Ting Hao

Ever since the Japs ran him out of Burma nearly two years ago Lieut. General Joseph W. Stilwell has been on the hunt for enough troops and supplies to fight his way back.* News from Burma last week indicated that "Vinegar Joe" was making at least a small start in the land of names that sound like unpronounceable grunts.

To his divisions of Chinese, General Stilwell had finally managed to add at least part of a division of U.S. jungle-trained infantry under Brigadier General Frank Merrill (see p. 30). With the news that they were in action, also came news of a Chinese-American local victory.

New Ledo Road. Purpose of Uncle Joe Stilwell's latest drive--460 miles northeast of Mountbatten's southward push toward Akyab--is to march across northern Burma over some of the world's cruelest, most miasmic terrain, clearing Japs from the path of the new Ledo Road which hopefully will connect with the old Burma Road. Thus eventually a route to China may be opened to supplement supply by airplanes flying the "hump."

During the first week of the new attack General Stilwell's troops did well. Total Japanese killed in the Walawbum-Maingkwan area were estimated at 2,000--800 by General Merrill's marauding infantrymen, 700 by the Chinese 22nd and 38th divisions, 500 by Chinese-manned tanks under Colonel Rothwell H. Brown. Total Japanese dead in the Hukawng Valley by week's end: 3,500.

Fighting Chinese. Chinese and U.S. troops worked well together. Cabled TIME Correspondent James Shepley from the Burmese front: "The crack 18th Japanese division made three frantic attempts to cross the Nambyu River. . . . As the Japs poured into the stream in the cold light of the jungle winter moon the Americans mowed them down with machine-gun and rifle fire. At daybreak the river was swollen with 300 to 500 Jap bodies. Merrill lost seven killed, 37 wounded. . . .

"Anyone who still doubts the fighting ability of the Chinese troops (now in their first truly offensive battle of the war) did not see them at Maingkwan. . . . Chinese artillery and mortars pounded the center of the Japs' positions.

"The Japs counterattacked strongly two days and a night, but the Chinese beat them all off. When the Japs started to pull out the Chinese crawled through thick elephant grass within a few feet of the road and cut down the retreating column by scores. . . .

"The Chinese is the least complaining soldier I have ever seen. He carries tremendous loads over terrific distances. His greeting is almost always 'Ting hao' ('Okay').

"At our bivouac area one night a Chinese sergeant found a sentry dozing. Next day he lined up all the sentries and turned on unshirted hell. 'We can have contempt for the Japs,' he said. 'We can even be careless with our own people, but we cannot fail our friends.'"

* Once an officer on Stilwell's boss Mountbatten's staff rushed in: "Good news, General! We've got two expert planners coming from the Middle East." Growled Stilwell: "Send 'em back and get me two foot soldiers."

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