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03:53had overwhelming superiority.
03:59On the Allied side, General Alexander
04:02headed small forces of British, Indians, and Burmese.
04:05And General Stilwell commanded Chinese troops
04:08sent by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.
04:12The Japanese sought to cut off China's supply line
04:15from Rangoon to Mandalay,
04:17and then to the Burma Road,
04:19running from Lashio to Kunming.
04:22They struck from the border of Thailand
04:24toward the vital port of Rangoon.
04:27Chenault and his American volunteer group,
04:29the Flying Tigers,
04:31together with small units of the RAF,
04:33helped to hold off the advance.
04:38The Japs attacked Rangoon in force.
05:02Rangoon fell.
05:17The enemy swept on to central Burma,
05:20along the road to Mandalay,
05:22where, by air and ground,
05:24and with the aid of fifth colonists and looters,
05:26they destroyed that city.
05:50Despite Chinese resistance,
05:52they overran the Solween River area
05:53on to Lashio,
05:54terminus of the Burma Road.
05:57By the end of April,
05:58they captured the strategically important town
06:00of Michinow.
06:01The Burma Road was cut.
06:03Thousands of refugees choked the roads
06:05as Alexander and Stilwell were forced to retreat
06:07with what was left of their armies.
06:20Last to leave were the demolition squads
06:22who scorched the earth,
06:23destroyed equipment,
06:24while he put fire to oil supplies.
06:49As the Allies retreated,
06:50that joined with them
06:51an ever-growing mass of refugees,
06:54Burmese,
06:55whose homes and lives
06:56had been shattered.
07:03The Allies did what they could
07:05for these refugees,
07:06and through brilliant leadership
07:08and individual fortitude,
07:10managed to keep ahead of the Japs.
07:18They retreated along elephant trails,
07:21through jungle,
07:24across rivers and mountains,
07:26to the safety of India.
07:38Stilwell said the last word
07:40on the campaign.
07:42I claim we got a hell of a beating.
07:45We got run out of Burma,
07:46and it's humiliating as hell.
07:49I think we ought to find out
07:50what caused it,
07:51go back and retake the place.
07:57Burma covers approximately
07:59the same area as Texas.
08:02On its western border lies India.
08:05On its eastern,
08:07China,
08:08Indochina,
08:09and Thailand.
08:12To many, Burma is a land of legend,
08:14a shrine of Buddhism
08:15with its pagodas,
08:17its fabled road to Mandalay,
08:19its colorful cities and villages,
08:20its strange and picturesque people.
08:31To the Allies, however,
08:33who were to fight there,
08:34Burma is a land of perpetual struggle
08:36against nature,
08:37with jungles so thick
08:39that whole armies can pass
08:40within a short distance of each other
08:41without detection.
08:45Wide and turbulent rivers
08:47that are almost impassable.
08:50mountain barriers reaching
08:51their greatest height
08:52in the Himalayas,
08:53the highest range in the world.
08:58It's a land of extreme climate,
09:00intense cold,
09:01heat,
09:02and monsoon.
09:04Rainfall as great
09:05as anywhere on earth.
09:12It's swamps are breeding grounds
09:14for malarial mosquitoes.
09:16Cholera,
09:17beriberi,
09:18typhus,
09:19dysentery,
09:20tropical fevers and sores
09:21plague its inhabitants.
09:22This was the land
09:24where we were to fight.
09:33The task of reopening
09:35the land bridge of Burma
09:36was a tremendous one.
09:37General Stilwell's first act
09:39after the Japanese invasion
09:40was the formation
09:41of an American command
09:42known as CBI,
09:44China, Burma, India.
09:46From China came
09:48thousands of Chinese.
09:53They were carried
09:54over the Himalayas
09:55by planes
09:56of the American Air Force
09:57to Ramgar in India.
10:01Here under CBI,
10:03a huge training station
10:04had been started.
10:17On the British side,
10:18the Commander-in-Chief
10:19of India Command
10:20was Field Marshal
10:21Sir Archibald Wavell,
10:23later to become Viceroy
10:24and to be succeeded
10:25in his military leadership
10:26by General Sir Claude Achenleck.
10:29On the shoulders
10:30of these men,
10:30there fell the responsibility
10:32of raising and training
10:33huge armies
10:33for the defense of India.
