Zhang Taofang
張桃芳
Zhang Taofang. The caption reads "Well-known cold shooter Zhang Taofang, he scored 214 kills with 442 shots within 33 days."
Born(1931-04-29)April 29, 1931
Xinghua, Jiangsu, Republic of China
DiedOctober 29, 2007(2007-10-29) (aged 76)
Weifang, Shandong, China
Allegiance People's Republic of China
Service/branch People's Volunteer Army
 People's Liberation Army Air Force
Unit8th Company, 214th Regiment, 24th Corps
Battles/warsKorean War

Zhang Taofang, (Chinese: 張桃芳; pinyin: Zhāng Táo Fāng; Wade–Giles: Zhang Tao-fang) was a Chinese sniper. He is credited with making 214 kills in 32 days during the Korean War.[1][2]

Korean War

Zhang deployed to Triangle Hill with the 8th company, 214th Regiment, 24th Corps on 11 January 1953; he had been part of the army for less than two years. He was armed with an old Mosin–Nagant without a PU scope.[1]

18 days later Zhang spotted a target. He immediately aimed, fired, and missed 12 times, and was nearly killed by counter-fire. Based on that experience, Zhang refined his aiming technique with the iron sight, and the next time he fired, he hit the target. On February 15, he hit 7 targets with 9 rounds, a ratio surpassing many experienced snipers.[1]

According to a publicity photograph,[2] Zhang made 214 kills in 32 days winning him a first class merit.[1][2]

Post war

After the end of the Korean War in 1954, Zhang was transferred to the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), and was sent to study at the PLAAF aviation schools in Xuzhou and Jinan. In 1956, he joined the Chinese Communist Party and worked as a fighter pilot at the Air Force Training Base in Gaomi, where he flew MiG-15 and MiG-15bis trainers. Under the instructions of PLAAF commander Liu Yalou, Zhang was appointed as the battalion commander of an air defense force. Later, he served as deputy instructor of the guard company of an air base, student at the Shanghai Air Force Political School, instructor of the guard company of Weixian Air Base in Shandong and deputy chief of staff of the Ninth Surface-to-Air Missile Regiment Command. He retired from military service in 1985.[3]

Zhang died on 29 October 2007.[4]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Stronge, Charles (25 January 2011). Kill Shot: The 15 Deadliest Snipers of All Time. Ulysses Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-56975-862-5.
  2. 1 2 3 Pegler, Martin (2011). Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper. Oxford: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 160. ISBN 9781849089128.
  3. ↑ "张桃芳—我志愿军英雄狙击手". fjsen.com. 2009-10-16. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  4. ↑ "志愿军神枪手张桃芳：32天436发子弹毙敌214名". People's Daily. 2012-10-27. Archived from the original on 2012-10-30. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
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