MEMORIAL  TO  CBI  VETERANS

  Throughout the history of the world, in times of peril and aggression, nations have called upon their military forces for defense against their enemies. Our country has been very fortunate for, whenever the men and women who comprise our Army, Navy, air forces and other services have been called upon; they have served their country bravely and faithfully, regardless of where they were sent or what they were asked to do. Many Americans remember their dedicated service and are appreciative of their performances, but, too soon after the danger is over, the services of these veterans fade into oblivion. The veterans themselves do not forget how bravely and proudly they and their comrades served, especially in military conflicts where many were wounded and others gave their lives in their service to their country.

  During World War II, over 14,000,000 men and women served in the armed forces of the United States. The services of many of these veterans in the European and Pacific Theater are well known and have often been memorialized. There was, however, a smaller contingent of about 260,000, who saw service in the far away lands of China, Burma and India. Few of today's archivists or historians take note of their services but the knowledgeable ones that do, write and tell of the true dedicated service of those who served in the China Burma India Theater of Operations (CBI).

  Immediately following the dastardly air attack by the Japanese on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, the morale of our populous was low. The unprovoked attack had claimed over 2,300 lives, damaged or destroyed eight of our finest battleships, and over 300 airplanes. We were all depressed from all the bad news at the start of the war. It did not take long before we had something to cheer about and it came from the CBI Theater.

  On the morning of December 20, 1941, ten Japanese twin-engine Mitsubishi bombers each loaded with incendiary and 500 pound bombs took off from a Japanese held airfield at Hanoi and began a 300 mile flight to Kunming on a routine mission as they had been bombing Kunming on almost every clear day for a year. Flying at 6000 feet, approximately 30 miles southeast of Kunming, they were astonished to meet four fast flying fighter planes bearing down on them. The fighters were fearsome-looking aircraft with their noses painted to resemble the toothy grins of giant sharks. The Japanese jettisoned their bombs and turned toward home when ten more fighters appeared. They attacked the bombers with machine guns blazing. One by one, the bombers exploded and fell to the ground until only one Mitsubishi was left to limp back to Hanoi. The Flying Tigers had flown their first combat mission in China.

  On December 23, they attacked a flight of bombers with fighter escort and shot down six bombers and four fighters over Rangoon. On December 25, 80 bombers and 48 fighters approached Rangoon and the AVG (the official name of the Flying Tigers) knocked down 23 bombers with 6 more probable. Americans were overjoyed with the reports of these air victories over the treacherous enemy.

  The American Volunteer Group was created after the Chinese retained the services of a retired former United States Air Corps pilot, Captain Claire Lee Chennault, to vitalize the tottering Chinese Air Force. He recruited 112 experienced United States military pilots to fly fighter planes in China on a volunteer paid basis. The United States turned over 100 P-40 fighter planes to the Chinese. With this, the AVG then proceeded to score victory after victory against the previously unchallenged Japanese.

  Encouraged by the news of the performance of the Flying Tigers, President Roosevelt was determined to take whatever action possible to keep China in the war. It was an area that would be vital to be used to base future bombing operations of Japanese facilities and bases already held in the theater but eventually against the Japanese mainland. In addition, military operations in the CBI Theater would tie up many Japanese troops preventing their use in other Pacific campaigns. Although the priority for military forces and supplies was given to the European and Pacific Theaters, such military personnel and supplies that could be were diverted to the CBI Theater.

  The first American troops to arrive were air force personnel who came to India, in March of 1942. They formed the nucleus for an air task force that commenced supply flights over the "Hump", as that route over the southern segment of the Himalayan mountains, between the northeast province of Assam, in India, and the western areas of China, was called by those who made the treacherous flights over that route. The weather was extremely poor, especially during the monsoon season that affected northern Burma. The mountains were over 16,000 feet in altitude along the route, many, slightly to the north, exceeding 20,000 feet. At the start, the primary transport place was the Douglas C-47 which was not able to fly much higher than 15,000 feet. Most of the flight began from airstrips in Assam. In addition, the Japanese soon had fighter planes operating from bases in occupied central Burma. As time went by, the air task force became the 10th Air Force and, as they became available, several fighter squadrons arrived to try to protect supply flights over the Hump. Later, larger airplanes were used that could fly higher and carry larger loads but the lack of good navigational aids and the unpredictable weather over the mountainous route, especially strong variable high cross-winds, made flying the Hump one of the most dangerous flying of the war and many aircraft and crews were lost until the route was called "The Aluminum Trail."

  At the same time, our country set up a Services of Supply which established supply operations in India accumulating vast quantities of material to be sent to China. Also, the third operation was to instigate a military campaign to drive the Japanese out of northern Burma so that a ground route could be established. There already was a sizeable amount of Chinese military personnel who had retreated into India as the Japanese had swiftly occupied Burma. To lead these troops in military action, the United State sent General Joe Stilwell to take command. A special American force, later to be called the Merrill's Marauders, was created with about 3,500 volunteers who had previous jungle fighting experience, to lead the campaign. Eventually, this military unit had a very difficult and unpleasant assignment in spearheading the military action in the jungles of northern Burma which was rife with leeches, snakes, mosquitoes and wild animals and where the heat was overpowering and the almost constant rain made for absolutely miserable fighting conditions. In addition, diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, cholera and dysentery took their toll. The most debilitating influence was malnutrition. They only ate what they liked from the K-Rations that they got from air drops so their diet was out of balance. Originally, in this type of isolated military action, 30 days was the ultimate time the troops were supposed to be in action but the Marauders were actively fighting for over three months. In spite of all this and, including a tenacious enemy, the Merrill's Marauders performed brilliantly as one of the war's finest fighting units as they led the drive to force the Japanese out of northern Burma. At the end, only a few of the original unit were left as there were many casualties from the fighting and others were pitifully emaciated from disease and malnutrition.

