World Battlefronts: BATTLE OF ASIA: Inspection by Stilwell

The Chinese in northern Burma had been ambushed and harassed by Jap patrols. The Anglo-American anvil chorus began again to beat out the familiar refrain: the Chinese cannot fight.

Lieut. General Joseph W. Stilwell wanted to see what, if anything, had gone wrong with his thesis that well fed and armed Chinese can fight as valiantly and skillfully as any other troops. He left his headquarters, flew to a forward base, then by jeep and afoot went back into the familiar Burma jungles. He doffed his three stars at a forward command post, donned dirty puttees and stained khaki, wormed up to forward observation posts to watch his U.S.-trained-and-equipped Chinese troops.

So far as "Vinegar Joe" could see, nothing had gone wrong. Under his eye, the Chinese fought well. Their artillery mor tars laid down effective cross fire on Jap trenches, the infantry charged bravely with grenades and rifles. One Chinese soldier penetrated a Jap dugout and, pulling the pin in his grenade, blew himself and three Japs to kingdom come. In four days the Chinese killed an estimated 300 Japs, drove the rest south. Jubilant Chinese presented Stilwell with a captured Samurai sword. Jubilant Stilwell returned to India.