THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, AUGUST
Wingate triumphs in the Jap-held jungle › Churchill hails 'this' man of genius' and Mrs Wingate cables –
'NOW THE WHOLE
W
HEN Major Orde Wingate reported for duty ut General Wavell's headquarters in Delhi in April 1942 no word was said between them about the suicid c attempt subsequent humiliations.
OT
"Welcome back to my com- mand. Wingale," tha Cum. mander-in-Chief sold, "[ um glad to have you. You will bo nooded here."
Replied Wingate, who had spont his murning looking around headquarters: "So I have ob-
served."
He was about to expand when he zemein berød to whom he was talk- ing and eut himself short, merely say By:
"I take 1
that the time is ton Jale, sir. to talk about saving Bur
תוך!
bul to con-
sider how 11 shall
recaptured,
be
COUNTRY
IS TALKING ABOUT YOU'
CHAPTER SEVEN in the story of
Britain's strangest hero
by
LEONARD MOSLEY
have a
plan should like 10 discuss with you."
I
British
It
He described one giment he was
riven as "be longing to an old-age group and a high proportion married. would be wrong to pretend they were well chosen, mentally physically."
or
his role of "dirty-boy" soldier, Intensive training. He had been and who weuring da battered assigned inen who, he loudly He went on to rouse a rather topee, his stained bush-jacket complaines, were "below stan dispirited and pessimistle Wavell and creased trousers, and carry- dare!". into enthusiastle appreciation of ing the Infuriating ainrm clock the Wingate Plan for a New on his little finger. Kind of War-the War of the
Yet, as Colonel Bernard Fer- Long Range Penetration Groups.
It
(Inter to become his of Euason WIN development his Palestinian and Ethiopian second-in-command) mid later, in those middle months of 1043, successes: the formation of Hnall
group of highly trained with the Japanese bayonet firm Infantry to penetrate behind the ly planted in the ribs of South- East Asia, "only in one direction enemy's front and stay supplied by air, to wreak havoc id there seem any prospect of In his rear. Such a force,
I lay in the person of action. close
touch
with
uncouth. shouldered, ita bage by broad! radio could create such pande almost Simian officer who used. and dislocation that an orthodox to drift gloomily into the office, British Army would be able to audibly dream dreams and drift march in nad snatch victory olit again." from the confusion.
SCEPTICISM
thera
When Wingate asked Fergus- san to join him in his plan to penetrate the Japanese lines in Burma, practically the whole of the staff told him he was crazy. "You'll be mad to go with Tor- zan." they said. "The feller's a crackpot. Anyway, the British can't compete with the Japs in the jungle. They'll hunt you down every time,"
JAVELL belleved in the plans WAV
and asked Wingate to re- peat it to the members of the Joint Planning Stuff. His audience of sti necked, haughty, and hide bound generals and brigadiers beard han through, but their contempt AD scepticism
obvious. Wingate WON Wingate had once more adopted
That was the opposite of what believed, and proved. But first there was a period of
SICK PARADE
tering
"The numbers [of sick cases] rapidly fell until they reached less than three percent.”
Wingate had a poor opinion too of his offlcers, "The fact that the average officer, having been bred in an atmosphere of safety dust, is still unable
ble to inke total war seriously, except In short spells, and expecta to be excused while he lights his pipe. 'After all, it's only a game,' case can hear han saying.”
PARTY OFF
to some To stir his offleers
realisation of their responsi bilities he poured out a stream of memoranda which they had to memorise; he took thero out into the jungle on exercises, and because 10 thought British
officers considered It ridiculous to be seen running, would dash from one point to another at a gallon and expect everyone to follow him.
a
WITHIN three weeks of en- the Jungle in the 30 percent of these
On Christmas Day during insoon, British troops either in try- jungle training period, when one ing
to enter hospital. Four of his
units was preparing for weeks later their sick parade a party, Wingate suddenly walk- reached the peak
gure of 70 od in as them. The headquarters percent of their strength.
was deep in the jungle and he "With the co-operation of had not been expected, he their doctors, certain meatures completely alone. He took were taken," reported Wingate. lools at the preparations for He meant that men reporting celebration and
"Good sick were given extra fatigues evening, gentlemen, I want to and neither allowed to enter see the mules.” hospital nor forgo exercises. Doctors visited them only onco n week; otherwise platoon com- manders looked
after
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Switzerland.
said:
WES
KUC
They took him out to inspect the animals, and he was coldly furious whenever he
www any sign of inattentiom or neglect, (In contrast with the
way in which he had driven the camels un Ethiopia, he was thoughtful with his mules and buffaloes and learned the lesson that. Idled- nesa was more effective.)
