From 1936 to 1945, backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, a shadow of inhumanity spread from Spain, gradually engulfing all of Europe.
Toledo, December 1936. Spanish Civil War. View of the city destroyed during. (Photo/CFP)
During these years, a great number of Overseas Chinese took part in the struggle on European battlefields. Whether traveling with military units or joining voluntarily, they fought alongside international allies, local soldiers, and civilians against the fascist regimes.
Their courage was recognized with medals and honors from several European governments. Yet their stories have remained largely untold.
"There is a long history of Chinese commitment to international solidarity," said Hwei-Ru Tsou, who, along with her husband Len Tsou, has long researched Chinese volunteer soldiers in the Spanish Civil War and devoted years to piecing together this forgotten chapter.
"But may not have been widely publicized," She emphasized.
Monument for commemorating International Brigades (Photo/Yuan Zixiang)
The untold story of the Chinese in Iberia
In 1986, the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Hwei-Ru and Len found two names that appeared to be Chinese in a brochure roster published by American volunteer soldiers.
"One is Chi Chang, another is Dong Hong Yick," said Len.
"China was in a big crisis at that time, as the Japanese started invading in 1931. We were very curious about why there were Chinese who went to Spain to fight in another war," Len explained.
On December 12, 1937, during the Nanjing Massacre, Japanese soldiers used Chinese soldiers as live targets for bayonet practice.
In July 1936, with the support of Hitler and Mussolini, right-wing forces led by Francisco Franco, including the Spanish Nationalist faction and the Falange, launched a civil war aimed at overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic.
This conflict also turned Spain into a testing ground for fascist nations to test new weapons and tactics, including the Bombing of Guernica, the first carpet bombing in human history.
Guernica, drawn by Pablo Picasso. During the Spanish Civil War (1935-1938) this city in northern Spain was bombarded by Nazi- German airplanes,intervening on the side of General Francisco Franco's Fascists. (Photo/CFP)
In October 1936, rebel forces launched a fierce attack on the capital, Madrid. Faced with this crisis, in response to the call of the Communist International, the first International Brigades, comprising about 2,000 volunteer soldiers, arrived on the battlefield. Among them was a Chinese volunteer Paul Yan.
According to statistics, over 40,000 volunteer soldiers from 53 countries joined the Spanish Civil War and supported the Republican forces between 1936 and 1938, including Overseas Chinese.
Joan Thomàs, professor at the Rovira i Virgili University explained that most of the Chinese volunteer soldiers were living in Europe and the United States.
A group photo of Chinese volunteer soldiers and their fellows of International Brigades in concentration camp.
"It is hard to believe that there were so many people from all around the world who came to Spain to stop Franco from destroying the democratic system," said Almudena Cros, President of the Association of Friends of the International Brigades.
"Despite facing Japanese aggression at home, these Chinese volunteer soldiers understood a truth: if Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco prevailed in Europe, an allied fascist front with Japan would surely endanger China's survival," she added.
Due to the so-called policy of neutrality, France closed the border with Spain by the end of 1936, forcing most of the volunteer soldiers to enter the country by climbing the Pyrenees Mountains at night.
"Chi Chang, a Chinese volunteer soldier, climbed the mountain in the dark," said Hwei-Ru. "If they slipped even a little, they could hear the stones falling deep into the canyon."
What's remarkable is that none of the Chinese volunteer soldiers had any prior military experience before going to Spain. Among them were auto factory workers, electrical workers, and only a few intellectuals.
Yet their bravery on the battlefield earned high praise from the Republican government, local residents, and the media.
According to Hwei-Ru, Tchang Jaui Sau was selected as the representative of the International Brigades from 40,000 people on the occasion of the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War.
"Tchang Jaui Sau and Liou Kin Tien fought in the Battle of Segovia. A lot of their fellows fled when the bomb fell in their medical tent, but Tchang and Liou stayed and kept saving the wounded," said Hwei-Ru.
"Someone identified that the photo that Liou carried the wounded might be taken in the Battle of Segovia," said Len.
According to Hwei-Ru, both Tchang and Liou were called "legendary soldier" by their fellow in International Brigades.
Liou Kin Tien saving the wounded on the battlefields.