10:48It wasn't long
10:50before India
10:50became a vast armed camp.
11:07From the independent
11:08Kingdom of Nepal
11:09came the Gurkhas.
11:10From the Naga Hills,
11:12Naga Headhunters
11:12joined forces
11:13with the Allies.
11:14From East Africa
11:15and West Africa
11:16came more troops.
11:17From Burma
11:18came the Burma Rifles.
11:19And from the Chin Hills,
11:21Chin and Kachin tribesmen.
11:22Scots, Irish, English,
11:25Welsh, Australian,
11:26New Zealander,
11:27Indian, Gurkha,
11:29Burman, African,
11:31Chinese, American.
11:33Never was there
11:34such a polyglot army.
11:38In the meantime,
11:40in China,
11:40roads packed with refugees
11:42gave evidence
11:42of the terrific struggle
11:43against the Japanese advance.
12:05There were attempts to push
12:06through other trails.
12:07Mule packs were driven
12:09over the Himalayas to China
12:10at freezing altitudes,
12:11but the cargo they could carry
12:13was pitifully small
12:14and the time it took
12:16incredibly long.
12:21The first step
12:22was the construction
12:23of an air bridge
12:24across which supplies
12:25were to be flown
12:26by flyers
12:26of the American
12:27Transport Command,
12:28shuttling back and forth
12:30over what they called
12:30the Hump.
12:32It was a slow process.
12:34Equipment had to be
12:35taken apart
12:35so that it could be loaded
12:36aboard planes.
12:47It was flown across Burma
12:48over the Himalayas
12:49to Kunming in China.
12:51Enemy interception,
12:52particularly from the
12:53important air base
12:54at Michinac,
12:55denied them a direct line
12:56and forced them north
12:57over a much higher route.
13:08They flew across jungles
13:13through mist and fog
13:23over mountains
13:24often at heights
13:26of over 20,000 feet
13:27with the menace
13:28of Japanese planes
13:29ever present.
13:31They made a sky bridge
13:32525 miles long
13:35over the roof
13:35of the world
13:36and carried across
13:38in unarmed transport
13:39planes
13:39the vital supplies
13:41needed by the American
13:42and Chinese air forces
13:43and the Chinese armies.
13:45But it wasn't enough.
13:47There was still
13:48desperate need
13:49for a land bridge.
13:51So at the end
13:52of 1942,
13:53a road was started.
13:56The Lido Road.
13:59Starting at Lido
14:00in northern India,
14:01the plan was to drive
14:03through jungles,
14:04rivers, mountains
14:04and Jap opposition
14:05to a juncture
14:07with the Burma Road.
14:08A supply route
14:09would then be forged
14:10from Calcutta to Lido
14:12by rail
14:12across the Lido-Burma Road
14:14to Kunming
14:15and thence
14:16to Chongqing
14:16in China.
14:18Burma's mountains,
14:20rivers,
14:20railways and highways
14:21extend from north
14:23to south.
14:24To push through
14:25this new road,
14:26the Allies would have
14:27to fight against
14:28the grain
14:28from west to east.
14:30The Lido Road
14:31was begun
14:32by a handful of men
14:33facing a task
14:34that had been called
14:36impossible.
14:45And so with inadequate
14:46machinery and tools,
14:48a few American
14:49engineering units
14:50with a detachment
14:50of Chinese engineers
14:52and what Asiatic labor
14:53could be had
14:54started one of the greatest
14:56road building jobs
14:57in history.
15:15again and again
15:16they saw their work
15:17collapse
15:17as the monsoon
15:18washed away
15:19whole stretches
15:19but the road
15:21inched along.
15:35At the docks
15:36in Calcutta,
15:37second largest city
15:38of the British Empire,
15:39supplies from America
15:40and Great Britain
15:41and the factories
15:42of India
15:42were piling up,
15:43waiting to be hauled
15:44to the Lido Road
15:45and the Hump.
15:50Some of the supplies
15:52were sent by water
15:53up the Hooghly River
15:54to the Brahmaputra
15:55in primitive flatboats
15:56and barges.
15:58Almost as cumbersome
15:59a route
15:59was the Bengal-Assam Railway.
