The Hong Kong Heroes: Unveiling Guangdong and Hong Kong's"La Grande Vadrouille"during WWII | Brothers in Arms (2)

GUANGZHOU, China,Sept. 10, 2025/PRNewswire/ -- News report from GDToday: This Chinese force was honored by the U.S. President and had its representative decorated by the British Crown. They are the Hong Kong-Kowloon Independent Brigade of the Dongjiang (East River) Column.

During World War II (WWII), under the leadership of the Communist Party ofChina, they were primarily active inGuangdongandHong Kong, forming the only organized force that sustained resistance against the Japanese invasion throughout the war.

Amidst the overwhelming forces and blockades of the Japanese military, they dramatically rescued dozens of Allied comrades fromthe United States, theUnited Kingdom,India,Denmark, and beyond.

In 1966, the film"La Grande Vadrouille,"starringDanielle Thompsonand others, which tells the story of the French rescuing British air force pilots during World War II, became a global sensation. However, the numerous rescue operations carried out inGuangdongandHong Kong, which were equally heroic, remain relatively unknown.

Recently, reporters accompanied the descendant of a rescued Allied soldier to revisit the"escape route"of his father inHong Kong, and together they uncovered the story of this Brigade and the"La Grande Vadrouille"that unfolded inGuangdongandHong Kong.

Some of the archives are provided by the Guangdong Provincial Archives and the People's History Museum inManchester, UK.

Special thanks to the decendants of Dongjiang Column soldiers, includingDeng Liping, Wang Yuzhen,Jiang Shan, Huang Wenzhuang, Liao Guoqiu,Lin MingandZhang Fang, as well as Hong Kong Chronicles Institute, and Shenzhen Dapeng New Area Museum.

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SOURCE GDToday