his MiG while killing his wingman . The publicity of Davis ' death soon caught the Chinese attention . To determine whether Davis was killed by Zhang in the absence of gun camera footage , the 4th Aviation Division had sent two search teams on February 16 and 18 , and they recovered a wreckage of F - 86E , along with Davis ' body and his belongings . The search team had also discovered that the crash site was within to where Zhang had bailed out , and that Zhang ' s 12th Regiment was the only unit that operated near the area . In light of those findings and the testimonies from the ground troops that had witnessed the battle , Zhang was credited by the PLAAF for shooting down Davis ' F - 86 . Davis ' dog tag is currently on display at the Dandong Korean War Museum . Although Zhang was credited by the PLAAF for shooting down Davis ' F - 86 , Russian sources disputed his claim 40 years later by raising the possibility that 1st Lieutenant Mikhail Akimovich Averin was the MiG pilot that had shot down Davis ' plane . According to the recollections from the pilots of the Soviet 64th Aviation Corps , both Zhang and his wingman were probably shot down by Davis , who was in turn surprised and shot down by Mikhail A . Averin scrambling to save the Chinese MiGs . Lieutenant General Georgeii Lobov , commander of the 64th Aviation Corps , also noted in his memoir that Davis was killed by a Soviet pilot . Currently , both China and Russia have taken credit over Davis ' death with no conclusive evidence to confirm either sides of the story . Regardless of the controversy surrounding Davis ' death , Zhang became a household name in China , and the victory was one of the few proud moments in the PLAAF ' s rather underwhelming performance in Korea . The PLAAF later awarded Zhang with the title Combat Hero , 1st Class for this action . According to official records , Zhang had participated in 10 aerial engagements with a total of four victories during his service in Korea , and for his service Zhang received the Meritorious Service , Special Class . The North Korean government also awarded Zhang with the Freedom and Independence Medal , 2nd Class . Later life . Immediately after the war , Zhang was sent to study at the Red Banner Air Force Academy in the Soviet Union , and returned to China in 1957 after graduation . He steadily climbed the ranks by assuming the command of the 27th Aviation Division in 1964 , and later took command of the 1st Aviation Corps in 1970 . In 1973 , he was named the Deputy Commander of the PLAAF . In July 1978 , Zhang was stripped of his ranks and imprisoned , but after his release in 1980 , he became the Deputy Mayor of Yantai . In July 1990 , the PLA Central Military Commission restored Zhang ' s position and allowed him to retire with a state pension .