Lin Biao

Lin Biao (林彪; 1908-1971) was a Chinese Communist military and political leader, once known as Mao Zedong's comrade-in-arms and likely successor, but later discredited as a traitor.

A native of Hubei province, Lin matriculated at Whampoa Academy in his mid-teens. While at Whampoa he became the protégé of both Zhou Enlai and the Soviet General Vasily Blyukher. Lin graduated Whampoa in 1925 and by 1927 was a colonel in the National Revolutionary Army (KMT).

After the KMT-CPC split, Lin escaped to the remote Communist base areas and joined Mao Zedong and Zhu De in Jiangxi in 1928. Lin proved to be a brilliant guerilla commander and during the 1934 breakout he commanded the First Corps of the Red Army which fought a two-year running battle which culminated in the occupation of Yenan in December 1936 (See Long March). As commander of the 115th Division of the Communist 8th Route Army, Lin orchestrated the ambush at Pinghsingkuan in September 1937, which was one of the few battlefield successes for the Chinese in WWII. Lin was seriously injured in 1938 and was given the post of commandant of the Communist Military Academy at Yenan. He spent the next three years (1939-1942) in Moscow.

During the Civil War, Lin was Secretary of the Northeast China Bureau and commanded the Red Army forces that conquered the Manchurian provinces and then swept into North China.

In the 1960s Lin reappeared on the national scene as one of the architects of the Cultural Revolution, writing the foreword for the Little Red Book. Lin mysteriously died in an airplane crash in Mongolia. His death, however, was not officially disclosed until a year later. The PRC government alleged a coup attempt against Mao along with this press release.