Talk:Ledo Road

Untitled
I cleaned up some unbalanced quotes (and a typo) in the last para of the long quotations at the end of the article. But the very last sentence of the quotations (beginning "If it had been left to me, on military grounds...") was marked with three quotes (the opening pair of quotes never having been closed). Since there was no notation of 'emphasis added' or 'emphasis in original', I removed the triple quotes, leaving the entire block in italics. Mwanner 14:34, Dec 10, 2004 (UTC)

Many lives of the Burma Road
The first historical records are about pilgrimage of Chinese monks going to India and back home with biddhist texts, then came  the smugglers and pirates. The WWII Burma Road has been made for heavier transportation over this ancient trails, as the Ho Chi Minh Highway is the second life of the Ho Chi Minh trail.

Takima 04:42, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

The travel situation
I've rewritten parts of the article dealing with the travel situation in the area. Yes, people have traveled the road recently. But the situation was different years ago and its still different today for journalists. If you greese the right wheels in the country, make the right assurances about what you will say about the country and have no political ties to groups the government doesn't like, you can go anywhere and do anything. You can also bribe your way in over closed borders and get away with all kinds of stuff. But remember, its usually the local people you come in contact with that are going to be held responsible and punished for whatever you do.

24-zig in Guizhou
http://www.cbiexpeditions.com/html_pages/article2.htm

--77.130.23.187 (talk) 00:06, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Road signs filmed by Gyles Mackrell
I added External media to link to Gyles Mackrell's film Making the road from Ledo (Stilwell Road); Pangsau Pass linked from. Here is a list of the road signs found: I have copied the above from Talk:Gyles Mackrell. -84user (talk) 18:49, 1 November 2010 (UTC)
 * at 07:32 sign depicting Bugs Bunny saying: "Listen Doc fun is fun. But Speedin here just isn't done"; and text below: "SPEED LIMIT 25MPH"; a figure resembling Elmer Fudd appears on the left
 * at 07:38 a sign depicting a scantily clad woman with text: "HO YOU CAN'T GET THAT ANY MORE! UNLESS YOU DRIVE CAREFULLY AROUND THESE CURVES";
 * at 08:08 a sign depicting a short-skirted woman with text (unreadable, start might be "SLOW DOWN")
 * at 08:10 a sign depicting a posing seated woman with text starting "YOU MIGHT" (rest very unclear, maybe "USE YOUR HEAD", ends "25 MPH")
 * at 08:14 a sign with text starting "MILES/STEEP GRADE WITH SHARP CURVES REDUCE SPEED AND USE LOW GEAR"
 * at 08:16 a sign with unreadable text and tower icon below
 * at 08:26 a sign with text "STILWELL ROAD LEDO . ASSAM 0.00" flanked by two shields and above two columns of five black bars each with unreadable text; this is possibly the mile sign mentioned in Ledo Road

Recently added material that needs to be cleaned-up
The following material was recently added to the article by User:DIP 1031. Since the material was not properly formatted and not integrated into the existing article, I've moved it here instead. Please feel free to use this material in the article as is appropriate (with credit to DIP 1031). Kaldari (talk) 05:54, 15 January 2014 (UTC)

History behind the birth of Stillwell Road
One would be amazed to see the birth of the Stillwell road in Assam. Come see the true story behind its rebirth.

On 14th to 17th August of the year 1999 this road was declared AS THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE ROUTE in a meeting held between India, China, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Above all boarder trading was allowed in Pangsau pass between Indian – Burma border; twice in a month. On 3rd October 1999 a park was inaugurated at Zero point of Stillwell Road.

In the earlier year of 1942 Japan succeeded in taking control over Burma from Britain. Britain, USA and China allied and formed South East Asiatic Command (SEAC) to fight against Japan. Allied force unable to survive against Japan fled to Assam.

Worth mentioning that during the formation of the SEAC US President Roosevelt provided war like materials and support to the Nationalist Forces of China under Major General Issimo well known as Chiang- Kai-Sak at wartime. Therefore Roosevelt selected Joseph W Stillwell as the Deputy Supreme Commander of SEAC and General of India-China-Burma battlefield. He was also made responsible for supplying war support to China. He was made the sole communication media between China and USA.

