Chapter 5 4. Battle of Burma - Battle of Mandalay

1 One day in March 1942, Stilwell and his party traveled thousands of miles to Chongqing, the capital of the Chinese War of Resistance. Stilwell had traveled through China with his new wife, Winnie, when he was a handsome young West Point graduate.China's ancient and mysterious cultural traditions and poor and backward social outlook have left a deep impression on them.In the 1920s, Colonel Stilwell's fate seemed to have an indissoluble bond with China. He was ordered to serve in China three times as a military officer, and he also helped the Chinese government design two short-lived gravel roads in Shanxi and Shaanxi.He can speak fluent Chinese, can sing Beijing opera, and knows the local customs of various provinces in China like the back of his hand.Two of their daughters were born in China, and Stilwell gave them each a Chinese nickname. The daughter was "Li Nana" and the son was "Yang Jingjing".

However, the mountain city of Chongqing, which had left a good impression in Stilwell's heart, has changed beyond recognition.The brutal bombing of more than a thousand days and nights has completely changed the appearance of Chinese cities. Even in these sad and difficult days, the KMT government still refuses to give up its one-party dictatorship.The government implements a high-pressure policy on the people. People who express different opinions are arrested and imprisoned as "foreign party elements." Democrats are intimidated and monitored. Newspapers conceal the truth and only report good news rather than bad news. A warning saying "Don't talk about state affairs" was posted.

The hope of China's war of resistance lies in the awareness of the people, but the tyranny and darkness of China's political system just killed this awareness.In this sense, there is not much hope for the War of Resistance.As a Western soldier, it was impossible for Stilwell to deeply understand the essential characteristics of Chinese society. What he first noticed was China's abundant and cheap human resources. Stilwell excitedly wrote a report to General Marshall, saying that a large number of hardworking and vigorous people can be seen everywhere in China.If they are organized, trained strictly, and given the best weapons and nutritious food, they will become the best soldiers in the world.

General Stilwell was no philosopher, and the limitation of his soldiery was that he saw only one side of things.Although the Chinese are hardworking because of poverty and tenacious because of hardship, they are also lazy because of wealth and greedy because of ignorance.More importantly, it is difficult for people without culture to produce the best army in the world. A week later, Stilwell formally paid a formal visit to the Chairman and his wife who had returned from Burma at the Huangshan Villa.Accompanying Stilwell were the U.S. ambassador to China Mr. Goss, Stilwell's deputies Major General Thomas Hearn and Brigadier General Frank Donne, and Colonel Claire Chennault, the famous commander of the "Flying Tigers" of the U.S. Air Force.

Huangshan Villa is located on the south bank of Chongqing, ten miles away from the urban area.This is a sunny hillside with a wide view and lush vegetation. Standing on the viewing platform, you can overlook the urban area of ​​Chongqing and the two big rivers in the valley. The chairman and his wife went to the gate of the villa to welcome the American guests. The chairman of the committee kissed the green cloth gown, smiling and looking relaxed and natural.Mrs. Jiang was still beautiful and generous, holding the arms of the lieutenant general and the ambassador from one side to the other, and translating the chairman's greetings to them in melodious English.

A large group of neatly uniformed Chinese military and political officials were introduced to the American guests.Many chartered reporters ran back and forth to steal the spotlight, and the spotlights flashed dazzlingly.The uproar lasted for about a quarter of an hour before people surrounded the chairman and distinguished guests and walked towards the reception hall. The meeting is purely courtesy. In the evening, the host held a grand banquet to entertain the distinguished guests from the United States.The chairman's chef presented exquisite palace dishes to the guests, which opened the eyes of Western guests and amazed them.

After repeated consultations, Stilwell boarded the plane with full confidence in the appointment of Generalissimo Chiang, and began his extraordinary trip to Burma in his life.He was given full command of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which was marching towards southern Burma.The chairman of the general committee entrusted the US chief of staff with two tasks: first, to block the Japanese attack and wait for an opportunity to recover Yangon.Second, monitor the cunning British, and don't let them betray the interests of the Chinese. It is a pity that Stilwell only understood the former task and ignored the latter.In addition, he did not understand China's politics and national conditions, which made him inevitably fall into a passive and predicament in the intrigue of the Burmese allied forces.

