久久久无码人妻精品无码_6080YYY午夜理论片中无码_性无码专区_无码人妻品一区二区三区精99

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
China
Home / China / Focus

The enigma that was 'Vinegar Joe'

By Zhao Xu | China Daily USA | Updated: 2015-03-06 11:40

 The enigma that was 'Vinegar Joe'

General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell speaks with wounded Chinese veterans at a rehabilitation camp before their return to civilian life in July 1944. Provided To China Daily

Joseph Warren Stilwell was the perfect candidate to oversee US operations against the Japanese in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. Although a controversial figure in his homeland, the late general is revered in the countries he helped to defend and liberate, as ZHAO XU reports from Beijing.

He was a four-star general who shunned pomposity. An army commander who at times famously disagreed with his superiors and influential subordinates. A man at once criticized and revered.

Nearly 70 years after his death, General Joseph Warren Stilwell, commander of US Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater, or CBI, during World War II, remains an enigma.

Was he the acid-tongued "Vinegar Joe" of his detractors, or the easy-going, caring "Uncle Joe" who won the respect of his men and many others?

Whatever the truth, in China Stilwell remains a powerful symbol of US support for the country's wartime struggle against Japan.

"With General Stilwell, no one should draw easy conclusions," said his grandson, John Easterbrook, who visited Beijing in August to attend the opening of a photo exhibition called National Memories - China-US Collaboration during World War II.

"In a letter my father wrote, dated September 14, 1960, he cautioned the recipient to be careful with the diaries," he said, referring to a collection known as The Stilwell Diaries, held at the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University.

In 1944 and 1945, Ernest Easterbrook, Stilwell's son-in-law and the father of John, was on the general's CBI staff and handled his messages and special projects. The elder Easterbrook, who died in 1989, was struck by the sharp contrast between what he saw and heard about his commanding officer and what he later read in Stilwell's diaries.

"I know of incidents where General Stilwell had occasion to admonish someone for dereliction or indifference to duty. General Stilwell would speak in firm, concise terms but was most careful not to use abusive language," he later wrote in a letter. "At a later date, General Stilwell might refer to an occasion where he had 'really bawled out that so-and-so'."

A tough assignment

The "difference between this outward expression and the notes which he kept in his own hand", as the elder Easterbrook called it, may always be open to interpretation. However, when Stilwell accepted the job of leading the US Army in the CBI in early 1942, Henry Stimson, the US secretary of war between 1940 and 1945, accepted that he had been given "one of the most difficult" assignments of any theater commander.

John Easterbrook believes that his grandfather would have accepted the situation without complaint: "Compared with the 'main' battlegrounds in Europe and Africa, the CBI theater was severely lacking in resources, both men and equipment, but my grandfather believed a soldier's duty was to accept assignments for the good of his country."

Stilwell arrived in Burma, now Myanmar, shortly before the country fell to the Japanese. The Allied defeat resulted in the closure of the "Burma Road", which severed China's supply routes on land and sea, and forced Stilwell to lead a party of more than 100 through the jungle on foot to Assam in India, marching at what became known as the "Stilwell Stride", 105 paces per minute.

Calling the retreat "humiliating as hell", Stilwell, who was also chief of staff to Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Army, later led the 1944 campaign in the north of the country that laid the foundation for the Japanese defeat in China.

For John Easterbrook, that hard-won success can be traced in part to Stilwell's long association with China and her people.

"Before his CBI mission, my grandfather had been to China three times. His first stay was between 1920 and 1923, and he was the US Army's first Chinese-language student," the 74-year-old said, referring to Stilwell's fluency in spoken and written Chinese

During his first visit, Stilwell used the engineering skills he'd acquired at West Point Military Academy to work as chief engineer on the construction of a famine-relief road in Shanxi Province. "Working and living with laobaixing ("the old 100 names" or "ordinary people") on the road gave him profound knowledge of the Chinese people," said John Easterbrook, who added that his grandfather returned to China in 1926, staying three years, and then lived in the country again from 1935 to 1939.

In July 1937, fighting broke out between the Chinese Nationalist Army, stationed at the Marco Polo Bridge (aka Lugou Bridge) in the southwestern suburbs of Beijing, and the Imperial Japanese Army. "The Lugou Incident", as it became known, marked the start of China's eight-year war against the Japanese.

