China's Only Normandy Survivor Awarded Legion d'Honneur - Aircraft of World War II

syscom3 · 07-11-2006, 10:08 PM

I received this e-mail today. Quite interesting.

China's Only Normandy Survivor Awarded Legion d'Honneur

The only survivor of 24 Chinese naval officers, who participated in
the Normandy D-Day landings 62 years ago, Huang Tingxin, received
France's highest honor yesterday in recognition of his valor during
World War II.

Jean-Marin Schuh, French consul general in Shanghai, traveled to the
veteran's home in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang
Province, to present the award. Huang, 88, suffers from a heart
complaint and Parkinson's disease.

A native of Anhui Province he graduated from a naval school in
Qingdao, Shandong Province, in the late 1930s. In 1942, during the
War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), Huang and
23 other naval officers, were chosen by the then Nationalist
government to study at the Britannia Royal Naval College in
Greenwich, Britain. They were then posted to fleets operating in
different war theaters for internship in March 1944.

Huang served on aircraft carrier "Searcher" and part of his duties
included keeping watch over the angle of the vessel on the sea and
its position in the fleet formation. "It was no small task as the
smooth landing and take-off of aircraft depended on the tilt of the
carrier," Huang recalled in earlier interviews.

At midnight on June 5, 1944 the eve of D-Day his warship slipped her
moorings in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and sailed south. It wasn't
until the next morning that Huang and fellow seamen heard on the BBC
that the allied forces had landed at Normandy.

"Only then did we know what our mission was that night," Huang
said. "All of us were overjoyed at the news but we couldn't feel
completely relieved until our escort mission ended." Huang also took
part in the Toulon landing with French troops on August 15 the same
year.

"We will never forget that you and other Chinese people stood with
us shoulder-to-shoulder when France was facing the most difficult
situation during the war," Schuh said in Chinese at the
ceremony. "It is our responsibility to remember this forever," he
added.

Huang's face lit up as Schuh presented him with the medal of the
Legion d'Honneur which has been awarded to fewer than 200 Chinese.
His family captured the moment on video cameras. The father of three
made a short speech from his wheelchair while his nurse held an
oxygen mask beside him.

"It was a great honor to join the anti-Nazi war," he said. "After
more than 60 years I am still very proud about it."

"It (today's occasion) reminds me of other Chinese naval officers
who took part in the operation," Huang added. "The honor is not only
for me it belongs to all of them." The other 23 Chinese officers
have died over the years.

Huang joined the Navy of the People's Liberation Army in 1949. He
moved to Zhejiang in 1958 and taught English at Zhejiang Science and
Technology University for seven years before retiring in 1971.

(China Daily July 6, 2006)

Soundbreaker Welch? · 07-12-2006, 04:21 AM

Too bad our relations with China are so uncomfortable these days......

Gnomey · 07-12-2006, 07:52 AM

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 07-12-2006, 12:24 PM

evangilder · 07-18-2006, 09:19 AM

Anyone who survived the beaches of Normandy deserves to be saluted.

Twitch · 07-18-2006, 08:04 PM

Syscom3 you are the master of finding esoteric stuff. Good going!

syscom3 · 07-18-2006, 08:22 PM

Thanks Twitch!

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 07-23-2006, 01:05 PM

Hey P38 do you hate this guy too, hes Chinese?!

P38 Pilot · 07-25-2006, 05:18 PM

Any man who fought and served on D-day I respect and salute.

loomaluftwaffe · 07-26-2006, 05:14 AM

I'm part Chinese

HealzDevo · 01-22-2007, 12:35 AM

My goodness I didn't know there was any Chinese soldiers on the Beaches of Normandy...

