Shadow Spy

Chapter 380 Hutton’s reinstatement

On the other side, on the luxury train of the British Army heading north, the accompanying military doctor had completed the operation on Lieutenant General Thomas Hutton and removed the two bullets from his back and leg.

Speaking of which, Hutton was definitely blessed. When he heard the gunfire, he immediately fell down. Although he was shot twice, none of them hit his vitals. So after the operation, as soon as the anesthetic wore off, he He soon woke up.

Hutton's first words when he woke up were: "Where is the train now?"

The adjutant waiting in the carriage immediately said: "General, we are still 20 minutes away from Tonggu. For the sake of your health, should we stay in Tonggu for a few days?"

"No, don't stop..." Hutton gasped, "After the train arrives at Tonggu... it will immediately turn to Ren'anqiang in the northwest..."

"Yes, general!" the adjutant said immediately, and as he spoke, he was about to stand up and convey the order.

At this time, a British lieutenant colonel knocked on the door of the carriage and came in to report: "General Hutton, we have reported the assassination of General Alexander and General Smith to the country... We just received a call back from Prime Minister Churchill. You are appointed again as Commander-in-Chief of the British-Burmese Army, commanding all British forces in Burma, and reporting to General Wavell, Commander-in-Chief of the British-Indian Army.”

Originally, Hutton's adjutant was worried about whether the order he had just received would be carried out by others. When he heard that his commander had been reinstated as the commander of the British-Burmese Army, he immediately became energetic and hurried out to convey the command.

Hutton was not happy after receiving this order. Alexander's previous behavior of taking over his duties on the line had actually shown London's intention - to let Alexander, the general who successfully commanded the 1st Army's evacuation from Dunkirk, Come and command the British-Burmese army's withdrawal to India!
To this end, they also agreed to take advantage of the Chinese government's desire to preserve the transportation channel of the Burma Road to lure the Chinese Expeditionary Force into Burma to cover the retreat of the British army; as for the Chinese casualties, it was none of their business. .From this aspect, the behavior of the British is despicable, really unbecoming of a gentleman, and brings disgrace to the British Empire.

Hutton himself still wanted to gain some respect, so after knowing London's intentions, he happily handed over the command to Alexander. He planned to take the opportunity to return to China after withdrawing to India with the army, then retire and go home, no longer paying attention to the people here. thing.

Unexpectedly, before leaving Yangon, Alexander was shot dead at the train station. John Smith, the second-in-command of the British-Burmese army, also went with him. Fortunately, he survived, but was shot by Prime Minister Churchill. Gaian returned to the position of commander of the British-Burmese Army!

In this way, if the British army deceived its ally China's expeditionary force to provide cover for the British army, and they fled to India themselves, he would be responsible for the infamy that would occur throughout the world. This is really not good news!

However, now that he has been put in this position again, he can only perform his duties seriously.

Commander Hutton, who had eaten something and regained some energy, summoned the staff of the British-Burmese Army Headquarters on the train and asked them to contact each unit immediately to clarify their current positions to facilitate subsequent combat deployment.

About ten minutes after the special train passed Tonggu (Taungoo), the situation of all the British troops stationed in Burma was reported to Hutton. He endured the pain in his body and ordered: "Reaffirm the previous command's order:
“The 1st Division of the British-Burmese Army was stationed at Thong Ku;

“The 36th Indian Infantry Division is stationed in Meng Town (70 kilometers southeast of Tonggu);
“The 17th Division of the British Indian Army is stationed in Degong (140 kilometers northwest of Tonggu);
"The 63rd Brigade of the British-Australian Army and the 7th Armored Brigade of the British Army withdrew to Ren'anqiang as a reserve force for the entire army." The staff officers recorded the order. Some did not understand the significance of Hutton issuing the same order again, but they still Before they could raise any questions, Hutton added: "This is the final order, and it will be implemented immediately. Tell the three division commanders that anyone who evacuates without permission from the headquarters will be subject to military law!"

"Yes, General!" After hearing this, everyone in the special train hurriedly stood at attention and responded, knowing in their hearts: the last sentence is the key point!

In fact, what Hutton was thinking was: At least there must be a real battle with the Japanese army. If more than 4 British troops fled to India without fighting a tough battle, they would really lose their face in front of the whole world. !

If he fights a tough battle and then evacuates, no one can say that it is wrong for the 4 British troops to lose to more than 10 Japanese troops in four divisions. The British army and his personal face will be saved.

As for the Chinese Expeditionary Force entering Burma, he didn't think much about it. On this point, he was the same as the arrogant British.
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Li Junhao's armored convoy traveled all the way north, and its target was temporarily set at Degong, an important town in the northwest of Bago Province.

At this time, he did not know that the British army's command system and combat attitude had changed, because the British army did not notify the United States in time.

The embassy sent him telegrams every six hours simply asking about his location and safety.

Ambassador Johnson in Chongqing was very dissatisfied with Pan Sen's risk of going deep into the battlefield in Myanmar. That is to say, he could not control Pan Sen now, otherwise he would severely criticize the other party and order him to go to Chongqing or Kunming immediately!But now, all he can do is forward the report sent by Pan Sen back to the country, hoping that the White House will give him an order!

After receiving Panson's report on the Burma battlefield forwarded via China, President Roosevelt attended the Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting to discuss the situation in the India-Burma theater with the generals.

Lieutenant General Arnold, deputy chief of staff of the Army and commander of the Air Force, personally read out several battle reports sent by Pan Sen, and combined with the map, outlined the current situation on the Myanmar battlefield.

General Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army and Commander-in-Chief of the Far East Theater, said: "Mr. President, through these reports from General Panson, we now know that the war situation in southern Myanmar has been eroded, and the British army is retreating north! This once again proves that General Panson Based on previous inferences, I have to say that this young man is really outstanding!”

"You are so adventurous that you dare to go deep into the battlefield with only 50 people!" White House Chief of Staff Admiral Leahy said dissatisfied, "This kid doesn't even think about his current identity. If something happens to him on the battlefield, it will be troublesome. It’s too small!”

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Stark smiled and said: "William, I don't think you need to worry too much. I think General Panson will not put himself in danger with his military acumen! Moreover, he went deep this time On the battlefield, all we get is first-hand intelligence. This speed is far faster than our administrative department and military intelligence system, and it buys us valuable time to adjust our Far East strategy in a timely manner. The credit is not small!"

(End of this chapter)