Joseph Stilwell

Joseph Stilwell
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Name	Joseph Stilwell
Caption	General Joseph Stilwell
Birth date	19 March 1883
Death date	12 October 1946
Birth place	Palatka, Florida, U.S.
Death place	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Placeofburial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1904–1946
Rank	General
Commands	China Burma India Theater, Sixth United States Army, Tenth United States Army
Battles	World War I, World War II, Burma campaign, Second Sino-Japanese War
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross, Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit

Joseph Stilwell was a senior United States Army officer who served as the primary American commander in the China Burma India Theater during World War II. Known for his aggressive command style and fluency in Chinese, he held critical roles as Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-shek and commanded Allied forces in the protracted Burma campaign. His tenure was marked by intense strategic disagreements with Chiang Kai-shek and other Allied leaders, culminating in his controversial recall in 1944.

Early life and military career

Born in Palatka, Florida, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1904. His early service included postings in the Philippines and attendance at the Infantry-Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth. He served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I as an intelligence officer for the IV Corps. Between the wars, he completed multiple tours in China, where he learned the language while serving as a military attaché in Beijing and observing the Chinese Civil War. These experiences gave him a deep, often critical, understanding of Nationalist China's political and military dynamics.

World War II service in China

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and U.S. entry into World War II, he was dispatched to the Republic of China in early 1942. His initial mission was to maintain the vital Burma Road supply line and improve the combat effectiveness of the National Revolutionary Army. After the Japanese conquest of Burma severed the road, he personally led a grueling retreat of over 100 staff and medics to India, an act that earned him the nickname "Vinegar Joe." He then focused on training and equipping Chinese forces in India, forming the X Force, with the strategic goal of recapturing Burma and reopening land supply routes to China.

Command of the China Burma India Theater

As commander of the China Burma India Theater, he directed a complex, multi-national effort involving American, British, Chinese, and later British Indian Army forces. He oversaw the construction of the Ledo Road as an alternative to the Burma Road and commanded Chinese divisions during the arduous Battle of Northern Burma and Western Yunnan. His operational philosophy emphasized aggressive offensive action against Imperial Japanese Army forces, often clashing with the more cautious, Europe first-oriented strategy of his British counterparts, including Admiral Louis Mountbatten of South East Asia Command.

Conflict with Chiang Kai-shek

His relationship with Chiang Kai-shek, the Generalissimo of China, was famously acrimonious and defined by mutual distrust. He criticized Chiang Kai-shek's regime for corruption, hoarding of Lend-Lease material, and reluctance to engage Imperial Japanese Army forces aggressively, preferring to conserve strength for the postwar struggle against the Chinese Communist Party. The discord reached a crisis during the Japanese Ichi-Go offensive in 1944, when Chiang Kai-shek refused to commit more Yunnan-based divisions to the Burma campaign. After Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an ultimatum, Chiang Kai-shek demanded his recall, which was granted in October 1944.

Later assignments and death

Following his recall from China, he was appointed commander of the Army Ground Forces in the United States. In June 1945, he took command of the Tenth United States Army on Okinawa following the death of its commander, General Simon B. Buckner Jr., and accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in the Ryukyu Islands. His final command was the Sixth United States Army, headquartered at the Presidio of San Francisco. He died of stomach cancer on October 12, 1946, at Letterman Army Hospital and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery. His diaries, published posthumously, offer a candid and critical account of the Allied war effort in Asia.

Category:United States Army generals Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:Burma campaign