The Sinking of Lisbon Maru

This documentary dives deep into a lesser-known story from WWII — one that happened on the eastern side of the world. 🌏 When Japan conquered Hong Kong, they imprisoned the local British soldiers and sent them to Japan aboard the Lisbon Maru.

The ship carried nearly 2,000 prisoners across the East China Sea when it was tragically torpedoed by an American submarine, unaware it was a POW transport. 💥 As the ship sank, the Japanese crew reportedly tried to prevent the prisoners from escaping. But what happened next was nothing short of heroic — local Chinese fishermen risked everything, sailing into danger to rescue over 800 British soldiers, despite being under Japanese occupation. 🐟💪

Those brave fishermen even helped three survivors disguise themselves in traditional Chinese clothes, hiding them from the Japanese. 👕👒 Against all odds, these three men managed to flee across half of China — from Shanghai to Chongqing — to make sure the world would hear this incredible story. ✨

Seeing the photo of these three “locals” in disguise is both touching and a little funny — three white guys dressed head to toe in traditional Chinese outfits! 😂 But behind the humor lies an unforgettable story of courage, humanity, and cross-cultural solidarity in the darkest of times. ❤️