The Air Force must quickly organize new units for combat [1]
(November 20, 1951)
Comrade Yalou:
Suggestion (2) is very correct. New units must be quickly organized for combat, the sooner the better. Before Christmas, there is a very strong possibility of a ceasefire.
Mao Zedong
November 20
[1] This is Mao Zedong's comment on the report of 17:00 hours on November 19, 1951, from Liu Yalou, Commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force, Wu Faxian, Deputy Political Commissar and Director of the Political Department, and Wang Bingzhang, Chief of Staff.
[2] Refers to the suggestion put forward in the report by Liu Yalou and others. The report stated: Judging from the news in yesterday's *People's Daily*, the ceasefire negotiations may recently be making headway. We are trying to seize the opportunity even more tightly and do our utmost to allow more Air Force units to gain practical combat experience. Even if it means taking slight risks, it is worthwhile. The specific method is to quickly throw them into combat after completing the minimum necessary combat preparations. Each unit need not fight for too long, so as to make way for other units to engage.