  Another first time outstanding operation was the portable surgical hospitals that operated beside the Marauders and the Chinese infantry units. They performed heroically, under terrible conditions, in treating the wounded and those suffering from debilitating diseases.

  As the Japanese were slowly driven from northern Burma, engineer battalions proceeded to construct a road from Ledo in Assam, over the mountainous hills into Burma, over 100 miles of extremely difficult terrain, and then through the jungles of northern Burma where they encountered the many diseases and vermin that plagued the fighting forces. Later, this road connected with the old Burma Road in central Burma that once had been the primary route to China and supplies could once more be shipped by ground into China. This was followed by the construction of a pipeline into China that was truly an outstanding construction operation though miles and miles of terrible terrain.

  Additional military units and personnel began to arrive in CBI. More fighter planes and pilots were added to General Chennault’s air operations. B-25 Mitchell and B-24 Liberator bombing squadrons came and began to carry out strikes against Japanese held bases in Southeast Asia.

  Trained United States infantry and artillery personnel arrived in China to aid and lead the Chinese fighting forces. Signal corps operation began to install ground communication lines into China. Many other Americans came to India and China to perform countless other duties in inhospitable areas.

  It took over three years of hard work and dedicated services of American personnel, doing whatever job that was necessary, but the job of keeping China supplied and in the war was accomplished. We kept the supply line open, first by air entirely, and then we opened a ground supply route. We defeated the Japanese in our military operations both on the ground and in the air. We handled many thousands of tons of material from the ports of India, across the country on a truly hodge-podge of railroads plagued by different railroad gauges. Our medical personnel, doctors and nurses, established hospital in the area to treat the wounded and the many sick who suffered from dysentery, dengue fever and other debilitating diseases. CBI veterans served in signal corps, artillery units, supply depots, air rescue, air base construction and maintenance and extensive engineering construction, all in addition to those who fought on the ground and in the air. The weather in CBI was terrible, the mountains were high and the jungles were unforgiving. The enemy was tenacious but their ambition to achieve total victory in the CBI Theater was crushed. Undaunted, the CBI Veterans did a job that they were sent to do, whatever it was.

  Today's younger historians and politicians rarely tell the true story of events that took place back then and to distort the history of a cruel aggressor nation, Japan that we did not want to fight. Most of the CBI Veterans were in their early twenties or thirties when sent to CBI. Inexperienced pilots, trained only in training planes, were sent to complete their training as co-pilots flying dangerous missions. Troops and supply units were also composed of young men. In spite of this, those American service personnel served their country bravely and faithfully and accomplished feats that will never be duplicated. CBI veterans are extremely proud of what they did and, someday, they will receive the recognition they deserve.

  There was a true spirit of all the military forces that served in the CBI Theater that was not present in any other World War II area. It can best be remembered by the military actions in western Burma in the spring. The Japanese were concerned with the quantity of supplies being transported by air from Assam to China. They decided that they could seriously disrupt the flow by severing the ground supply route in eastern India. Accordingly, the Japanese launched an invasion from mountainous western Burma into India, near the towns of Kohima and Imphal. They were opposed by British and Indian ground troops, who were supplied by air units of the United States. The fighting was bitter but, after several weeks, with many casualties on both sides, the Japanese were driven back into Burma in full retreat. In the military cemetery in Kohima, there is a written epithet that reads:

"When you get back, tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow, we gave our today."

  That was the true spirit of all veterans who served in the China Burma India Theater during World War II. May they be remembered along with all the dedicated others who have served their country in the past and are honorably serving today so that we may have a better tomorrow.

Albert O. Wilkat
    CBI Veteran, 1st Lt., Pilot
    2nd Troop Carrier Squadron, USAAF
    Shingbwiyang, Burma and Dinjan, Assam, India

IN MEMORIAM

 ALMIGHTY GOD, OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, IN WHOSE HANDS ARE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: WE ARE TRULY THANKFUL FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF OUR COUNTRY. THEY DID NOT DIE IN VAIN, BUT FOUGHT AND DIED BRAVELY FOR THE RIGHT IN ORDER THAT OUR NATION MIGHT BE LED INTO THE WAY OF JUSTICE AND TRUTH, AND THAT IT MIGHT BE KEPT IN THE PEACE WHICH IS THE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. THROUGH THE CHANNEL OF DEATH, THESE MEN HAVE COME TO THEIR ETERNAL REWARD. GRANT UNTO THEM THY MERCY AND THE LIGHT OF THY PRESENCE, THAT THE GOOD WORK WHICH THOU HAST BEGUN IN THEM MAY BE PERFECTED.

  WE BESEECH THEE TO BLESS ALL WHO FOLLOW IN THEIR STEPS AND ENDUE THEM WITH WISDOM, PATIENCE, AND COURAGE. MAY THEY BE INSPIRED BY THE SACRIFICES OF OUR FALLEN ONES TO MINISTER TO THE SUFFERING, THE FRIENDLESS, AND THE NEEDY.... FOR THE SAKE OF HIM WHO DIED FOR ALL MANKIND, AND WHO REIGNETH FOREVER VICTORIOUS OVER DEATH, HELL, AND THE GRAVE, EVEN THE CAPTAIN OF OUR SALVATION. AMEN.

TOMMY RUSSELL, CHAPLAIN     
330th ENGINEER REGIMENT     
CHINA-BURMA-INDIA, 1945     

REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN THEATER OF WORLD WAR II

PRINT THIS PAGE E-MAIL THIS PAGE E-MAIL YOUR COMMENTS