The Rice Paddy Navy: U.S. Sailors Undercover in China

by Linda Kush

Overview

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy knew it would need vital information from the Pacific. After a meeting and a handshake agreement with Chiang Kai-shek, the Sino-American Cooperative Organization was born. This top-secret network worked hand in hand with the Nationalist Chinese to fight the Japanese occupation of China while it intercepted Japanese code, laid mines, and trained Chinese peasants in guerrilla warfare. Its work supplied critical information to the U.S. and contributed to the felling of more than 70,000 Japanese – while losing only five of their own men. SACO – “the rice paddy navy” – was one of the best-kept secrets of the war. Linda Kush uncovers the military accomplishments and political wrangling that colored one of the most successful – and little known – efforts of World War II.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782003120
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	11/20/2012
Series:	General Military
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Linda Kush is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in World War II magazine, The Boston Globe, and various blogs. She is a staff assistant at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Setting the Stage for the Rice Paddy Navy

Chapter 1 The U.S. Navy Mission in China 2

Chapter 2 A Handshake Creates the Sino-American Cooperative Organization 15

Part 2 A Strange Cast in a Strange Drama

Chapter 3 China in Turmoil 32

Chapter 4 Dai Li and Milton Miles 46

Part 3 SACO From the Ground Up

Chapter 5 Building the Rice Paddy Navy 58

Chapter 6 Happy Valley, SACO Headquarters 73

Chapter 7 Backstage SACO: India and Over the Hump 84

Part 4 SACO's Battle Within the U.S. Military

Chapter 8 SACO and the OSS: A Shaky Alliance 94

Chapter 9 A Landlocked Navy in Stormy Seas 108

Part 5 Operations and the SACO Experience

Chapter 10 Teaching: A Learning Experience 124

Chapter 11 Doing Something About the Weather 136

Chapter 12 Intelligence: Radios, Spies, and Coast Watchers 147

Chapter 13 Life as a SACO 161

Chapter 14 Secret Adventures Revealed 161

Part 6 Amazing Groups Among Remarkable Men

Chapter 15 The Yangtze River Raiders 192

Chapter 16 The Crown Jewel on the Gobi Desert 206

Chapter 17 The Sailors and the Flyboys 220

Chapter 18 Adventures with Pirates, a Princess, and a Priest 234

Part 7 The Adventure's End

Chapter 19 It's All Over 252

Chapter 20 Wrapping Up and Looking Back 266

Acknowledgements 277

Selected Bibliography 278

Notes 284

Index 288

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The Rice Paddy Navy imparts illuminating insights into the secret organization of US Navy personnel and Chinese guerillas during one of the darkest periods in the 20th century."
—Jonathan Veres, www.cybermodeler.com (January 2013)

Editorial Reviews

“Linda Kush masterfully presented the rich history of SACO, of its commanding officer Milton 'Mary' Miles, and its Chinese sponsor Dai Li. She vividly described the WW2-era America which understood so little about China (in fact, most Americans probably cared to understand) about China, and how Miles differed from most of the Americans who looked down on the Chinese. The Rice Paddy Navyoffered a great deal of new information about the war behind Japanese lines and about a theater of war that many western readers would be unfamiliar with. I highly recommend this title to all WW2DB visitors.” —C. Peter Chen, World War II Database

“There is so much depth and insight here, that it is an unparalleled achievement based on source materials and key to any definitive collection covering events of the times.” —The Midwest Book Review (February 2013)

“TheU.S. Navyconducting intelligence operations in the inner regions ofChina? Including arming and directing guerrilla bands to fight the Japanese?As far-fetched as that might sound, such is exactly what happened in World War II, in what was one of the best kept secrets of the war. Although several books have been published about the 'rice paddy navy,'Linda Kush's book is the most thorough exploration of the work of an extraordinary joint venture, theSino-American Cooperative Organization(SACO).” —The Washington Times

“The Rice Paddy Navyimparts illuminating insights into the secret organization of US Navy personnel and Chinese guerillas during one of the darkest periods in the 20th century.” —Jonathan Veres, www.cybermodeler.com (January 2013)

“I recommend this book to any and all readers with an interest in the clandestine operations of the Second World War. This book opens new vistasinto what went on behind the scenes and how they affected victory in the Pacific in the long run. Anyone with an interest in military history or little known naval operations will truly enjoy this book.” —Richard Mataka, www.mataka.org

“...Linda Kush reveals the story of this covert operation, uncovering the military accomplishments, diplomatic ties, and political wrangling that colored one of the most successful--and little known--efforts of World War II.” —Reading Room Book Reviews (June 2013)

From the Publisher