WWII - 1940s, USA Government Film: Stilwell Road, The R6 of 6

WWII - 1944, Southeast Asia: Siege of Tengchong & First Convoy Over Burma Road Troops on horseback thru town / city past Axis wall posters. 11May44 Start of offensive - Columns of Chinese troops w/ US Operations staff cross Salween River; men wading pulling rubber rafts w/ supplies & weapons. Advance into Kaoli-kung mountains of Himalyas; men looking down on Japanese held Tengchong. 05:54:22 Montage: Aerial of fighter planes & B-24 Liberator bombers enroute to Siege of Tengchong. LS plane crashes onto mountain in distance; explosions & heavy artillery gun fired; Chinese officers watch & soldier on field telephone. Artillery firing; infantry advance up destroyed mountainside trees; fleeing Japanese machine gunned. Allied troops climb ladders over city walls; bazookas fired; street fighting w/ rifles & backpack flamethrowers. 05:56:04 Chinese wounded carried on stretchers over ruined city walls; dead Japanese & few prisoners / PoWs. Troops march off to capture second stronghold of Lungling. US & Chinese flags flying. 05:56:37 B-29 USAAF bombers taking off & in flight over Fujiyama & Tokyo ? - bombs away. Japanese fighting back - US air bases at risk of capture are torched / destroyed - burning ruins. 05:58:08 Fleeing Chinese refugees - good shots of train station, mothers & children, people crowded into railroad freight cars leaving. 05:58:52 Animated map showing path of Japanese offensive cutting thru China towards Liuchow. 05:58:58 USAAF supply planes take off, flying the Hump. Pipeline from northern Burma to China. Road sign: ‘80.0.N. To Ledo’. Engineers racing to complete roads to link up Ledo & Stilwell Roads - bridge construction w/ heavy machinery. 06:00:18 Aerial above completed road cutting thru jungle. Jan45 General Pick, Commander of Ledo Road construction, arrives in jeep w/ others to meet up w/ ??. dialogue scene possibly re-staged later - “General Sutton (?), the Ledo Road is open, we have a convoy formed, I’d like your permission to take it through to China”. Convoy of jeeps, trucks & medical vehicles begins moving on Ledo-Burma Road re-named Stilwell Road - one truck painted w/ ‘First Convoy - Ledo Road’. 06:01:28 Convoy arrives in Kunming w/ aid for Chinese, streets lined w/ people waving. CUs British, American, Indian & Chinese soldiers. 06:02:13 Aerials over winding road through mountains. 06:02:23 Ringing Liberty Bell, Victory symbol. The End. WW2; China - Burma - India Campaign; Engineering; Ledo Road; Construction; CBI; Battles; Stilwell Road; NOTE: Sell at per reel rate. Narration by Ronald Reagan.