https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/03175203-4cd2-4548-b6f7-1bd95f7b73c9 This film "Back Door to Japan" shows how allied troops in the India-Burma sector battled to prepare the way for a full-scale second front against the Nipponese. 0:37 The film begins by describing how ferry pilots flying "the Hump" (from India to China) now navigate using swing music, which is less monotonous than old signals, but still insufficient for the immense supply weight needed for a "second front in Asia" against Japan. 1:05 It explains the strategy of a "double road to Tokyo": MacArthur and Nimitz fighting from the Pacific Islands towards Japan's "front door," requiring land bases and super bomber support from Asia's continent – the "back door to Japan." 1:52 Huge supplies of high-octane gas, heavy bombs, and electronic equipment are needed for Chennault's Air Force in China and the Army in Asia. This "backdoor" support requires an overland route from Calcutta, India, across a new Ledo Road, then the old Burma Road to China's coast facing Japan, where MacArthur and Nimitz can launch an all-out drive. 2:39 General "Uncle Joe" Stilwell is depicted battling in Burma to build this Ledo Road, a "backdoor" supply line for a full-scale second front against Japan. 3:04 Stilwell, operating with limited equipment, is broadening fighting trails into a two-lane, all-weather highway for crucial war machinery from America. 3:36 In spring 1944, the road was nearly complete, except for a 150-mile stretch to the strategic Myitkyina airfield. Allied forces, including American-equipped Chinese troops and British Chindits, raced towards this Japanese roadblock. 4:26 Merrill's Marauders, hard-fighting American volunteers and veterans of Pacific battles, undertook the toughest job: infiltrating insect-filled jungle mountains for 750 miles to capture Myitkyina airfield, pushing through despite heartbreaking challenges and carrying supplies on their backs, all to secure the airfield before the monsoons. 6:04 Overhead, P-40s and P-51s softened up Japanese defenses around the airfield, bombing and strafing strongpoints the Marauders couldn't breach. 7:03 "Flying artillery" (airplanes) radio-directed barrages ahead of the Marauders, who then inched towards the airfield under constant sniper fire. 7:49 One morning, the Marauders finally secured the airfield, winning half the race against the monsoon. Airborne reinforcements, including pint-sized tractors delivered by gliders, arrived the same afternoon to level the field for C-47s carrying ammunition and K-rations. 8:43 Wounded soldiers were evacuated to base hospitals on C-47s, despite the A-station lacking camouflage and surgeons working under open skies, exposed to Japanese attacks. 9:24 Allied forces, including Shinmen, Vitaly, Aussies, and Chinese, continued to fight back. 9:50 However, Japanese strongpoint airport attacks destroyed some transports waiting to evacuate the wounded, leading to further casualties among the injured. 10:15 The remaining troops endured severe hardships, cut off from the world for months, until Myitkyina was finally taken after 100 days of fighting. 10:41 Then, the "other enemy" arrived: the dreaded monsoon, bringing endless torrential rain, sweeping away precious supplies and gasoline, which all had to be replaced to match its destructive force. 11:24 Until the monsoon passed, new supplies couldn't get through, and even the hard-packed Myitkyina airfield became a swamp of heavy black mud. 11:55 Some Marauders, battle-fatigued and suffering from malaria, typhus, and exhaustion after three-and-a-half months of fighting both the Japanese and the monsoon, were evacuated to a rest area in India. 12:15 Despite three campaigns, five major battles, and 32 minor engagements to open this vital road to Japan, there was no escape for some, as a C-47 crashed trying to take off from the monsoon-stricken field. 12:41 The film updates to summer 1944: the monsoon is over, Burma and Myitkyina airfield are dry again. Myitkyina, once defended by a few fighter planes, now sees swarms of warbirds landing. 13:12 The Ledo Road is finally pushed through, establishing an unbroken overland route to Japan's "backdoor." 13:25 "Uncle Joe" Stilwell's "shoestring" operation is now replaced by a full-size supply line from America's assembly lines, creating a "brave new road to victory" for a full-scale second front in Asia. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mfLEDx0DwE Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 05:33:55 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/03175203-4cd2-4548-b6f7-1bd95f7b73c9 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.