Back door to Tokyo

Series

Series Name

The March of Time 9th Year

Issue

Issue No.

13

Date Released

7 Aug 1944

Length of issue (in feet)

1657

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1Back door to Tokyo

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 1

Summary

The March of Time synopsis: ...The March of Time tells the story of General Joe Stilwell’s "come back" in Burma, and points the significance of this remote jungle fighting in the grand strategy of the United Nations.

Since early 1942, when the Japanese succeeded in cutting China’s overland life line, the Burma Road, the danger has grown that Japan might succeed in overcoming China’s resistance before its Allies could bring effective help. For more than two years air transport units of the United States Army have been flying between North East India and China maintaining an air freight service over the Himalayas. Upon the skill and endurance of a few transport planes, supported by even fewer fighters, rested China’s main hope of holding out until a full United Nation’s offensive upon the Continent of Asia could be organised and launched. But only the re-opening of a direct sea or overland route could do more than serve as a vital and desperately urgent stopgap. Stilwell was convinced that a direct drive through from Ledo to the Burma Road, opening the supply route to Chungking, could succeed. This achieved, the force operating under the command of Major General Chennault, responsible for China’s main support in the air, would be able to extend its operations as far as Tokyo. Thus reinforced, the Chinese could open a major offensive, and the Japanese would be trapped between these armies and MacArthur’s amphibious forces. Stilwell had never forgotten the licking he had once had to take from the Japs, and with his army in the North coordinated with the larger forces of Chiang Kai-Shek and Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, he saw bright prospects of re-taking Burma and driving through to China. To spearhead his drive he began training some two divisions, mostly of Chinese, who, though they were working with modern arms and equipment for the first time in their lives, were quick to learn and soon become fanatically devoted to the friendly General who spoke their language fluently. In the ranks there grew up among Chinese and Americans a strong mutual respect and a common pride in their corps. Within a few months Stilwell’s army became one of the crack outfits of the Pacific area.

In the Allied grand strategy, the Far East was still a secondary theatre of war. The bulk of the immense output of U.S. ws industries was pouring into Europe for the Second Front, and the balance, for the most part, was earmarked for MacArthur. Too little remained to make possible a big-scale offensive on the Burma Front. But if the plans of the High Command were altered, Stilwell’s were not, and the divisions of Chinese and Americans he had so carefully trained disappeared with him into the jungle on one of the war’s most incredible ventures. Stilwell well knew the hazards he was facing but he was convinced that in the wilderness of North Burma, with only a limited force trained especially to meet such conditions, he could beat the Japanese at their own game. Mile by mile, sometimes foot by foot, General Joe Stilwell’s little army of Chinese and Americans continued to hack their way through what, by all the books, should have proved an impenetrable barrier. Behind the advancing columns, American and Chinese engineers and road builders worked day and night to broaden the newly opened trail into a military highway. With his overland communication line established Stilwell was able to move up mechanised forces to meet the stiffening resistance which multiplied with every mile of his advance into enemy territory. Before most of the outside world was aware of what was going on, Stilwell’s men had already fought their way deep into Burma and were driving towards the strategic lap base at Kamaing. When Chiang Kai-Shek threw thousands of his troops into a sudden attack across the Salween River pressing for a junction with Stilwell’s forces, when units of Merrill’s tough, hard-fighting Marauders struck at the Jap’s main base at Myitkyina the opening of the way from Calcutta to Chungking became inevitable. In a few tough months, Stilwell had settled his old score with the Japs, and forced the back door to Tokyo.

Researcher Comments

This story was included in Vol.10 No.11 of the US edition.

Keywords

Foreign relations; Colonialism; War and conflict

Written sources

The March of Time Promotional Material   Lobby Card, Used for synopsis

Credits:

Production Co.

Time Inc.