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'''Joseph Stilwell''' (1883 - 1946), was a senior American general in [[World War II]] as commander of American forces in the China-Burma-India ([[CBI]]) theater (1942-44) and commander of the main Chinese armies in Burma, with four-star rank, and, as commander in the late stages of the [[Okinawa, battle of|Battle of Okinawa]] in 1945.  He was scheduled to lead the invasion of Japan when the war suddenly ended.  "Vinegar Joe" was notoriously difficult to work with, especially in a role in China that was primarily diplomatic. Serving as chief of staff to Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek]], the two battles endlessly about strategy and personalities. A fighting general who spoke Chinese and knew the villages well, he possessed a fierce integrity, and a hatred of incompetence and pretentiousness, but was sometimes devious and secretive.  Postwar liberal historians have celebrated him as a hero for his opposition to Chiang.

'''Joseph Stilwell''' (1883 - 1946), was a senior American general in [[World War II]] as commander of American forces in the China-Burma-India ([[CBI]]) theater (1942–44) and commander of the main Chinese armies in Burma, with four-star rank, and, as commander in the late stages of the [[Okinawa, battle of|Battle of Okinawa]] in 1945.  He was scheduled to lead the invasion of Japan when the war suddenly ended.  "Vinegar Joe" was notoriously difficult to work with, especially in a role in China that was primarily diplomatic. Serving as chief of staff to Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek]], the two battles endlessly about strategy and personalities. A fighting general who spoke Chinese and knew the villages well, he possessed a fierce integrity, and a hatred of incompetence and pretentiousness, but was sometimes devious and secretive.  Postwar liberal historians have celebrated him as a hero for his opposition to Chiang.

==Career==

==Career==

Stilwell was born in Palatka, Florida, where his wealthy parents were vacationing, and brought up in New York City. Both bookish and athletic, he was headed for Yale until his pranksterism caused his father to send him to West Point to be straightened out. Stilwell was graduated from West Point in 1904, and eagerly made a career in the Army. Stilwell spent years at West Point teaching French and Spanish, tactics, English, and history. He also coached basketball and football and was promoted to captain in 1916.  In 1910 he married Winifred Alison Smith; they had five children.  After service in the Philippines he was an intelligence officer (G-2) in the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] in France during World War I, playing a major role in organizing G-2 operations for the [[American Expeditionary Forces|American offensive]] at Saint-Mihiel.

Stilwell was born in Palatka, Florida, where his wealthy parents were vacationing, and brought up in New York City. Both bookish and athletic, he was headed for Yale until his pranksterism caused his father to send him to West Point to be straightened out. Stilwell was graduated from West Point in 1904, and eagerly made a career in the Army. Stilwell spent years at West Point teaching French and Spanish, tactics, English, and history. He also coached basketball and football and was promoted to captain in 1916.  In 1910 he married Winifred Alison Smith; they had five children.  After service in the Philippines he was an intelligence officer (G-2) in the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] in France during World War I, playing a major role in organizing G-2 operations for the [[American Expeditionary Forces|American offensive]] at Saint-Mihiel.

After attending the army's Infantry school at Ft. Benning and the Command and General Staff school  at Fort Leavenworth, Stilwell returned to China (1926-1929) as battalion commander and later executive officer of the Fifteenth Infantry an American regiment stationed in Tientsin as a result of the Boxer Rebellion. He watched the [[KMT|Kuomintang]] under [[Chiang Kai-shek]] unify the nation, assessing Chinese affairs  a series of weekly articles for the journal of the Fifteenth Infantry. His third China duty came in 1935-1939, when he returned as military attaché to observe, judge, and report the Japanese invasion, which began in 1937 and soon captured the major cities.  Stilwell formed a negative opinion of KMT leadership and came to believe that Chinese soldiers, so hopelessly weak, ill-armed and poorly led in the war with Japan,  could some day become the equal of any in the world, if they were properly led, trained, nourished, and equipped.