16:01It traveled
16:02a circuitous road
16:03making long detours
16:04to outlying tea plantations
16:06switching three times
16:07to different gauge rails
16:08over road beds
16:10that had to be
16:10constantly repaired
16:11as a result of the monsoon.
16:14The fastest method
16:15was by cargo plane
16:16from Calcutta
16:17but as yet
16:18there were too few planes
16:19available for this purpose.
16:25During this time
16:26there was a secret expedition
16:27that came to light
16:28when a small group
16:29of worn and haggard men
16:31emerged from
16:31the Burmese jungle.
16:33They were called
16:34the Chindits.
16:35Their name was taken
16:36from the Burmese name
16:37for a legendary animal
16:38that symbolized protection.
16:40Almost as legendary
16:42was their leader.
16:43Brigadier,
16:44later Major General
16:45Charles Ord Wingate.
16:46professional soldier,
16:48pioneer jungle fighter.
16:52In the beginning of 1943
16:54with complete secrecy
16:56he had led British
16:57and Indian troops
16:58behind the enemy lines
17:00into the heart of Burma
17:01across the Chindwin River
17:03to the Irrawaddy
17:04a distance of 200 miles
17:06on foot.
17:17About this time
17:18the first Quebec conference
17:19took place
17:20between Roosevelt,
17:21Churchill
17:22and the American
17:23and British chiefs of staff.
17:25Here new plans
17:26were evolved
17:26for the war
17:27against Japan.
17:28A new command
17:29was formed.
17:31Southeast Asia Command
17:32combining the British
17:34and American operations.
17:35The appointment
17:36of Supreme Allied Commander
17:38went to Admiral
17:39Lord Louis Mountbatten
17:40former chief
17:41of combined operations
17:42in Britain
17:42and leader of the commandos.
17:45General Stilwell
17:46was appointed
17:46Deputy Supreme Allied Commander
17:48in addition to his duties
17:50as chief of staff
17:51in China
17:51and head of CBI.
17:54Back in Southeast Asia
17:56Mountbatten set up
17:57his Allied headquarters
17:58choosing as its emblem
17:59the phoenix.
18:00the symbolic bird
18:02that emerged
18:02from the ashes
18:03of a destroying fire.
18:06Meanwhile
18:07on the Lido Road
18:08construction was progressing
18:10with Colonel
18:10later to become
18:11Major General
18:12Louis A. Pick
18:13in command
18:14of the engineers.
18:16The Lido Road
18:17is going to be built
18:18said Pick.
18:19Mud and rain
18:20and malaria
18:20be damned.
18:22As the bulldozers
18:23and tractors
18:24cleared away obstructions
18:25Chinese infantry
18:26and artillery
18:27trained by the American army
18:28in Ramgar, India
18:29moved ahead
18:30to clear away
18:31enemy opposition.
18:51Along this route
18:52another great engineering project
18:53was starting.
18:54A fuel pipeline
18:56fed from India
18:57across Burma
18:58to China.
19:00Over 2,000 miles
19:01of pipe was laid
19:02like a huge artery
19:04across the savage terrain
19:05to carry a transfusion
19:06of gasoline
19:07diesel oil
19:08and lubricating oil
19:09each in its turn
19:11for the trucks
19:12and tanks
19:12the machines
19:13and the planes
19:14that were fighting
19:15in China.
19:35during this time
19:37a campaign
19:37was being waged
19:38against another enemy
19:39in Burma
19:39the enemy
19:40of disease
19:41with its deadly spearhead
19:43the malarial mosquito
19:44which had taken
19:45a huge toll
19:46of the fighting men.
19:48It was necessary
19:49to cut these
19:50communication lines too.
20:05another problem
20:06was the treatment
20:06of casualties
20:07from enemy gunfire.
20:08Wounded men
20:09were sometimes
20:10carried miles
20:11by foot
20:11by raft
20:12mule
20:13jeep
20:14truck
20:15ox cart.
20:28One of the great heroes
20:29of this campaign
20:30was Colonel Gordon Seagrave
20:32formerly an American
20:34medical missionary
20:35who was with Stilwell
20:36on his retreat
20:37from Burma
20:37and went back
20:39to that country
20:39with a group of nurses
20:40of various native races
20:41and a series
20:43of mobile hospital units.
