1
00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,480
As in the struggle
against Nazi Germany,
2
00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:10,640
American strategy in
the war against Japan
3
00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:14,320
includes launching mass bombing
attacks against factories,
4
00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,200
military installations,
and cities.
5
00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:20,160
But the map of
the Asia-Pacific War
6
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,160
covers enormous distances.
7
00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,640
A new, more powerful
bomber is needed,
8
00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,200
the B-29 Superfortress.
9
00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,040
Securing air bases
for these super-forts
10
00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,680
becomes a primary objective
for President Roosevelt
11
00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:36,880
and American military leaders.
12
00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,120
All Wars changed the world,
13
00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:42,040
but none of them
changed the world
14
00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:43,920
like the second World War did.
15
00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,320
Japan's on the march,
Germany's on the march.
16
00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:51,560
No-one can imagine the nightmare
they're about to unleash,
17
00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:53,800
the most destructive war
in human history.
18
00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,000
Suddenly the world
is turned upside down
19
00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:00,360
and all hell is let loose.
20
00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:04,160
The West is stunned by
the speed of the advance.
21
00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,240
You get the Allies
led by the big three:
22
00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,280
Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin.
23
00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,920
Men who are dealing with
immensely complicated questions.
24
00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,320
It's the biggest military
operation of human history.
25
00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,200
The Allies have to
come together
26
00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:23,600
not just militarily
but industrial scale.
27
00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:25,720
It's a global perspective.
28
00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:27,480
They have to fight
in every climate
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00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,480
from the Arctic
to the jungles of the Pacific
30
00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:35,280
to the deserts of Africa
and the depths of the ocean.
31
00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:39,600
But there was
no certainty of victory.
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00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,920
It was going to be
a horrific bloodbath.
33
00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:44,840
We see humans
at their absolute worst,
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00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:46,960
how they treat other
human beings.
35
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:48,600
And we see them
at their absolute best,
36
00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,880
willing to give their lives
that others might live.
37
00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,400
World War II was a struggle
in which there could be
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00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,320
one victor and one vanquished.
39
00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:21,360
{\an8}For over two years,
40
00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,400
{\an8}the United States has been
building the B-29 bomber,
41
00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:27,000
{\an8}the Superfortress.
42
00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:29,480
{\an8}When it's ready to roll
off the assembly line,
43
00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:32,800
{\an8}the B-29 will be one of
the most potent weapons
44
00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,720
{\an8}in the American arsenal.
45
00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:36,320
{\an8}The B-29 Superfortress
46
00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,600
{\an8}is the most expensive programme
in World War II,
47
00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,600
$3 billion to go ahead
and build an aircraft.
48
00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,680
{\an8}The B-29 is a stunning
leap in aircraft technology.
49
00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,000
{\an8}The B-29 will incorporate
a pressurised cabin,
50
00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,120
{\an8}airborne radar.
51
00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,320
{\an8}It has 10 miles of wiring.
52
00:02:58,480 --> 00:02:59,960
{\an8}It had remote-controlled turrets.
53
00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,520
{\an8}It had the most powerful engines
in the history of the world.
54
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,200
But the critical thing
about the B-29 was range.
55
00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,520
{\an8}It could carry bombs
farther, higher, faster
56
00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,200
{\an8}than anything else that
had, not just been built,
57
00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:13,960
{\an8}but ever imagined.
58
00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,720
The complexity
of its design, however,
59
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,480
delays its manufacture.
60
00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:21,520
It's been
riddled with problems.
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00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:23,720
It ends up behind schedule.
62
00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,080
Bombing the
Japanese home islands
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00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,760
is a crucial part of
the American strategy
64
00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:32,640
in the Asia-Pacific War.
65
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:34,160
Allied air commanders
wanna launch
66
00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,800
the same kind of
air offensive against Japan
67
00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,520
that they've been carrying out
against Germany.
68
00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,840
{\an8}They wanna destroy factories,
shipyards, infrastructure,
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00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,720
bring the Japanese war economy
to its knees.
70
00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,360
In addition to
strategic considerations,
71
00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,560
President Roosevelt understands
that the American people
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00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:59,000
expect retribution
against the Japanese.
73
00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:03,840
{\an8}If you'd have done a public
opinion survey of Americans,
74
00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:05,200
there was a palpable sense
75
00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,920
of wanting to get these
people back for Pearl Harbor.
76
00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,480
By 1943, it's payback time.
77
00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:12,960
And so the B-29
is going to become
78
00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:14,840
the first weapon system
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00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,040
that can really attack
the Japanese homeland
80
00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:19,760
and military targets.
81
00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,640
The problem is, where
are your airfields going to be?
82
00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,880
They have to be within range
of the Japanese home islands.
83
00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:28,800
US Marines
have been fighting their way
84
00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:31,560
across the Pacific,
but it will take months
85
00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,280
before they can secure
an area suitable
86
00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,720
for launching B-29s.
87
00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,680
The B-29's got
a 1,600 mile combat range.
88
00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:41,920
{\an8}So Roosevelt's looking
at several options
89
00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:43,480
{\an8}as to where to base these things.
90
00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:46,160
They don't have
an island close enough,
91
00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:47,800
but they do have an ally
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00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,680
within range of the
Japanese home islands.