"At that point, the United States was still neutral. As a military attach in the US delegation to Beijing, it was my grandfather's job to gather intelligence. So he was out observing both forces - not easy, as he was guarded by both," said John Easterbrook, who believes Stilwell's faith in the Chinese soldiers, rather than his familiarity with "Japanese weaknesses" - convinced him that his forces would prevail in the CBI.

In a speech delivered in 1942 on the fifth anniversary of the Lugou Incident, Stilwell said: "To me, the Chinese soldier best exemplifies the greatness of the Chinese people - their indomitable spirit, their uncomplaining loyalty, their honesty of purpose, their steadfast perseverance "

In April 1942, he founded a training center for Chinese soldiers in Ramgarh, India, where he was later joined by Ernest Easterbrook. During the northern Burma campaign in 1944, Stilwell set a precedent by instituting compensation and a rehabilitation program to help the families of dead or seriously wounded Chinese troops.

Winning hearts and minds

"The skills taught at the rehabilitation camps included tinsmithing, sewing, carpentry and such," said John Easterbrook, pointing to a photograph in which Stilwell, hat in hand, is seen talking with a group of Chinese soldiers, most of whom are on crutches after losing limbs.

According to Ge Shuya, a historian who specializes in the CBI Theater, the criticism Stilwell received both in life and death - among other things, he was condemned for being too harsh on US soldiers and refusing to evacuate some deemed unfit to fight - can partly be explained by his determination to win the hearts and minds of the Chinese soldiers.

"Stilwell understood the Chinese mentality well enough to know that to become the true leader of those soldiers, he would have to fight alongside them and demonstrate a high level of fairness toward everyone, Americans and Chinese, which he did," Ge said. "In the battle for Myitkyina, the Burmese city-cum-airfield, Stilwell insisted that the US soldiers stick with their Chinese counterparts to the end. That meant four protracted months of hard, bloody fighting during the monsoon season."

It was at Stilwell's insistence that the "Ledo Road" was built between 1943 and 1944 to link the southwestern city of Kunming, Yunnan Province, with Assam in India and reopen China's overland supply route, which had been cut by the Japanese in early 1942.

The project was controversial, and contributed to a widely publicized dispute between Stilwell and his CBI subordinate, Claire Chennault - commander of the "Flying Tigers" squadrons of US pilots that operated in China. Chennault was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general just days before he died. He was convinced that aerial assaults would be enough to overpower the Japanese.

"Keeping in mind that the Ledo Road was officially opened in January 1945, just seven months before the Japanese surrender in August, it's true that it never really delivered the tonnage of supplies envisaged. But in the process of forcing this route through northern Burma, Stilwell had helped to train and equip 30 Chinese divisions, many of which later fought the Japanese elsewhere in China," Ge said. "Stilwell was always an active proponent of the improvement of the Chinese army."

However, by the time the Ledo Road - later renamed Stilwell Road by Chiang Kai-shek - was opened, the general had already been recalled to the US by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

"When he arrived in the States, Stilwell was met by two army generals who told him not to talk to reporters," said John Easterbrook, referring to his grandfather's criticism of the corruption and exploitation he had witnessed in the Chinese Nationalist Party. Many observers believe that the growing antagonism between Stilwell and Chiang was partly responsible for the US general's recall.

A continuing legacy

Even so long after Stilwell's death, John Easterbrook said his grandfather's legacy is still palpable in the family.

"I still have some pieces of Chinese furniture and porcelain that he brought back to the States in the 1920s and 30s," he said. "There's also a Japanese machine gun from World War II. It turns out that he and his father-in-law invented the mechanism for the gun and patented it in the US, before it was stolen by the Japanese."

In 1980, during one of his many trips to China, John Easterbrook met a man who had been Stilwell's escort in the late 1930s. "He told me they were driving in a car when a Japanese warplane suddenly appeared," he said. "There was a house nearby and the escort told the general, 'Let's get into the house, but my grandfather simply replied, 'Get out of the car and get into the ditch!' So they jumped into a nearby ditch. The Japanese plane flew over them, dropped a bomb, and demolished the house."

