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- (foreboding music)
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- As in the struggle
against Nazi Germany,
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American strategy in
the war against Japan
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includes launching mass bombing
attacks against factories,
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military installations,
and cities.
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00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:20,160
But the map of
the Asia-Pacific War
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covers enormous distances.
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A new, more powerful
bomber is needed,
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the B-29 Superfortress.
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Securing air bases
for these super-forts
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becomes a primary objective
for President Roosevelt
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and American military leaders.
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- (dramatic music)
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- All Wars changed the world,
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but none of them
changed the world
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like the second World War did.
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- Japan's on the march,
Germany's on the march.
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- No-one can imagine the nightmare
they're about to unleash,
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the most destructive war
in human history.
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- Suddenly the world
is turned upside down
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and all hell is let loose.
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- The West is stunned by
the speed of the advance.
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00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,240
- You get the Allies
led by the big three:
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Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin.
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- Men who are dealing with
immensely complicated questions.
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- It's the biggest military
operation of human history.
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- The Allies have to
come together
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not just militarily
but industrial scale.
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It's a global perspective.
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- They have to fight
in every climate
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from the Arctic
to the jungles of the Pacific
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to the deserts of Africa
and the depths of the ocean.
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- But there was
no certainty of victory.
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It was going to be
a horrific bloodbath.
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- We see humans
at their absolute worst,
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how they treat other
human beings.
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And we see them
at their absolute best,
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willing to give their lives
that others might live.
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- World War II was a struggle
in which there could be
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one victor and one vanquished.
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00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:04,520
- (siren blaring)
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- (train horn)
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- (dramatic music)
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{\an8}TOM: For over two years,
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{\an8}the United States has been
building the B-29 bomber,
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{\an8}the Superfortress.
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{\an8}When it's ready to roll
off the assembly line,
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{\an8}the B-29 will be one of
the most potent weapons
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{\an8}in the American arsenal.
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{\an8}- The B-29 Superfortress
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{\an8}is the most expensive programme
in World War II,
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$3 billion to go ahead
and build an aircraft.
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{\an8}- The B-29 is a stunning
leap in aircraft technology.
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{\an8}The B-29 will incorporate
a pressurised cabin,
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{\an8}airborne radar.
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{\an8}It has 10 miles of wiring.
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{\an8}- It had remote-controlled turrets.
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{\an8}It had the most powerful engines
in the history of the world.
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But the critical thing
about the B-29 was range.
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{\an8}It could carry bombs
farther, higher, faster
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{\an8}than anything else that
had, not just been built,
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{\an8}but ever imagined.
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TOM: The complexity
of its design, however,
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delays its manufacture.
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DR GRANT: It's been
riddled with problems.
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It ends up behind schedule.
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- (dramatic music)
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TOM: Bombing the
Japanese home islands
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is a crucial part of
the American strategy
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in the Asia-Pacific War.
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- Allied air commanders
wanna launch
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the same kind of
air offensive against Japan
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that they've been carrying out
against Germany.
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{\an8}They wanna destroy factories,
shipyards, infrastructure,
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bring the Japanese war economy
to its knees.
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TOM: In addition to
strategic considerations,
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President Roosevelt understands
that the American people
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expect retribution
against the Japanese.
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{\an8}- If you'd have done a public
opinion survey of Americans,
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00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:05,200
there was a palpable sense
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00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,920
of wanting to get these
people back for Pearl Harbor.
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By 1943, it's payback time.
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DR GRANT: And so the B-29
is going to become
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the first weapon system
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that can really attack
the Japanese homeland
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and military targets.
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- The problem is, where
are your airfields going to be?
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They have to be within range
of the Japanese home islands.
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TOM: US Marines
have been fighting their way
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across the Pacific,
but it will take months
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before they can secure
an area suitable
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for launching B-29s.
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- The B-29's got
a 1,600 mile combat range.
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{\an8}So Roosevelt's looking
at several options
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{\an8}as to where to base these things.
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ROBERT: They don't have
an island close enough,
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but they do have an ally
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within range of the
Japanese home islands.
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And that ally is
Chiang Kai-shek and China.