2 Burmese eyebrow seedlings. The British Governor's Office temporarily moved to Meimiao. The day before Stilwell's arrival, another British general, Sir Alexander, had just flown into the town.He had come to replace Lieutenant General Hutton, who had been dismissed for incompetence, as Commander-in-Chief of the Anglo-Burmese Army. Admiral Harold Alexander is a well-known hero in the British Isles.He once created a world-sensational "Dunkirk Retreat" miracle on the west coast of France, thus successfully saving the fate of 300,000 British and French allied forces.However, the hero's deeds are not the hero himself, the hero himself is still a person full of flaws.Therefore, when the American Stilwell paid a courtesy visit to the British commander-in-chief for the first time, he critically commented that Alexander was "at best a capable evacuation expert."

Naturally, the arrogant and conceited Sir Alexander also had reason to despise this American general who did not bring a single American soldier.He said defiantly to Stilwell: "Sir, why are you willing to obey those uneducated yellow people?" Stilwell retorted: "Sir, don't you yourself work in a yellow country?" Alexander laughed loudly: "General, let us unite for the benefit of the white people. I mean, get all your Chinese troops to the front line, and don't let them hide in the rear." Stilwell suppressed his anger: "So, you are determined to give up Burma?"

Alexander: "Good general. India is more important to British interests, you know." Stilwell got up and said goodbye: "That's enough sir, do you want to create another miracle of the Dunkirk retreat? I'm sorry, but I can't help you." The meeting broke up unhappy. Stilwell telegraphed the Chinese chairman that the British were "difficult and unreliable partners." Coincidentally, the cooperative relationship between the Chinese and Stilwell soon showed signs of trouble. Du Yuming, courtesy name Guangting, was the commander of the Chinese Fifth Army and deputy commander-in-chief of the Expeditionary Force, and Stilwell's nominal deputy and subordinate.In fact, he is the real commander and decision-maker of this Chinese army.His military department set up a radio station to keep in touch with Chongqing directly, and reported Stilwell's movements and various information to the chairman at any time.

