Hardly a few in India know about a road connecting India to Northen Burma and China from the eastern gates of the country during a war that had almost gone in the way of the Japanese Army in the region, and became a turning point in the war. In today's date, the road is in the worst of conditions, even after a lot of money was spent in making the road to be operational for a few years only, with an objective of steering the war on the allied side.
The historic Stilwell's Road, which was constructed by the Americans during the Second World War from Ledo in Assam, India, which is one of the rail-heads of the Bengal-Assam railway in the valley of the Upper Brahmaputra during that time to Burma Road connecting to Kunming, China passes through Lekhapani, Jairampur, Nampong and Pangsau pass, India-Burma (Myanmar) border. It winds up the passes of the 9000 feet Patkai Range and emerges at Shindbwiyang and then Myitkyina. It crosses the broad bowl of the Upper Chindwin, threads the Hukawng and Mogaung valleys, and goes down to Bhamo and to the Burma road which connects Kunming, Yunnan province, China.
Originally it was called 'Ledo Road', later it was named after General Joseph Warren Stilwell (1883-1946), Chief of Staff to Allied Forces in China-Burma-India theatre for defence of Burma (Myanmar) from Japanese forces under the Generalissimo, Marshal Chiang Kai-shek, Supreme Command of the forces of the United Nations in China, including such parts of Indo-China and Siam (Thailand) as might become accessible to the troops.
The Ledo road (Stilwell's Road) was constructed under his direct supervision during the war. Stilwell had also participated in the First World war and had mastered the Chinese language during his stay at Philippines and China after the War. He was better known to the World as "Vinegar Joe", though his troops called him "Uncle Joe".
Initially, this project was prospected by the British long before the Second World War and could not get implemented until an agreement between the British and Joseph W. Stilwell representing Americans on December 1, 1942 during the Second World War when the Burma was fully under Seized by the Japanese forces. The Allied Forces were extremely in need of this road for restoration of a line of communication between China and Burma, and a line of communication to Allied forces in Burma from India to liberate Burma from the claws of Japanese forces as the topography of the Indo-Burma border was of very difficult terrains with thick, inaccessible and malaria and Dysentery infested forests. General Stilwell's Operations Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Frank D. Merrill recommended building a road from Ledo, Assam, India to Burma connecting the old Burma Road to provide a Land Supply to China and Burma for support of the Allied soldiers who were fighting in the North Burma.
Lieutenant Colonel Frank D. Merrill Commanding officer of "the experienced jungle troops, for a dangerous and hazardous Mission - somewhere" lead his specially trained 5307 Composite Unit (Provisional) called "Merrill's Marauders" to the Ledo Road and started marching on foot from Margherita, near Ledo, India on February 7, 1944 passing through Pangsau Pass (Hell Pass), Shindbwiyang, Jambu-Bam, and then Myitkyina most of the times fighting and struggling against rains, mud, swamps, Malaria, Dysentery, Typhoid and strategically positioned enemies at different locations on their way. Merrill's Marauders seized Myitkyina air-strip on May 17, 1944 despite strong resistance from Japanese forces. Then after a few days, they captured Myitkyina town itself, which was a stronghold of the Japanese forces based in north Burma and the two months campaign ended on August 3, 1944 with Merrill's Marauders facing 127 deaths and 291 wounded besides other casualties. Myitkyina was one of the main missions of Stilwell.
In December 1942, the road construction begun by constructing Warehouses, Hospitals, Barracks and base roads at Ledo, Assam, India, side by side fighting with the Japanese forces. On December 16, 1942, the Americans began building the double-track, all-weather Ledo road. Subsequently, the Americans had brought heavy road construction machineries to these wild hills like Bulldozers, Cranes, Power-shovels, Caterpillars, Steam-rollers, in massive procession from the United State production-lines 12,000 miles away, across two Oceans and past three Continents.
General Stilwell had organized a 'Service of Supply' (SOS) under the command of Major General Raymond A. Wheeler, a high profile US Army Engineer and assigned him to look after the construction of the Ledo road. Major General Wheeler in turn, assigned responsibility of base commander for the road construction to Colonel John C. Arrowsmith. Later, he was replaced by Colonel Lewis A. Pick, an expert US Army engineer, as road construction was slowed down under Arrowsmith during the monsoon season of 1943. He had employed some of the finest mechanical roadmakers from Americans, British, Indian, Chinese and West Africans to fight against the wild jungles, tangles of swamp and forest, deep valleys and high cliffs and test of heavy rains and floods across the Indo-Burma mountain Range.
