Stilwell
In 1942, as a major general in the US Army, Stilwell was sent by the then US President Roosevelt to come to the Anti-Japanese Battlefield in the Far East as the chief of staff of the Chinese Theater and the commander-in-chief of the US Military in the China-Burma-India Theater.
Stilwell lived up to expectations, commanding the Great Victory in Myitkyina and being promoted by Roosevelt to a four-star general in the Army.
But on this glorious occasion, Stilwell was suddenly recalled to the United States and died two years later.
Why was this anti-Japanese hero suddenly abandoned?
The answer lies in the fierce contradiction between Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek.
The Japanese invaded East Asia, and the general was ordered to China.
On New Year's Day 1942, representatives of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and 26 middle countries signed the United Nations Declaration in Washington, and Roosevelt proposed dividing the Asia-Pacific theater into four theaters, namely, the Chinese Theater, the Southeast Asia Theater, the Pacific Theater, and the Southwest Pacific Theater.
Among them, the Chinese theater proposed that Chiang Kai-shek be appointed as commander. The Chinese theater here is not only China, but also the anti-Japanese battlefields of Burma, Vietnam, Malaya, Thailand and India.
Roosevelt
Chiang Kai-shek was ecstatic when he heard this, and in order to curry favor with Roosevelt, he expressed his willingness to serve as supreme commander of the Chinese theater, and at the same time implored Roosevelt to appoint a high-ranking officer with outstanding ability to come to China and serve as chief of staff of the Chinese theater.
This candidate ended up falling on Stilwell.
Why did Roosevelt choose Stilwell? This has a lot to do with Stilwell's life history.
Stilwell graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, has come to China five times, spent 15 years in China, proficient in Chinese, he has walked to many places in China, and is a famous "China Pass" in the US military at that time.
Roosevelt was very convinced of Stilwell's talents, and as soon as Stilwell arrived in China, he held six positions: military representative of the US military in China, commander-in-chief of the US military in the Sino-Burmese-Indian Theater, commander-in-chief of the management of leased materials to China, supervisor of the Burma Road, commander of the US Air Force in China, and chief of staff of the Chinese theater.
On March 3, 1942, Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek met in Lashio, on the Burmese anti-Japanese front, while Chiang Kai-shek was announcing the operational policy of the Chinese Expeditionary Force after entering Burma.
The two who were slightly greeting each other did not expect that the two would continue to clash after that.
Stilwell's impression of Chiang Kai-shek was not good at all, and he privately called him "peanut rice", not knowing whether he saw the association of the bare head.
Chiang Kai-shek, on the other hand, adopted a respectful and distant attitude toward Stilwell.
The peak of life is Myitkyina, and there are dangerous peaks after the scenery.
On 4 August 1944, on the island of Elia Ceylon, Stilwell was working at the Acting Command in The Allied Southeast Asia Theater Command.
This day. An urgent telegram came:
"Myitkyina was conquered on the 3rd, killing more than 2,000 enemies."
This success is not easy to come by.
In March 1942, Stilwell came to China and immediately set foot on the northern Burmese front, but was immediately confronted.
Due to the treacherous retreat of the British army, the Chinese Expeditionary Force suffered a rout in the first operation into Burma, and Du Yuming's Fifth Army was defeated at Savage Mountain.
The U.S. military headquarters once sent a plane to pick up Stilwell, but he refused to leave.
Stilwell's heart was filled with anger, and although he was the nominal chief of staff in the northern Burmese battlefield, he could not command these Chinese troops.
At the moment of crisis, Stilwell chose to retreat into India, he still had a chance, the new Thirty-eighth Division preserved all, the new Twenty-second Division still had remnants, Stilwell began to rely on the "Hump" route airlift to replenish the troops, and once again set out for the whole army.
In November 1943, Chinese troops counterattacked from the Indian-Burmese border town of Ledo, and Stilwell sent a force to raid Myitkyina in the rear of the Japanese army.
After eighty days of bitter fighting, Myitkyina was conquered, and Stilwell also ushered in the peak moment of his life, public opinion newspapers were full of praise and cheers, and Roosevelt promoted Stilwell to a four-star general in the army.
Then behind the scenery, there are endless risks hidden, and the conflict between Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek is even more intense.
Behind the scenery there is a sinister conflict with Chiang Kai-shek.
The conflict between Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek stemmed from the command of the army.
On March 3, 1942, before the departure of Du Yuming, commander of the Fifth Army, Chiang Kai-shek instructed:
"You have to obey Stilwell absolutely!"