On the eve of the Tonggu War, Stilwell rushed to the Mei Miao headquarters and took office.When he met Du Yuming for the first time, he spoke highly of this Chinese deputy: "...conscientious, knowledgeable in tactics, ready to attack at any time, he is an excellent commander." At first, he thought that all Chinese officers had the same quality: " ...hardworking, obeying orders, never haggling and conceited". (Quoted from [US] Romanus and Sunderland: "Stilwell's Mission to China") It quickly turned out to be an American illusion. Once, at the invitation of Alexander, Stilwell and Du Yuming went to the British defense area for a courtesy inspection.In one position, a British captain saw that the Chinese general was smoking high-end American "Camel" cigarettes, so he directly questioned: "May I ask General Du, why do your Chinese officers smoke high-end cigarettes, while your soldiers can only fight in straw sandals?" Du was embarrassed, and then became angry from embarrassment. He almost drew his gun and wanted to shoot the white captain.For Westerners, any frank conversation is normal, whether to superiors or subordinates.But the Chinese are not easy to do this.From that day on, Stilwell could see a hurt and deep hostility in General Du's eyes for several days. After a long time, he finally realized that the cause of this opposition and conflict was far from personal qualities. After the beginning of the Tonggu campaign, Stilwell and Du Yuming had serious differences on the combat policy.According to Stilwell's vision, the task of the 200th Division should be to "block and contain the enemy", and "quickly follow up with the new 22nd Division and 96th Division to divide and encircle the 55th Division of the Japanese Army." , to ensure that the enemy is completely wiped out or mostly wiped out." (Excerpt from "Stilwell's Diary") But the plan was opposed. In Du Yuming's view, Stilwell was full of signs of abuse of power and ill intentions.The Yankee is ambitious and rejoicing in his achievements, and he only hopes to win the limelight in a big battle.The expeditionary army is the chairman's elite force, and it is also Du Yuming's capital. Of course, it will not feel bad to bet with other people's capital. While Du Yuming telegraphed the enemy's situation to the chairman, he made various excuses to evade Stilwell and resist the American attack order. Twelve days of fighting in front of the ancient war, and twelve days of quarreling between Stilwell and Du Yuming in the rear, the quarrel was so dizzy that it couldn't be handed over. In fact, the conflict between Stilwell and Du Yuming was only a prelude to the conflict between him and Chiang Kai-shek.The history of this conflict not only shows the different personalities and temperaments of individuals, but also represents the conflict of interests and principles between two nations with different cultural backgrounds. As soon as the Tonggu campaign was over, Stilwell flew to Chongqing with unstoppable anger.He wants to explain these messy things on the front line in Burma to the chairman of the committee. 3 In April 1942, the Burmese Allied Command decided to rely on Mandalay to concentrate three entire armies on the Chinese side (the Fifth, Sixth, and Sixty-sixth Armies) and five entire divisions on the British side. The superior force of 250,000 people fought a decisive battle with the Japanese army. The grand idea of ​​the Battle of Mandalay first came from the judgment of Chongqing Chairman Jiang on the current situation.Chairman Jiang is not unwilling to fight, but he must fight the enemy decisively under the premise of preserving his strength and being sure.There is a well-known military principle in China, which is called "avoid the truth and make nothing, and wait for work with leisure".It has been ascertained that the Japanese invaders in Burma consisted of four divisions, nearly 100,000 people, and drove straight in from east to west.If you storm one of the roads with the superior force of the Allied Forces, you are sure to win a big victory. Mandalay's terrain is condescending, and it is backed by the Burma Highway. It can be attacked when entering, and it can be defended on the spot when retreating.The chairman chose Mandalay as the ideal battlefield for the battle, because it really had the right time, place and people, and he was not afraid of any tricks from the British. The plan for the Great Battle of Mandalay was also quickly approved by the British Allies.In the eyes of the British, sooner or later Burma would be lost to the Japanese. As long as the Chinese were willing to fight and attract the attention of the Japanese, they would agree with any strategy, plan, plan, or policy.Their only purpose is to withdraw the troops safely and leisurely to India. This flimsy fighting friendship between the Allies will undoubtedly ruin this hastily pieced together great battle.The American, Stilwell, was doomed to play a disgraced and disgraceful role in this lost war by assuming the nominal command. On April 3, Japanese planes attacked Mandalay for the first time, killing hundreds of civilians.Many days later, many unburied bodies and burnt vehicles can still be seen on the streets.The fire also destroyed an oil depot and an embargo