After attending the army's Infantry school at Ft. Benning and the Command and General Staff school  at Fort Leavenworth, Stilwell returned to China (1926-1929) as battalion commander and later executive officer of the Fifteenth Infantry an American regiment stationed in Tientsin as a result of the Boxer Rebellion. He watched the [[KMT|Kuomintang]] under [[Chiang Kai-shek]] unify the nation, assessing Chinese affairs  a series of weekly articles for the journal of the Fifteenth Infantry. His third China duty came in 1935-1939, when he returned as military attaché to observe, judge, and report the Japanese invasion, which began in 1937 and soon captured the major cities.  Stilwell formed a negative opinion of KMT leadership and came to believe that Chinese soldiers, so hopelessly weak, ill-armed and poorly led in the war with Japan,  could some day become the equal of any in the world, if they were properly led, trained, nourished, and equipped.

==Army promotions==

==Army promotions==

From 1929 to 1933, Stilwell served as chief of the tactical section at the Infantry School, under the direction of Col. [[George C. Marshall]]. Marshall had high praise for Stilwell as "a genius for instruction," who was "ahead of his time in tactics and technique," and, although personally unassuming, was one of the "exceptionally brilliant and cultured men of the army."<ref> Barbara Wertheim Tuchman, ''Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45'' (1970) [http://books.google.com/books?id=cmGWftWcnL4C&pg=PA125&lpg=PA125&dq=%22exceptionally+brilliant+and+cultured+men+of+the+army%22&source=web&ots=nc0ZTCXnHd&sig=5QCySrbhYCCnss35-30JTHTMK8o&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result online p.125]</ref>  Stilwell was instantly repelled by incompetence or pretentiousness. A man of utter integrity, he was a fighter and a doer, whose too-quick disgust for anything less in others made him at times, as Marshall later said, "his own worst enemy."<ref> Tuchman, ''Stilwell,'' [http://books.google.com/books?id=cmGWftWcnL4C&pg=PA425&vq=%22worst+enemy%22&dq=%22exceptionally+brilliant+and+cultured+men+of+the+army%22&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U3clQ1j8FouWoHL3flvbkSx3xRRXw  p. 425 online]</ref> His unsparing and acid critiques earned him the nickname "Vinegar Joe."   

From 1929 to 1933, Stilwell served as chief of the tactical section at the Infantry School, under the direction of Col. [[George C. Marshall]]. Marshall had high praise for Stilwell as "a genius for instruction," who was "ahead of his time in tactics and technique," and, although personally unassuming, was one of the "exceptionally brilliant and cultured men of the army."<ref>Barbara Wertheim Tuchman, ''Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45'' (1970) [http://books.google.com/books?id=cmGWftWcnL4C&pg=PA125&lpg=PA125&dq=%22exceptionally+brilliant+and+cultured+men+of+the+army%22&source=web&ots=nc0ZTCXnHd&sig=5QCySrbhYCCnss35-30JTHTMK8o&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result online p.125]</ref>  Stilwell was instantly repelled by incompetence or pretentiousness. A man of utter integrity, he was a fighter and a doer, whose too-quick disgust for anything less in others made him at times, as Marshall later said, "his own worst enemy."<ref>Tuchman, ''Stilwell,'' [http://books.google.com/books?id=cmGWftWcnL4C&pg=PA425&vq=%22worst+enemy%22&dq=%22exceptionally+brilliant+and+cultured+men+of+the+army%22&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U3clQ1j8FouWoHL3flvbkSx3xRRXw  p. 425 online]</ref> His unsparing and acid critiques earned him the nickname "Vinegar Joe."   

Marshall promoted his career and by late 1941, Stilwell had commanded the Third Infantry Brigade (1939), the Seventh Division (1940), and the III Corps (1940-1941) and had been promoted to major general (1940). By virtue of his training of troops and his mastery of tactics in troop maneuvers, he was rated the army's best corps commander. After Pearl Harbor Marshall brought him to Washington to command GYMNAST, a planned landing in North Africa, but that operation was postponed.  

Marshall promoted his career and by late 1941, Stilwell had commanded the Third Infantry Brigade (1939), the Seventh Division (1940), and the III Corps (1940-1941) and had been promoted to major general (1940). By virtue of his training of troops and his mastery of tactics in troop maneuvers, he was rated the army's best corps commander. After Pearl Harbor Marshall brought him to Washington to command GYMNAST, a planned landing in North Africa, but that operation was postponed.  

