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GALAHAD
GALAHAD, codename for US volunteer force, otherwise known as Merrill's Marauders, which fought the Japanese in the Burma campaign. It comprised three battalions, totalling about 3,000 men, each being divided into two combat teams. The force was given training with the Chindits, with whom it had originally been raised to co-operate. Then, employing Chindit tactics, it was used by Stilwell between March and August 1944, in conjunction with his First Chinese Army, to try to outflank and then trap the Japanese in northern Burma.
The unit's nickname—coined by a war correspondent but never used by its members—came from its leader, Brig-General Frank D. Merrill, its official title being ‘5307 Composite Unit (Provisional)’. Among its ranks were Sioux Indians and Japanese-Americans who were the backbone of the élite intelligence and reconnaissance platoons. Appointed by Stilwell, whose friend and chief of staff he was, Merrill, a cavalryman, had no infantry experience. He had two heart attacks while in command and the unit was mostly led by his second-in-command, Colonel Charles Hunter. After a series of brilliant outflanking movements GALAHAD, working with Chinese units and levies from the Kachin hill tribes, captured the airfield at Myitkyina in northern Burma on 17 May 1944, but by that time the original force, worn down by disease and exhaustion, had practically ceased to exist. Stilwell, determined to capture Myitkyina itself, reinforced GALAHAD with untrained troops and hurried the sick and wounded back into action. The town eventually fell on 3 August, though by then the few survivors had been withdrawn. When the campaign was over, the unit was disbanded, amidst some acrimony, and its remnants were then accepted into the US infantry as the 475th Regiment. Altogether, its members had fought in 5 major and 30 minor actions and had received precious little praise from Stilwell for their tenacity. However, they eventually received the recognition they deserved—a Presidential Unit Citation, 6 Distinguished Service Crosses, 4 Legions of Merit, and 44 Silver Stars (see decorations). See also China–Burma–India theatre. |
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I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "GALAHAD." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "GALAHAD." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-GALAHAD.html I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "GALAHAD." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-GALAHAD.html |
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Galahad
Galahad, Galaad. Morally immaculate Grail-questing hero of the Arthurian legends. Although Galahad does not have an obvious parallel in Celtic literatures, enthusiasts have posited a Welsh etymology for his name: gwalch [hawk, falcon, crested one]; cad [battle].
Bibliography See Rachel Bromwich , Trioedd Ynys Prydain, rev. edn. (Cardiff, 1978), 353ff. |
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "Galahad." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "Galahad." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Galahad.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "Galahad." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Galahad.html |
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Sir Galahad
Sir Galahad , hero of Arthurian legend . He was the son of Launcelot and Elaine, the daughter of King Pelles. Because he was the noblest and purest of the knights of Christendom, he alone, according to Sir Thomas Malory , achieved the Holy Grail (see Grail, Holy ). |
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"Sir Galahad." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Sir Galahad." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Galahad.html "Sir Galahad." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Galahad.html |
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Galahad (The Haute Prince)
Galahad (The Haute Prince), in Malory's Morte D'Arthur, is (by enchantment) the son of Launcelot and Elaine, daughter of King Pelles. He is predestined by his immaculate purity to achieve the Siege Perilous (see Round Table) and the Grail.
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Galahad (The Haute Prince)." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Galahad (The Haute Prince)." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-GalahadTheHautePrince.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Galahad (The Haute Prince)." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-GalahadTheHautePrince.html |
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Galahad
Galahad the noblest of King Arthur's knights, son of Sir Lancelot, renowned for immaculate purity and destined to find the Holy Grail.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Galahad." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Galahad." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Galahad.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Galahad." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Galahad.html |
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Galahad
Galahad
•ad, add, Allahabad, bad, Baghdad, bedad, begad, cad, Chad, clad, dad, egad, fad, forbade, gad, glad, grad, had, jihad, lad, mad, pad, plaid, rad, Riyadh, sad, scad, shad, Strad, tad, trad
•chiliad • oread
•dryad, dyad, naiad, triad
•Sinbad • Ahmadabad • Jalalabad
•Faisalabad • Islamabad • Hyderabad
•grandad • Soledad • Trinidad
•doodad • Galahad • Akkad • ecad
•cycad, nicad
•ironclad • nomad • maenad
•monad, trichomonad
•gonad • scratch pad • sketch pad
•keypad • helipad • launch pad
•notepad • footpad • touch pad • farad
•tetrad • Stalingrad • Leningrad
•Conrad • Titograd • undergrad
•Volgograd • Petrograd • hexad
•Mossad • Upanishad • pentad
•heptad • octad
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"Galahad." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Galahad." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Galahad.html "Galahad." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Galahad.html |
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