China in WW2

Living Heroes, Part 3

• By Guest blogger
• 10 May, 2015
• 1 Comment

This is the third in a series of articles introducing Chinese veterans of the Second Sino-Japanese War, some of whom are now about 100 years old. The fact that a broader public can now finally learn their stories is all thanks to the Youxin Foundation, which looks after many of the old heroes. The copyright of all photos on this page belongs to the Youxin Foundation.

Liang Li (b. 1923 – see photo above) was an artilleryman with the Chinese Expeditionary Force in India, attached to the 6th Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Regiment, 38th Division of the New 1st Army. He now lives in Yangjiang in south China’s Guangdong province. In 1942 he was drafted to the army, reaching Yunnan via Guizhou, and after passing the necessary tests, he was flown to India to join the Chinese Army training there. He underwent training for three months at Ramgarh before being sent to the front, taking part in the campaign of northern Burma and western Yunnan. He faced the Japanese 18th Division in these battles. After the war ended, he was sent to Guangzhou as part of the Chinese units accepting the Japanese surrender there.

Huang Dehe (b. 1924) was a soldier in the 62nd Army’s 151st Division. He now lives in Yangjiang in south China’s Guangdong province.  He was recruited in 1943 and after being enrolled in the 62nd Army, he took part in the battles of Changsha, Changsha-Hengyang and Guilin-Liuzhou. He is now very weak and suffers from many diseases. Unable to stand up, his is taken care of by his wife. His children work elsewhere, and he lives in poverty.

Liu Kaihua (b. 1918) graduated as part of Class 17 from Whampoa Military Academy and later fought in the Chinese Expeditionary Force. He now lives in Dazhou in southwest China’s Sichuan province. He took part in the campaign of northern Burma and western Yunnan, including the battles of Mount Song and Longlin County. He joined an anti-tank battalion and participated in clearing out Japanese positions at Mount Song. In 1945 he was assigned to the 207th Division, where he was a platoon commander until the victory over Japan.

Hu Xuexiao (b. 1925), was a second lieutenant of the Chinese Army in India, commanding the 4th Platoon, 11th Company, 3rd Battalion, 66th Regiment, New 22nd Division of the New 6th Army. He now lives in Dazhou, in southwest China’s Sichuan province. He was enrolled in 1941, and in March 1942 he entered Burma as part of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. After suffering defeat in battle, he returned to China after much hardship. In 1943 he flew from Kunming in southwest China to Ramgarh Training Base in India where he joined the New Sixth Army. In 1945 he took part in the battle of West Hunan, seeing close combat with the Japanese adversary.