Chapter 14 Section 1 A new anti-Japanese army born in India

Stilwell wanted to transform Ramgarh's Chinese army into an American army under his own control, and Chiang Kai-shek was so angry that his scalp exploded October in South Asia is the best time of year in this region, but October in 1942 was the worst day for Stilwell. Since Chiang Kai-shek took office as the supreme commander of the Allied Forces in the Chinese theater in January of this year, the Chinese side established the "Commander Commander of the First Route of the Chinese Expeditionary Force" in the following month in accordance with the agreement of the Sino-British military alliance to command the three armies in Myanmar and the British Army. The army fought side by side against Japan.In the ensuing 6-month battle, despite the unauthorized withdrawal of the British troops, Dai Anlan of the 200th Division of the 5th Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Army fought fiercely with the enemy for 12 days, while Liao Yaoxiang of the newly formed 22nd Division fought against the enemy On the north and south banks of the Swa River, Sun Liren of the New 38th Division of the 66th Army rescued the 1st Division of the British Army and the 7th Armored Brigade in Ren'anqiang. --Retired to India, but faced with the defeat of the army, Stilwell, as the chief of staff sent by the United States to the Chinese theater and the supreme commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, vented his grievances on the Chinese officers.He believes that Chinese soldiers are brave, tenacious, tenacious, and have the spirit of enduring hardships. As for military officers, except for a few such as Sun Liren who stayed in the United States, most of them have poor cooperation spirit, form cliques, and want to protect themselves. The idea of ​​"requiring Chinese soldiers but not Chinese officials, especially senior Chinese military officers" has been brewing in his mind for a long time.

In September, after Stilwell negotiated with the British authorities in India, the British agreed to open Ramgarh (northwest of Calcutta) as a training base for the Chinese army, and the Chinese troops who had been withdrawn to India gathered there one after another. Faced with the heavy training task of this broken army, Stilwell couldn't believe his Chinese officers.When the expeditionary force first entered Burma, the Chinese officers headed by Du Yuming, the commander of the First Route Commander, the deputy commander of the headquarters and the commander of the 5th Army, only obeyed Chiang Kai-shek's orders, while Stilwell resisted his orders. Offended, Stilwell is still fresh in his memory: During the Battle of Chaukbadang in April 1942, Stilwell and Luo Zhuoying, commander of the First Route Commander of the Expeditionary Force, insisted that the mechanized division of the 5th Army---200 Division- ——Transferred to Chaokebadang to meet the enemy in front of him, but Du Yuming believed that there was no big enemy in Chaukbadang, and it was unnecessary to transfer the 200th Division, which was 300 miles away, to meet the enemy.For this reason, Du and Shi and Luo argued fiercely. Du scolded Shi for "blind command", and Shi ridiculed Du for "fearing the enemy and fighting cowardly, preserving strength", so that Du Yuming angrily smashed the glass tea cup to pieces in front of him!After the expeditionary force withdrew to India, Du Yuming was ordered to return home, and Stilwell's dissatisfaction with Luo Zhuoying was also growing day by day. "Officer Luo wanders around the room all day long, and has nothing to do with the education and training of the army." He telegraphed to Chiang Kai-shek, enumerating Luo Zhuoying's 10 major crimes.

Since he could not trust the Chinese military officers, Stilwell then proposed to his President Roosevelt: to transfer military officers from the United States to replace Chinese military officers above the battalion commander, and Roosevelt approved this plan.Stilwell's intention was obvious, through this cramp-and-bones shift change operation, to completely transform Lamba's Chinese army into an American army under his own control! Chiang Kai-shek didn't know about Stilwell's "crooked trick" at first.When more than 300 American officers suddenly got off the plane and stepped into the Ramjia camp, when Liao Yaoxiang, the commander of the new 22nd Division, telegraphed the news to him, he immediately exploded with anger: "Mother Xipi, this Yankee is This army of mine is being robbed! How unreasonable it is!"

In a rage, he fought back and urgently summoned the special envoy of the President of the United States in Chongqing, asking the special envoy to tell President Roosevelt: replace Stilwell! Stilwell is a complete "China hand".Since he first set foot in China in 1911, he has been attracted by this magical land in the east. He can speak fluent Chinese and is well versed in Chinese history and culture. He has traveled all over China's provinces.He served as the first language instructor of the U.S. Army in China, was employed by the International Relief Committee as the chief engineer of the Shanxi Highway, and later became the battalion commander and head of the U.S. Army in Tianjin, and the U.S. military attache in China.In Roosevelt's eyes, Stilwell was the best candidate to represent him to assist Chiang Kai-shek in fighting the Japanese. Now that Chiang Kai-shek wanted him to replace him, he naturally would not agree easily. He just said that the 300 officers Stilwell would do well. The arrangement will never embarrass the Chinese side, so as to comfort the angry Chiang Kai-shek.

China's war of resistance was in an extremely difficult period at this time, and it urgently needed the assistance of the United States. As a major military aid country supporting China, Chiang Kai-shek certainly did not want to fall out with Roosevelt because of Stilwell's personal attempts.So both sides made concessions: Chiang Kai-shek recalled Luo Zhuoying and sent another person to reorganize the troops stationed in India; Stilwell divided more than 300 American military officers into three parts for appointment: one part went to Kunming to establish a training base to train Chinese middle and lower-level officers, and the other part was equipped with They served as liaison officers at all levels in the Indian Army, and more served as instructors and managers of the Ramjia Base.

The turmoil subsided. In December 1942, China and the United States agreed that the Chinese troops stationed in India would be reorganized into an army, and the commander of the army would be sent by China.For the candidate for army commander, Chiang Kai-shek first thought of Qiu Qingquan.Qiu Qingquan studied in Germany with the first place in the selection examination and studied military affairs. He was highly valued by Chiang. Send Zheng Dongguo. Zheng Dongguo is a native of Shimen, Hunan, a first-year student in Huangpu. He participated in the Battle of Taierzhuang and the Battle of Kunlunguan.After hearing He Yingqin's opinion, Chiang Kai-shek nodded and agreed to Zheng Dongguo's appointment.

In January 1943, Zheng Dongguo led the military personnel to India, and the New 1st Army officially raised its own military flag in a foreign land.This is the first army formed by the Chinese abroad since 1840.