93
00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:53,800
And that ally is
Chiang Kai-shek and China.
94
00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:56,960
Chiang Kai-shek
emerged as the leader
95
00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,560
of the Chinese
Nationalist Party in 1928.
96
00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:02,600
He's ruled China ever since.
97
00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,680
{\an8}He is the
Generalissimo of China.
98
00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:08,680
{\an8}He's a general,
but he's also a dictator.
99
00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:11,400
The problem he's got is
since the early 1930s,
100
00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,040
there is rising communism
under Mao Zedong.
101
00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:16,640
He's effectively
got a civil war.
102
00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,280
In addition
to internal conflict,
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00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,160
China faces an external threat.
104
00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,360
Japan invaded China in 1937
105
00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,640
and seized Chiang's capital,
Nanking,
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00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:37,120
as well as all major
Chinese coastal cities.
107
00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:41,440
The Japanese control
95% of China's industry,
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00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,560
90% of China's railways,
half of China's population.
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00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:48,240
They control a quarter to a third
of China's landmass.
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00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:50,800
And they closed off
all the Chinese ports.
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00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:54,520
Severed from
Chinese port cities,
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00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:58,040
Chiang established
a new capital, Chungking,
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00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,240
and constructed a route
that connected China
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00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:05,480
to the port of Rangoon in
the British colony of Burma.
115
00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,800
Cut through more than 700 miles
of mountainous jungle terrain,
116
00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:10,960
the Burma Road was China's
117
00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,000
main route for receiving supplies,
118
00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,320
primarily from the United States.
119
00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,120
Until Japan seized Burma too.
120
00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:28,080
The final piece of
this Japanese imperial puzzle
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00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:31,000
was the conquest
of Burma in 1942.
122
00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,200
The Japanese seized
the Burma Road
123
00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,920
and make it impossible
for the Allies
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00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:38,760
to supply China's armies.
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00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:41,240
{\an8}The Chinese have
lost their umbilical,
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00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:43,720
{\an8}they've lost their artery,
all their supplies flowing in.
127
00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,720
Chiang Kai-shek
has maybe four million men
128
00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,880
available for military service,
but only a million rifles.
129
00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,840
So he's desperate for Western
material to flesh out his army
130
00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,640
and pose some kind of serious
obstacle to the Japanese.
131
00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:06,400
In November of 1943,
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00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:08,840
President Roosevelt
confers with Chiang
133
00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,720
and British prime minister
Winston Churchill in Cairo.
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00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:15,680
At the top of the agenda,
135
00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,000
how to keep
the Chinese in the fight.
136
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,120
Franklin Roosevelt is worried
that if China is without resources,
137
00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:24,320
{\an8}Chiang Kai-shek could make
a separate peace with Japan,
138
00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,800
{\an8}which would be hugely
problematic for the Americans.
139
00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,880
China is where the vast
majority of the Japanese army
140
00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:32,160
is currently being tied up.
141
00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:33,760
And let's not forget
that Roosevelt
142
00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:36,760
has this big new weapon, the B-29s.
143
00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,400
He wants to base them
in Southern China.
144
00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:43,560
So keeping China in the war is
absolutely essential to FDR.
145
00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,960
Chiang goes to
Cairo with a big shopping list.
146
00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,760
He needs aircraft,
fuel, shells, guns.
147
00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,600
He'll take anything
that the Allies will give him.
148
00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:55,840
He's pretty desperate.
149
00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,520
Winston Churchill...
This is all a bit alarming to him.
150
00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,880
He just doesn't trust Chiang
Kai-shek in his bones.
151
00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,600
Chiang Kai-shek has
a reputation for being corrupt,
152
00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:07,160
not particularly reliable.
153
00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:11,120
There are valid concerns that
instead of using the supplies
154
00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,080
that FDR is promising
Chiang Kai-shek
155
00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,560
for the purposes
of fighting Japan,
156
00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:18,360
he might instead
hoard those supplies
157
00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:20,560
and then use them
to fight the communists.
158
00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,200
{\an8}FDR knew he wasn't
running a boy scout troop,
159
00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:26,400
so he didn't examine too closely
160
00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,800
the morals of those
who shared his interests.
161
00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:33,320
That wasn't how you
could fight a global war.
162
00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,200
At Cairo, FDR and Chiang
agree that the Chinese
163
00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:39,440
will build runways for the B-29s
164
00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:44,280
and that the US will send
even more supplies to China.
165
00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,840
That requires mind-boggling
scales of logistics.
166
00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,880
For a single bullet to get
to a single Chinese rifle,
167
00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:54,160
it's gotta come from a factory,
let's say in the Midwest.
168
00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:57,080
So you send it
all the way across the Pacific.
169
00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:58,680
The British still hold India,
170
00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:03,760
so it would then
get into Calcutta,
171
00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:05,400
then be put onto a train,
172
00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:07,920
then sent up to Northeast India,
173
00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,720
and then fly them
over the Himalayas
174
00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,320
to the nationalists in China.
175
00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:19,000
Flying the
India-China ferry
176
00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:21,520
over the highest mountain range
in the world
177
00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:24,240
is extremely hazardous.
178
00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,960
The men ordered to do it
call it the Hump.