20:45Seagrave
20:46and his men
20:46and women
20:46performed operations
20:47under the most
20:48primitive conditions.
20:55The conquest
20:56of disease
20:56made huge strides.
20:58Now the conquest
20:59of the Japs
21:00had to keep pace.
21:02More and more Chinese
21:04were being trained
21:04at Ramgar in India
21:06and at Kunming
21:07in China.
21:08These were to become
21:09part of the Yunnan force
21:10that were to strike
21:10at the enemy
21:11from the China-Burma border
21:12across the Salween River.
21:16In northern India,
21:17the Chinese-American
21:18composite wing
21:19had been organized
21:20by Major General
21:21Claire Chennault
21:22for the Generalissimo.
21:23A picked group
21:25of American volunteers
21:26was instructing
21:27Chinese pilots
21:27and crews
21:28to fly the latest
21:29types of planes.
21:48At another base in India,
21:50Brigadier,
21:50later Major General
21:51Frank Merrill
21:52was training the Marauders,
21:54a force of experienced
21:55American jungle fighters
21:56sent to CBI
21:57by General Marshall.
21:59There were less
22:00than 3,000 of them.
22:06At a secret airfield
22:07in Assam,
22:08planes and gliders
22:09assembled for another
22:10American unit,
22:11the First Air Commando Force
22:13sent by General Arnold.
22:15It was commanded
22:16by Colonel Philip Cochran,
22:18known to millions
22:19as Flip Corkin
22:20in Terry and the Pirates,
22:21and by Colonel John Allison,
22:23formerly of the Flying Tigers.
22:29Cargo planes
22:30shuttled back and forth
22:31over the hump
22:32to China.
22:34Advanced troops
22:35in the Lido Road Drive
22:36were supplied from the air
22:37by the Troop Carrier Command.
22:41Supplies were carefully packed
22:43according to weight,
22:44size,
22:44and breakableness.
22:48Then they were loaded
22:49on planes
22:50with parachutes attached.
22:53Now to find the men
22:54hidden in the jungles
22:55that needed these supplies.
23:19The Allied Air Force
23:20of British and Americans
23:21in the newly formed
23:22Eastern Air Command
23:23bombed and strafed
23:25Jap strongholds.
23:32In India and in China,
23:33huge air bases
23:34were being built
23:35for a new and powerful weapon,
23:37the B-29 Super Fortress.
23:40Thousands of Asiatic laborers,
23:42men, women, and children,
23:44used whatever tools
23:45they could find,
23:46no matter how primitive.
24:04On the enemy side,
24:05the Japs gathered reinforcements
24:07into their Burmese garrisons
24:08and airfields
24:09to meet the growing strength
24:11of the Allies.
24:13In China,
24:14the struggle continued.
24:15The reopening of the land bridge
24:17had to be accomplished.
24:23In the early part of 1944,
24:26the Supreme and Deputy
24:27Supreme Allied commanders
24:28met and laid out
24:30a plan of action
24:31for this reopening.
24:34The British Indian 14th Army
24:36in the Arakan,
24:37in order to hold
24:38the Southern Front
24:39more effectively,
24:40was to extend
24:41its frontier lines
24:42down the Akyab Peninsula.
24:44Simultaneously,
24:45Stilwell's Lido forces
24:47of Americans and Chinese
24:48were to speed up
24:49the Lido Road campaign
24:50with a drive
24:51on the strongholds
24:52of Mogong and Michinac.
24:54To aid in this purpose,
24:55the American marauders,
24:56led by Merrill,
24:57were placed under Stilwell.
24:59A third coordinating operation
25:01was a penetration
25:03from the air
25:03in which Wingate's British
25:05and Indian Chindits
25:06were to be flown
25:07into the heart of Burma
25:08to land behind
25:09and cut enemy supply lines.
25:11For the fourth
25:13and last phase
25:14of the plan,
25:14the Chinese Yunnan Force
25:16would strike
25:17from the China-Burma border
25:18across the mountains
25:19and jungles
25:20of the Salween River area
25:21in order to reopen
25:23the Burma Road
25:23for a departure
25:24with the Lido Road.
25:26Now the plans were laid
25:28and the stage set
25:29for the reopening
25:30of the Burma land bridge.
