Lin Biao, << leen bee ow >> (1907-1971), also spelled Lin Piao, was defense minister of China from 1959 to 1971. In the late 1960’s, Lin was officially designated to succeed Mao Zedong, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. But in 1971, Lin disappeared. In 1972, China reported that Lin had died in an airplane crash in Mongolia on Sept. 13, 1971. Lin was reportedly fleeing China after failing in an attempt to kill Mao and overthrow the government.
As defense minister, Lin headed the People’s Liberation Army. He also supported the Red Guards, a youth group formed in the 1960’s to back Mao during the Cultural Revolution.
Lin was born in Hubei (or Hupeh) province on Dec. 5, 1907. Lin joined Mao’s Communist forces after graduating from the Whampoa Military Academy. In 1934 and 1935, he led advance troops on the 6,000-mile (9,700-kilometer) Long March to escape Chinese Nationalist forces. Lin won victories over Japanese invaders in the 1930’s and over Nationalist armies in China’s civil war.
