Evening star., 1943-11-21
With Clear Weather,
PoIyg|ot Allied Army
Opens Burma Drive
BY FRANK L. MARTIN,
Associated Press War corresnond.n


BY FRANK L. MARTIN,
Associated Press War Correspondent.
HEADQUARTERS OF THE CHI
NESE-AMERICAN EXPEDITION
AIRY FORCE IN NORTHERr
BURMA. - Drenching monsoo,
clouds have given way to bright
sunny weather and Americans, Chi
nese and tribesmen from India ant
Burma are massed here for stron,
new campaign to retake Burma from
the Japanese.
This unusual force of men-speak
Ing eight different languages-ha
been assembled in the mouldy Jun
gle under Brig. Gen. Hayden L
Boatner, 1t. Gen. Joseph w. Still
wells chief of staff for Chinese com
bat troops in the India Burma thea
ter.
At this fantastic headquarters
hidden away in a bamboo forest
American and Chinese staff Officers
have been working together fol
some time to thrash out the detail!
Of the approaching thrust.
Trained by Americans.
Still deeper in the massive jungle
Chinese soldiers carrying the latest
American arms have been trainec
by American officers.
(Since this was written some
units of Gen. Boatner's mixed
command have struck.
(Thrusting southwest into the
Upper Hukawng Valley from the
source of the Chindwin River in
the Naga Hills, they had cleared
out all except isolated Japanese
groups for distance of 40 air.
line miles by November 3.
cWe really are slugging it out
along the Upper Chindwin,"
Boatner declared, adding he was
well satisfied" with progress so
far. The japanese have rushed
reinforcements by every means
of transportation available-ele-
phants, RATS and motorboats.
(The advancing force receives
virtually all its supplies by air.
American f1iers in big transport
planes operating from bases in
India sweep low and drop food,
ammunition and other necessi-
ties by parachute)
Half Dozen Tribes.
In front of the Chinese troops
lingering out still deeper into the
i11Dole ecovaroI mountains oro c,o,,t
patrols. These scouts are men from
half dozen tribes.
Thousands of Indians have been
formed into labor corps.
Supporting the ground force is the
United States 10th Air Force, op-
Grating from bases carved out of the
jungle near the Burma border.
Behind this fighting force Amer
lean engineers are steadily pushing
into Burma the new stragetic Ledo
road-the first India land
link-Which is intended eventually
to tie up with the Burma road.
Along this road American supply
bases are springing up overnight like
the old Western boomtowns Of the
United States.
These Americans are fighting
farther from their homeland than
any others throughout the world.
Beside them are Chinese who re-
treated from Burma, now reinforced
by fresh troops from China.
Dual Generalship.
While Gen. Boatner, holding his
rank in the Chinese army as, well
as in that of the United States, is
in charge of operations under Gen
Stillwell, the Chinese units are un-
der Chinese command with Amer
ican liason officers as advisers.
The native scouts, acting in the
same capacity as the Indians did
for American armies in the early
days of the United States, are the
eyes for the Allied forces. They lead
the Americans and Chinese through
the jungle and locate enemy posi-
tions.
The commander 43-year-old Gen
Boatner, comes from New Orleans,
but his wife and two children live at
San Antonio, Tex. One of the most
colorful characters in the China
Burama-India theater, he once was
a marine and still sWearS like one.
Boatner's aggressiveness, informal
ity, contempt for red tape, gags and
command of invective have become
legendary all over the theater.
He runs around in shorts, shirt
work cap and boots, with no insignia
of rank. He's called Buster Boat
ner" because of his eXuberance and
staff members are Busters boys
Learned He Was Right.
After a stretch in the marines
starting in October, 1918, Boatner
attended Tulane University in 1919
20 and was graduated from West
Point in 1924 He was with the
famous 18th Infantry in Tientsin
China.
He organized the original Ma
gruder Military Mission and, later
the original Stilwell Military Mission
Then he left the War Departments
general staff last year to join Stilwel
in Burma.
Boatner threw away the book
when he started dealing with the
Chinese in the jungle. He pro-
ceeded on a purely common-sense
basis. Some plush colonels-gradu-
ates of Fort Benning and Fort Sill
and fresh from the States-re-
monstrated about his methods. They
soon learned he was right.
Boatner's hobby is hunting, ane
he has collected quite an unofficia
, arsenal. To keep on friendly term!
with tribal chieftains, who provide
labor and porters, he rewards then
with As automatics. The chiefs fir,
the pistols-and their wives weal
the cartridge jackets in their ears
There are scores of anecdote;
about Boatner. One time, whil,
he was jeeping minus insignia, h
picked up hitchhiking Army nurs,
who casually asked who he was.
I'm a Red Cross worker" tn,
general replied.
Next day, he inspected the youni
woman's hospital, called her b,
name-and warned her about hitch