25:32The first step
25:33was taken
25:33on the Arakan Front
25:34when the 14th
25:35began its march
25:36down the Akyab Peninsula.
25:38The army moved rapidly
25:40toward the towns
25:40of Mongdaw and Buthadong.
25:43However,
25:44the Japs succeeded
25:45in carrying out
25:45a flanking movement
25:46on our lines
25:47of communication
25:47and, moving by night,
25:50seized the Nagyaduk Pass,
25:51through which went
25:52the main road
25:53connecting our forward troops
25:54with the rear.
25:55For some time,
25:56it looked as though
25:57they had succeeded
25:57in cutting off
25:58a complete advanced division.
26:02From the air,
26:03RAF bombers
26:04opened an attack
26:05on the Jap positions
26:05in the Nagyaduk Pass.
26:14Meanwhile,
26:15the 7th Indian Division,
26:16using tanks
26:17for the first time
26:17in this campaign,
26:19attacked the same objective
26:20in that vital pass.
26:48The 7th Indian Division
26:49finally succeeded
26:50in clearing the pass
26:51and relieving
26:52the beleaguered troops.
26:54Once again,
26:55our lines of communication
26:56were reopened.
26:59By the time
27:00the monsoon broke
27:01on the southern front
27:02in June,
27:03the 14th Army
27:04had destroyed
27:04nearly 7,000
27:05of the Japs'
27:06finest troops
27:07and had extended
27:08Allied lines
27:09to form a powerful
27:09defense block.
27:11The second blow
27:12for the reopening
27:13of the land bridge
27:14was struck
27:15by the Lido force
27:16in an offensive
27:17to push the Lido road
27:18through Mogong
27:19to Michinac.
27:20To aid in the drive
27:22on Michinac,
27:23the American marauders
27:24acted as a flanking force,
27:26harassing the enemy
27:26in a series
27:27of left hooks.
27:30These marauders
27:31were seasoned
27:31jungle fighters,
27:33veterans of Guadalcanal,
27:34New Britain,
27:35and New Guinea.
27:36Men gathered together
27:37by a message
27:38which read,
27:39the President
27:40of the United States
27:41has called
27:42for volunteers
27:43from experienced
27:44jungle troops
27:45for a dangerous
27:46and hazardous
27:47operation
27:48somewhere.
28:01On March 5th
28:02came the third blow,
28:03an aerial penetration
28:05of Burma.
28:06The plan was
28:07to fly a detachment
28:08of American engineers
28:09in gliders
28:10200 miles
28:11into enemy-occupied territory
28:13and land them
28:14on jungle strips
28:15which they would
28:16convert into airfields.
28:18Once these airfields
28:19were prepared,
28:20transport planes
28:21would fly in
28:22a force of Chindits.
28:23Patrols would then
28:24fan out,
28:25cut Jap communication lines,
28:27and harass the enemy
28:28from the rear.
28:30British General Wingate,
28:32in command of the Chindits,
28:33arrived at Laligat
28:35to discuss final plans
28:36with American Colonel
28:37Phil Cochran
28:38of Number One
28:39Air Commandos.
28:43D-Day.
28:44Nylon tow ropes
28:45were carefully laid out
28:46ready to take off
28:47of dozens
28:47of twin-toed gliders.
28:49Supplies of all kinds
28:50were loaded,
28:51including bulldozers
28:52and equipment
28:53for the use
28:54of the American engineers
28:55in constructing
28:56airstrips
28:56in the jungle.
29:03The pilots and crews
29:04gathered to hear
29:05final instruction
29:06from Colonel Cochran.
29:08Now, is there anything
29:08anybody doesn't know?
29:10If there is,
29:10let's get it straight now.
29:12Okay, now just before
29:13I came over here,
29:14I had our final meeting
29:14with the British ground troops
29:15that you're going
29:16to take in there tonight.
29:17And I talked to the guy
29:18that's got the red flare
29:19that you know
29:19is going to be shot off
29:20if there's too much interference
29:21with the first few gliders
29:22that land.
29:23And he tells me
29:24that that flare's
29:25in an awful deep pocket
29:25that's going to take somebody
29:26an awful lot of finding
29:28to get at it.