His front office was based in Taipha, a place behind Patkai, in Hukong valley’s north of Chindwin River where in Chindwin and river Tarung River meets. His back office was based in Shillong. This Chindwin River was the boarder between Japan and SEAC during that time. Main office during the war time was in Delhi for Burma – India battlefield.

After Japan captured Burma Road between China and Burma was blocked. And China was isolated from the rest of the world. This was the only road through which war like materials and support was provided to China. Now that China was totally isolated therefore the need for an emergency road was very much felt by the allied force. As such the responsibility of this urgent need for the emergency road was place on the shoulders of General Joseph W Stillwell. As per a 1942 plan, a road was proposed to be constructed to connect Misina railway of Burma, Morgaon town. Kumon Bung, Chowkan pass (8000 ft height) of the Patkai range to Ledo in Assam. During this time a branch of Dibru - Sadia railways already ran toward Ledo. This was the only source for military support to Ledo. Not depending solely on railways a road parallel to the planed railway was also decided to be constructed from Ledo to Makum (in Assam).

On the other hand in Burma, a road already existed from the Lachio railway end to Kunming of China. This road was an emergency road constructed in 1938 after Japanese invasion in 1937 where the Japanese were just about to reach Beijing. There also existed a railway from Kunming to Chungking in China. Under General Joseph W Stillwell in July 1942 a force was formed of the US army and people of Khachin from Assam and named it American – Khachin Rangers (AK Rangers). The AK Rangers chased the Japanese army to Mandalay and recaptured the Burma – Kunming road. Similarly under Brigadier Ordey Wingte of Britain, formed a force named Sinding (name of the Dragon of Burmese temple) by the British army, Burmese, and the Gurkas, who captured Misina airport in 1944. A post of Political Officer on Special duty was created for six month in the year 1942 and Air Raid Precaution officer (ARP) – E.T. D. Lambert of Jorhat airport was appointed for the same. He surveyed via air as well as land and made three probable road maps. They three road possibilities are as follows:-

•	First possibility was for a road running from Ledo to Meow via Numsic road, then from North or South of Deiun River to Chowkan pass. •	Second one was from Ledo to Nampong and passing Masum then north of Patkai to South of Duein river to Chowkan pass •	The Third from Ledo-Nampong to Wangkhap via Masum then to Patkia to Chowkan pass then to Kubanboom Mountain in the south of Chowkan pass to Mowgoan town.

Seeing the lack of time and circumstances, the ARP officer forwarded a fourth proposal. According to this 4th proposal, a road from Shindbwiyang of Hukong valley crossing Pangsu pass (1200 ft) to Ledo which was the existing walkway (108 miles in length) was planed to renovate. From the three proposals the 1st one was sanctioned adding therewith to broaden the road by 6” breath so that American jeep could run on it.

Therefore Meow was made the center point where all materials and manpower was just started to gather. Just at this time an order was place for renovation of the existing walkway (mentioned in the 4th point) to be the main road. As such work started immediately from both China and Assam end.

