SOUTHEAST ASIA COMMAND HEADQUARTERS.
Dear Mr. President,
You told me to write to you from time to time and since your
forces in my theatre have been doing so particularly well lately
I felt I should write to you briefly about their doings
To begin with, General Stilwell is having a really great success
in the Hukawng Valley. I have allotted to him the lion's share
in the aircraft supply dropping missions and this has enabled
him to push ahead with his Chinese forces without waiting for
the road to catch up.
I visited him at his Advsalced Headquarters and went up to
the front with him and was most impressed by all I saw
I had allocated the American Long Range Penetration Group
to General Stilwell and there is no doubt that it has been of
the utmost value to him in going ahead and cutting the Japanese
lines of communication, although this could more properly be
called "Short Range Penetration".
Wingate has now three Brigades in Burma whose function it
is to cut the Japanese communications at long range and Stilwell
is as confident as I am that Wingate's operations will have a
profound effect on the future prospects of success of the Ledo
force.
It was when I was visiting Arnold in Washington after the
Quebec Conference that I suggested to him the formation of an
Air Commando to help Wingate. This new formation has proved the
most unqualified success and has revolutionized jungle warfare.
Colonel Cochran and his Second in Command, Lieutenant Colonel
Alison, have made a really grand job of No. 1 Air Commando. I
sent two military observers to witnessthe fly-in of Wingate's
brigades. The British observer, Major Dunn, was killed; the American
observer, Lieutenant, Colonel Bellah, survived and hasw written
a most dramatic account of the fly-in, which I am taking the
liberty of enclosing, as it seems to me such a very vivid account.
I think it shows the splendid spirit which exists bet %ween Wingate's
and Cochran's forces.
I also enclose an extract from an account from Air Marshal
Baldwin which gives a vivid idea of how excellently air control
of this landing field was exercised by Alison.
I have always been cautious in my claims but optimistic in
my outlook of vrhat could be done in Burma and as a result of
Wingate's and Cochran's exploits I am even more optimistic than
I was.
I hear that we are going to get a lot more transport aircraft
and Air Commandos. I really feel we may be able to get a move
on when we have these. Without air transport and air supply we
are tied to roads which we have to build behind us across the
most wild and desolate mountain jungle I have ever seen. Without
overwhelming air support it would take years to drive the Japanese
out of Burma.
On the 15th April I am, moving my Headquarters to Kandy, as
originally suggested to me by the Prime Minister. It will be
a great blessing being able to get my Headquarters away from
the political and social atraosphere of Delhi and to get away
from being lodgers in India to Ceylon, which is actually within
the South East Asia Command.