29:28So, if those guys
29:30have got that kind of heart
29:31and they've got
29:31that kind of guts,
29:32it's up to us
29:33to get them in there
29:34so they can do their job
29:35and get them in right.
29:36Now, tonight,
29:37your whole reason for being,
29:39your whole existence
29:39is going to be jammed up
29:40into a couple minutes
29:41and it's just going
29:42to balance it there
29:43and it's going to take
29:43your character
29:44to bring it through.
29:45Now, nothing you've ever done
29:47before in your life
29:48means a thing.
29:49Tonight, you're going
29:50to find out
29:50you've got a soul.
29:51Good luck.
29:53The transport stood
29:54ready for takeoff.
29:55Gliders were lined up.
29:57Suddenly, there appeared
29:58in the sky above a plane
29:59returning from a last-minute
30:01reconnaissance flight.
30:02Something was wrong.
30:04Photos revealed
30:05that the main field
30:06was hopelessly obstructed.
30:08Tree trunks and logs
30:09had been strewn over it
30:10so the glider landings
30:11on this field
30:11were impossible.
30:13The troops waited
30:14for Cochran and Wingate
30:15to make a decision.
30:16It wasn't long in coming.
30:18Within 15 minutes,
30:19they were climbing
30:20into the gliders.
30:21An alternative strip
30:22known as Broadway
30:23was now to be
30:25the main airbase.
30:28At dusk,
30:29the first planes
30:30took off,
30:31each transport
30:32towing twin gliders.
30:43and within them,
30:44men sat silently,
30:46grimly,
30:47waiting for what lay ahead.
30:55When the sun rose
30:56over Broadway,
30:57it revealed a field
30:58littered with wounded gliders.
31:00There were wounded men, too,
31:03and some beyond wounds.
31:10The first glider
31:12had bumped to a halt
31:13on a field rutted
31:13by buffalo bogs
31:15and elephant footprints
31:15and strewn with
31:17large teakwood logs
31:18hidden from the eyes
31:19of reconnaissance cameras
31:20by the tall grass.
31:22A second glider came in,
31:24then a third.
31:25They followed one another
31:27so fast that it was impossible
31:28to clear the field
31:29of obstructions
31:30and the wrecked gliders.
31:35The wounded were tended
31:36on the field.
31:40Patrols fanned out
31:41through the jungle
31:41to give protection
31:42to the small band
31:43of engineers and wounded.
31:46They buried their dead
31:47in the Burmese jungle.
31:49Their Burmese padre
31:50read the last rites
31:51and his words
31:52mingled with the sound
31:53of bulldozers
31:54and tractors
31:54leveling the field
31:55for the arrival that night
31:57of the first flight
31:58of transports
31:59carrying the remainder
32:00of the airborne troops.
32:02By that afternoon,
32:03the engineers
32:04had completed their work.
32:05Broadway was open
32:07for business.
32:11That night
32:12and for six successive nights,
32:14RAF and American pilots
32:15of the Troop Carrier Command,
32:17led by Brigadier General
32:18William D. Old,
32:19flew back and forth
32:20between Lallagat
32:21and the Jungle Strip
32:23and the Jungle Strip
32:23of Broadway,
32:23which became a base
32:24from which patrols
32:25of Chindits
32:26fanned out
32:26in all directions.
32:29With the arrival
32:30of RAF Spitfires
32:31and American P-51s
32:33on Broadway,
32:34air protection
32:35was made available
32:35to cover operations.
32:38But the enemy
32:38struck back.
32:40Eight days
32:40after our troops
32:41had landed,
32:42Broadway was attacked
32:42by Zeros
32:43in a series of raids.
32:53American and British planes
32:55landed and took off
32:55within close range
32:56of the Japs.
32:58The enemy succeeded
32:59in capturing
32:59the far end of the field,
33:01but were held there
33:02by Allied ground
33:02and air fighters,
33:03their wings armed
33:04with bazookas.
33:32The battle raged
33:33and died down
33:34as the guns
33:35of the enemy
33:35were silenced
33:36and its troops
33:37forced back
33:38into the jungle.
33:41General Wingate
33:42had paid one
33:42of his many visits
33:43to Broadway
33:43about this time.
33:45On his return flight
33:46to his base,
33:47his plane crashed
33:48in the jungle
33:49in Asang.
