Chapter 2 1. The Battle of Burma - Burmese Storm

1 In the sixteenth year of Showa (1941 AD), the world war situation entered a decisive stage. In June, the German army invaded the Soviet Union, and the Soviet-German War broke out. On December 7th, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.The Pacific War broke out. On the same day, Japanese aircraft attacked all military bases of the Western Allies in the South Pacific.In just one week, the Allied forces lost 1,000 combat aircraft and 120 ships, and lost the initiative in the war. London, Prime Minister's Residence. "Sir, can this be considered bad news?" The big fat Churchill jumped up from the armchair and shouted excitedly to Sir Aiden, the Foreign Secretary: "Hey! What stupid thing did the Japanese do... Do you think Let's see what happens when you stab an American cowboy in the ass?! Anyway, we won't be fighting alone."

On December 8, Britain declared war on Japan. Moscow, Kremlin. When the chief of operations of the Soviet Army, Lieutenant General Vasilevsky, hurriedly reported the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to the Supreme Commander, Comrade Stalin was sleeping in the basement of the shelter. "What?! Read it to me again!" Stalin's eyes lit up suddenly, and he became excited like a lion waking up: "Great, really great! Listen, these yellow-faced monkeys did a great job .” Half a month later, the Soviet Supreme Command secretly transferred two-thirds of its troops from the Far Eastern Military Region, including 30 infantry divisions, 900 tanks and all combat aircraft, to the Moscow front.In the Far East, only part of the frontier guards were left to confront the Japanese Guandong Army.

On December 17, the British Prime Minister's special envoy, Foreign Secretary Eden, flew to Moscow and urged the Soviet Union to declare war on Japan immediately.This request was angrily rejected by Stalin. Since then, the leaders of the United Kingdom and the United States have repeatedly urged the Soviet Union to declare war on Japan, but they have all been rejected. The Soviet-Japanese Non-Aggression Pact was maintained until August 8, 1945, a week before the Japanese Emperor announced his unconditional surrender and the day the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, before it was unilaterally abolished by the Soviet government.The Soviet Union was the only Allied country to adopt a neutral stance and maintain diplomatic relations with Japan during World War II.

For the British and American allies, the early days of the Pacific undoubtedly meant a period of disaster, humiliation and unbearable days. In the first week of the war, the Japanese army occupied the entire territory of Thailand, forcing the Luang Phibun government to sign an alliance under the city. On December 10, the Japanese army successfully landed in the Philippines and Kota Bharu simultaneously. On the 12th, the Japanese army forcibly crossed the Strait of Johor and attacked the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. On the 25th, Hong Kong fell, and the governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, announced his surrender.

In the following month, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore fell one after another.The 70,000 U.S. and Philippine defenders laid down their weapons, and the 80,000 Singaporean British troops raised white flags to the 30,000 Japanese invaders.General Mike Arthur, the commander-in-chief of the US military, fled Australia in a panic.Taking advantage of the victory, the Japanese army went south and captured Java, South Sumatra and Balikpapan. Looking at the Asian battlefield in 1941 and thereafter, we have every reason to divide the war into two interrelated parts: one is the vast Chinese mainland in eastern Asia (the Chinese battlefield), and the other is the southern part of the war. The southeastern countries with a vast territory along the Pacific Ocean (Pacific Battlefield).In the early days of the Pacific War, the Japanese army used less than 20 divisions, about 500,000 troops.In mainland China, the Japanese army maintained a strength of 50 to 70 divisions throughout the year, with a total of more than one million people.Because the Chinese battlefield has held down more than half of the Japanese army's strength for a long time, and has endlessly consumed Japan's domestic war resources, successive Japanese cabinets have regarded the existence of Chinese anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians as a serious problem.

Only in the 30th year of the Republic of China when the "Pearl Harbor Incident" broke out, the Japanese invaders successively launched the Battle of Southern Henan, the Battle of Jiangxi and Hubei, the Battle of Zhongtiaoshan, and the second and third Battles of Changsha, all of which failed. In December, Japan's Hideki Tojo made several speeches to China on Radio Tokyo, urging the Chongqing government to "cease fire" and "negotiate peace", but was severely rejected. Although the Japanese army occupied more than half of China and had a relatively large military advantage, they were still unable to achieve the strategic goal of a quick victory and the destruction of the Chongqing government in one fell swoop.