179
00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:30,360
Flying supplies into China
180
00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,560
is something that's never
been attempted on this scale.
181
00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,200
These were just
transport aircraft,
182
00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,520
but the missions were as challenging
as bomber raids over Germany.
183
00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,920
These aircraft are taking off
with incredibly high weights
184
00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,120
because we are trying to get
as many supplies in as we can.
185
00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,680
The route is only
about 500 miles,
186
00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:57,760
but the difficulty is the altitude.
187
00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,040
These pilots are flying
in unpressurised aircraft
188
00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,040
over peaks
that are 16,000 feet high,
189
00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,520
and then back down again
to their Chinese bases.
190
00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:11,160
Got this hot, moist air
191
00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,200
bubbling out of the Indian Ocean,
192
00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:18,560
meeting with this Siberian air
blowing down from Tibet,
193
00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:23,280
causing some of the most
difficult weather conditions
194
00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:24,920
on the planet.
195
00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:30,000
You get these incredible
changes in air pressure.
196
00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:33,280
Pilots who flew the Hump say
197
00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:34,840
the plane'd lurch 100 feet
in the air,
198
00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,320
and then drop 200 feet,
and lurch back up a 100 feet.
199
00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:43,280
It's hard to imagine
for the pilots who do it.
200
00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:45,720
The aircraft is proven
but not in these conditions.
201
00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,400
So every time they go up,
they're learning.
202
00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:52,200
But there's a cost to learning this
real time.
203
00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,480
594 aircraft are lost
and 1,500 aircrew.
204
00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,120
The problem is you
have to deliver 18 tons of fuel,
205
00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,480
and other supplies, to get one ton
of stuff to the Chinese army.
206
00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,600
It was a trickle
of what was needed.
207
00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:18,800
But China remains a priority
for President Roosevelt.
208
00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:20,240
There is another option.
209
00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:22,760
The Allies need to
reopen the Burma Road.
210
00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,240
By late 1943, China
has been at war with Japan
211
00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:43,680
for six years, engaging the
majority of the Japanese Army.
212
00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,120
President Roosevelt
and his military leaders
213
00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:50,920
are determined to defend China,
214
00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:56,400
including using B-29s to strike
the Japanese home islands.
215
00:11:56,560 --> 00:12:00,120
The US plans to build four
air bases around Chengdu
216
00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,000
that will accommodate the B-29.
217
00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:07,600
The B-29
Superfortress is a heavy bomber.
218
00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,160
{\an8}And that means it needs a runway
219
00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,840
{\an8}that's strong enough to land on.
220
00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,800
But the problem is there's
no way to bring in a bulldozer,
221
00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,960
or a truck, or heavy
equipment into China.
222
00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,720
They simply won't
fit in the aircraft
223
00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:24,280
that are flying over the Hump.
224
00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,440
But the upside for running a
bomber campaign out of China
225
00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,080
{\an8}is that the Americans know
that they will have access
226
00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,640
{\an8}to all the Chinese labour
they could ask for.
227
00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:41,840
Hundreds
of thousands of people
228
00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,120
{\an8}grinding out a runway by hand.
229
00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,920
No bulldozers or
complicated machinery available.
230
00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,040
Only manpower and hard work.
231
00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:54,000
Just the sheer
scale of human labour,
232
00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,240
it looks like ancient history.
233
00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,880
Men, women, children,
pulling the rollers,
234
00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:05,000
working side by side.
Their country in jeopardy,
235
00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,760
Chinese civilians defend
against the Japanese
236
00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,280
any way they can,
building roads,
237
00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:14,240
constructing airfields,
loading supplies.
238
00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:16,800
China's an agrarian economy
239
00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,240
{\an8}in a time period where industrial
warfare has taken over.
240
00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:23,280
So how do they produce all
these weapons that you need?
241
00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:25,000
For example, how do
you produce tanks?
242
00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,680
So part of the problem here for
Chiang is that he needs everything.
243
00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,720
The only way to bring
the tanks and the artillery
244
00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:34,640
that Chiang needs into China
245
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,720
{\an8}is to reopen the Burma Road.
246
00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:40,680
The Allies have more than
a quarter of a million troops
247
00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:45,200
based in Eastern India,
from Calcutta to Ledo in Assam.
248
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,320
They plan
a two-pronged offensive.
249
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,920
The British 14th Army
will push into Central Burma
250
00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:52,600
to expel the Japanese.
251
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,760
An American-led force will
cross into Northern Burma
252
00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:01,400
and fight their way through to
re-establish the Burma Road.
253
00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:05,680
General Joseph Stilwell
commands the American forces.
254
00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,240
His personal and professional
connection to China
255
00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:11,120
spans three decades.
256
00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,360
Joseph Stilwell,
well known as Vinegar Joe,
257
00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,800
he's cranky, and acerbic,
and sarcastic.
258
00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,120
But Stilwell
speaks and reads Mandarin.
259
00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:21,640
He's a great lover of China
260
00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,040
{\an8}and he has nothing but good
things to say about the Chinese.
261
00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:30,280
A respected Commander,
262
00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,200
Stilwell has trained thousands
of soldiers in his long career.
263
00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,920
Stilwell's task is to take
a handful of Chinese divisions,
264
00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:41,240
30,000 of Chiang Kai-shek's troops,
265
00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:44,040
and train them up to
Western standards.
