China-Burma-India Theater Memorial
The China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) was an area of operations during World War II
which received very little news coverage. The priority for military forces and
supplies was given to the European Theater (ETO) closely followed by the Pacific
Theater. The general plan was for the military forces in CBI, led by Generals
Chennault and Stilwell, to do what they could to tie up as many Japanese troops
as possible with whatever units and supplies that could be diverted to CBI from
the other theaters. Even when the meager supplies were available, the problem
of transport half way around the world to India was gigantic and to get supplies
to China was a greater problem.
Prior to December 7, 1941, the Japanese were in control of a large portion of
eastern China, but the Chinese were being furnished food and supplies through its
western border with Burma. Much of this material came from ports of south Burma
and India and were shipped by rail and truck to China.
Although there was a small group of American volunteer flyers who were flying for
the Chinese in P-40 fighter planes before Pearl Harbor, the first American troops
were air force personnel who came to India in March of 1942. Our engineer battalions
proceeded to construct a road from Ledo to Kunming China over mountainous hills
through Burma over 500 miles of extremely difficult terrain, and through the
jungles of northern Burma where leeches, snakes and sickness were their enemies
as well as the Japanese.
CBI Veterans served in signal corps, artillery units, supply deport, air base
construction and maintenance, engineering construction; in addition to the men
who fought on the ground and the air, were those who flew war materials and supplies.
Undaunted, the CBI Veterans did a job that they were sent to do, whatever it was.
We won the war.
| |
|
Veterans Memorial Garden