Summary of the Road construction:
1.	Ten thousand Chinese labor, Nung tribals and Kachin workers started work from Kunming to Burma where the railway line existed. 2.	At Assam’s end a road was constructed from Makun rail junction upto the bridge of the Dehing river at Margherita by the PWD 3.	From the Bridge above the Dehing river up to Lakhaphani was supposed be be constructed by the army but was actually constructed by the labors of the Ledo tea estate and Makum Namdang tea estate under the guidance of Assam Railways and Trading company (AR&T). 4.	Road from Lakhapani upto Tirup river and via Namsic road to Namsic river was built by Tangsa tribes of Changlang District, this tribe was originally from Rungpung under the guidance of Late Chandradhar Gogoi. 5.	The remaining area that covers from Namsic river to Namgoi, Nampong, then passing Pangsu Pass upto Chimbuing was constructed by 1115 labors which included labors from Abor tribe, Sema Naga’s, Garo tribes, Miso- Misimi, Pungi, Galong and many mores, under the guidance of Ratna Bahadur Linbu of the IX th Platoon Assam  Rifles. This new road born from the walkway in Assam-Burma region and the existing road at China which was blocked by Japan that covers Misana – Lachio – Kungming was completed within 2 and half years. The Political Officer on Special duty- E.T. D. Lambert was helped by Assamese IPS officer Md. Imdad Alie. Later after Independence Md. Imdad Alie was the ambassador of Yemen. From October 1944 the trucks of the Allied Force started to run over this road. Worth mentioning that much before this the Japanese were chased away to Mandalay before trucks moved toward the battlefield. Stillwell road was named after the name of General Joseph W.Stillwell. This road was built during World War II to connect Ledo in Assam, India to Kunming of China. Originally this road was known as the Ledo road. It was renamed as the Stillwell road by Ching Kai Sheik in 1945 after General Joseph Warren Stillwell (1883-1946). The total cost in constructing this road was $137 million. This was constructed by the Americans. General Stillwell was the commander of troops in the CBI (China-Burma –India). A total of 63,000 people were employed who constructed 478 miles road.

The total length of the road is 1122 km, 350 km shorter than the original one. A transport team composed of Chinese and Americans chipped more than 50,000 tones of materials through the road for Chinese troops fighting against the Japanese Intruders for 8 months in 1945. Since then the road sank in oblivion and became little known to outsiders.

It winds up the passage of 9000 feet Patkai range and emerges at Chindbwiyang and then Myitkyian. Chief of staff to allied force in China – Burma- India theatre known as Burma road in China, Ledo road in Burma and Stillwell road in India. The course was composed of around in 57km in India, 1040km in Burma and 139 km in China.

The India part of the road has been closed since 1961.

Total length = 1079 mile, 36 mile in India, 646 mile in Burma, 397 mile in China. Although the road from Makum to Ledo was constructed at the same time yet this was not included in the Stillwell road.

HOW TO REACH:

10, 20, and 30th Day of every month visitors can enter Burma border.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:
FOR INDIANS:

Inner Line Permit is necessary.

FOR FOREIGNER:

Inner Line Permit & RAP is necessary.

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 14 external links on Ledo Road. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081013005441/http://www.tinsukia.nic.in/subpages/stilwell.html to http://tinsukia.nic.in/subpages/stilwell.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070212063023/http://www.tinsukia.nic.in/index.asp to http://tinsukia.nic.in/index.asp
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070519100609/http://ledoroad.home.comcast.net/Ledo_Signs.html to http://ledoroad.home.comcast.net/Ledo_Signs.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080509060125/http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/Pacific06b.html to http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/Pacific06b.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070831075234/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1522 to http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1522
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081224143113/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/questions/topic.asp?id=1366 to http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/questions/topic.asp?id=1366
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081013005441/http://www.tinsukia.nic.in/subpages/stilwell.html to http://tinsukia.nic.in/subpages/stilwell.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070212063023/http://www.tinsukia.nic.in/index.asp to http://tinsukia.nic.in/index.asp
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070831075234/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1522 to http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1522
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070730080254/http://ledoroad.home.comcast.net/Ledo_About.html to http://ledoroad.home.comcast.net/Ledo_About.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070519100609/http://ledoroad.home.comcast.net/Ledo_Signs.html to http://ledoroad.home.comcast.net/Ledo_Signs.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100919001158/http://outsideonline.com/outside/toc/200310.html to http://outsideonline.com/outside/toc/200310.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20040928090002/http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/myanmartimes/no99/myanmartimes5-99/Timeouts/2.htm to http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/myanmartimes/no99/myanmartimes5-99/Timeouts/2.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20050215154329/http://www.cbiexpeditions.com/html_pages/Ledo%20Road/index.htm to http://www.cbiexpeditions.com/html_pages/Ledo%20Road/index.htm

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 14:30, 19 December 2017 (UTC)