wharf, paralyzing water and land transportation for a week. On the 8th, the chairman and his wife arrived in Mandalay with Stilwell and Luo Zhuoying on the same plane.In Chungking the chairman personally assured Stilwell that he would formally empower the American general to promote and dismiss any officer in the expeditionary force.Although this empty check was not cashed later, it was the chairman's reassurance that gradually calmed Stilwell's anger.They also took a group photo together. Madam Jiang stood between the two hostile men, holding General Shi's arm with a smile on her face. Luo Zhuoying, whose name is Youqing, is a second-level general in the army. He graduated from Baoding's eighth artillery department, and Chen Cheng is the backbone.Luo Zhuoying is such a controversial figure: he has made no achievements in the military, but has a prosperous official career.The commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force who was ordered to go out this time was clearly explained in advance that he was under Stilwell and above Du Yuming.The chairman believes that this can buffer the conflict between Shi and Du, and the chairman's selection of Luo Zhuoying has another deep meaning.Luo Zhuoying was mediocre in military affairs, so he did not hand over command power, but Luo Zhuoying and Du Yuming came from the opposing Chen Cheng faction and He Yingqin faction respectively, which could play a role of mutual containment and restraint.It's not that the chairman of the committee can't trust Du Yuming, but that he can't trust anyone with power. For Stilwell, the situation was much simpler.The chairman and his wife only stayed in Mandalay for two days, and returned to Chongqing on the 10th. Before leaving, they told Stilwell that as long as he obtained the cooperation of Luo Zhuoying, there would be no obstacles to the command of the expeditionary force.Stilwell believed the chairman's words.The Americans naively believed that the chief of staff of the theater should exercise command authority over the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, and Luo Zhuoying promised to obey.In this way, the ambitious Stilwell once again devoted himself wholeheartedly to defeating the Japanese in the Battle of Mandalay. On April 16, 1942, the Western Front was in chaos. On the 12th, an infantry unit of the 33rd Division of the Japanese Army, led by a Burmese leader, quickly passed through the triple line of defense laid down by the British and Indian troops using covert penetration tactics.Like the arrow that shot open the mountain gate in the myth, the Japanese army shot straight at the Binhe Bridge in the northwest of Ren'anqiang Oilfield, blocking the retreat of the British and Burmese troops, and pocketing more than 20,000 main forces of the British and Indian troops. . At dawn on the 16th, Commander-in-Chief Alexander woke up and found himself surrounded by the enemy, and he panicked.He concluded that the Japanese must have used airborne tactics.While ordering the bombing of the oil field, the commander-in-chief hastily organized a breakout.For two days in a row, thick smoke billowed in the sky over Ren'anqiang Oilfield, and the sound of explosions was heard endlessly. Countless towering derricks and drilling rigs collapsed amidst the flames and thick smoke, turning into piles of scorched scrap iron. Breaking through the encirclement was completely futile. The attack of the distraught British and Burmese troops was smashed to pieces in front of the powerful firepower of the Japanese, leaving behind a mess of corpses.By the evening of the 17th, the British and Burmese troops had not been able to move forward except for discarding about 2,000 corpses in front of the enemy's position. At night, the Japanese, who are good at night combat, sent a small team to carry out a night attack, so Ren'an Qiang was full of shooting and shouting.Soldiers of the British Burmese Army huddled together in the dark, killing each other. Major General Slim, the commander of the First Division, shouted in despair over the radio: "...we're doomed, General. No one can save us unless God shows a miracle." However, a miracle happened. Just after midnight, a convoy of Chinese soldiers suddenly appeared north of the Binhe Bridge position under the cover of tanks.At dawn, the bridgehead position was recovered.A regiment of Chinese troops continued to attack the Japanese army under the cover of more than a dozen American-made tanks. The fierce artillery fire defeated the enemies who were caught off guard. At eleven o'clock in the morning, General Alexander received a report: the Japanese position had been conquered, and a large group of enemies had been wiped out. The sacks were opened, and the defeated British and Burmese soldiers who escaped from death poured across the bridge like a flood that burst a bank.Abandoning countless vehicles and weapons, they retreated desperately north.The Chinese army stood behind them in Ren'anqiang for another three days, and rescued more than 500 officers and soldiers of the British and Burmese soldiers captured by the Japanese army, foreign missionaries and journalists, and finally voluntarily withdrew from the battlefield. The Battle of Ren'an and Qiang was the first victory of the Chinese