33:53Broadway,
33:54an airfield carved
33:55out of the jungle,
33:56stood as a fit memorial
33:57to General Charles
33:59Ford Wingate.
34:01Early in March,
34:03the Japs made an attempt
34:04to regain the initiative.
34:05They moved three divisions
34:06to the Chinchwin River,
34:08crossed it,
34:08and struck it
34:09in fall in India
34:10in a powerful
34:11pincher movement
34:12aimed at cutting
34:12the Bengal Asang.
34:13Railway,
34:14carrying supplies
34:15to the Allied troops
34:16in northern Burma.
34:18Headlines all over
34:19the world blazed
34:20the news that
34:21Jap armies
34:21were on Indian soil,
34:23that India
34:23had been invaded.
34:25The announcements,
34:26as usual,
34:27were premature.
34:28But the Allied
34:29situation,
34:29nevertheless,
34:30was extremely grave.
34:39reinforcements were
34:39desperately needed.
34:43Once again,
34:44transports of the
34:44American Troop Carrier Command
34:46were called in.
34:53An entire Arakan division
34:55with mules and supplies
34:57were carried 230 miles
34:59by air
35:00from one fighting front
35:01to another.
35:07By the beginning of April,
35:09one Japanese force
35:10was eight miles
35:10from Impho,
35:11while another
35:12had advanced on Kohima.
35:13They cut the roads
35:15surrounding Kohima,
35:16including the Manipur Road,
35:17the 14th Army's
35:18main supply line.
35:20At Kohima,
35:21a small hill station,
35:23a garrison of British
35:24and Indian infantry
35:25dug in and held on
35:26to a hill position
35:27overlooking the town.
35:37In serving ammunition,
35:38the garrison held on.
35:42Daily transports
35:43brought over ammunition,
35:45food,
35:46water,
35:46and vital medical necessities.
35:51The hill soon became
35:52known to the troops
35:53as Parachute Hill.
35:55For 13 days,
35:56the garrison held out
35:57against a force
35:58three times its strength.
36:08Slowly, relieving forces
36:09began to arrive.
36:20Until finally,
36:21the infantry
36:22could take the initiative.
36:44The Japs had suffered
36:45a costly defeat.
36:49The Japs had suffered
36:50a costly defeat.
36:59However,
37:00before the Japs
37:01attempt to cut
37:01their supply lines
37:02failed,
37:03the Lido force
37:04and the marauders
37:05had continued their drive.
37:07The Chinese were now
37:08in the Mogong Valley,
37:09advancing on the important
37:10enemy supply base
37:11of Mogong.
37:12The marauders,
37:13in their 700-mile march,
37:15were moving on
37:16the town of Michinov
37:17with its strategically
37:18valuable air base.
37:20The attack on Mogong
37:22began at dawn
37:23of the 23rd of June.
37:33The Chinese forces
37:34advanced from the north,
37:41while a Chin-Dit force
37:42that had pushed up
37:43from Broadway
37:44struck from the southwest.
37:59By the second day,
38:00the railway station
38:01was occupied.
38:02Then, on the third day,
38:03the Chinese and Chin-Dit
38:05forces linked up.
38:11Meanwhile,
38:12the marauders,
38:13reinforced by Chinese troops,
38:14had marched for days
38:15in their drive
38:16toward the airfield
38:16at Michinov.
38:40The enemy was apparently
38:41taken by surprise
38:42and withdrew to the town
38:43two miles east.
38:49Over the air went two words,
38:51cafeteria lunch,
38:52the code signal
38:54indicating that Michinov
38:55Air Base
38:55was in Allied hands.
39:01within one hour
39:03of its capture,
39:03gliders flew over,
39:04bringing engineers
39:05to repair and improve
39:06the field.
39:07They floated down
39:08to make rough
39:09and dangerous landings
39:10under fire from the town.
39:33the engineers went to work
39:35as Chinese troops
39:36manned defense positions
39:37around the field.
39:42The monsoon started
39:43and driving rain
39:44made the task
39:45of the engineers
39:45doubly difficult.
39:55Stillwell arrived
39:56for a conference
39:56with Merrill.