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TOM: Chiang Kai-shek
emerged as the leader
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of the Chinese
Nationalist Party in 1928.
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He's ruled China ever since.
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00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,680
{\an8}- He is the
Generalissimo of China.
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00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:08,680
{\an8}He's a general,
but he's also a dictator.
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The problem he's got is
since the early 1930s,
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there is rising communism
under Mao Zedong.
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He's effectively
got a civil war.
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TOM: In addition
to internal conflict,
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China faces an external threat.
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Japan invaded China in 1937
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and seized Chiang's capital,
Nanking,
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as well as all major
Chinese coastal cities.
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GEOFFREY: The Japanese control
95% of China's industry,
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90% of China's railways,
half of China's population.
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They control a quarter to a third
of China's landmass.
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And they closed off
all the Chinese ports.
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- (dramatic music)
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TOM: Severed from
Chinese port cities,
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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.
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00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,800
Cut through more than 700 miles
of mountainous jungle terrain,
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00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:10,960
the Burma Road was China's
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00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:13,000
main route for receiving supplies,
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primarily from the United States.
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Until Japan seized Burma too.
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- (foreboding music)
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ROBERT: The final piece of
this Japanese imperial puzzle
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was the conquest
of Burma in 1942.
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00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,200
The Japanese seized
the Burma Road
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00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,920
and make it impossible
for the Allies
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to supply China's armies.
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{\an8}- The Chinese have
lost their umbilical,
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{\an8}they've lost their artery,
all their supplies flowing in.
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GEOFFREY: Chiang Kai-shek
has maybe four million men
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00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,880
available for military service,
but only a million rifles.
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00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,840
So he's desperate for Western
material to flesh out his army
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00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,640
and pose some kind of serious
obstacle to the Japanese.
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00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,480
- (dramatic music)
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00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:06,400
TOM: In November of 1943,
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00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:08,840
President Roosevelt
confers with Chiang
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00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,720
and British prime minister
Winston Churchill in Cairo.
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At the top of the agenda,
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00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,000
how to keep
the Chinese in the fight.
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00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,120
- Franklin Roosevelt is worried
that if China is without resources,
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{\an8}Chiang Kai-shek could make
a separate peace with Japan,
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00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,800
{\an8}which would be hugely
problematic for the Americans.
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ROBERT: China is where the vast
majority of the Japanese army
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is currently being tied up.
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And let's not forget
that Roosevelt
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has this big new weapon, the B-29s.
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He wants to base them
in Southern China.
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So keeping China in the war is
absolutely essential to FDR.
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DAN SNOW: Chiang goes to
Cairo with a big shopping list.
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He needs aircraft,
fuel, shells, guns.
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He'll take anything
that the Allies will give him.
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He's pretty desperate.
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Winston Churchill...
This is all a bit alarming to him.
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He just doesn't trust Chiang
Kai-shek in his bones.
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00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,600
SARADA: Chiang Kai-shek has
a reputation for being corrupt,
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00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:07,160
not particularly reliable.
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00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:11,120
There are valid concerns that
instead of using the supplies
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that FDR is promising
Chiang Kai-shek
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00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,560
for the purposes
of fighting Japan,
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00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:18,360
he might instead
hoard those supplies
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00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:20,560
and then use them
to fight the communists.
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00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,200
{\an8}- FDR knew he wasn't
running a boy scout troop,
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00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:26,400
so he didn't examine too closely
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the morals of those
who shared his interests.
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That wasn't how you
could fight a global war.
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00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,200
TOM: At Cairo, FDR and Chiang
agree that the Chinese
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will build runways for the B-29s
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and that the US will send
even more supplies to China.
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JAMES: That requires mind-boggling
scales of logistics.
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For a single bullet to get
to a single Chinese rifle,
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it's gotta come from a factory,
let's say in the Midwest.
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So you send it
all the way across the Pacific.
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The British still hold India,
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so it would then
get into Calcutta,
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00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:05,400
then be put onto a train,
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00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:07,920
then sent up to Northeast India,
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00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,720
and then fly them
over the Himalayas
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00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,320
to the nationalists in China.
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00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,040
- (dramatic music)
- (wind howling)
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TOM: Flying the
India-China ferry
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00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:21,520
over the highest mountain range
in the world
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00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:24,240
is extremely hazardous.