Du Yuming asked a sensitive question:
"What if his orders don't match your decision?"
Chiang Kai-shek said in silence:
"Then you send me a telegram and ask for instructions."
After the defeat of the Chinese Expeditionary Force's first invasion of Burma, Stilwell felt the confusion of the Chinese Expeditionary Force's command.
"Chinese soldiers are brave and good at fighting, as long as the equipment is advanced, coupled with correct leadership, they can win!"
Stilwell flew to Chongqing and met Chiang Kai-shek, and the two talked about the reasons for the defeat of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma.
Chiang Kai-shek hated:
"The British army betrayed its faith and ran from the western front itself, so that the right wing of our army was attacked, resulting in the collapse of the entire front!"
Stilwell said without leaving face:
"Of course the British are responsible, but your chairman has to intervene in everything, how can you win the battle?"
Stilwell's words have a certain truth, but they are also too straightforward, and Chiang Kai-shek's face instantly turns from red to white.
No one had ever dared to confront Chiang Kai-shek like this, but Stilwell was a general who held the right to distribute U.S. military supplies, and Chiang Kai-shek had to suppress his anger.
Chiang Kai-shek and Stilwell
But Stilwell had his own ideas, proposing to reform the Chinese military:
The first is to merge the troops so that each division is fully staffed. (Stilwell even pointed out that at that time, the Chinese Nationalist army claimed 300 divisions, but each division was short of more than 40 percent, and those who served as officials were paid according to their full salaries and made a lot of money from them.) ）
The second is to eliminate the incompetent senior commanders and shoot the fleeing senior officers in the Burmese operation.
Third, after the commander accepts the task, he is no longer subject to any interference.
In the face of Stilwell's pressing step by step, Chiang Kai-shek said with a smile:
"You don't understand China's national conditions, let me consider..."
The conflict escalated again, and Washington came to regulate.
In 1944, the Allies won successive victories on the Battlefield of Southeast Asia, but the Japanese Army still attacked the Chinese battlefield, and Zhengzhou, Changsha, and Hengyang were lost one after another.
Stilwell believed that the key to solving the Chinese battlefield was change, so he called Washington:
"Stilwell commanded all the Chinese troops, and incorporated the chinese Communist Party's troops into the American-style training and equipment system."
Stilwell spoke
Roosevelt agreed with his idea and wrote a letter to Chiang Kai-shek:
I have decided to promote Stilwell to a first-class general and hope that you will quickly recall him to China so that he can be under your command and directly command all Chinese and American troops. If not immediately taken he is fully responsible and has the authority to coordinate and direct combat operations. Decisive and appropriate measures. Our common cause will suffer serious setbacks.
Regarding Stilwell's approach, Chiang Kai-shek was angry at a meeting:
"I would now like to re-propose that China has only one doctrine, one party, and one leader."
But the scheming Chiang Kai-shek did not directly confront Roosevelt, and he cheerfully agreed, agreeing in principle to give Stilwell command, but hoped for a period of preparation.
In addition, Chiang Kai-shek also made a four-point request:
(1) The Communist army must recognize the dominion of the Kuomintang before it can be commanded by Stilwell;
2. Stilwell must command all Chinese armies under his command;
(3) The materials of the Lend-Lease Act must be transferred by the National Government;
4. Send a special envoy of the president to fully adjust the relationship between him and Stilwell.
In 1944, Roosevelt's envoy Hurley came to China, and Stilwell thought he had a chance to win, but he did not know that Chiang Kai-shek had already made a good calculation.
Hurley
At this time, the Japanese army suddenly increased its troops to attack Guilin, and Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing suddenly felt a crisis, and he asked Stilwell to send troops to contain the Japanese attack.
Stilwell immediately refused:
"The troops stationed in India urgently need to rest and replenish!"
Chiang Kai-shek threatened:
"Then I will withdraw the expeditionary force to defend Yunnan!"
Stilwell asked rhetorically:
"Aren't there troops that can be mobilized to defend the rear?" Hu Zongnan's troops have been in Guanzhong for so many years, not only did they not move a single shot! ”
This sentence made Chiang Kai-shek's face change greatly, and Hu Zongnan's troops were used by him to deal with the Chinese communist army.
Chiang Kai-shek said angrily:
"Please note that I am the commander-in-chief of China!"
The general is no match for politicians and ends up abandoned.
