China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) - Introduction to US ...

The Allies' aim in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of World War II was to supply and buttress Chinese armies in their struggle against a massive Japanese ... About Quizzes Navigation HistoricalEras InformationTables Maps Glossary China-Burma-IndiaTheater(CBI) TheAllies'aimintheChina-Burma-India(CBI)TheaterofWorldWarIIwastosupplyandbuttressChinesearmiesintheirstruggleagainstamassiveJapaneseincursion.Theenemy'sseizureofChina'sseaportshadsevereditstraditionalsupplylines.Accordingly,theAlliestransportedequipment,menandsuppliestoChinathroughBurmabybuildingroadsandpipelines,andIndiabyflyingthe"Hump"routeovertheHimalayas.Inaddition,theAlliesaidedChinaintheJapaneseattackbyconductinggroundandairoffensives. BymeansofU.S.CombatCargoGroups,flyingthehumpovertheHimalayasfromIndiabecameanimportantfactorintheCBIsupplystrategy.Further,constructionoftheBurmaandLedoroadsalsowerevitaltoCBIoperations. Pre-war ThePearlHarborAttackattheendof1941spurredAmericaintoWorldWarII,butitwasanearlierAmericancommitmenttoChinathatdrewtheU.S.ArmyintotheBurmaCampaignof1942.ForsomemonthspriortoPearlHarbor,theU.S.hadbeensupportingChina'swaragainstJapanwithmoneyandmatériel. JapanhadinvadedChinain1937,graduallyisolatingitfromtherestoftheworldexceptfortwotenuoussupplylines:Anarrow-gaugerailwayoriginatinginHaiphong,FrenchIndochina;andtheBurmaRoad,animprovedhighwaylinkingLashioinBritishBurmatoKunminginChina.ThoseroutescarriedthematerialthatmadeitpossibleforChiangKai-shek'sNationalistChinesegovernmenttoresistJapaneseoffensives. BurmaRoadclosed InlateMay1942,Lt.GeneralJosephW.Stilwell,nicknamed"VinegarJoe,"toldagroupofreportersthathisAlliedforce"gotahellofabeating."Stilwell,acareerArmyofficerandveteranofWorldWarI,hadjustbeenhandedasounddefeatbyJapaneseforcesoperatinginBurma.TheAmericangeneralhadbeenincommandforfewerthantwomonthswhenhiscombinedforceofChinese,BritishandIndiansoldierswereforcedoutofBurma. TheJapanesedestroyedtheBurmaRoad,whichwastheonlyoverlandsupplyroutestretchingfromnorthernIndiathroughBurmaandintoChina.IftheallieswantedtodrivetheJapanese18thDivisionoutofthearea,Stilwellresolvedthattheimportantroutemustbereopened. TheLedoRoadwasbuiltfromLedoinAssamintotheHukawngValleyasanalternativetotheBurmaRoad.ItwascompletedinJanuary1945andwasrenamedStilwellRoadbyChiangKai-shek. Flyingthe"Hump" Beforealarge-scalegroundassaultintoBurmacouldoccur,itwasfirstessentialtosendsuppliestoChineseguerrillaforcesalreadyfightingtheJapaneseinBurma.ThattaskfelltotheU.S.10thAirForce.BasedinIndia,the10thtookresponsibilityforsubstantialaircargoflightsandbeganoperationsoverthehumpinApril1942—adangerous530-milelongpassageoverthepeaksoftheHimalayanMountains. InOctober1942,GeneralortheAirForce,HenryH."Hap"ArnolddecidedtoputtheAirTransportCommand(ATC)incommandofallhumpoperations,and10thAirForceunitsonhumpassignmentsweretransferredtotheATCinDecember.TheATC,withauthoritytohandleallairliftrequirementsinthetheaterofoperations,broughtitsspecialexperiencetosortouttheproblemsinairtransportationandcargoflying. Pilotsstartedflyingthe"Hump"inApril1942,inthefaceofpoorweather,15,000-footpeaks(requiringoxygen)andaswarmofJapanesefighteraircraftoperatingfromabaseatMyitkyina,Burma.ByAugust1943planstoinvadeBurmawereinfullswing. Chindits Inearly1943,amixed"brigade"ofBritish,Burmese,andGurkhasconductedadaring,three-monthraidintoBurma.BritishArmyMajorGeneralOrdeWingatehadorganizedthatbrigadeofraiders,knownastheChindits,toinfiltratebyfootthroughJapaneselinesinBurmaandconducthit-and-runattacks—relyingonairdropsforsupplies. ByFebruary1943,GeneralWingatehadalreadylosttwothirdsofhismen.However,thefactthathewasabletoinfiltrateasuperiorJapaneseforceprovedtobeavaluableexampleoflong-rangepenetrationsfortheAllies. Groundtroopsneeded