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00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,960
The men ordered to do it
call it the Hump.
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00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:30,360
DR GRANT:
Flying supplies into China
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00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,560
is something that's never
been attempted on this scale.
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00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,200
GEOFFREY: These were just
transport aircraft,
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00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,520
but the missions were as challenging
as bomber raids over Germany.
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00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:42,040
- (suspenseful music)
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- These aircraft are taking off
with incredibly high weights
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00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,120
because we are trying to get
as many supplies in as we can.
196
00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:50,480
- (plane rumbling)
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00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,680
- The route is only
about 500 miles,
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00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:57,760
but the difficulty is the altitude.
- (plane rumbling)
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00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,040
- These pilots are flying
in unpressurised aircraft
200
00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,040
over peaks
that are 16,000 feet high,
201
00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,520
and then back down again
to their Chinese bases.
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00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:09,400
- (plane rumbling)
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00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:11,160
GEOFFREY:
Got this hot, moist air
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00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,200
bubbling out of the Indian Ocean,
205
00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:18,560
meeting with this Siberian air
blowing down from Tibet,
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00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:23,280
causing some of the most
difficult weather conditions
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00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:24,920
on the planet.
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00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:26,720
- (suspenseful music)
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00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:30,000
- You get these incredible
changes in air pressure.
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00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:33,280
Pilots who flew the Hump say
211
00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:34,840
the plane'd lurch 100 feet
in the air,
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00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,320
and then drop 200 feet,
and lurch back up a 100 feet.
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00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,480
- (suspenseful music)
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00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:43,280
COL DOUDS: It's hard to imagine
for the pilots who do it.
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00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:45,720
The aircraft is proven
but not in these conditions.
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00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,400
So every time they go up,
they're learning.
217
00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:52,200
But there's a cost to learning this
real time.
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00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,480
594 aircraft are lost
and 1,500 aircrew.
219
00:10:55,640 --> 00:11:01,320
- (plane rumbling)
- (tense music)
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00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:06,160
- (plane rumbling)
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00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,120
GEOFFREY: The problem is you
have to deliver 18 tons of fuel,
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00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,480
and other supplies, to get one ton
of stuff to the Chinese army.
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00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,600
It was a trickle
of what was needed.
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00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:18,800
TOM: But China remains a priority
for President Roosevelt.
225
00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:20,240
- There is another option.
226
00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:22,760
The Allies need to
reopen the Burma Road.
227
00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:28,720
- (dramatic music)
228
00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:34,560
- (gun firing)
- (gunfire)
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00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:35,880
- (gun firing)
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00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,240
TOM: By late 1943, China
has been at war with Japan
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00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:43,680
for six years, engaging the
majority of the Japanese Army.
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00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,120
President Roosevelt
and his military leaders
233
00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:50,920
are determined to defend China,
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00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:56,400
including using B-29s to strike
the Japanese home islands.
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00:11:56,560 --> 00:12:00,120
The US plans to build four
air bases around Chengdu
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00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,000
that will accommodate the B-29.
237
00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:07,600
DR GRANT: The B-29
Superfortress is a heavy bomber.
238
00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,160
{\an8}And that means it needs a runway
239
00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,840
{\an8}that's strong enough to land on.
240
00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,800
But the problem is there's
no way to bring in a bulldozer,
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00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,960
or a truck, or heavy
equipment into China.
242
00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,720
They simply won't
fit in the aircraft
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00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:24,280
that are flying over the Hump.
244
00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,440
- But the upside for running a
bomber campaign out of China
245
00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,080
{\an8}is that the Americans know
that they will have access
246
00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,640
{\an8}to all the Chinese labour
they could ask for.
247
00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:37,040
- (dramatic music)
248
00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:41,840
COL DOUDS: Hundreds
of thousands of people
249
00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,120
{\an8}grinding out a runway by hand.
250
00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,920
NARRATOR: No bulldozers or
complicated machinery available.
251
00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,040
Only manpower and hard work.
252
00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:54,000
DR GRANT: Just the sheer
scale of human labour,
253
00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,240
it looks like ancient history.