Stilwell's meeting with Chiang Kai-shek broke up, and he suggested to Washington that:
"If Chiang Kai-shek does not give him command, he proposes to withdraw completely from China and India and establish bases elsewhere."
But Stilwell was a good soldier, not a qualified politician.
On September 16, 1944, In Quebec, Canada, Roosevelt and Churchill attended the Second Quebec Conference and decided to use large-scale land, sea and air forces to open the Burma Road by the next spring and drive the Japanese out of Burma.
Stilwell's urgent report is tantamount to running counter to Roosevelt's claims.
At this time, Chiang Kai-shek was more sensitive to the change of the situation, and as a politician, he chose to win over Roosevelt's envoy Hurley.
In his secret talks with Hurley, Chiang Kai-shek made a strong statement:
"Stilwell must be replaced, replaced by another American general, even if the Sino-US alliance is broken, it can support the War of Resistance alone!"
Hurley and Stilwell were not on the same line, and he quickly turned to Chiang Kai-shek and sent a secret telegram to Roosevelt:
If you defend Stilwell in this controversy, if we let China lose Chiang Kai-shek, you will lose China along with it.
If we can't get China to continue to fight, then even if all the angels in heaven swear that we are right to support Stilwell, it will not change the conclusion of history, and the United States will inevitably suffer a crushing defeat in China...
I would like to suggest that you immediately dismiss General Stilwell and appoint another American general to command all land and air forces in China under the leadership of Chairman Chiang Kai-shek.
Hurley's exaggerated remarks shook Roosevelt's, but Stilwell had the support of the top level of the US military, and Roosevelt could not immediately make a decision to replace Stilwell.
At this time, Kong Xiangxi, who was far away in Washington, got this news and immediately reported it back to China, and Chiang Kai-shek immediately created a momentum at home:
"If the U.S. side refuses to replace Stilwell, the Chinese side can rely on itself to fight the war!"
Chiang Kai-shek's speech reached the United States on the same day, and Roosevelt decided to remove Stilwell from his post as chief of staff of the Chinese Theater, and the leased materials would no longer be distributed by him, but demanded that Stilwell still command the Chinese army in India and the expeditionary force to complete the counter-offensive against Burma.
But Chiang Kai-shek saw Roosevelt's concessions and insisted on withdrawing Stilwell, and he sent Roosevelt a memorandum to blame Stilwell for a series of defeats on the Chinese battlefield.
On October 19, 1944, Stilwell, who received a telegram to return home, wrote in his diary:
"The axe was cut down, George Marshall called, I was recalled, so Roosevelt conceded defeat."
Before leaving, Chiang Kai-shek pretended to be indifferent and said to Stilwell:
"I regret this."
Chiang Kai-shek also asked Stilwell to give him a Medal of Blue Sky and White Sun, but Stilwell immediately refused to accept it.
Frustration inevitably leads to depression, depression and eventual death.
On November 2, 1944, Stilwell arrived in Washington, D.C., without flashes and flowers, the airport was strictly quarantined and no one could approach him, and he was taken home directly by the gendarmes.
News of Stilwell's return was blocked and was not known to the media until much later.
"Mr. President, why was Stilwell called home?"
"Is the reason Stilwell was summoned back to China because of the contradiction between him and Chiang Kai-shek?"
In the face of reporters' questioning, Roosevelt wrote lightly:
"They had some quarrels, but they were old things, and they had already been resolved."
"It doesn't involve politics, it doesn't involve strategy, it doesn't involve policy, it has nothing to do with the Communists, it's just a matter of personality."
While at home, Stilwell wrote a history of the Sino-Burmese-Indian Theater, in which the U.S. Military Department asked him to delete objections to U.S. policy, criticism of Chiang Kai-shek, and parts of it about the British if he wanted to publish it.
Stilwell flatly refused to delete the refusal, and the manuscript finally failed to come out.
In the eyes of the military, there may only be purity, but in the eyes of politicians, they can advance and retreat.
After Roosevelt was re-elected president, he revived Stilwell, affirming his work in China.
In September 1945, Stilwell boarded the USS Missouri and witnessed the surrender of Japan, but it was the last of his life.
Japan surrendered
Perhaps it was difficult to forget that history, or perhaps it was the melancholy in his heart, Stilwell suffered from stomach cancer.
On October 12, 1946, at the age of 63, Stilwell died in San Francisco after a metastasis of stomach cancer.
Meritorious deeds have their own historical commentaries, but General Stilwell's contribution to China's War of Resistance Against Japan is always worth remembering!