Not a single officer escaped. the lush of his tongue. Then he to the Improvised came backt
tness and sat on the floor in a corner, his eyes turned inwards, combing his long, wet hair com- timally anxi groaning tinuously, No one had any heart with the Christmas party.
10
un 03
SNAKES TO EAT
INGATE complained that
We Gurking more attached
WINGATE
AND THE
1955.
MEN HE LED...
E forbade shaving to .. he was ruthless with the wounded but ho showed the way to beat the Japanese,
Have time
+
In
failed
to and the columns the jungle, and, running out of fuel, decided to damp the cargo in the Chindwin,
the
neros from
hoven.
His
on the spot, and at least two "My troops endured severities to in the welter of Inemelency and parallels lasitude which has characterised, were turned loose in the bush, which there are few
the Indian to find their way home, or into in any campaign, They have our operations on Japanese hantis, or into some reduced many of my men to front this man, his force and legs comfortable
sheer skin and bone. But all of achievements, stands out, and no or dls them boro hardship with cheer mere question of seniority must soldiers who were lak obeyed were
without fulness and resolution, marching obstruct the advance of real per- out with better discipline Uma sonalities to their proper sințions was observed at the beginning in war. of the campaign."
mercy.
lashed
1
sunc
Shaving
While Churchill was writing was forbidden
be Cause he maintained it took
of this marute, Orde Wingate which up five to ten minutes
Among those who rejoiced had begun work on plans for a
purces Unfortunately might have been spent in sleep Wingate's
was second Chindit operation."""The the pilot chose a sandbank in or relaxation. The men in the stirrett by the exciting quality of firit was the experiment. Now
river just
was the Prime comes the full-dress show," he Long Range Penetration Group his adventures Japanese post and the mailbags grew hair and hairler, includ- Minister, Winston Churchill, For said.
time Churchill. had been
As he diotated in Delhi, the were gathered in by the many, ing Wingate,
and growing increasingly restive
promise of real military triumph They contained letters to Briga
be hovering They bathed, naturally, only critical of the kind of officers seemed at last to dier Wingate, Licut. - Colonel
his head. Suddenly, Wice and Major when they came upon a river; who were leading the armies in over Bernard Fergusson,
tho meantime, Wingate South-East Aela, and not una dove bringing nows
that the Michael ("Mad Mike") Calvent in
Psalms, aware of their hostile attitude floods were definitely beginning among others, as well as routine brushed himself, sang
"One day towards Wingate. battle orders from headquarters, and told his men:
you will become famous along It took the Japanese three with me." days to decipher the information which had fallen so providentially into their hands, but thereafter they were well alerted to the menace and proximity of Wi- gate's columnis,
Wingate the effects
(WORLD COPYRIGHT)
to ebb, a message came for him from London It was a sum- Churchill wrote
minute to General Ismay for
the mens home to see Churchill, Chief of Staff, Committee:— .
"I consider Wingate should commod the UITY against the Japanese Burma. He is a mark of genius and has rightly
THEIR CHANCE
began closing
IN mid-March around Win and audacity, tried to neutralisé gate's columns and he received been discerned by all eyes as a of this mishap by It is a measure of how close the level....There is no doubt that
BERNARD FERGUSSON Wingate had spare monocles flown to him.
the order to withdraw to India.
Japanese were to destroying him that Wingate obeyed the order immediately. He was being at- tacked from oil sides.
And they got away. Out of 3,000 of all ranks who en- tered Burma over 2,000 re-enter-. ed Indin by the first week in June. All but a few of them marched back with their
arms
and equipment. Some Burmese
semained in their home forests. Four hundred and fly died or were wounded, and 430 fell into Japanese hands.
What happened
to the
figure quite above
FREE
the ordinary
Next Saturday:
WITH CHURCHILL IN THE
"FLOATING GUIQ”.---
CZECHS ARE
NOT
BITING
By BERTRAM · JONES
Sydney.