Expeditionary Force after entering Burma. Although the victory was far from glorious, they knocked a small gap in the enemy's defense line at a critical moment, thus saving the main force of the Allied Forces from being attacked. destruction. The designation of this Chinese unit is the new thirty-eighth division of the sixty-sixth army.The division commander, Major General Sun Liren, was 41 years old and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point.He was awarded a Royal Medal for this. The Battle of Ren'an and Qiang lasted for a week, but the Japanese army fell short and only occupied an empty city.As a result, the 33rd Division was severely reprimanded by the commander of the army, and the commander of the regiment, Masakawa, was demoted and given a serious warning.For a Japanese officer who crazily worshiped the emperor and the war, losing a battle not only means losing the opportunity to make meritorious service and promotion, but also means that he will never be able to hold his head up in the army. 4 The American three-star general Joseph W. Stilwell, who thought he was in power, once again rushed between the various armies of the Burmese Allied Forces.He was authorized to organize a battle at Mandalay, a decisive battle aimed at defeating the Japanese and saving Burma.He expected a miracle to drive the Japanese out of the Pacific Ocean.The Lieutenant General has only one idol in his life, and that is Napoleon, the French commander. What was different from last time was that there was another group of Chinese in gray cloth military uniforms among the staff behind him.The leader is Luo Zhuoying, the short and fat commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force. The chairman gave the opportunity before boarding the plane.He told Luo Zhuoying: "We eat American food, not British food. You must keep in mind." Luo Zhuoying moved his short and fat body with difficulty, and began to work hard as a spring washer in the gap between Alexander, Stilwell and Du Yuming buffering effect. In the command system of the Burmese Allied Forces, Alexander was the first, followed by Stilwell, and Luo Zhuoying was nominally third.But neither Alexander, Stilwell, nor Luo Zhuoying could restrain Du Yuming.Du Yuming was directly ordered by the chairman of the committee and held the actual command of the expeditionary force.In this way, the actual commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force became the Chinese commander-in-chief far away in Chongqing, and the orders of other people were all invalid. In mid-April, the new 22nd Division, which took over the 200th Division and broke through from Tonggu, completed the cover task and returned to the established position in Binwen.Stilwell and Du Yuming quarreled over how to determine the battle.Du Yuming adhered to the policy of "resisting one by one" and worked step by step.In view of the tendency of the Anglo-Burmese army on the West Road to retreat, Stilwell decided to concentrate his forces to fight the enemy on the outskirts of Mandalay.The two couldn't stand each other.Luo Zhuoying sided with Stilwell, who relished the opportunity to overwhelm his compatriots, and lost no time in reporting the quarrel to Chongqing. The chairman of the committee sent a ten-word policy from Chongqing: "Preserve strength, don't act rashly." The quarrel can't be over.Du Yuming continued to "resist one by one", and Stilwell had no choice but to sigh. On April 16th, the Ren'an Qiang British army was in a hurry, and Sun Liren, the commander of the New 38th Division who had just entered Burma, was ordered by Stilwell to rush to rescue them starry night and broke the siege of the British Burmese army.This victory brought a little comfort and encouragement to Stilwell, who had not achieved anything so far. On the 19th, Shi and Du quarreled again on the issue of advancing westward to Qiao Kebadang (Bite Bodong) or defending Shangji (Tongzhi).The result of the quarrel was that Du Yuming refused to obey the westward advance, and led the three divisions of the Fifth Army to retreat to Meimiaoshangji without authorization, and put on a posture that he was ready to withdraw to the country at any time.The defense line of the British and Burmese troops on the western front had collapsed. Facing the influx of Japanese troops, only the New 38th Division fought and retreated.This serious situation greatly weakened Stilwell's confidence in victory.That night, he drafted an urgent report to the President of the United States. The report pointed out pessimistically that the British had already written off Burma, and the Chinese would not fight Japan desperately for the benefit of the British. Total failure will be inevitable. As if specifically to confirm Stilwell's prediction, at noon on April 20, the Anglo-Burmese troops on the front line of defense in Mandalay began to retreat again without informing the Chinese allies, and installed a bomb on the Wacheng (Mandalay) Bridge. explosives.The despicable actions of the Allied forces have completely shaken the remaining confidence of the Chinese people. Chairman Jiang sent an urgent message from Chongqing that night, ordering the expeditionary force to change the battle plan to "defense in depth" to keep the