New 6th Army


New 6th Army was a Chinese combat command involved in the Burma Campaign of World War II, and later, the Chinese Civil War.
They operated in the Shan States and the Karen State of eastern Burma. The New 6th Army's General and Supreme Commander was Liao Yaoxiang.
The New 6th Army was among the top five nationalist crack units, Reorganized 74th Division, and the 5th Army.

Notable facts

  • On April 23, 1942, the 6th Army was involved in skirmishes with Japanese forces, and were forced to retreat from Taunggyi, toward the Yunnan Province. Two days later, they returned and beat back the Japanese, recapturing the location in the process.
  • On March 31, 1945, the British 36th Division and units of the Chinese 6th Army, captured Kyaukme, which is northwest of Mandalay. A fortnight before, the 6th army gained control of Hsipaw, 80 kilometres southwest of Lashio.
  • Mobile medical support for the command was provided by a unit assigned by Britain; one notable member of the unit was the "Burma Surgeon"Gordon Seagrave.
  • The command worked with the USAFCT in redeploying over 2200 animals by aerial transport from Burma into Chan-i. The effort was executed in January 1945. In April of the same year those animals were airlifted from Chan-i to Chih-chiang.
  • One of the US Army liaison officers, Desmond Fitzgerald, later went on to have a notable CIA career, including involvement in the attempted assassination of Fidel Castro.