* Liang, Chin-Tun. ''Gen. Stilwell in China, 1942-1944'' (1972), a pro-Chiang view

* Liang, Chin-Tun. ''Gen. Stilwell in China, 1942-1944'' (1972), a pro-Chiang view

* Newell, Clayton R. ‘’Burma, 1942'’ [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-C-Burma/index.html online edition], focus on Stilwell’s operations

* Newell, Clayton R. ‘’Burma, 1942'’ [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-C-Burma/index.html online edition], focus on Stilwell’s operations

* Prefer, Nathan N. ''Vinegar Joe's War: Stilwell's Campaigns for Burma.'' (2000), 314pp; scholarly history[http://www.questia.com/read/82055748?title=Vinegar%20Joe%27s%20War%3a%20Stilwell%27s%20Campaigns%20for%20Burma online edition]

* Prefer, Nathan N. ''Vinegar Joe's War: Stilwell's Campaigns for Burma.'' (2000), 314pp; scholarly history [http://www.questia.com/read/82055748?title=Vinegar%20Joe%27s%20War%3a%20Stilwell%27s%20Campaigns%20for%20Burma online edition]

* Romanus, Charles F. and Riley Sunderland. ''Stilwell's Mission to China'' (1953), official U.S. Army history [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-CBI-Mission/index.html online edition]

* Romanus, Charles F. and Riley Sunderland. ''Stilwell's Mission to China'' (1953), official U.S. Army history [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-CBI-Mission/index.html online edition]

* Romanus, Charles F. and Riley Sunderland. ''Stilwell's Command Problems'' (1956) [http://www.ibiblio.net/hyperwar////USA/USA-CBI-Command/index.html online edition]

* Romanus, Charles F. and Riley Sunderland. ''Stilwell's Command Problems'' (1956) [http://www.ibiblio.net/hyperwar////USA/USA-CBI-Command/index.html online edition]

* Ven, Hans Van De. "Stilwell in the Stocks: the Chinese Nationalists and the Allied Powers in the Second World War." ''Asian Affairs'' 2003 34(3): 243-259. Issn: 0306-8374 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]], revisionist argument that Stilwell was incompetent, had no command training or experience, and did not appreciate air power. Ven suggests that Roosevelt's needs in the presidential election of 1944, the strategic decision to defeat the Nazi menace in Europe before giving full attention to Japan, and the unwise yielding to the needs of the Soviet Union during World War II all led to the defeat of the Chinese Nationalists.

* Ven, Hans Van De. "Stilwell in the Stocks: the Chinese Nationalists and the Allied Powers in the Second World War." ''Asian Affairs'' 2003 34(3): 243-259. Issn: 0306-8374 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]], revisionist argument that Stilwell was incompetent, had no command training or experience, and did not appreciate air power. Ven suggests that Roosevelt's needs in the presidential election of 1944, the strategic decision to defeat the Nazi menace in Europe before giving full attention to Japan, and the unwise yielding to the needs of the Soviet Union during World War II all led to the defeat of the Chinese Nationalists.

*  Ven, Hans van de. ''War and Nationalism in China: 1925-1945'' (2003), negative on Stilwell

*  Ven, Hans van de. ''War and Nationalism in China: 1925-1945'' (2003), negative on Stilwell

* Young,  Kenneth Ray.  "The Stilwell Controversy: A Bibliographical Review," ''Military Affairs,'' Vol. 39, No. 2 (Apr., 1975), pp. 66-68 [http://www.jstor.org/pss/1986929 in JSTOR]

* Young,  Kenneth Ray.  "The Stilwell Controversy: A Bibliographical Review," ''Military Affairs,'' Vol. 39, No. 2 (Apr., 1975), pp.&nbsp;66–68 [http://www.jstor.org/pss/1986929 in JSTOR]

===Primary Sources===

===Primary Sources===

* Stilwell, Joseph Warren. ''The Stilwell papers'' edited by Theodore H. White, (1958).

* Stilwell, Joseph Warren. ''The Stilwell papers'' edited by Theodore H. White, (1958).