Bernard Martin, a 93-year-old US veteran of the battle for Myitkyina who attended the photo exhibition in Beijing, said: "General Stilwell was a very hard commander, but it took a leader like him to push us hard to get the job done. He took a licking when he first went into the jungle and lost 90 percent of his men. He told what was left of the troops that it wouldn't happen again, and he kept his promise. Yesterday, we all hated him, but today I revere the man."

Ge, the historian, believes that feeling is typical of people who knew Stilwell. "The Chinese veterans that fought under Stilwell and spoke to me over the years invariably remembered him wearing battered army fatigues and carrying a carbine. He was one of them," he said. "For me, the 'tragedy' of Stilwell, who was forced to leave the CBI on the cusp of the Allied victory, lies in his being a soldier and a general, instead of a politician."

In one of the photographs at the exhibition, Stilwell is shown eating breakfast from a crude table in the open air in northern Burma. Wearing gaiters and without decorations or insignia on his uniform, nothing about the man suggests glory.

Yet, if not being allowed to continue with his improvements and witness the defeat of Japan first-hand came as a disappointment, Stilwell had good reason to feel content. During an interview in June 1944 he told a journalist, "If I can prove that the Chinese soldier is as good as any Allied solider, I'll die happy," according to John Easterbrook.

Before he left China for the last time, Stilwell wrote a letter to his subordinate Pan Yukun, commander of the 50th Division of the Chinese Expeditionary Forces, in which he stated: "I hope you will forget any misunderstandings and clashes of opinion we may have had, and think of me as your friend, and a friend of China."

Contact the writer at zhaoxu@chinadaily.com.cn

Yang Wanli contributed to this story.

 

 

 

 

 

Editor's picks
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
久久久无码人妻精品无码_6080YYY午夜理论片中无码_性无码专区_无码人妻品一区二区三区精99