254
00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,880
Men, women, children,
pulling the rollers,
255
00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:05,000
working side by side.
TOM: Their country in jeopardy,
256
00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,760
Chinese civilians defend
against the Japanese
257
00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,280
any way they can,
building roads,
258
00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:14,240
constructing airfields,
loading supplies.
259
00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:16,800
- China's an agrarian economy
260
00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,240
{\an8}in a time period where industrial
warfare has taken over.
261
00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:23,280
So how do they produce all
these weapons that you need?
262
00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:25,000
For example, how do
you produce tanks?
263
00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,680
So part of the problem here for
Chiang is that he needs everything.
264
00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,720
ROBERT: The only way to bring
the tanks and the artillery
265
00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:34,640
that Chiang needs into China
266
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,720
{\an8}is to reopen the Burma Road.
- (dramatic music)
267
00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:40,680
TOM: The Allies have more than
a quarter of a million troops
268
00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:45,200
based in Eastern India,
from Calcutta to Ledo in Assam.
269
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,320
They plan
a two-pronged offensive.
270
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,920
The British 14th Army
will push into Central Burma
271
00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:52,600
to expel the Japanese.
272
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,760
An American-led force will
cross into Northern Burma
273
00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:01,400
and fight their way through to
re-establish the Burma Road.
274
00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:05,680
General Joseph Stilwell
commands the American forces.
275
00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,240
His personal and professional
connection to China
276
00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:11,120
spans three decades.
277
00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,360
ROBERT: Joseph Stilwell,
well known as Vinegar Joe,
278
00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,800
he's cranky, and acerbic,
and sarcastic.
279
00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,120
GEOFFREY: But Stilwell
speaks and reads Mandarin.
280
00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:21,640
He's a great lover of China
281
00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,040
{\an8}and he has nothing but good
things to say about the Chinese.
282
00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,320
- (dramatic music)
283
00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:30,280
TOM: A respected Commander,
284
00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,200
Stilwell has trained thousands
of soldiers in his long career.
285
00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,920
ROBERT: Stilwell's task is to take
a handful of Chinese divisions,
286
00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:41,240
30,000 of Chiang Kai-shek's troops,
287
00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:44,040
and train them up to
Western standards.
288
00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,840
- (gun firing)
- (explosions booming)
289
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,160
- He takes over an old
British POW camp in India
290
00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:54,400
and he's able to give them
the training, the weaponry,
291
00:14:56,280 --> 00:15:01,200
so that they turn themselves
into relatively solid units.
292
00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:06,960
TOM: General William Slim,
Uncle Bill to his troops,
293
00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,520
leads the British 14th Army,
a multinational force
294
00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,640
comprised of units from
Britain, India, and Africa.
295
00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,000
Many have been
battling the Japanese
296
00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,880
since the invasion of Burma.
297
00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,520
DAN SNOW: Slim says, look,
we got beaten in Burma
298
00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,920
because we couldn't fight in the
jungle like the Japanese can.
299
00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,080
{\an8}They're not superhuman.
We have to learn how to do it.
300
00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,360
- The Japanese were considered
to be these amazing jungle fighters.
301
00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,640
But we should remember,
Japan's not a jungle country.
302
00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,360
They're not great jungle fighters
cos they grew up in it.
303
00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:40,280
This is about training.
304
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,600
- A complete rethink is needed.
305
00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:46,840
Slim starts training everybody,
not just frontline infantrymen.
306
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,920
Everyone needs to be able to handle
themselves with their weapons,
307
00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,360
the bottle washers and the cooks
and the truck drivers.
308
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,320
{\an8}And everyone needs to
know that the Japanese
309
00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:57,200
{\an8}are not these supermen.
They're not bogey men.
310
00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,320
Actually, they are
completely defeatable.
311
00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:05,040
- (foreboding music)
312
00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,240
{\an8}- So I think by this point, the
war's going very badly for Japan.
313
00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:13,040
{\an8}You've had the Battle of Midway
in 1942,
314
00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,280
which Japan lost.
- (explosion booming)
315
00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:18,760
- Now, as a result,
Japanese shipping
316
00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:20,280
is struggling to get through.