266
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,160
He takes over an old
British POW camp in India
267
00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:54,400
and he's able to give them
the training, the weaponry,
268
00:14:56,280 --> 00:15:01,200
so that they turn themselves
into relatively solid units.
269
00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:06,960
General William Slim,
Uncle Bill to his troops,
270
00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,520
leads the British 14th Army,
a multinational force
271
00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,640
comprised of units from
Britain, India, and Africa.
272
00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,000
Many have been
battling the Japanese
273
00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,880
since the invasion of Burma.
274
00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,520
Slim says, look,
we got beaten in Burma
275
00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,920
because we couldn't fight in the
jungle like the Japanese can.
276
00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,080
{\an8}They're not superhuman.
We have to learn how to do it.
277
00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,360
The Japanese were considered
to be these amazing jungle fighters.
278
00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,640
But we should remember,
Japan's not a jungle country.
279
00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,360
They're not great jungle fighters
cos they grew up in it.
280
00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:40,280
This is about training.
281
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,600
A complete rethink is needed.
282
00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:46,840
Slim starts training everybody,
not just frontline infantrymen.
283
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,920
Everyone needs to be able to handle
themselves with their weapons,
284
00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,360
the bottle washers and the cooks
and the truck drivers.
285
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,320
{\an8}And everyone needs to
know that the Japanese
286
00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:57,200
{\an8}are not these supermen.
They're not bogey men.
287
00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,320
Actually, they are
completely defeatable.
288
00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,240
{\an8}So I think by this point, the
war's going very badly for Japan.
289
00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:13,040
{\an8}You've had the Battle of Midway
in 1942,
290
00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,280
which Japan lost.
291
00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:18,760
Now, as a result,
Japanese shipping
292
00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:20,280
is struggling to get through.
293
00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:24,040
So you've got rationing
tightening in Japan.
294
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:28,280
And then back in Europe, you've
had the German loss at Stalingrad.
295
00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,040
You've had the
toppling of Mussolini.
296
00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,640
So I think at this point,
Japan doesn't expect
297
00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,360
it's gonna get any help,
really, from the Axis powers.
298
00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:41,920
Hideki Tojo, who has
been Prime Minister since 1941,
299
00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:46,520
is the dominant force in the
Japanese government and military.
300
00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:50,120
By early 1944,
there's a feeling for Tojo
301
00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:51,800
and for others
at the high command
302
00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:53,720
something can be done
elsewhere in the war
303
00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:55,600
to try and offer Japan
a little bit of progress.
304
00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,400
And some kind of dramatic
success for the Japanese
305
00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,800
might force the Americans to
come to the negotiating table.
306
00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,160
One idea is to put some
pressure on the Allies
307
00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:08,920
in Northeast India and on
Chiang Kai-shek in China.
308
00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:14,080
Prime Minister Tojo
approves Operation U-Go,
309
00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,160
an invasion into India.
310
00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:18,400
His generals prepare to attack
311
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:20,760
the British bases of the 14th Army
312
00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:25,000
and to capture the
American Hump airfields.
313
00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,000
Tojo understands
that at this point,
314
00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:29,640
these flights across the Hump
315
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,800
are the last remaining
connection point with the West
316
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:34,960
that the Chinese
national government has.
317
00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:38,080
And if you can cut
those air bases off,
318
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,240
that will then be the straw
that breaks the nationalist back.
319
00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,200
For the Allies, this is rife
with portents of disaster.
320
00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:07,800
March 1944,
Operation U-Go begins.
321
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,080
Japanese troops move across
the Burmese jungle into India,
322
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:16,920
toward British bases and
the American airfields.
323
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,760
The Japanese commander is
General Renya Mutaguchi.
324
00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,840
Mutaguchi thinks
he is a creature of destiny.
325
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,200
{\an8}And he's got a plan.
He believes that right there,
326
00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:31,040
{\an8}on the very, very western
frontier of the Japanese Empire,
327
00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:35,240
he could strike a blow that
could save the war for Japan.
328
00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:36,840
Mutaguchi hopes his invasion
329
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,080
will inspire the Indians
to overthrow the British
330
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:42,840
and join Japan in the war.
331
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,960
The Japanese are banking
on speed and surprise,
332
00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:47,560
that they're gonna
move three divisions
333
00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,480
across these 8,000 foot high
mountains
334
00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:52,000
in the space of just a few days.
335
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:57,280
As such, he cuts the rations
for all of his attack soldiers
336
00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,520
to just 20 days' worth of food.
- The Japanese soldiers
337
00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:06,680
{\an8}carry a very small amount of
food supply, like dried rice.
338
00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:10,920
And they do not carry
many heavy weapons.
339
00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,560
So the Japanese
cannot get locked in
340
00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,200
to an attritional battle.
Cos they're travelling light,
341
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:19,120
they're gonna have to rely on
capturing British supply dumps
342
00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,320
as they go along. It's a gamble.
343
00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:25,480
To get to the air bases
in India,
344
00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,200
Mutaguchi will need to
cross the Imphal Plain,
345
00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:32,480
site of a large
British forward base.
346
00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:36,520
The Imphal Plain, it's
got like a big river valley,
347
00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,080
surrounded by mountainous
jungley terrain.
