Show The Road Rul Chinas China's s Life e Line Lille Is Packed ed With I V While Death Always Lurks LUls fly Ily IJ CLIFF CI IFF LANGE Released by Wf western stern Newspaper Union Dispatches to the newspapers newspapers pers in the United States Slates have been keeping the people well in informed ormed on the Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese activity in bombing the Burma road rand life liCe line o of Chinn China Since the United Stales States declared de ell war on all Japan news coming out on this famous road has been pushed to inside inside in uin side pages of newspapers because of other war activities activities ties closer to the people in the United States Stoles Nevertheless this road rand which means so much to China Chino still plays an nn important part port in the activity of the Allies against their enemies This Tills famous road begins at Rangoon Rangoon Ran nan goon India as ns a n rail line northeastward northeast ward to near the Chinese frontier At the Roods goods for embattled China Chinn arc are transferred to trucks and carried along the twisting twist ing dangerous wreckage strewn highway to headquarters of Generalissimo Chiang Kni Kai shek's shek's government rom From the railhead at the Burma Durma road in its Us miles crosses mountain ranges feet high and then plunges into canyons of oC two of the worlds world's greatest rivers the Jungle hedged Mekong and Ute the verdant verd trimmed Within the distance of 40 miles miles easily easily nn an hours hour's travel on n a highway In the tho United States this States this fascinating nd nd- venture packed highway rises and dips twice from 2500 feet teet to feet teet I Throughout its Us tortuous length the Uio road twists and turns through some of the most hazardous driving terrain ter rain In the world The roadbed in some places is just about nine feet wide but never more than twenty It hugs the edge of seemingly bottomless bottomless bot chasms and sneaks over chassis breaking ridges I Engineering I Teat Feat atIt at It is no wonder that engineers consider this road as one of ot the tho worlds world's greatest engineering feats comparing with Chinas China's other great defensive effort the Great Wall Fortunately this important highway carrying supplies to the capital of China was completed to its present condition before belore Japan attacked not Y I I Another Burma road roul casual casualty on one of the tho hundreds of curves curies along the tho route bringing war supplies to embattled Chinas China's capital capi nili tal in the interior Since the ro road roul id opened at least 1300 trucks have Ime been destroyed b by rolling roiling off preci preel I This oil off the road casualty is not as bats bal as some sonic of or them Sometimes ofT off the road means a amere amere amere mere drop of something like feet only the possessions of the United States in the one Pacific but also those of ot the Dutch and British The United United Unit Unit- ed d States Stales way before the Ute attack by bythe bythe bythe the Japs fully tully realized the great value of at China as us an ally For over overa a year now the U U. S S. S has been send ing supplies over this road And more recently she has been seeing to it that the frequent bombings b by bythe bythe the Japs wouldn't go unchallenged by having volunteer corps of U U. S S. S aviators patrol the road rand ready for tor fora tora a scrap at any time Military authorities are arc not reticent reticent cent in saying that this tortuous grueling road may decide the battle of ot Asia now well under way For or I without supplies goin going to General Kai Kai shek's shek's capital China would soon oon be forced to drop out of the theny way way- possibly ask for tor terms with her hat hat- ed cd enemy Japan who leho has been attempting at tempting to batter her into submission submission sion Eion for at least five years Literally the Durma road is s the line life to China and her armies Except for the overland route from Soviet Union Turkestan it is the t h- h t M it r re rw e w 4 This unusual shot of the Burma nurma toad Hoail as It twists and aUlI curves over the mountains to has haj been ben compared to a n snake Possibly It U Unil nil will-as will as the story notes he holes be the turn snake sn that will wilt help strike down Japan I in her present fight against the democracies only Inlet for lor material which China Chinn needs so badly The present conflict con coni between the Soviets and the Nazis has practically cut off the supplies which had been coming from Hussin Hussla in the north Recently American truck line transportation experts cane came through here her on General Kai shek's lion on their way to inspect the theron ron road Their purpose was to put greater renter co ordination co-ordination and efficiency in Its operation For Tor reports of ot Indifference indifference In in- in difference lassitude and perhaps graft be began an to reach the UlO Generals General's s scar car With a n typical westerners reaction ho he did something about it The U U. U S S. S transportation officials came over for tor n a check up Over trucks a n day arc are rollIng rolling roll roll- Ing over the tho road loaded with American Amer ican lean military supplies sent by terms of the Uw lend lease bill and relief supplies sup sup- supplies plies sent through the United China Relief Hellet These same trucks returning returning returning return return- ing from China carry tungsten tung lung oil and other strategic U U. S 5 S. S defense program defense program materials to pay for these supplies Sudden Death neath Many lives were lost in building this road rondo Today the loss of lives continues Not so much from bombin bombing bomb bomb- in ing t by Japanese airmen continually jl h I aLit it tho two major suspension bridges across the tho and the Mekong but from the Uio drivers and the thc road work work- ers cis on It It Since the road opened 1300 trucks have been destroyed by falling off the precipices along the tho hundreds of hairpin turns such as ns shown in the picture above Thousands too have fallen tallen victim to malaria for the road traverses the worst malm malarial HI swamp in the world Medical relief on the UlO road rand toda today Is under the care of the tho American Amer lean ican Society of or Friends member agency of or United China Chinn Relief Helle Since Shoe the inspection of the Uio load road by bythe bythe the traffic experts invited over o by Generalissimo shek Kai many projects projects calculated to eliminate inefficiency and truck delays have been instituted A complete system of auto repair gasoline and und dispatching stations is being established along this vital route A school for automobile mechanics mechanics me to teach the essentials of repair and maintenance has been opened in by the College of oC Science of the Uie University of Nan Nai- king The awakening and fighting Chinese Chi nese arent aren't going to let lct it be said that the they once being shown how didn't do anything to prevent their line lifeline from functioning propel properly 1 At the present time the trip over mo the Burma road requires from 10 to 12 days of hard tough driving After AHel the Improvements recommended b by bythe the experts are made the trip will I take n a week or less Asphalting will improve the of the road rond and also reduce the ever lurking risks 1 II by Hand lIand laud The rhe Burma road will then be greatly different from the Uie day when it was first completed b bj by peasant men and women working entirely with hand tools and who finished the job in a little more marc than a n year American and British British Brit Brit- British ish engineers estimated the Uie Job would take four tour years cars to complete The immensity of ot the project is near 1131 appalling when it tt is remembered bored that those peasants actually hacked the Uie road out of the granite cliff edges Within a ver very short time the Uie hand hand crushed crushed rock and gravel topping this highway highway freedom for freedom for freedom I will be asphalted I In a n short time when the Uie 3 ton figure figur is s reached providing the force torce of the Uie Japan military machine doesn't achieve and keep the upper hand of the present battle now raging rag ragS ing lug the turning point In the Uie war over here hero will be he reached For ten goo goods s will be moving in insufficient sufficient volume to permit Chinas China's I armies to undertake their first maJor major ma ma- maI I Jor sustained coun counter ter offensive A offensive counter which will make maIm I the recent one against the Japs who I were moving in on the tho beleaguered I British at Shanghai small in comparison com parison Watch the military activities evolving about the Uie Burma Durma road There too you will read more tales talca of oC great such as have surrounded surrounded sur sur- rounded the Uie road ever since It was waa first begun The fate late of the Burma Durma road load will decide the tho fate of the battle bat bal tie tic of the Pacific Pacific and and the battle of the Uie Atlantic too |