On December 27, 1943, three days ahead of schedule, the road reached Shindbwiyang. Finished grading and graveling remained to be done, but the 117 miles from Ledo to Shindbwiyang were open before January 1, 1944, as General Stilwell wished. Colonel Pick's celebration for the engineers omitted none of the available essentials. As he congratulated them for opening 54 miles of trace in 57 days, a convoy came rolling into Shindbwiyang with candy, doughnuts, and 9,600 cans of beer.
In late 1944, barely two years after Stilwell accepted responsibility for building the Ledo Road (Stilwell Road), it connected to the, Burma Road though some sections of the road beyond Myitkyina at Hukawng Valley were under repairing due to heavy monsoon water, and it became a highway stretching from Assam, India to Kunming, China 1,079 miles length. On January 12, 1945, the first convoy of 113 vehicles was led by General Pick from Ledo and reached Kunming, China on February 4, 1945 and celebrated the achievement. The road construction was estimated to cost 137,000,000 dollars.
Two 4-inch fuel pipe lines were laid side by side and followed along the Ledo road from Tinsukia, Assam, India to relieve the road and air traffics of carrying fuel from Assam, India to China. They were fed by gasoline pumped from Calcutta to a station near their starting point. On May 20, 1945, newly promoted Major General Lewis A. Pick formally announced the completion of the Ledo road, a task he called the toughest job ever given to US Army Engineers in Wartime. The road was renamed the Stilwell Road in honour of General Joseph W. Stilwell at the suggestion of Chiang Kai-shek, it was known to the Engineers who built it as "Pick's Pike."
In the course of time, the Stilwell Road had virtually disappeared due to the fact that the road lies in the lands of three different nations that are China, Burma and India and due to non maintenance by the respective nations. However, 61 km of the road lies in India, 1,033 km in Burma (Myanmar) and 632 km in China. In India out of 61 km, 30 km lies in Assam and 31 km in Arunachal Pradesh. The border between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh has 14 km of the road section previously which was in deplorable condition, but now it is bieng repaired and the construction of an international trade route is underway to link Myanmar at Pangsau Pass. In the Indian side, the road is being repaired and renovated up to Nampong under this scheme and extension of the renovation work up to Pangsau Pass, Indo-Myanmar border is underway. The section of road which lies within Arunachal Pradesh has been maintained by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the road section which lies within the area of Assam out of 14 km has been in maintained by the Government of Assam respectively.
The Indian government has proposed this road for reopening as an International Highway for a trade route to link Myanmar (Burma), China and other Southeast Asian countries. The reopening of this road as a trade route will increase the interaction between the people of neighboring countries and maintain good relationship among the member countries. It will also boost trade and attract inland and foreign tourists as the road itself is historically famous and significant due to Second World War, which in turn will boost Socio-economic development of this most backward border area and will benefit the local population. Northeast India is geographically isolated and economical development is lacking behind other parts of India due to several factors even though the region is endowed with natural resources. They are already approved as trade routes with Myanmar from Nagaland and Manipur and to Bangladesh from Assam and Tripura which is one of the significant means of foreign trade and regional co-operation towards economic development of the region. Therefore, it may become a big possibility to strengthen their ties using old, but resourceful routes like these, not only to boost trade and economies, but also old forgotten friendships which may last for evermore.
Table showing location-wise distance from Ledo, Assam, India to Kunming, Yunnan, China within the Ledo Road (Stilwell Road):
STILWELL ROAD (LEDO ROAD) | ||
LOCATION
|
Distance from Ledo, Assam, India
| |
in Km
|
in Mile
| |
| Ledo |
0
|
0
|
| Pangsau Pass |
61
|
38
|
| Tagap Hill |
127
|
79
|
| Shindbwiyang |
165
|
103
|
| Jambu-Bum |
287
|
178
|
| Warazup |
304
|
189
|
| Myitkyina |
403
|
250
|
| Bhamo |
595
|
372
|
| Namkham |
707
|
439
|
| Mong-Yu (Ledo-Burma Roads junction) |
749
|
465
|
| Wanting* |
811
|
507
|
| Lungling* |
896
|
560
|
| Paoshan* |
1,043
|
652
|
| Yungpin* |
1,208
|
755
|
| Yunnanyi* |
1,402
|
876
|
| Tsuyung* |
1,543
|
959
|
| Kunming* |
1,726
|
1,079
|
LENGTH OF ROAD LIES WITHIN | ||
| INDIA |
61
|
38
|
| MYANMAR (BURMA) |
1,033
|
646
|
| CHINA |
632
|
395
|
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