Evening star., 1944-10-28
StiIweII
Continued From First Page

by 1t. Gen. Dan I. Sultan, now
deputy commander of the Obi the
ater. Gen. Sultan was Engineer
Commissioner of the District from
1884 to 1898.
The War Department had this to
say about Gen. Stilwell's recall:
I'm answer to queries, the War
Department stated that in view of
the decision to divide the China
Burma India theater into two
smaller theaters, Gen. Stilwell has
been recalled to Washington.
He will be given a new and i'm
portant. but at present, undisclosed
assignment"
The text of the White House an
nouncement:
Gen. Stilwell has been relieved
as chief of staff to Generalissimo
Chang Kai-shek, as deputy. to
Admiral Mountbatten, who is COM
mander of the Southeast Asia Com
mand, and as United States COM
mander of the China Burma India
theater, and has been recalled to
Washington.
The former China Burma India
theater will be divided into two the
aters under separate commanders.
The United States forces in the
China theater will be commanded
by Maj. Gen. Wedemeyer, who has
been appointed concurrently by the
Generalissimo as chief of staff of
the China theater.
Gen. Wedemeyer is now deputy
chief Of staff to Admiral Mount
batten.
The United States forces in the
India Burma theater will be COM
manded by 1t. Gen. Dan I. Sultan,
now deputy commander of the
China Burma India theater."
Took Command in 1912.
Gen. Stilwell was assigned to COM
mand American Army forces in the
Obi theater in March, 1912. At the
same time, Generalissimo Chang
placed him in command Of the 5th
and 9Th Chinese Armies. Gen. Still
we'll subsequently relinquished this
command, but retained his designa-
ton as commanding general of the
United States Army forces in the
Asiatic theater and also as chief of
staff to Chang.
The 6l-year -old general began his
military career in 1904 on gradua-
ton from West Point. He has seen
much foreign service since. includ-
ing tours of duty in the Philippines,
in China and in France during the
World War, where he participated
in a number of the major engage
ments of that war.
An expert on Chinese affairs, Gen.
Stilwell went to that country for the
first time in 1919, serving there until
1923. He went back to China in 1926
for a two-year tour of duty with the
18th Infantry, and in the summer
of 1882 was detailed as military
attache at the American Embassy in
Peiping. He held that post until
1899, when he was ordered back to
this country.
He was commander of the Sd
Army Corps, with headquarters in
California, at the outbreak of the
present war.
Known gfor Quick Temper.
Testy, ascetic and quick-tempered,
Gen. Stilwell is also kindly and con-
witness his two nicknames,
Vinegar Joe" and Uncle joe" with
Uncle Joe" the more frequent. He
detests the ceremony and routine of
headquarters and most of the time
has been found slogging through the
jungles with his troops.
! During the Allied disasters In
Burma in the spring of 1912, Gen.
Stilwell was with the troops in the
fighting and the retreat. His COM
ment on that campaign became a
classic:
I'VE took hell of a beating"
But he won the Distinguished
Service Cross for his leadership.
Gen. Wedemeyer, who takes over
in China, became deputy chief of
staff of the Southeast Asia Com
mand in October, 1943. He went to
that assignment from his previous
job in the Office of assistant chief of
staff in the Operations Division at
Washington. Fifty-eight years old
and a native of Omaha, Nebr., Gen.
Wedemeyer entered on his Army
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