    精品视频在线看| 国产婷婷一区二区| 日韩制服丝袜av| 日韩免费高清视频| 国产成人精品免费视频网站| 国产精品久久三区| 在线看不卡av| 久久精品噜噜噜成人av农村| 国产日韩欧美在线一区| 色网综合在线观看| 免费日本视频一区| 国产精品乱码一区二区三区软件| 日本韩国一区二区三区| 香蕉影视欧美成人| 久久亚洲影视婷婷| 91毛片在线观看| 日韩精品三区四区| 国产人成亚洲第一网站在线播放| 一本到不卡免费一区二区| 视频在线观看91| 国产日韩精品一区二区三区在线| 91麻豆自制传媒国产之光| 日本亚洲免费观看| 国产精品久久影院| 6080亚洲精品一区二区| 国产.欧美.日韩| 亚洲国产裸拍裸体视频在线观看乱了 | 色av一区二区| 另类小说综合欧美亚洲| 国产精品免费网站在线观看| 欧美日韩国产高清一区二区| 国产a久久麻豆| 天堂久久一区二区三区| 国产精品污污网站在线观看| 欧美日韩另类一区| www.亚洲免费av| 日韩电影在线一区| 亚洲欧美在线高清| 欧美成人一区二区三区片免费| 91视频观看视频| 国精品**一区二区三区在线蜜桃| 亚洲精品视频自拍| 久久久久久麻豆| 欧美日韩国产综合久久 | 国精产品一区一区三区mba桃花| 综合久久给合久久狠狠狠97色| 欧美一区永久视频免费观看| av中文字幕一区| 久久国产麻豆精品| 一区二区久久久| 国产午夜精品一区二区三区嫩草| 欧美色爱综合网| youjizz国产精品| 精品午夜久久福利影院| 亚洲国产色一区| 国产精品久久国产精麻豆99网站| 欧美一区二区三区免费| 91猫先生在线| 成人福利在线看| 国产一区二区中文字幕| 日本欧美一区二区| 一区二区三区免费在线观看| 亚洲国产成人私人影院tom| 日韩欧美视频一区| 欧美日韩亚洲综合| 色欧美片视频在线观看| 国产99久久久国产精品| 久久精品国产免费看久久精品| 一区二区三区国产精品| 国产精品成人在线观看| 久久久久久免费| 精品少妇一区二区三区在线播放| 欧美老肥妇做.爰bbww视频| 一本色道久久综合精品竹菊| 岛国精品在线播放| 国产一区二区免费看| 日本不卡123| 天堂在线亚洲视频| 亚洲在线观看免费| 亚洲精品国产品国语在线app| 国产精品日产欧美久久久久| 久久久久久一级片| 精品国产成人在线影院 | 国产精品亚洲人在线观看| 免费看日韩精品| 免费成人美女在线观看.| 视频一区二区三区入口| 亚洲一二三四在线观看| 亚洲精品视频在线看| 亚洲免费观看视频| 亚洲欧美福利一区二区| 一区二区三区小说| 一区二区在线观看不卡| 亚洲人成影院在线观看| 亚洲免费观看高清完整版在线观看| 国产精品视频观看| 国产精品久久综合| 中文字幕字幕中文在线中不卡视频| 国产精品网站在线| 国产精品毛片久久久久久| 欧美国产1区2区| 国产精品系列在线| 日韩一区欧美一区| 国产精品白丝在线| 亚洲欧洲综合另类| 一区二区三区日韩在线观看| 亚洲精品国产成人久久av盗摄| 亚洲精品乱码久久久久久 | 亚洲亚洲人成综合网络| 亚洲线精品一区二区三区八戒| 亚洲一区二区三区四区五区中文| 亚洲一区二区视频在线观看| 亚洲国产美女搞黄色| 日韩制服丝袜av| 久久电影网电视剧免费观看| 国产揄拍国内精品对白| 国产精品 日产精品 欧美精品| 国产成人午夜精品影院观看视频| 国产 欧美在线| 91首页免费视频| 欧美日韩一二区| 日韩免费成人网| 国产亚洲欧美一区在线观看| 中文字幕一区免费在线观看| 亚洲精品国产品国语在线app| 午夜欧美一区二区三区在线播放| 日本伊人色综合网| 国产一区二区主播在线| 99久久久久久| 欧美日韩激情一区二区| 精品国产一区二区三区久久影院| 久久精品视频一区二区| 亚洲视频中文字幕| 水野朝阳av一区二区三区| 狠狠狠色丁香婷婷综合久久五月| 成人中文字幕在线| 欧亚一区二区三区| 欧美不卡一区二区| 亚洲欧美怡红院| 日韩成人一级片| 国产黄色精品视频| 色爱区综合激月婷婷| 日韩视频免费观看高清完整版在线观看 | 免费精品视频在线| 成人激情免费视频| 欧美日韩精品免费| 国产日韩欧美在线一区| 亚洲综合在线电影| 国产中文字幕精品| 91久久精品一区二区三区| 91精品国产黑色紧身裤美女| 欧美激情一区二区三区不卡 | 日韩毛片视频在线看| 午夜视频在线观看一区二区三区| 激情五月激情综合网| 色婷婷综合久久久久中文一区二区 | 日本中文一区二区三区| 国产福利一区二区| 欧美亚洲另类激情小说| 精品1区2区在线观看| 一区二区免费在线播放| 国产主播一区二区| 欧美视频完全免费看| 久久久亚洲精品一区二区三区| 亚洲精品乱码久久久久久 | 国产盗摄精品一区二区三区在线| 91久久精品午夜一区二区| 久久先锋资源网| 亚洲影视在线播放| 国产综合色视频| 欧美三级日韩在线| 中文字幕电影一区| 久久精品国产一区二区三 | 日本欧美一区二区| 99国产精品国产精品久久| 精品国产亚洲在线| 亚洲国产日韩在线一区模特| 成人毛片在线观看| 日韩免费在线观看| 亚洲第一主播视频| www.日本不卡| 欧美不卡一区二区| 香蕉久久一区二区不卡无毒影院| 不卡的电影网站| 久久久一区二区| 人禽交欧美网站| 欧美三级视频在线| 国产精品福利一区二区三区| 国产一区二三区| 日韩一区二区在线观看视频| 亚洲一区二区视频在线观看| 成人av午夜影院| 久久久久久久久久久黄色| 日本不卡不码高清免费观看| 欧美在线影院一区二区| 国产精品美女视频| 国产不卡视频在线播放| 精品国产91乱码一区二区三区| 午夜精品久久久久久久99水蜜桃| 91日韩精品一区|