Career
He later served as Commander of the Beijing Military Region Air Force, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1988. Born in Cang County, Hebei on September 17, 1923, Liu Yudi joined the Eighth Route Army in 1938, and he joined the Communist Party of China the following year.After graduating from Counter-Japanese Military and Political University in Yan"an, he became a squad leader in the 358th Brigade of 120th Division of Eighth Route Army. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he participated in the 1940 Hundred Regiments Offensive led by Zhu De and Peng Dehuai in Hebei-Shanxi border.
In October 1946 he was accepted to PLA Northeast Aviation Academy (东北人民解放军航空学校) and graduated in September 1948.
After graduation, he became a pilot in North China Military District. In June 1950 he joined the newly created PLA Air Force 4th Mixed Brigade, working as a deputy battalion chief
After war, he assumed various posts in PLA Air Force, including deputy commander of Beijing Military Region and commander of its Air Force. He was awarded the rank of wing commander in 1955 and the rank of group captain in 1963.
He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1988.
He was awarded the title of "First Class War Hero of the People"s Volunteer Army". Liu retired in April 1990. He died of an illness in Beijing on 17 February 2015.
The day before he died, PLA Air Force Commander Ma Xiaotian visited him in the hospital, and Liu wrote down his last words with his quivering hands: "Greatly develop bombers" (大大发展轰炸机).