Merrill’s Marauders, sometimes called Merrill’s Raiders, were about 3,000 United States infantrymen who fought under Brigadier General Frank Merrill during World War II (1939-1945). The unit’s official name was the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). The Marauders were tough jungle fighters who won fame in the China-Burma-India theater. They were organized for long-range missions deep into enemy territory. They went to India in October 1943, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt called for volunteers to take part in a “dangerous and hazardous” mission. In March 1944, after a 100-mile (160-kilometer) march, Merrill’s Marauders surprised the enemy by blocking the only Japanese supply line in the Hukawng Valley, in northern Burma (now Myanmar).
See also Stilwell, Joseph Warren .