enemy out of the country, and pointed out that "the focus of defense is Lashio." In this way, the grand plan of the Sino-British joint operation, that is, the Battle of Mandalay, was aborted amid endless quarrels and accusations.The collapse of the united front marked the complete break of the group army: the Chinese army held on to the country, and the British army fled westward to India.Stilwell had no way to recover, so he had to take the group of staff to deploy "defense in depth" everywhere every day. 5 Contrary to the chaos and intrigue of the Burmese allied forces, the Japanese army wearing steel helmets is like a powerful torrent of steel, advancing rapidly along Burma's roads and railways.On the battle map of the generals, the thick black arrows have already pointed to the depth and rear of the enemy, dividing and encircling the enemy and crushing them to pieces.The will of the Imperial Army is invincible and unstoppable.The emperor's soldiers swore with the belief of victory that they would let the sun of the Japanese Empire rise in Burma, in China, and everywhere in Asia. On April 20, the 33rd Division of the Japanese Army on the West Road attacked Chokeba as a tentative attack, but was counterattacked by the New 38th Division.The British Burmese Army continued to retreat. On the 21st, two divisions of the Japanese army in the middle route attacked Yangmidin outside Mandalay under the cover of hundreds of aircraft.The Chinese army successively lowered their resistance and suffered heavy casualties. On the same day, Leke on the eastern front, which was 1,000 kilometers away from Mandalay, fell, and the 55th Division of the Sixth Army of the defenders retreated across the board, leaving a big gap in the eastern position.Stilwell learned of the news the next day. He felt the seriousness of the situation, and drove to the headquarters of the Sixth Army in Lashio overnight. Lashio was not only an important arms base and transfer station, but also the gateway of the Burma Highway and the only way for the expeditionary forces to return home.The chairman of the general committee has repeatedly instructed "to ensure Lashio", and it seems that there is indeed no lack of wisdom.Stilwell accidentally discovered in Lashio that General Gan Lichu, the commander of the Sixth Army, was not at the headquarters, but was playing mahjong in the city in his pajamas.The Chinese army commander didn't even know that the 55th Division had lost Le Kecheng.Stilwell was furious.He ordered Luo Zhuoying to investigate Gan Lichu immediately, and hand over Chen Mianwu, the commander of the 55th Division, to a military court and shoot him.This order is discounted.Gan Lichu was reprimanded, and Chen Mianwu was ordered to regain his position. According to the information obtained by the Allied forces, the invading Japanese army should have four divisions, three of which were placed in front of Mandalay, and the most elite fifty-sixth division suddenly left Burma half a month ago. Disappeared, whereabouts unknown.This abnormal situation caused anxiety in the command of the expeditionary force.Because the Allied forces lost the necessary means of aerial reconnaissance, facing the vast Burmese battlefield, the command headquarters was like a ship sailing in thick fog, and was in danger of running aground at any time due to the unknown channel. On the 24th, an unknown number of enemies sneaked through the mountainous area in eastern Myanmar, suddenly captured the strategic location of Shangji (Tunggyi) on the side of the expeditionary army, and seized a large amount of hoarded combat supplies.Shangji is the gateway to defend Lashio, and Du Yuming led the Fifth Army to quickly reinforce it.After two days of fierce fighting, Shangji was recovered.The Japanese army withdrew from the city, whereabouts are unknown. Changji recovered, like closing the back door, and the people in the headquarters had just had time to catch their breath when another urgent message was sent to the headquarters.After investigation, it was found that the enemy who attacked Shangji along the Thai-Myanmar border was the 113th Regiment of the 56th Division of the Japanese Army, and the whereabouts of the main force of the division are still unknown.To the north of Sang Kyi is a mountainous area with many overlapping areas. The area is vast and sparsely populated. The Chinese army's defense line is mainly located on the outskirts of Mandalay and the line of Binwenna and Yangmidin. The rear is empty. If the Japanese army takes advantage of the loopholes, the consequences will be disastrous. . The atmosphere in the headquarters suddenly became tense.An invisible sword of Damocles was clearly hanging above his head, making people frightened and unable to guard against it. After sending out a large number of search teams and issuing many emergency orders, the commanders spent a difficult day and night in anxious waiting. On the 28th, a shocking news came, and all the commanders were dumbfounded.The main force of the 56th Division of the Japanese Army was found in Nanpao Valley, 20 kilometers north of Lashio. 6 The Japanese successfully completed the long-distance attack that detoured across northern Myanmar. On April 28, 1942, Lashio fell after fierce fighting.