During three years of jungle warfare, Detachment 101 claimed to have killed 5,447 Japanese, while another 10,000 Japanese soldiers were wounded or reported missing. But the unit’s importance went beyond its kill rate alone. The constant possibility of ambush, at which the Kachins were expert, made the Japanese edgy and cautious and ate away at their morale. When asked, Japanese prisoners rated each Kachin as equal to 10 Japanese soldiers. The OSS estimated that, in reality, the Kachins were even more effective than that–inflicting 25 casualties on the enemy for every casualty of their own. During its operations, Detachment 101 also destroyed 51 bridges and 277 military vehicles, while suffering the loss of 184 Kachins and 18 Americans killed in action.

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Detachment 101 was deactivated on July 12, 1945. Skeptical to the end, General Stilwell was dubious of the Kachin kill rate. ‘How can you be so sure of the numbers?’ he asked a guerrilla leader.

Dropping a bundle on Stilwell’s desk, the diminutive warrior said, ‘Count these ears and divide by two.’

This article was written by Sterling Rock Johnson and originally appeared in the May 1996 issue of World War II magazine. For more great articles, subscribe to World War II magazine today!

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