TherewerenoU.S.groundcombattroopsintheCBITheater.BoththeChinese,undertheleadershipofChiangKai-shek(withwhomStilwellregularlyhaddisagreements),andtheBritishrefusedtocommitlargenumbersoftheirsoldierstoactioninBurma.Disgruntled,StilwellrequestedthatAmericanforcesbesenttoIndia—acalltoperform"adangerousandhazardousmission." Second-generationJapanese-American(Nisei)linguistswereattachedasinterpreters,andfoughtcloselywithBritish,Australian,andNewZealandtroops,aswellasunitsfromIndia,China,andBurma. AcallforvolunteersfromexistingPacificTheaterandstatesidearmyunitswasissued.However,whatStilwellgotwerenotwell-trainedfightersashehadanticipated.Hereceivedaclusterof"adventurers,small-townMidwesternfarmboys,afewNativeAmericansandJapaneseAmericansandagreatnumberofdisciplinarycasesthatcommanderswereonlytoohappytounload." Imphal Imphal,capitalofthesmallstateofManipur,coveredsome700squaremiles.TheImphalPlainwasthesiteofsomeofthebloodiestfightingofWorldWarII.EntrancetotheplainfromthenorthwasalongawindingroadthroughthevillageofKohima.Thedistancebetweenthetwotownswasabout140miles.Themostvulnerablepointontheroadwaswhereitcrossedthesummitofa4,700-footpassatKohima.IftheJapanesecouldseizethepass,Imphalwouldbecompletelycutoff.IftheycouldcaptureDimapurtothenorthaswell,theythencouldcutStilwell’ssupplylinetoLedoandbeyond. OnMarch15th,1944,theJapaneseoffensivebeganasMaj.GeneralMasafumiYamauchi’s15thDivisionandLt.GeneralKotokuSato’s31stDivisionpouredacrosstheChindwinRiverbyraft,ferryandboat.ForSato,thetargetwasKohima.Hewasexpectedtoadvanceatleast20milesaday,with5,000oxenfollowingandsomeofhissoldiersactingasporters.BritishArmyGeneralSlimandhistroopsresistedtheenemy’sadvance,inflictingmorethan1,000casualties.ButasthestrengthoftheJapanesethrustbecameevident,SlimdecidedtodrawbackalloutpostsandconcentratethetroopsinKohima. TheJapanesecutallroadsintothetownandeffectivelyisolatedit,fortherewasnoairstrip.Thesmallgarrisonof3,500waspittedagainst15,000Japanese,wholaiddownamurderousbarragefromtheheights.Thesiegelasted16days.Intheend,theAlliesheldontothatvitalbridgeheadtoIndia. Merrill’sMarauders Those3,000"misfits,"asoneArmyofficerputit,weresenttoIndia,trainedinjunglewarfareanddesignatedthe5307CompositeUnit,codenameGALAHAD.Stilwell’slong-timefriend,Brig.GeneralFrankD.Merrill,wasplacedincommand,andtheunitwasreadyforactionbyearly1944. PlansweredrawnupforanoffensivetobeginwithaChinese-AmericanforceattackingNorthBurma,withthegoaloftakingMyitkyina,whichwouldremovethethreatofenemyfighterplanesattackingalliedforcesflyingthehump.StilwellalsoplannedtouseMyitkyinaasabomberbaseforattacksontheJapanesehomeland. AccompaniedbytwoChinesedivisions,GALAHAD(Merrill'sMarauders),whichwasnowsplitintothreebattalions,beganitstrekthroughthejungle-chokedterrainofNortheastBurmaonFebruary24,1944.GALAHADquicklystruckJapaneseoutpostsallalongtheBurmafront,andbyMarch3,allbattalionshadreachedthemainJapaneseline.Afterfourdaysofharshfighting,thedug-inJapaneseretreated. GALAHADwasreducedfromitsoriginal3,000mentolessthan1,400andmostofthosesoldiersweresick(junglediseases),ill-equippedandtired.Themenwerenowlookingforwardtopromisedreliefandalongrestbehindthelines.Stilwellhadotherideas. AssuredbytheBritishthatthesituationinImphalwasundercontrol,StilwellwantedtolaunchafinalassaulttocaptureMyitkyina.Theremaining1,400Marauderswouldspearheadtheoperation. OnMay17th,1944,afteragrueling65-milemarchoverthe6,000-footKumonMountainrange(usingmulesforcarryingsupplies)toMyitkyina,theMarauders,alongwithseveralChineseregiments,attackedtheunsuspectingJapaneseattheMyitkyinaairfield.SuccessfortheMaraudersattheairfieldcamequickly;however,thetownofMyityinacouldnotimmediatelybetaken. OnJune17th,neartheIrrawaddyRivernorthofMyitkyina,theMarauderssuccessfullycuttheJapanesesupplylineintothecity.TwoweekslaterthebesiegedcityfelltoaChineseattack.ThewarwasoverforGALAHAD.DespiteconstantbattleswiththeJapanese,malaria,dysenteryandscrubtyphus,Merrill'sMarauders,foughttheirwaythrough700milesofBurmesejungleoversevenmonths. Burmavictory InAugust1944,whatwasleftofGALAHADwasconsolidatedwiththe475thInfantry.Thosemen,alongwithmembersoftheTexasNationalGuard,formedtheMarsTaskForceandcontinuedoperationsdeepintotheBurmesejungle.AstrongoffensivebeganinearlyOctober,whichgatheredwithmembersoftheMarsTaskForcereachingtheBurmaRoadlaterthatmonth. InJanuaryof1945,U.S.ArmyengineersreopenedBurmaRoad.Withtheroutefinallyopen,AlliedforcesquicklyroutedtheJapaneseoutofBurmaandwereabletosuccessfullyrunsuppliesintomainlandChina.