348
00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:41,600
The Brits have used this
like a bread basket.
349
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,760
They've got airfields there,
they've got supply dumps, food,
350
00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,840
everything the Japanese need.
351
00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,520
Based in Imphal are
three British-Indian divisions
352
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:54,560
from General Slim's 14th Army.
353
00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:56,680
They're about to push
into enemy territory
354
00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:00,960
when they receive reports that
Mutaguchi's Japanese troops
355
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:02,960
are moving towards them.
356
00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,040
Bill Slim's new plan
is to withdraw slightly,
357
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:10,880
create a killing zone,
358
00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:14,720
let the Japanese attack
through this difficult terrain,
359
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,360
and pound them
with artillery and aircraft.
360
00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,920
He's going to
relinquish ground,
361
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,160
{\an8}but all the time
he's going to attrit,
362
00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,760
{\an8}grind down the Japanese.
363
00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,200
This is a high risk strategy
364
00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:31,600
and you can only do that if
you're extremely confident
365
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:33,640
that your men are
sufficiently trained.
366
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,640
But Mutaguchi's
force arrives quickly
367
00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:42,400
and is far larger than
Slim was expecting.
368
00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:45,320
So when these
Japanese divisions
369
00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,600
start sort of materialising
out of the jungle,
370
00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:50,840
{\an8}it's a real pucker
moment for the British.
371
00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:08,640
The Japanese encircle Imphal
and cut off its supply roads.
372
00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:10,920
There is this just brutal battle.
373
00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:13,960
The fighting is
incredibly close quarter.
374
00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,800
And it is absolutely
touch and go.
375
00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:30,040
But Mutaguchi
is mired in mental models
376
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:31,560
that were applicable in 1942
377
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,640
but are no longer
applicable in '44.
378
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,720
Back then, if you hit
an Indian division
379
00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:39,520
in the face with
a frontal attack,
380
00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:41,520
a lot of the time it fell apart.
381
00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:45,200
But Slim's army is better
trained, it is more resilient,
382
00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:49,480
and from a morale standpoint,
they believe in themselves.
383
00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,600
They think that they can
fight the Japanese toe to toe.
384
00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,080
Fighting is
relentless around Imphal,
385
00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:58,600
but General Slim has a plan
386
00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:00,880
to bring in reinforcements
and supplies.
387
00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:07,280
All this time, Imphal
itself is completely cut off.
388
00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:08,920
And if you're
gonna make a stand,
389
00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:10,840
you're gonna need supplies.
390
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,120
What Slim recognises with
his American colleagues
391
00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,120
is that air power is
key to the whole thing.
392
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,040
{\an8}There's only one way to
supply this Allied pocket,
393
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,040
{\an8}and that is by air.
394
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:24,880
The Americans
have already got
395
00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,880
a very efficient, well-trained
transport air force
396
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,560
in the north of India, the Hump.
397
00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,880
And they turn that
airlift 90 degrees aside
398
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:40,960
and aim it towards Imphal
and the British troops there.
399
00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,160
When you're
flying low and slow,
400
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,920
you are one big fat target.
401
00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,160
These cargo planes have
no defensive armament,
402
00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:53,200
they don't have any guns.
403
00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:56,120
And if you push the cargo
out four seconds late,
404
00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,040
it's gonna end up
in Japanese hands.
405
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:01,920
But astonishingly it works.
406
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:06,360
These transports
airdrop and land
407
00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:10,200
about 14 million pounds
of food, ammunition,
408
00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:13,400
heavy equipment, and
thousands of fresh troops.
409
00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:17,680
And that means that Slim can
keep his forces fighting.
410
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:23,720
Mutaguchi had hoped to
take Imphal within days,
411
00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,600
right off the march. Instead,
what he gets is a meat grinder.
412
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:36,000
For weeks, divisions
of General Slim's 14th Army
413
00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:39,760
have been receiving
supplies by air.
414
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:45,000
They're the frontline resisting
Japan's invasion of India.
415
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:54,480
But Mutaguchi's men
are running out of time.
416
00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:56,800
The Japanese
have gone into the offensive
417
00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:58,280
without much equipment.
418
00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:00,200
They don't have an
established supply line.
419
00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:03,440
{\an8}So every day that they
don't achieve success,
420
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:05,280
{\an8}it becomes more
and more desperate.
421
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,960
Of course, the
big problem they face is rations.
422
00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:11,200
{\an8}They start to run out, hunger
starts to become a big issue.
423
00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:14,640
They're picking up snakes,
they're trying to eat monkeys.
424
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:16,760
They are literally starving.
425
00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:23,480
{\an8}General Tojo
famously issued instructions
426
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:26,480
{\an8}for the soldiers in the battlefield
427
00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:31,280
that to be taken by enemy
as a prisoner of war
428
00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:33,680
is unacceptable.
429
00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:39,680
Facing defeat, they should
make a final suicidal charge
430
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,520
and die, or commit suicide.
431
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:49,400
The survivors
are forced to retreat.
432
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,000
{\an8}Japanese soldiers are
dropping dead along the route.
433
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,760
The retreat
becomes hellish.
434
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,480
The Japanese words were
translated as the road of bones.
