General Joseph Warren Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946)

spidge · Dec 6, 2007

General Joseph Warren Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946) was a United States Army four-star general best-known for his service in China. He was nicknamed "Uncle Joe" and "Vinegar Joe" for his purported concern for the average soldier and forthright manner.

Arriving in Burma just in time to experience the collapse of the Allied defense of that country, which cut China off from all land and sea supply routes, Stilwell personally led the American forces out of Burma on foot. This courageous walkout from Burma and his bluntly honest assessment of the disaster (he called it "a hell of a beating") captured the imagination of the American public, badly in need of candor and an American hero at that stage of the war.
After the Japanese occupied Burma, China was cut off completely from Allied aid and materiel except through the hazardous route of flying cargo aircraft over the Hump. Early on, the Combined Chiefs of Staff had determined that Allied ground forces would not be sent to China; they realized that there was an inability to support them adequately. Conceptually, the Allies' strategy was that China would supply the ground forces to fight the Japanese, and the Americans would provide logistical and air support.
Convinced that the Chinese soldier was the equal of any given the proper care and leadership, Stilwell established a training center for two divisions of Chinese troops in India. Stilwell's primary goals were the opening of a land route to China from northern Burma and India, so that greater supplies could be transported to China, and to organize a competent Chinese army that would fight the Japanese. Strategically, this was the only area at that time where the possibility existed for the Allies of engaging large numbers of troops against their common enemy, Japan.
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Joseph Stilwell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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General Joseph Warren Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946)

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General Joseph Warren Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946)

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