Wave Of Banditry Sweeps Ledo Road
Roundup Staff Writer MYITKYINA, BURMA - Four months after V-J Day, the peaceful green valleys of North Burma once again echo to the noise of rifles, tommy-gun and mortar fire. Burmese and Kachin villagers, trying to rebuild the ruins of their war-torn homes, and the last few hundred GI's left behind to guard and dispose of surplus property have been caught in a wave of banditry organized by deserters and renegades from the armies that once swept through Burma. The bandits are well armed with tommy-guns and other automatic weapons. Their aim seems to be the capture of goods for the still-flourishing black market, and the securing of food, clothing and arms to maintain themselves. The principal difficulty in dealing with the situation is that the armed bandits, wearing their old uniforms by night, become "peaceful" civilians during daylight hours. To date no American personnel have been injured, but one British Civil Affairs police sergeant has been killed and several other police wounded. Since V-J Day, 10 bandits have been killed by American employed guards (Gurkhas and Kachins). An equal number have been captured and turned over to the British authorities for punishment. The British civil administration has killed 25 bandits. Small stores of arms and ammunition have also been taken. DESCRIBE ‘SCHOOL’ Reliable American officers described a "school" hidden in the jungle near Namti, which they believe may be one of the organizational centers of bandit activity. They found a large meeting in progress in the jungle clearing. The man in charge said it was a school, but none of the students appeared to be under 25 years of age. Arms, ammunition, and black market goods are known to be located at the "school," and the Namti area is one of the hottest spots in North Burma. The most recent episode took place on Saturday night, December 17, just two days before I arrived in Myitkyina, in the area formerly occupied by the 48th Evacuation Hospital. Here large quantities of surplus Quartermaster property are stored. Kachin and Gurkha guards were roused in the late evening by a "psychological attack" out of the jungle. The bandits howled, beat tins cans and in general gave a good imitation of a Banzai charge. FOUR ARE SLAIN A group of four bandits stepped out of the jungle. The guards saw them enter the warehouse, and start to walk out with American equipment. The guards shot, killing all four. On this same day, Dec. 17, three enlisted men from the 3845th QM Truck Company were fired at with a tommy-gun from an ambush in the jungle while driving the road. Most severe encounter to date involving American property took place on Nov. 23 at 10:00 hours at pumping station Post 2 along the pipeline. The small group of guards was set upon by 25 bandits armed with shotguns, pistols, carbines and tommy-guns. The outnumbered guards had to withdraw into the jungle, while the bandits demolished their living quarters with hand grenades. Although several hundred rounds were fired, no casualties occurred. On the night of Nov. 22, bandits attacked a village on the east bank of the Irrawaddy in the Myitkyina area. In a pitched battle during which British fired about 5,000 rounds, the Civil Affairs Sergeant was killed. During the first week of December, S/Sgt. Roy Swatzel, Sgt. Elton Eady and Sgt. Lyle Stotts, of the 330th Engineers, were almost caught in an ambush attack on the road between Bhamo and Myitkyina. TWO NEARLY SHOT On Nov. 20, T/Sgt. George Hittney and Sgt. Gerald Giest of the 1756th Engineer Petroleum Distribution Co., were driving along the road distributing rations to guards at pipeline pump stations. Forty miles south of Myitkyina they were flagged down by someone on the road with a flashlight. They saw the man was not a GI, so they sped ahead. Bandits emptied a full tommy-gun clip at their rear tires from a jungle hideout. S/Sgt. Martin Reitzel, from the same pipeline outfit, stopped in broad daylight in the same area to fix a tire on Nov. 17. Two bandits approached asking for cigarettes. When they got close, they whipped out .45 automatics, robbed Reitzel and his GI companion of all their personal belongings, and drove off with the jeep. The GI's were shortly picked up by two ATC men. Together, they followed the tracks of the stolen jeep into a jungle clearing where they came upon the vehicle. As they drove the recovered jeep out of the brush, they were fired on. Slugs pierced the windshield and rear of the vehicle. The driver of a weapons carrier of the 3101st Signal Battalion was robbed at the point of a gun on Nov. 20 by two civilians to whom the driver had given a ride. The vehicle was later found in a bazaar at Myitkyina. Other evidence of banditry have appeared in the Warazup area recently and, previously, near Bhamo. |
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OUR RAY FORSAKES HIS SPORTS TO WELCOME VETERAN USO TROUPE These fair damsels are part and parcel of the USO troupe "Maids and Magic," now touring the Theater. Left to right: Margery Edwards, violinist from San Jose, Calif.; Singer Annabelle Escoe, Oklahoma City; Las Tosca, Spanish dancer from San Francisco, and Lila Escoe, pianist and sister of Annabelle. The show, now doing the Karachi area, will move to Base Section, Jan. 21. (Signal Corps Photo) Flaunting a neat one-two punch in comedy and musical technique, the USO-Camp troupe "Maids and Magic" last week began a scheduled tree and a half months tour of the India-Burma arena. Four comely girls, plus an older couple and a male magician, have pooled their talents to offer one of the more sprightly USO shows to hit the theater in some while. What's more, all are veterans at this overseas barnstorming and pack more Hershey bars than the entire Pearl Harbor All-Stars football team. Take Margery Edwards, for example. She has three gold stripes and more travel time than the late Richard Halliburton. OVERSEAS STRIPES Margery, a most talented violinist, first hit the cold regions, including Labrador, Newfoundland, Alaska and the Aleutians. Then in company with the other girls, she went to the Caribbean Defense Command, the Canal Zone and the Middle East before coming here. The troupe plans a China Theater trek, if possible, and will also play Italy before heading Stateside next summer. Incidentally, for those who prefer a hometown touch, Margery is one of three Californians in the show. She is a native of San Jose, though presently resides in New York City. Bob Damon, the legerdemain man, is a Los Angelino by way of South Dakota, and La Tosca (nee Tosca Lippi) hails from San Francisco. HIP SHAKER La Tosca, a dancing instructor in civvies, does some Spanish numbers for the boys in service. She shakes her hips better than Army's Glenn Davis in an open field. A more pleasant performance, too. Two sisters, Lila and Annabelle Escoe, are the contributions from Oklahoma City. Lila is the accompanist at the piano, and the poor man's Cass Daley in her spare time, while Annabelle puts out with vocals. Annabelle is also adept at the violin and piano, but prefers to exercise her tonsils. Al Verdi, a chubby-citizen who slaps a solo cello, got the main attention from the New Delhi commandos when the show was previewed recently. Dolores Verdi is the mistress of ceremonies and the couple proved that their outstanding stage background is no mistake. They've done stints with countless name bands. Magician Damon is better than the ordinary with his sleight-of-hand and various illusions. He did everything but pull my discharge papers out of his pocket. The itinerary calls for the show to be around the Karachi area until Jan. 21, then it moves to Base Section. They'll close out by playing the Intermediate Section installations. Another collection, "Arabella's Show Shop," also has arrived in I-BT. More of them anon. I'm getting to like this amusement business. E. Gartly Jaco can keep his movie reviews. |
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