But the Japanese army succeeded again and again in other areas of the Pacific War: In June 1941, the Japanese army occupied French Indochina (Vietnam), and the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was cut off. In the same month, with the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, the Soviet Union's symbolic aid to China was gradually interrupted. In December, Hong Kong fell.Hong Kong's material supplies to the mainland were cut off. It was the month when the Japanese invaders marched out of the Thai-Myanmar border, staring at Myanmar... After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the retreat of the British and American Allies in Southeast Asia not only fueled the ferocity of the Japanese invaders, but also exposed China's rear.

Since the Japanese army continuously cut off the supply lines of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway and Hong Kong, Western aid to China could only reach Yangon, and then transported to Kunming via the only Yunnan-Myanmar Highway.Due to the long journey and many difficulties, by January of the following year, the total amount of aid materials transported to China had dropped from the normal monthly 35,000 tons to less than 6,000 tons. In mid-January 1942, Japanese troops invaded Changsha.The 1st Artillery Brigade of the Ninth Theater occupied the Yuelu Mountain position and suppressed the enemy's artillery fire.At the height of the fighting, the shells ran out.The Chief of the Ninth War Zone sent a telegram to Chongqing, and the Military Command replied: The shells are still waiting to be shipped in Yangon.

In the same month, the arsenal moved from Hanyang to Chongqing was forced to stop working due to lack of steel and raw materials.The Kuomintang government's only dozen or so transport planes were also grounded due to lack of fuel. The crisis of lack of combat supplies also affected the battlefield behind enemy lines.The Yan'an headquarters once telegraphed Chongqing that the Yimeng Mountain base area was "surrounded by an iron wall" by the enemy and was in urgent need of arms, food and clothing support.The Chongqing side replied: Because foreign aid is blocked, the frontal battlefield cannot guarantee supply.In the future, all anti-Japanese base areas must try to raise supplies on the spot.

According to historical data, since the "July 7th" incident, various strategies and various civilian supplies needed by China's Anti-Japanese War: gasoline, kerosene, diesel oil, rubber, 100% of auto parts, 100% of medicines, steel, cotton yarn, sugar, and paper Ninety of them must be imported from the West.If the Japanese army cut off the Yunnan-Burma Highway and cut off all ties between China and the outside world, China's internal storage of various strategic materials would only last three months at most.No wonder Song Ziwen, then Chongqing’s foreign minister, had to exclaim:

"...If the Japanese invaded Burma and cut off the Burma Road on which I depended for survival, the soldiers and civilians behind us would be trapped in an isolated city, waiting to die..." ("Chronicle of Major Events of the Chinese Kuomintang") In December, the vanguard of the 15th Army of the Japanese invasion of Thailand invaded Cape Victoria in southern Myanmar, directly threatening Rangoon and the Burma Road. The total British force in Burma was only two British-Burmese divisions.In view of the precarious situation in Burma and the British colonists' stubborn adherence to the self-interested stance of retreating to India, in the second half of the same month, Chairman Chiang Kai-shek of China presided over a joint military meeting between China, Britain and the United States in Chongqing.After the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek received Chinese and foreign journalists and made a speech. A reporter asked: "Can the chairman talk about the prospect of war?" Chiang Kai-shek replied: "The Japanese invaders are a mere island country. As long as the British and American countries recognize the overall situation and shift their strategic center to the Asian battlefield, I can tell you with certainty that Japan can be defeated in a year at most." Reporter: "As far as I know, the current situation is not good for China. If Myanmar fails to defend, will the Chinese government have the ability to deal with the difficult situation of being surrounded by enemies?" Chiang Kai-shek: "Gentlemen, I would like to take this opportunity to reveal a piece of news to you. In view of the increasingly serious situation in Asia, our people have made a decision: soon they will send troops to Burma to fight the Japanese aggressors." Reporter: "May I ask Mr. Generalissimo Jiang, is China sure to win when it sends troops?" Chiang Kai-shek: "Although the Japanese aggressors are arrogant, they can only act fiercely for a while. Our army is an upright and righteous army, and the Japanese army is inseparable from the sky. This battle in Burma is an act of survival for the country. We must fight the enemy bravely and die. Postnatal." Reporter: "Is there any other background behind China's dispatch of troops?" Chiang Kai-shek replied: "If the Japanese army annexes Burma, it will inevitably invade India on a large scale and march into the Middle East. If Burma is not secured, India is also in danger. Therefore, the purpose of the national army's entry into Burma is not only to protect the communication line between Yunnan and Burma, but also to protect the great cause of the Allied united front. " The next day, Chiang Kai-shek's speech was prominently published on the front pages of "Central Daily" and major domestic newspapers. The battle in Burma immediately became a new hotspot affecting the development of the situation in China and Asia. 2 The news that the Chinese government sent troops to Burma immediately shocked the Western world. The shocking move of the Chinese received mixed reactions from the world public opinion. "The Times" commentator wrote: "The behavior of the Chinese determined to return to Burma shows that the former white people's ruling authority in Asia has been broken..." Mr. R. D. Fein, a British strategic commentator: "...the Chinese decision not only shows their military potential, but also shows their confidence in war. It is from this point that I can see that the future evolution pattern of Asia is not optimistic. .” Australia's "Star": "The reason why the Chinese dared to carry out such a large-scale expedition is because they felt that the United States entered the war and victory was finally guaranteed..." The Associated Press commented: "Chairman Chiang Kai-shek...is determined to play the role of a great power in the grand alliance and further establish China's status as a great power in the world strategy..." ... The British government reacted sensitively. On December 14, the British ambassador to China, Carr, said on behalf of the British government: "Once the situation in Myanmar becomes tense, we are willing to work with the Chinese government to strengthen Myanmar's defense." On the territory of the British Empire, Burma is just an insignificant Indo-Myanmar province, and its significance in the war is only to form a peripheral barrier for India.For the Chinese who fought hard, the battle of Burma was inevitable.Myanmar is China's only channel to the outside world, and its existence is directly related to the safety of the rear of the Anti-Japanese War.However, the complexity of the problem lies precisely in the fact that although the British are preoccupied with themselves, they do not want their Chinese allies to intervene in Burmese affairs. The insincere British stubbornness of the old colonial empire was destined to cast a shadow of mutual hostility from the beginning of the talks. Chairman Chiang met with and entertained British guests at the Huangshan Villa in Chongqing.With a smile all over his face and dressed in military uniform, he stepped out of the hall to welcome the distinguished guests.China's First Lady Soong Meiling herself acted as a diplomatic interpreter for her husband.Generalissimo Chiang is obviously optimistic about the upcoming Sino-British talks, because the big enemy is present, and the British have suffered defeats everywhere, so he hopes to get a sure guarantee from this one-eyed British gentleman to return the looted supplies and reach a principle on the joint defense of Burma protocol. Unexpectedly, at the start of the talks, Wavell, the British representative, read out a tough memorandum first.The memorandum required the Chinese side to "transfer part of the leased materials collected in Yangon Port to Myanmar's defense", and stipulated that the number of Chinese troops entering Myanmar "would not exceed one regiment". The chairman of the committee received a blow to the head.The first round of talks stalled. As soon as the guests went out, the chairman's face immediately turned livid.Song Meiling comforted: "Da Ling, it is not easy to deal with the British. Fortunately, I still have an American card in my hand." The chairman finally roared bitterly: "Mother Xipi! These foreigners are all imperialists, and there is no good thing." The differences between China and Britain caused great anxiety in the White House. President Roosevelt was annoyed at the shortsightedness and selfishness of the British.Chinese participation in the war is not only crucial to the war situation in Asia, but also to the struggling allies in Europe.As long as they pull the Chinese to persist in the war of resistance in Asia, Britain and the United States can concentrate their forces against Germany.Don't forget that people are the most precious resource in war, and China has plenty of people. Roosevelt was determined to persuade the British to let go of their airs as colonists and fight against the Chinese together.In order to coordinate the relationship between the British and Chinese armies, the United States sent a general to China as the chief of staff. Arm the Chinese with American weapons and materials, and let the Asians solve the Asian problems, and the United States and the United Kingdom can go all out to deal with the European battlefield. Soon, the famous "Arcadia" meeting ended in Washington.The meeting signed and issued the "United Nations Declaration", which established a strategic approach centered on Europe rather than Asia. The Chinese chairman was not invited to the meeting.However, the meeting decided to separate Burma, Thailand, and French Indochina (Vietnam) from the Allied Southeast Asia Theater and merge them with the China Theater, calling it the "China, Burma, and India Theater," with Chairman Chiang as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The Chinese have unexpectedly obtained the first sphere of influence outside their own territory in this century. 3 One day in February 1942, at the sunny Miami Air Force Base on the southern coast of the United States, a slender five-foot-nine-inch American general boarded a silver-white seaplane.He may not have had time to wake up from the dizzying fact that he was the commander-in-chief of the US Army Group a few days ago, but now he is leaving this familiar land to serve as the chief of staff in a distant eastern country duty.He may never understand what kind of fate this is, but his mission is destined to make him closely linked with the ancient and tortuous history of that country. The general's name was Joseph W. Stilwell.