07-11-2006, 10:08 PM	#1
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,281	China's Only Normandy Survivor Awarded Legion d'Honneur I received this e-mail today. Quite interesting. China's Only Normandy Survivor Awarded Legion d'Honneur The only survivor of 24 Chinese naval officers, who participated in the Normandy D-Day landings 62 years ago, Huang Tingxin, received France's highest honor yesterday in recognition of his valor during World War II. Jean-Marin Schuh, French consul general in Shanghai, traveled to the veteran's home in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, to present the award. Huang, 88, suffers from a heart complaint and Parkinson's disease. A native of Anhui Province he graduated from a naval school in Qingdao, Shandong Province, in the late 1930s. In 1942, during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), Huang and 23 other naval officers, were chosen by the then Nationalist government to study at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Britain. They were then posted to fleets operating in different war theaters for internship in March 1944. Huang served on aircraft carrier "Searcher" and part of his duties included keeping watch over the angle of the vessel on the sea and its position in the fleet formation. "It was no small task as the smooth landing and take-off of aircraft depended on the tilt of the carrier," Huang recalled in earlier interviews. At midnight on June 5, 1944 the eve of D-Day his warship slipped her moorings in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and sailed south. It wasn't until the next morning that Huang and fellow seamen heard on the BBC that the allied forces had landed at Normandy. "Only then did we know what our mission was that night," Huang said. "All of us were overjoyed at the news but we couldn't feel completely relieved until our escort mission ended." Huang also took part in the Toulon landing with French troops on August 15 the same year. "We will never forget that you and other Chinese people stood with us shoulder-to-shoulder when France was facing the most difficult situation during the war," Schuh said in Chinese at the ceremony. "It is our responsibility to remember this forever," he added. Huang's face lit up as Schuh presented him with the medal of the Legion d'Honneur which has been awarded to fewer than 200 Chinese. His family captured the moment on video cameras. The father of three made a short speech from his wheelchair while his nurse held an oxygen mask beside him. "It was a great honor to join the anti-Nazi war," he said. "After more than 60 years I am still very proud about it." "It (today's occasion) reminds me of other Chinese naval officers who took part in the operation," Huang added. "The honor is not only for me it belongs to all of them." The other 23 Chinese officers have died over the years. Huang joined the Navy of the People's Liberation Army in 1949. He moved to Zhejiang in 1958 and taught English at Zhejiang Science and Technology University for seven years before retiring in 1971. (China Daily July 6, 2006) __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

07-12-2006, 04:21 AM	#2
Soundbreaker Welch? Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 1,893	Too bad our relations with China are so uncomfortable these days...... __________________ "His motor's conked out!" "What's the differance, they're all Nazis!" "Luke, shut up!" "Fear the hook!" "Oh.....I wanna fly." "You mean the kind that go under water and fly up the stairs?" "What you doing? Oh Nooooo!"

07-12-2006, 07:52 AM	#3
Gnomey "World Traveller" Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Royal Deeside/St Andrews, Scotland, UK Posts: 15,224	__________________ "Success is not Final, Failure is not Fatal, it is the Courage to Continue that Counts" Sir Winston Churchill "To him the People of the World Largely owe the Freedom and Liberties they Enjoy Today" Enscription on Hugh Dowding's (AOC Fighter Command 1936-40) statue in London WW2 Talk: A WW2 Discussion Forum My Photo Collections on Flickr

07-12-2006, 12:24 PM	#4
DerAdlerIstGelandet Der Crewchief Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany Posts: 33,152	__________________ fly boy:"isnt that the first jet bomber becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles"[/I]

07-18-2006, 09:19 AM	#5
evangilder "Shooter" Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA Posts: 14,807	Anyone who survived the beaches of Normandy deserves to be saluted. __________________ http://www.vg-photo.com For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci

07-18-2006, 08:04 PM	#6
Twitch Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: City of the Angels California Posts: 809	Syscom3 you are the master of finding esoteric stuff. Good going! __________________

07-18-2006, 08:22 PM	#7
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,281	Thanks Twitch! __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

07-23-2006, 01:05 PM	#8
DerAdlerIstGelandet Der Crewchief Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany Posts: 33,152	Hey P38 do you hate this guy too, hes Chinese?! __________________ fly boy:"isnt that the first jet bomber becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles"[/I]

07-25-2006, 05:18 PM	#9
P38 Pilot Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Auburn,Alabama; USA Posts: 1,822	Any man who fought and served on D-day I respect and salute. __________________ Its better to have an Army of deer being led by a lion, rather an Army of Lions being led by a deer...

07-26-2006, 05:14 AM	#10
loomaluftwaffe Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,848	I'm part Chinese __________________ "The German Luftwaffe always fought without any reserves. This is also the reason why we have pilots with extremely high numbers of victories." - General der Jagdflieger Adolf Galland"

01-22-2007, 12:35 AM	#11
HealzDevo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Queensland Posts: 1,249	My goodness I didn't know there was any Chinese soldiers on the Beaches of Normandy...

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