Joseph Stilwell

Joseph Warren Stilwell was a career United States Army officer with long experience in China. During World War II he served as chief of staff to Chiang Kai-shek and held senior Allied responsibilities in the China–Burma–India theatre, where he sought to reopen overland communications to China and commanded forces operating in northern Burma.

Stilwell’s abrasive personality and disputes with Chinese, British and American leaders made his command politically contentious. His campaigns nevertheless formed an important part of Allied operations in Burma and of the difficult coalition warfare surrounding the China supply effort.