317
00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:24,040
So you've got rationing
tightening in Japan.
318
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:28,280
And then back in Europe, you've
had the German loss at Stalingrad.
319
00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,040
You've had the
toppling of Mussolini.
320
00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,640
So I think at this point,
Japan doesn't expect
321
00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,360
it's gonna get any help,
really, from the Axis powers.
322
00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:41,920
TOM: Hideki Tojo, who has
been Prime Minister since 1941,
323
00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:46,520
is the dominant force in the
Japanese government and military.
324
00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:50,120
CHRISTOPHER: By early 1944,
there's a feeling for Tojo
325
00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:51,800
and for others
at the high command
326
00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:53,720
something can be done
elsewhere in the war
327
00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:55,600
to try and offer Japan
a little bit of progress.
328
00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,400
And some kind of dramatic
success for the Japanese
329
00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,800
might force the Americans to
come to the negotiating table.
330
00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,160
One idea is to put some
pressure on the Allies
331
00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:08,920
in Northeast India and on
Chiang Kai-shek in China.
332
00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:14,080
TOM: Prime Minister Tojo
approves Operation U-Go,
333
00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,160
an invasion into India.
334
00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:18,400
His generals prepare to attack
335
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:20,760
the British bases of the 14th Army
336
00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:25,000
and to capture the
American Hump airfields.
337
00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,000
JONATHAN: Tojo understands
that at this point,
338
00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:29,640
these flights across the Hump
339
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,800
are the last remaining
connection point with the West
340
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:34,960
that the Chinese
national government has.
341
00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:38,080
And if you can cut
those air bases off,
342
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,240
that will then be the straw
that breaks the nationalist back.
343
00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,200
For the Allies, this is rife
with portents of disaster.
344
00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:55,240
- (dramatic music)
345
00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:07,800
TOM: March 1944,
Operation U-Go begins.
346
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,080
Japanese troops move across
the Burmese jungle into India,
347
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:16,920
toward British bases and
the American airfields.
348
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,760
The Japanese commander is
General Renya Mutaguchi.
349
00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,840
DAN SNOW: Mutaguchi thinks
he is a creature of destiny.
350
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,200
{\an8}And he's got a plan.
He believes that right there,
351
00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:31,040
{\an8}on the very, very western
frontier of the Japanese Empire,
352
00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:35,240
he could strike a blow that
could save the war for Japan.
353
00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:36,840
TOM: Mutaguchi
hopes his invasion
354
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,080
will inspire the Indians
to overthrow the British
355
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:42,840
and join Japan in the war.
356
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,960
- The Japanese are banking
on speed and surprise,
357
00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:47,560
that they're gonna
move three divisions
358
00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,480
across these 8,000 foot high
mountains
359
00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:52,000
in the space of just a few days.
360
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:57,280
As such, he cuts the rations
for all of his attack soldiers
361
00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,520
to just 20 days' worth of food.
- The Japanese soldiers
362
00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:06,680
{\an8}carry a very small amount of
food supply, like dried rice.
363
00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:10,920
And they do not carry
many heavy weapons.
364
00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,560
DAN SNOW: So the Japanese
cannot get locked in
365
00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,200
to an attritional battle.
Cos they're travelling light,
366
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:19,120
they're gonna have to rely on
capturing British supply dumps
367
00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,320
as they go along. It's a gamble.
368
00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:25,480
TOM: To get to the air bases
in India,
369
00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,200
Mutaguchi will need to
cross the Imphal Plain,
370
00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:32,480
site of a large
British forward base.
371
00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:36,520
- The Imphal Plain, it's
got like a big river valley,
372
00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,080
surrounded by mountainous
jungley terrain.
373
00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:41,600
The Brits have used this
like a bread basket.
374
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,760
They've got airfields there,
they've got supply dumps, food,
375
00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,840
everything the Japanese need.
376
00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,520
TOM: Based in Imphal are
three British-Indian divisions
377
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:54,560
from General Slim's 14th Army.
378
00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:56,680
They're about to push
into enemy territory
379
00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:00,960
when they receive reports that
Mutaguchi's Japanese troops
380
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:02,960
are moving towards them.
