Ouistreham, France, Oct 16 (AP) – The captain of a massive Royal Navy battleship once assembled his officers to convey a sliver of one of World War II's most secretive plans. "Prepare yourselves," he warned, for "an extremely important task." On June 2, 1944, speculation swirled among the crew. Some thought it might mean a second front, a mission with the Soviets, or an operation near Iceland. None were allowed ashore as the secret remained concealed.
The hidden mission was D-Day — the momentous June 6, 1944, invasion of Nazi-held France, which marshaled the world’s largest sea, land, and air force. It shattered Adolf Hitler’s intimidating “Atlantic Wall” defenses, setting the stage for his regime’s collapse 11 months later.
A witness to these events was Lam Ping-yu, a Chinese officer among two dozen comrades who voyaged from China to train with the Allied forces in Europe. For Lam, a 32-year-old observing the Normandy landings from the battleship HMS Ramillies, this became a pivotal moment. His thorough yet forgotten diary was saved from obscurity by urban explorers amid a Hong Kong tenement's demolition, reviving his tale and highlighting Chinese involvement in this multinational campaign.
As the number of Normandy veterans dwindles, Lam’s compelling diary enriches the vast archive of World War II recollections, safeguarding the sacrifices made for freedom and the international alliance against Nazism. "Saw the army's landing craft, numerous as ants, scattered and wriggling over the sea, heading southward,” Lam recorded on June 5, during the invasion fleet's Channel crossing. “Everyone at action stations. We should reach our designated spot around 4-5 am tomorrow and initiate bombardment of the French coast,” he noted.
Breakthroughs
The unveiling of this history is credited to Hong Kong’s history aficionados Angus Hui and John Mak. They pieced together Lam’s journey aboard HMS Ramillies and authenticated his detailed 80-page diary, despite its delicate and wispy 13,000 Chinese characters. Hui and Mak curated an exhibition about Lam and the other Chinese officers, now showcased in Ouistreham, Normandy.
A pivotal moment was confirming that the 9th-floor flat where the diary surfaced belonged to one of Lam's brothers, per Hong Kong land records. Further, Hui uncovered a 1944 British naval log from HMS Ramillies, indicating the May 29 boarding of two Chinese officers, erroneously listing Lam as "Junior Lieut Le Ping Yu Chinese Navy joined ship."
Lost, found, and lost again
The diary, bound in black leather, has had its own odyssey: lost, found, and now missing once more. It disappeared after being photographed by Hui before the building’s demolition, potentially taken overseas. Nevertheless, Hui preserved it with his photographs, recognizing its historical significance. “Such a remarkable piece of history ... could have remained buried forever,” Mak reflects.
The story has been shared with Lam’s daughter, Sau Ying Lam, who resides in Pittsburgh, and was largely unaware of her father's wartime role until now, years after his passing in 2000. "I was flabbergasted,” she notes. “Learning about his younger years offers insight that was missing when he was alive.”
A lucky escape
Lam was among over 20 Chinese naval officers dispatched by Chiang Kai-shek for British training during WWII. This journey included a stop in Egypt, captured in a photograph with them in white uniforms before joining British forces. In his diary, Lam recounts a narrow D-Day escape, as HMS Ramillies evaded three torpedoes while bombarding German defenses to aid the Allied beach landings. His daughter marvels at this chance survival, acknowledging her own existence hinges on that moment.
Through ship logs, Hui and Mak verified that at least 14 Chinese officers were engaged in Operation Neptune, the naval segment of the invasion code-named Operation Overlord. Deployed across seven ships, they played essential roles in the 7,000-vessel operation.
Operation Dragoon
Some officers, including Lam, later participated in the August 1944 Allied attack on southern France. "Action stations at 4 am, a faint moon overhead, though the horizon was unusually dark," Lam wrote on August 15. "The bombardment began at 6, while Ramillies commenced at 7. The German resistance was so weak as to be almost nonexistent." France later recognized these efforts with the Legion d'honneur in 2006 for the last Chinese survivor of the contingent, honoring all participants in the anti-Nazi efforts from China. Lam’s daughter reflects on their enduring legacy: “It talks about unity, hard work, and doing good. WWII illustrates how we can cooperate for the common good.” (AP) GRS GRS
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