435
00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:02,840
{\an8}The survivors' accounts
are of mass suicides
436
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:04,800
{\an8}all along the way.
437
00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:08,080
There are stories of Japanese
buddies getting together
438
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:09,720
and hugging each other
439
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:13,160
and then detonating a grenade
between the two of them.
440
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,360
Up to this point in the war,
441
00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:20,120
this is the largest defeat
the Japanese Army
442
00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:24,200
{\an8}has ever suffered on the ground,
around 60,000 casualties.
443
00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:26,760
Mutaguchi had
a vision of this operation
444
00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:30,080
to destroy the Allied efforts
in Northeastern India
445
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,320
and foment an insurrection.
446
00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:36,560
All of those dreams are
shattered at the end of this.
447
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:42,840
In the spring of 1944,
448
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,120
President Roosevelt is
focused on Operation Overlord,
449
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:48,520
the upcoming
invasion of Normandy.
450
00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,680
But he's frustrated by
the delays in East Asia
451
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,880
and the fact that the B-29s
are still not in action.
452
00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,400
America is in Burma
and in this theatre
453
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:02,280
to supply China with weapons
454
00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,480
and to supply their B-29
bases in Southern China.
455
00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:10,000
Roosevelt has been told time
and again by his military men
456
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:11,840
that they're devoting
precious resources
457
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,440
on an effort that looks
increasingly futile.
458
00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:21,400
And yet Roosevelt simply doesn't
see another horse to back.
459
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:25,320
In May of 1944,
there is no alternate place
460
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,520
from which B-29 bombers
can operate.
461
00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,400
In Northern Burma,
General Vinegar Joe Stilwell
462
00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:38,480
is preparing troops to
push to the Burma Road.
463
00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:41,920
If the Americans
can reopen that road,
464
00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:43,560
it's gonna completely transform
465
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:46,440
not only the ground campaign
in China for Chiang
466
00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,400
but also the aerial campaign
for the American B-29s
467
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,120
that are gonna be based in China,
468
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,080
because they will be able to
drive over the heavy equipment
469
00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,040
that they can't fly
across the Hump,
470
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:58,840
like steam shovels
and steam rollers.
471
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,680
And so it'll transform these
bases into the sort of bases
472
00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:03,520
that Americans like to build,
473
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:07,160
big, sprawling, and
full of warehouses.
474
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,520
Stilwell's plan is to
move across Northern Burma,
475
00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,880
attack the Japanese
military base at Myitkyina,
476
00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:22,520
then push forward to create a
new route to the Burma Road.
477
00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,720
He sent 7,000 men,
including Chinese troops,
478
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:31,960
and a veteran American
deep penetration force
479
00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:33,640
nicknamed Merrill's Marauders,
480
00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:38,000
on a three-week march through
the jungle towards Myitkyina.
481
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:40,920
Certain fighting
environments kill you
482
00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:44,360
all by themselves. You don't need
bullets, you don't need shells.
483
00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,160
The jungle kills you.
484
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,800
It destroys armies day by day.
485
00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,720
The American and
Chinese troops inserted there,
486
00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,080
they're just absolutely
devastated by illness.
487
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:58,080
{\an8}They've all got amoebic dysentery,
severe diarrhoea.
488
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:02,040
{\an8}They've all got, you know,
dengue and other tropical fevers.
489
00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:04,760
There was nowhere to rest,
there was nowhere to recuperate,
490
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,600
and nowhere to get
the resources for war.
491
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:16,440
On May 17th,
Stilwell's troops
492
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:18,320
launched the attack
on Myitkyina.
493
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:25,680
It's a hard-fought battle.
494
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:27,320
There's more Japanese
than expected.
495
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:29,600
And the Japanese
fight doggedly for it.
496
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:32,800
The Americans
call in air support
497
00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,200
from their bases in India.
498
00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:45,840
And take Myitkyina Airfield.
499
00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,120
US gliders land,
500
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:55,600
bringing reinforcements...
501
00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,080
...and General Stilwell.
502
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:07,560
So with the fall of Myitkyina,
503
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:11,320
that now enables the Americans
to play their strong suit,
504
00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:12,960
which is construction.
505
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,080
Army engineers
and local labourers
506
00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:23,320
start to build a new route
from India to the Burma Road.
507
00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:25,680
It's hundreds
of miles long,
508
00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:27,200
scraped out of the jungle,
509
00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,600
and it's a major
construction programme.
510
00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:32,520
It's gonna take months.
511
00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:38,920
From the British
and American standpoint,
512
00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:41,240
it's all looking good.
513
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:43,960
It's gonna take a while
to rebuild that road,
514
00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,120
but we can rebuild it now.
515
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:50,080
And it seems that the
tea leaves are now propitious
516
00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:53,840
for a B-29 offensive
out of China.
517
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,320
The problem is that
the Allies don't know
518
00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:57,840
that the Japanese have
519
00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,480
an even bigger land operation
up their sleeve.
520
00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,040
General Stilwell's
victory at Myitkyina
521
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:19,480
will enable the Americans to
reconnect to the Burma Road.
522
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,120
But it's a slow
and arduous process
523
00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:24,480
and the road won't be
operational for months.
524
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:33,640
In June, 1944,
525
00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:38,680
B-29s begin to arrive
at the airfields in China.