381
00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:05,520
- (dramatic music)
382
00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,040
DAN SNOW: Bill Slim's new plan
is to withdraw slightly,
383
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:10,880
create a killing zone,
384
00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:14,720
let the Japanese attack
through this difficult terrain,
385
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,360
and pound them
with artillery and aircraft.
386
00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,920
JAMES: He's going to
relinquish ground,
387
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,160
{\an8}but all the time
he's going to attrit,
388
00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,760
{\an8}grind down the Japanese.
389
00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,200
This is a high risk strategy
390
00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:31,600
and you can only do that if
you're extremely confident
391
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:33,640
that your men are
sufficiently trained.
392
00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,120
- (dramatic music)
393
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,640
TOM: But Mutaguchi's
force arrives quickly
394
00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:42,400
and is far larger than
Slim was expecting.
395
00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:45,320
JONATHAN: So when these
Japanese divisions
396
00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,600
start sort of materialising
out of the jungle,
397
00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:50,840
{\an8}it's a real pucker
moment for the British.
398
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,160
- (explosion booming
and machine-gun fire)
399
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,040
- (foreboding music)
400
00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:08,640
TOM: The Japanese encircle Imphal
and cut off its supply roads.
401
00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:10,920
- There is this just brutal battle.
402
00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:13,960
The fighting is
incredibly close quarter.
403
00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:16,400
- (machine-gun firing)
404
00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,800
- And it is absolutely
touch and go.
405
00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:23,200
- (machine-gun firing)
406
00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:30,040
JONATHAN: But Mutaguchi
is mired in mental models
407
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:31,560
that were applicable in 1942
408
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,640
but are no longer
applicable in '44.
409
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,720
Back then, if you hit
an Indian division
410
00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:39,520
in the face with
a frontal attack,
411
00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:41,520
a lot of the time it fell apart.
412
00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:45,200
But Slim's army is better
trained, it is more resilient,
413
00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:49,480
and from a morale standpoint,
they believe in themselves.
414
00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,600
They think that they can
fight the Japanese toe to toe.
415
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:54,000
- (gunfire)
416
00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,080
TOM: Fighting is
relentless around Imphal,
417
00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:58,600
but General Slim has a plan
418
00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:00,880
to bring in reinforcements
and supplies.
419
00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:07,280
JAMES: All this time, Imphal
itself is completely cut off.
420
00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:08,920
And if you're
gonna make a stand,
421
00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:10,840
you're gonna need supplies.
422
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,120
What Slim recognises with
his American colleagues
423
00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:16,120
is that air power is
key to the whole thing.
424
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,040
- (plane rumbling)
425
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,040
{\an8}- There's only one way to
supply this Allied pocket,
426
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,040
{\an8}and that is by air.
427
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:24,880
JONATHAN: The Americans
have already got
428
00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,880
a very efficient, well-trained
transport air force
429
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,560
in the north of India, the Hump.
430
00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,880
And they turn that
airlift 90 degrees aside
431
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:40,960
and aim it towards Imphal
and the British troops there.
432
00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:42,280
- (plane rumbling)
433
00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,160
DR GRANT: When you're
flying low and slow,
434
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,920
you are one big fat target.
435
00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,160
These cargo planes have
no defensive armament,
436
00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:53,200
they don't have any guns.
437
00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:56,120
And if you push the cargo
out four seconds late,
438
00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,040
it's gonna end up
in Japanese hands.
439
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:01,920
But astonishingly it works.
440
00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:04,120
- (dramatic music)
441
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:06,360
JONATHAN: These transports
airdrop and land
442
00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:10,200
about 14 million pounds
of food, ammunition,
443
00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:13,400
heavy equipment, and
thousands of fresh troops.
444
00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:17,680
And that means that Slim can
keep his forces fighting.
445
00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:19,800
- (suspenseful music)
446
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:23,720
- Mutaguchi had hoped to
take Imphal within days,
447
00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,600
right off the march. Instead,
what he gets is a meat grinder.
448
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:32,520
- (dramatic music)
- (machine-gun firing)
449
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:36,000
TOM: For weeks, divisions
of General Slim's 14th Army
450
00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:39,760
have been receiving
supplies by air.