"Accept the amnesty offer," THE Red rulers of Czechb. the letters urged. wounded? Wingate was ruthics slovakia, are trying to- A few days later propaganda aboart that, "It is plain logic that day to lure 12,000 Czechs news shoots from Prague were column marchiorg through from Australia, where they wopped into Australian letter- enemy country," he reported, found freedom, back to the boxes. "must abandon anyone who for
4
Czechs opened them and saw nostalgio pictures of their beautiful old capital, rend poems extolling the loveliness their homeland, They aludied the understanding and phrases ..about minguided Czechs who had allowed the Western capitalists to draw them away from all
of
alud
to his brigade were "slow of wit,
stay reato cannot move at the other side of the Iron Car- raw, untrained." The only troops
pace of the others. The only tain.. alternative is for the column to with whom he was pleased were
abandon its objectives, and this But the much-publicised story a group of 100 British volu teers, who tumed into excellent
cannot be done. Naturally, the of Mrs Sispera-British wor best possible chance is for the bride of a Czech resistance hero, commandos, and a battalion of
individual to be left in a village detained behind the Iron Cur- Burmese who know how to live off the country and later taught
or to leave him at an emergency |tain-ts against them, and their sympathetle. the starving British soldiers how
to leaving a to keep alive "by eating local having daise mall, with de. landing ground. But it most fre- coaxing is getting a brush-off.
quently came
First they adverlised in news- as pythons and liberately fictionised information, wounded man or going on with papers here for people to return. this. produce, such
dropped in other places-without out exim." snakes."
They promised that all would much effect.
be forgiven, that there would be rio hard words about the way in which these new Australians loft their homeland, that they
Originally Wingate's Long Wingate was constantly corn- Range Penetration Groups (the plaining about the quantity of Chindits) had been designed as his air-dropped supplies and at
HIS TRIBUTE
part of a combined operation; the lack of attention that the WHAT did this penetration would make a completely_fresh
11
finally they were sent in alone, radio operators were giving, in.
into Burma, with all its start and that the Czech Consul much against the will of every India to his anders. "It is a hardship, achieve? In practical here would do everything to one except Wavell and Wingate strange thing."
he signalled, things, very litle. It helped to help them along the road back. to drive deep into Burma north that we never get a reply from prove Wingate's theory that of Mandalay, to disorganica the
them around meal timen." Japanese occupation and to cut the vítal Mandalay - Myltina railway.
One of Use airdrops on which he insisted, and for which he
LETTERS ARRIVE
A TRAP
But it was not much good.
The story of Mrs Sispora had been read all over Australia.
And
the Czecha who fled from the very things: Mim Sispora to trying to escape feared what might befall them and their Australian wives if "Get in touch with him," they they went back, in spite of all
the promises
"It's a trap," they raid.
highly-trained column could operate behind tho **nemy'e lines though not many of the General Staff in India were ready to admit even this. I invited. They did all those things, in gave radio priority was a now have the British public at somaltion of appalling discon- set of monocleg for Lieut. home, cager for a victory Almost simultaneously letters fort, and with great - bravery, Colonel Bernard Fergusson, com- against the Japanese, some began arriving from London. But their behaviour was also a mander of his main column. Ho thing to sing about. "Darling Paddington, they were duplicat- A genuine moves to regun the
They wero postmarked trial to Wingate every day they also had regular supplies of the whole country talented and they were unsigned. In pushed through the rain the olsocolate sent, Imowing that to about you," cabled his wife, mud, the vines, and stinging be one of Fergusson's weak- insects and sucking leeches of nosses. the Jungle neroes the Chindwin.
The campaign taught Wingate
The Czech Consul denied it.
Czech, they said that authori- people our country needs," he iles in Prague had favourably declared. And some were no a little humility too.
considered a request on behalf cepting. Otherwise, Wingate treated
of thousands of Czechs wanting "Hor many?" I asked. There was a disaster just after, ħda soldiers with an almost un- He had started his operation to return home, and now
the "About 30," he sold: the operation began. A plane swerving severity. An offer by dcerying the quality of wish of these loyal people could carrying mail ond brigade orders, who made a mistake was sacked his troops. He ended by saying: I be fulfilled.
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN
NOW THAT'S
BETTER. UP... OUT OF YOUR WAY.
IT WAS STUPIO
OF ME TO PARK DOWN.THERE. BUT I WAS IN SUCH A HURRY-
GOING UP-BY
NOTHING SAY
| ITSELF-INTO--
IMA
WHAT IS THIS! WHO ARE YOU?
By Lee Falk and Phil Davis
TOURIST: WHAT
YEAR
THIS
LOOK--I'M DIZZY --IT'S 1955 --BUT~}}
I THOUGHT SO NOW--HAVE
YOU EVER EATEN A
REAL STEAK?
Thirty out of 12.000.
MAGICIANS Cararlsberg