526
00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,760
{\an8}The Army Air Forces
have been waiting
527
00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:46,400
{\an8}for the B-29 for years.
528
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:48,280
Finally, here they are,
529
00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,840
ready to fly their first
missions out of China.
530
00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:56,800
The idea is to put up
531
00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:00,360
a sustained bombing
campaign over Japan.
532
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,480
And the key is being
able to fly missions
533
00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:06,280
over and over and over again.
534
00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,360
{\an8}The problem is logistics.
535
00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:12,760
The B-29 is
an enormous fuel hog.
536
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:17,760
It runs on about 9,000 gallons
of gasoline per sortie.
537
00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,600
They also
need a lot of bombs.
538
00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:22,040
{\an8}The only way
you're gonna get bombs
539
00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,560
{\an8}and fuel to those airfields
is they gotta fly over the Hump,
540
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,680
until they open up
a new Burma Road.
541
00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:31,320
It takes
eight airlift missions
542
00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,440
flying over the Hump
for every B-29 combat mission
543
00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,840
just to bring in the bombs
and the fuel.
544
00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:50,880
In mid-June, the first
B-29 combat mission to Japan
545
00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:53,720
sets off from Chengdu.
546
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:55,280
68 Superfortresses
547
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,480
attack the Imperial
iron and steelworks
548
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,720
at Yawata in Southern Japan.
549
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,960
But because they
don't have enough supplies
550
00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:13,960
coming into China, they're only
flying a few missions at a time.
551
00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:17,400
It's just not going to add up
552
00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:23,000
to the sustained pounding
campaign that Roosevelt wants.
553
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:27,560
Meanwhile,
Prime Minister Tojo
554
00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:30,960
has launched an
offensive in China.
555
00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:33,560
It's
called Operation Ichi-Go,
556
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,240
which means
Operation Number One.
557
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:37,760
{\an8}And this is the
largest operation
558
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:39,880
{\an8}that the Japanese
undertake during the war.
559
00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:44,000
The offensive has two goals,
560
00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:46,760
secure land access to
Japan's occupied possessions
561
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:49,600
in Southeast Asia
562
00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:53,160
and capture
US air bases in China.
563
00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:58,960
The Japanese attack
564
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:00,920
with about a half a million troops,
565
00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:02,760
several thousand artillery pieces,
566
00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:06,520
hundreds of tanks,
a lot of aircraft as well.
567
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:10,680
The big
surprise of this campaign
568
00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:13,760
is how poor
Chiang Kai-shek's forces are.
569
00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,120
At this point, some
of them are starving.
570
00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:18,320
There've been lots of
deserters from their army.
571
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:19,920
And with that level of morale,
572
00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:22,640
some of these forces,
under Japanese pressure,
573
00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,800
simply melt away.
574
00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:27,800
The Japanese push south,
575
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,320
overpowering Chinese forces.
576
00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:33,440
Millions of Chinese
attempt to flee,
577
00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:35,960
caught between a foreign invader
578
00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,840
and their own corrupt leaders.
579
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:44,320
The US is forced to abandon
bases and airfields.
580
00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:46,240
It's a huge embarrassment
for Chiang Kai-shek,
581
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,880
particularly
in the face of his allies.
582
00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:52,360
All this time, he's been trying to
talk up what he's capable of
583
00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,120
if only the Americans
give him what he needs.
584
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:57,360
And yet in the face
of Operation Ichi-Go,
585
00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,440
his forces just seem to crumble.
586
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,560
For the Americans
looking at the wreckage
587
00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:05,760
of the aftermath of Ichi-Go,
588
00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:09,880
they recognise that the Chinese
can't defend American bases
589
00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:11,360
no matter where they are.
590
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:15,040
On top of that, the increasing
logistical headaches
591
00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:16,800
of trying to get
supplies over the Hump
592
00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:22,000
means that they decide
to just cut their losses.
593
00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:24,160
And they pack up those B-29s.
594
00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:27,320
The Army Air Forces
have put everything
595
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,040
into making these
Chinese bases work,
596
00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:32,240
but they're done with China.
597
00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:35,360
And the Americans
may now have a new option
598
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:39,440
for basing B-29s,
which is a better option.
599
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,760
Since 1943,
600
00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:45,840
American forces have
been fighting their way
601
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,320
across the Central Pacific.
602
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:50,560
Now a combined
Marine and Army force
603
00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:55,000
is on the verge of invading
the Mariana Islands,
604
00:34:55,160 --> 00:35:00,600
Tinian, Guam, and Saipan,
only 1,600 miles from Japan.
605
00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:04,440
So if the Americans
can capture the Marianas,
606
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:07,680
the B-29 bomber will
now be within range
607
00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:09,360
of almost all of Japan.
608
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:13,040
The expectation for the
Americans is that this should be
609
00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:16,720
a relatively easy operation,
610
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,560
but the reality is gonna be
utterly different.
611
00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:29,440
Just after D-Day, the
Allied invasion of Europe,
612
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:34,960
American forces attack Saipan
in the middle of the Pacific.
613
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,160
This is really
an unprecedented display
614
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:46,840
of American power projection,
615
00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:49,600
that the Americans
are able to launch
616
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:52,000
{\an8}these two massive operations,
617
00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:56,280
{\an8}Overlord first in Europe
and then Saipan.