451
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:45,000
They're the frontline resisting
Japan's invasion of India.
452
00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:51,520
- (foreboding music)
453
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:54,480
TOM: But Mutaguchi's men
are running out of time.
454
00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:56,800
COL DOUDS: The Japanese
have gone into the offensive
455
00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:58,280
without much equipment.
456
00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:00,200
They don't have an
established supply line.
457
00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:03,440
{\an8}So every day that they
don't achieve success,
458
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:05,280
{\an8}it becomes more
and more desperate.
459
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:07,960
CHRISTOPHER: Of course, the
big problem they face is rations.
460
00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:11,200
{\an8}They start to run out, hunger
starts to become a big issue.
461
00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:14,640
They're picking up snakes,
they're trying to eat monkeys.
462
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:16,760
They are literally starving.
463
00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:23,480
{\an8}NORIKO: General Tojo
famously issued instructions
464
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:26,480
{\an8}for the soldiers in the battlefield
465
00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:31,280
that to be taken by enemy
as a prisoner of war
466
00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:33,680
is unacceptable.
467
00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:39,680
Facing defeat, they should
make a final suicidal charge
468
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,520
and die, or commit suicide.
469
00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:45,440
- (sombre music)
470
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:49,400
ROBERT: The survivors
are forced to retreat.
471
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,000
{\an8}Japanese soldiers are
dropping dead along the route.
472
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:55,760
DAN CARLIN: The retreat
becomes hellish.
473
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,480
The Japanese words were
translated as the road of bones.
474
00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:02,840
{\an8}The survivors' accounts
are of mass suicides
475
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:04,800
{\an8}all along the way.
476
00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:08,080
There are stories of Japanese
buddies getting together
477
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:09,720
and hugging each other
478
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:13,160
and then detonating a grenade
between the two of them.
479
00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:15,000
- (sombre music)
480
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,360
JONATHAN:
Up to this point in the war,
481
00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:20,120
this is the largest defeat
the Japanese Army
482
00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:24,200
{\an8}has ever suffered on the ground,
around 60,000 casualties.
483
00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:26,760
COL DOUDS: Mutaguchi had
a vision of this operation
484
00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:30,080
to destroy the Allied efforts
in Northeastern India
485
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,320
and foment an insurrection.
486
00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:36,560
All of those dreams are
shattered at the end of this.
487
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:40,520
- (pensive music)
488
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:42,840
TOM: In the spring of 1944,
489
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,120
President Roosevelt is
focused on Operation Overlord,
490
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:48,520
the upcoming
invasion of Normandy.
491
00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,680
But he's frustrated by
the delays in East Asia
492
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,880
and the fact that the B-29s
are still not in action.
493
00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,400
ROBERT: America is in Burma
and in this theatre
494
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:02,280
to supply China with weapons
495
00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,480
and to supply their B-29
bases in Southern China.
496
00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:10,000
Roosevelt has been told time
and again by his military men
497
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:11,840
that they're devoting
precious resources
498
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,440
on an effort that looks
increasingly futile.
499
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:17,000
- (plane rumbling)
500
00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:21,400
- And yet Roosevelt simply doesn't
see another horse to back.
501
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:25,320
In May of 1944,
there is no alternate place
502
00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,520
from which B-29 bombers
can operate.
503
00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:30,600
- (dramatic music)
504
00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,400
TOM: In Northern Burma,
General Vinegar Joe Stilwell
505
00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:38,480
is preparing troops to
push to the Burma Road.
506
00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:41,920
JONATHAN: If the Americans
can reopen that road,
507
00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:43,560
it's gonna completely transform
508
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:46,440
not only the ground campaign
in China for Chiang
509
00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,400
but also the aerial campaign
for the American B-29s
510
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,120
that are gonna be based in China,
511
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,080
because they will be able to
drive over the heavy equipment
512
00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,040
that they can't fly
across the Hump,
513
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:58,840
like steam shovels
and steam rollers.
514
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,680
And so it'll transform these
bases into the sort of bases
515
00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:03,520
that Americans like to build,
516
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:07,160
big, sprawling, and
full of warehouses.