40:00Now,
40:01with the elimination
40:01of enemy interception
40:02from Michinov,
40:03cargo planes
40:04could fly to Kunming
40:05in China
40:06on the southerly
40:07and more direct route
40:08at lower altitudes
40:09and with increased tonnage.
40:13However,
40:14before the air base
40:14could be operated effectively,
40:16the enemy had to be routed
40:17from the town.
40:23Michinov was pounded
40:24from the air
40:24by fighters and bombers.
40:29On the ground,
40:30American marauders
40:31and Chinese troops
40:32pounded the town
40:33with what little artillery
40:34they had.
40:34at a western
40:56would have a
40:58in Mexico Diskussion
41:04so they put
41:24It was a long siege, 78 days, which finally ended in the complete destruction of the
41:30Jap forces defending the town. While the advance on Michinaw was taking place, the fourth
41:40Allied blow was struck, a thrust from the China-Burma border through the Salween River
41:45area by the Yunnan Chinese Expeditionary Force. The object of this blow was to clear the way
41:51for the eventual linking up of the Burma and Lido roads. To accomplish their task, two
41:56Jap strongholds, Lung Ling and Teng Chung, had to be taken. On the morning of May 11th, the
42:08offensive started. Five Chinese columns, together with the U.S. Army operations
42:12staff, crossed the Salween River and moved on to the world's highest battleground, the
42:29Kaoli Mountains, spur of the Himalayas. For days, they struggled up precipitous slopes until they
42:39decided one of their goals, Teng Chung. The siege began.
43:36Jap soldiers driven from pillboxes streaked for cover. The
43:39machine guns picked them off as they ran.
44:26Chinese wounded were carried back over the wrecked walls. There were no Jap wounded, only dead.
44:39except for a handful of prisoners.
44:48Teng Chung fell, then Lung Ling, and the Chinese and American flags flew over these two key strongholds.
45:01The B-29s that had come to China and India were striking at Burma, Sumatra, Java, Manchuria, flying the longest
45:10missions ever undertaken.
45:18Finally, they struck at the heart of the Japanese homeland and dropped their bombs on Tokyo.
45:33But the Japs struck back in a new China offensive.
45:46The American air bases that had been built in that country with such vast effort were in danger of being
45:52overrun by the enemy.
45:53There was barely time to destroy supplies and installations.
46:16One air base after another fell before the onslaught.
46:29Once again, roads and rails were packed with fleeing refugees.
46:58One air base.
47:14The offensive grew in strength until it had cut China in half.
47:20Now, unless supplies could be rushed through as never before, China faced total defeat.
47:26Tonnage over the hump was increased at a terrific rate.
47:31The pipeline that was already feeding the allies in northern Burma pushed on so that it could feed the allies
47:36in China.
47:44And on the Lido and Burma roads, with enemy opposition being cleared away, the engineers raced at top speed to
47:50reach the point where the two roads would meet.
47:57The Hiros could have a bit in surprise for us a little bit.
47:57The Hiros, with along the Lido and the Hiros and the Blue Park, the N Gracias of the Range.
48:07The Hiros and the hombres are the ones who have found the captain of the island and we are going
48:09to try.
48:09The Hiros has been the
48:11The Hiros has been the first with the Follower in Iraq.
48:15The Hiros has been the first set of his hands.
48:16The Hiros's been the last night and the tower жест was opposed to close the spot.
48:41On a historic day in January,
48:43Brigadier, later Major General Pick,
48:45commander of the Lido Road Construction,
48:48met Lieutenant General Dan I. Sultan,
48:50who had succeeded General Stilwell
48:52as commanding officer of the India-Burma Theater.
48:55General Sultan, the Lido Road's open.
48:58We have a convoy formed.
49:00I'd like your permission to take it through to China.
49:17The first convoy was on its way from India to China,
49:21across the 1,044 miles of the newly completed Lido-Burma Road,
49:25now called the Stilwell Road,
49:28in tribute to the man who had dedicated himself
49:30to the building of this great project.
49:45After a 24-day journey,
49:46the convoy arrived safely in Kunming.
50:15The Allies, British, Indian,
50:18Chinese, American
50:20had bought, toiled
50:22and bled. And now
50:24at last, China's land bridge
50:27had been rebuilt.
50:28Abe had come to China.
50:50The End