Joseph M. General W. Stilwell graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in his early years, came to China in the early 1920s to study, and later served in the US military stationed in China, and is very familiar with the situation in China. In December 1941, the Pacific War broke out, and the United States, Britain, France and other countries declared war on Japan. In March 1942, Stilwell was sent by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to China again to serve as the commander of the U.S. military in the China-India-Burma Theater and the chief of staff of the Chinese Theater High Command.
Soon, Stilwell led his troops into Burma to fight against Japan for more than a month in Burma, and the Kuomintang troops he led to fight in Burma were lax in discipline, incompetent commanders, and did not obey his dispatches as a foreigner, resulting in the defeat of a team of 100,000 people and heavy losses. Chiang Kai-shek had a mustard with him for this.
The defeat in the battle against Burma made Stilwell realize that Chiang Kai-shek's army was corrupt and incompetent and must be rectified.
After returning to Chongqing, Stilwell proposed to Chiang Kai-shek the formation of a well-trained new army. But where did he know that Chiang Kai-shek only hoped that the general in charge of the distribution of the US government's aid to China would provide him with more material assistance, and did not really follow the advice. What particularly angered Chiang Kai-shek was that this high-nosed, blue-eyed Yankee wanted to transform the Chinese army. To this end, Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly proposed to President Roosevelt to transfer Stilwell back to the United States, but Roosevelt did not agree.
On the contrary, the fact that the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army fought bravely left an extremely deep impression on Stilwell. He saw that the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, which accounted for a small part of the total number of Chinese troops, not only resisted the rampant attack of the Japanese army, but also played an important role in cooperating with the Kuomintang vehicles in the operation to prevent the Japanese army from going south.
In July 1944, at his suggestion, the United States sent a U.S. military colonel, David W. Bush. The US military observation group headed by D. Bao Ruide flew to Yan'an, and the task of the observation group was to understand the combat situation of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army in the battlefield behind enemy lines. Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, and others received the members of the observation group very warmly, and Zhu De also briefed them on many occasions on the situation of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, as well as the situation of the war against Japan.
During Bao Ruide's stay in Yan'an, whether he saw or heard, he left an unforgettable impression on him. Later, when talking to reporters about Zhu De, he could not help but praise that the General Zhu De he saw was indeed admirable, how different it was that he asked the United States for planes and tanks with the same mouth, and that General Zhu De always stressed the need to rely on the strength of the people to defeat the Japanese aggressors.
At that time, although the Kuomintang and the Communist Party established a united front, the Communist Party practiced the line of resistance of the whole people, while the Kuomintang practiced the one-sided line of resistance. The army led by the Communist Party of China was united in their determination to sincerely resist Japan, but Chiang Kai-shek aimed the main spearhead at the Communist Party and proposed that "the outside must be safe before the inside," and the Kuomintang army constantly provoked military friction and conflict with the Communist Party.
Stilwell has always adhered to a neutral and fair attitude in dealing with China's domestic problems, urging Chiang Kai-shek to fight jointly with other anti-war armies and strengthen internal unity. He believed that in this regard, there was no difference between the Chinese Communists' army and Chiang Kai-shek's army, and that the same military assistance should be given.
In September 1944, due to the increasing division between Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek, at Chiang Kai-shek's insistence, the U.S. government finally decided to recall Stilwell. In October, before leaving China, Stilwell wrote to Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, in which he said very sincerely: "Since I have been relieved of my duties in the Chinese theater, I would like to express my deep regret to you, the head of the Communist Armed Forces, that we will not be able to cooperate with you in the future war against Japan."
You have developed remarkable troops in the fight against our common enemy, and I had expected to fight with you jointly, but now this has come to naught. I wish you success in the battle and victory" Meanwhile, Stilwell sent Judd a leather jacket. After reading the letter, Jude stood in front of the window, remembering the scene of fighting side by side with Stilwell, and was silent for a long time.
Stilwell admired Judd. Good soldiers always want to fight side by side with the people they admire. But soldiers must obey orders. Stilwell left China with deep regret.
In 1946, when Stilwell heard the news that Chiang Kai-shek had launched a civil war with the assistance of the US Government, he said indignantly: "If the United States says to Chiang Kai-shek today that we will not assist you, then Chiang Kai-shek will have to stop if he can't take a few steps."
A few months before his death, Stilwell said to his daughter, "I really want to throw away the iron in my hand, go over there and find Judd, pick up the rifle, and fight with him."
In October of that year, Zhu De learned of the death of General Stilwell and sent a special telegram to Mrs. Stilwell, saying that "the death of General Stilwell has not only deprived the United States of a great general, but also deprived China of a great friend." Chinese will always remember his contribution to China's War of Resistance Against Japan and his struggle to establish a just U.S. policy toward China, and believe that his wish will eventually come true."