618
00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:58,200
They're separated
by half a planet.
619
00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:00,280
They're thousands
of miles apart.
620
00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:07,160
{\an8}The expectation is that
this is gonna take three days
621
00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,400
for two Marine divisions
and an Army division
622
00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:12,760
to be able to conquer Saipan.
623
00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:18,080
But the
Japanese had fortified it
624
00:36:18,240 --> 00:36:20,080
and built D-Day style
fortifications,
625
00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:21,880
{\an8}not only bunkers and pillboxes,
626
00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:24,160
{\an8}but they had dummy
bunkers and pillboxes
627
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:26,360
so that they could waste
some of the naval bombardment
628
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:28,840
on fake targets.
629
00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,440
In fact, there's actually
32,000 Japanese there.
630
00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:37,480
Saipan is part of
the Japanese defences
631
00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:39,760
that they would consider
to be the inner ring
632
00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:41,280
that must be defended,
633
00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:44,640
that they will
sacrifice the most for.
634
00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,520
Because if they lose Saipan,
then Tokyo is in danger,
635
00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:52,640
and that's where the Emperor is.
636
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:57,280
The resistance is ferocious.
637
00:36:57,440 --> 00:36:59,280
The Americans
successfully get
638
00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:01,240
a full division's worth
of troops on there
639
00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:03,880
within the space of
just a few hours.
640
00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:08,240
In the initial
assault, 8,000 Marines land.
641
00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:11,360
Over 2,000 of them
become casualties.
642
00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:15,920
This is a bloodletting beyond
what anybody had expected.
643
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,520
Any time
a Japanese formation
644
00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:20,840
attempts to put in
a counter-attack,
645
00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:22,400
they are immediately met
646
00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,000
with inordinate amounts
of naval gunfire
647
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:26,880
that just crushed them.
648
00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,160
The Japanese retreat
into the hills in the interior,
649
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,920
along with several thousand
Japanese settlers
650
00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:38,800
living in Saipan. And they forced
the Marines and the Army troops
651
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,200
to root them out of caves
in these hills.
652
00:37:51,240 --> 00:37:55,520
The battle for Saipan
lasts almost a month.
653
00:37:55,680 --> 00:38:01,480
Thousands of civilians die,
caught in the crossfire.
654
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:10,040
The final climax of this battle
happens at a set of cliffs
655
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,800
on the northern
part of the island.
656
00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:16,400
At Marpi Point,
advancing US troops
657
00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:18,440
trap civilians and
Japanese soldiers
658
00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:22,680
between the frontline
and the sea.
659
00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:24,360
The Japanese propaganda
660
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:26,360
that's been fed to these people
661
00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:29,840
tells them that the Americans
are going to kill all the men,
662
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,040
rape all the women, and it's
effective. They don't surrender.
663
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:40,560
And then
as the Marines close in,
664
00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:41,960
some of them leap
to their deaths,
665
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:43,720
some of them clutching
their children.
666
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:53,480
Marines and soldiers
confront the inconceivable.
667
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:59,160
For Japan, the loss of Saipan
is a disaster.
668
00:39:00,720 --> 00:39:01,920
They've had the heart
669
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:05,160
ripped out of their
defensive line.
670
00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:08,400
And they know that
the Americans now
671
00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:11,000
are gonna have perfect
operating conditions
672
00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:15,040
to launch this bomber
offensive against Japan itself.
673
00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,440
The casualties
are high, for both sides.
674
00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:26,000
But the terrible loss of life
675
00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:27,480
finally gives the B-29s
676
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,920
the air bases they need
to bomb Japan.
677
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:34,280
Instead of having
hand-built runways in China
678
00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:37,120
{\an8}that require airlift
just to bring in the gas,
679
00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:41,520
now in the Mariana's islands,
you have huge runways
680
00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:45,960
built by the Seabees
using brilliant white coral,
681
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:48,720
as hard and durable
as you can want.
682
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:50,480
On these three islands,
683
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:52,320
Saipan, Tinian, and Guam,
684
00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:55,560
the Americans build five
long runway complexes,
685
00:39:55,720 --> 00:40:00,520
each to be supported by a
bomber group of 180 B-29s.
686
00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:02,440
And suddenly
the Marianas
687
00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:04,720
are the world's
biggest air base.
688
00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:13,920
{\an8}FDR's objective, the B-29,
689
00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:17,320
{\an8}finally gets its optimum opportunity
to achieve the mission
690
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:20,840
{\an8}for which it was developed
in the first place.
691
00:40:21,720 --> 00:40:24,560
November, 1944,
692
00:40:24,720 --> 00:40:28,080
{\an8}B-29 Superfortresses
693
00:40:28,240 --> 00:40:30,960
{\an8}take off for the
first of many missions
694
00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:33,840
{\an8}to bomb the home islands of Japan.
695
00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:42,640
With the capture of the
Mariana island chain,
696
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:47,000
the United States is capable
of regularly striking Japan,
697
00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:49,440
just as it's been
able to hit Germany
698
00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:51,240
for the past two years.
699
00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,800
As the tide turns for
these Axis partners,
700
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:57,200
each country tightens its grip
on its people.
701
00:40:57,360 --> 00:40:58,960
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