World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseJohn E. McCammon was a Chinese-speaking staff officer who had served most of the war at a desk in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China under General Joseph Stilwell. In Apr 1944, he was brought to Burma on the orders of General Joseph Stilwell to become the executive officer of the US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). The 5307th was near the end of a trying campaign to take control of Myitkyina, Burma and its surroundings. McCammon's appointment was largely attributed to McCammon being a yes-man to Stilwell, and it angered some of the 5307th's junior officers, who viewed Colonel Charles Hunter, who had been with the 5307th since its inception, had led the unit at the front lines through the entire advance toward Myitkyina, and had earned most of the 5307th's men's respect, to be the logical choice. On 19 May 1944, McCammon took over all US and Chinese units in the Myitkyina area as Stiwell's first choice, Frank Merrill, was evacuated due to a heart attack; three days later, on 22 May, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by Stilwell. On 30 May 1944, McCammon was abruptly replaced by Brigadier General Haydon Boatner, ending his very short WW2 career on the front lines.

John McCammon Interactive Map

John McCammon Timeline