"Though the Chinese volunteer soldiers were not decisive on the battlefield, they had come from afar and were prepared to die even for a Spanish child," said Cros. "That spirit fortified the sense of solidarity throughout the International Brigades and among Spanish civilians caught in the nightmare of war."
In September 1938, in an effort to secure Western pressure against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy and lift the arms embargo, Spain withdrew all volunteers from the International Brigades. The Spanish Civil War ended in April 1939 with Franco's victory and the establishment of a fascist dictatorship. Just five months later, Nazi Germany invaded Poland—and the Second World War officially began.
After leaving Spain, some of the Chinese volunteer soldiers and foreign doctors from the International Brigades made their way to China to fight against Japanese militarism, including Canadian doctor Norman Bethune.
Norman Bethune in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression
Jordi Martí-Rueda, a historian specializing in the International Brigades, explained that the medical experience gained from the Spanish Civil War was later applied in China by the same doctors.
"Techniques such as front-line immobilization saved countless lives, while new transfusion methods and mobile operating rooms were also employed in China," he explained. "For most of the International Brigades, Spain was not the end—it was the beginning."
The untold story of the Chinese on the French Coast
On the morning of June 6th, the Normandy landings, the largest amphibious assault in human history, were launched along the French coast. Over 150,000 Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah under intense German fire, laying the cornerstone for victory on the Western Front of Europe.
Diagrammatic drawing of Normandy Landings (Photo/ Yuan Zixiang)
Huang Tingxin, a Chinese probationary officer who was monitoring the perimeter on "HMS Searcher," a light aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy, first heard the announcement over the ship's intercom and learned that the Allies had landed in Normandy.
Huang Tingxin, a Chinese probationary officer. (Photo provided by Huang Shansong)
"One interesting thing is that so many people think that D-Day was an American-led operation," said Sacha Marsac, Operations Manager (France) of the British Normandy Memorial. “We also didn't expect that there were Chinese soldiers who joined the D-Day operation."
He further explained, "It was a bit of a mind-blowing moment when we first learned about those 24 Chinese officers."
This all began after the outbreak of the Pacific War. At that time, the Chinese Government planned to rebuild its navy and initiated negotiations with Britain and the United States in 1942.
In June 1943, the first group of 24 Chinese naval officers departed for Britain. Their journey took them through India and Egypt before they finally reached Liverpool three months later. Following their arrival, they entered training at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, after which they were assigned to various warships for active duty.
Group photo of 24 Chinese naval officers at Greenwich Royal Naval College
According to historical materials, in addition to Huang, there were other Chinese officers who attended D-Day, conducting various missions, such as destroying Nazi German defensive fortifications and providing cover for the landing forces.
"The Chinese were not only fighting in the Far East against Japanese aggression but were also here in Europe, standing against fascism," remarked Marsac.
The world has never been a zero-sum game
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. Over eight decades ago, humanity plunged into an unprecedented crisis as a cataclysm causing over 80 million casualties swept across the globe.
Facing the aggression and expansion of the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan, anti-fascist forces worldwide swiftly united to resist the darkness together.
Hwei-Ru and Len still maintain contact with the descendants of Chinese volunteer soldiers, saying, "It is very gratifying to know that the Spanish people still remember the friendship and devotion of foreign International Brigade members who tried to help their country."
"It is precisely this kind of solidarity and friendship that can carry us far — and lead us toward peace," they added. "I think human beings should be like brothers and sisters, as they have already demonstrated with their life stories."
Marsac shared a story from Greenwich: when the Chinese officers offered their British fellows a taste of home, the British soldiers were amazed by the unfamiliar cuisine. He said, “These guys, their minds were blown. It was a completely different flavor, a completely different culture. Something as simple as serving food someone has never had before opens your mind and creates that shared experience."
"This is the core message of solidarity: we must actively look for what we have in common, for the things that bring us together, rather than what pulls us apart," he emphasized.
Reporter: Yuan Zixiang, Liu Xiaodi, Guo Zedong
Cameramen: Deng Yingheng, Guo Hongda
Video: Deng Yingheng
Design: Lai Meiya
English Editor: Liu Lingzhi, Ou Yangyan, James Campion
Special thanks to Hwei-Ru Tsou, Len Tsou, Zhang Guoxiong, Guangdong Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Nouvelles D' Europe (Spanish Version), Asociación General Qingtianes en España.
