Joseph Stillwell secretly murders Chiang Kai Check in 1944.

Gukpard

Gukpard

OTL Kai Check was fighting so badly against Japan that the US attachè to China, Joseph Stillwell, suggested murdering him in hopes for a more competent leader to take over, but US authorities denied.

Let's say that instead of him giving any indication that murdering him is a good idea, he secretly had him murdered during operation Ichi Go. Nobody, not even the US government knows that he's the one who did it. What happens from that moment? Could this lead Li Zongren to Win the Chinese civil war after WWII?
 
Gillan1220

Gillan1220

Ichi Go would still result in a Japanese victory thanks to the incompetence of the KMT, which dates back to the 1920s. It's hard to say how Li Zongren would deal with the Communist threat. My guess is that perhaps there would be a ceasefire on the Yangtze and Truman may not lose China at all.

Perhaps we would get an divided China just like Korea, Vietnam, and Germany.
 

Sekhmet_D

It's worth mentioning that Li was one of the better Kuomintang generals and was responsible for handing the Japanese more than a few of their rare defeats in China. He was certainly more tractable than other Kuomintang leaders to negotiating with the Communists, as well. I can see him stalling Ichi-Go in several places (although definitely not enough to completely stymie it) and working out some sort of deal with Mao (if but a temporary one).
 

RideauArcott

Banned
Was Stillwell even correct though? How much of the problems in the KMT were Chiang's fault and how much of it was the endemic and widespread corruption and incompetence of lower echelon people? China was a barely held together nation in WW2, still stuck in the warlord period and nowhere near stable.
 

Bougnas

The same Stillwell who wasted China's best divisions in hopeless counteroffensives to save his incompetent ass?
 

Citycat

Stilwell wasn't a competent leader himself. Apart from being in perpetual conflict with Chiang, he was also frequently embroiled with disputes with the British, and additionally his compatriot Chennault. Stilwell also tried to sabotage the Chinese during Ichi-Go, hoping this would undermine Chiang. A man incapable of getting along with or working together with other key Allied players in the China-Burma Theatre, and who put his own ego and personal interests above winning the war.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top