517
00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,320
- (dramatic music)
518
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,520
TOM: Stilwell's plan is to
move across Northern Burma,
519
00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,880
attack the Japanese
military base at Myitkyina,
520
00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:22,520
then push forward to create a
new route to the Burma Road.
521
00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,720
He sent 7,000 men,
including Chinese troops,
522
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:31,960
and a veteran American
deep penetration force
523
00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:33,640
nicknamed Merrill's Marauders,
524
00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:38,000
on a three-week march through
the jungle towards Myitkyina.
525
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:40,920
DAN CARLIN: Certain fighting
environments kill you
526
00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:44,360
all by themselves. You don't need
bullets, you don't need shells.
527
00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,160
The jungle kills you.
528
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,800
It destroys armies day by day.
529
00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,720
GEOFFREY: The American and
Chinese troops inserted there,
530
00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,080
they're just absolutely
devastated by illness.
531
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:58,080
{\an8}They've all got amoebic dysentery,
severe diarrhoea.
532
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:02,040
{\an8}They've all got, you know,
dengue and other tropical fevers.
533
00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:04,760
There was nowhere to rest,
there was nowhere to recuperate,
534
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,600
and nowhere to get
the resources for war.
535
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:10,800
- (tense music)
536
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:16,440
TOM: On May 17th,
Stilwell's troops
537
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:18,320
launched the attack
on Myitkyina.
538
00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:20,520
- (dramatic music)
539
00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:22,040
- (gun firing)
540
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:25,680
- It's a hard-fought battle.
541
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:27,320
There's more Japanese
than expected.
542
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:29,600
And the Japanese
fight doggedly for it.
543
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:32,800
TOM: The Americans
call in air support
544
00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,200
from their bases in India.
545
00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:45,840
And take Myitkyina Airfield.
546
00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,120
US gliders land,
547
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:55,600
bringing reinforcements...
548
00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,080
...and General Stilwell.
549
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:07,560
JONATHAN:
So with the fall of Myitkyina,
550
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:11,320
that now enables the Americans
to play their strong suit,
551
00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:12,960
which is construction.
552
00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,320
- (dramatic music)
553
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,080
TOM: Army engineers
and local labourers
554
00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:23,320
start to build a new route
from India to the Burma Road.
555
00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:25,680
COL DOUDS: It's hundreds
of miles long,
556
00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:27,200
scraped out of the jungle,
557
00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,600
and it's a major
construction programme.
558
00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:32,520
It's gonna take months.
559
00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:36,680
- (pensive music)
560
00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:38,920
JONATHAN: From the British
and American standpoint,
561
00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:41,240
it's all looking good.
562
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:43,960
It's gonna take a while
to rebuild that road,
563
00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,120
but we can rebuild it now.
564
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:50,080
And it seems that the
tea leaves are now propitious
565
00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:53,840
for a B-29 offensive
out of China.
566
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,320
The problem is that
the Allies don't know
567
00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:57,840
that the Japanese have
568
00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,480
an even bigger land operation
up their sleeve.
569
00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:05,880
- (dramatic music)
570
00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,040
TOM: General Stilwell's
victory at Myitkyina
571
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:19,480
will enable the Americans to
reconnect to the Burma Road.
572
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,120
But it's a slow
and arduous process
573
00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:24,480
and the road won't be
operational for months.
574
00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:28,720
- (dramatic music)
575
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:33,640
TOM: In June, 1944,
576
00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:38,680
B-29s begin to arrive
at the airfields in China.
577
00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,760
{\an8}DR GRANT: The Army Air Forces
have been waiting
578
00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:46,400
{\an8}for the B-29 for years.
579
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:48,280
Finally, here they are,
580
00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,840
ready to fly their first
missions out of China.
581
00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:56,800
The idea is to put up
582
00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:00,360
a sustained bombing
campaign over Japan.
583
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,480
And the key is being
able to fly missions
584
00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:06,280
over and over and over again.
585
00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,360
{\an8}- The problem is logistics.
586
00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:12,760
The B-29 is
an enormous fuel hog.
587
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:17,760
It runs on about 9,000 gallons
of gasoline per sortie.
588
00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,600
COL DOUDS: They also
need a lot of bombs.
589
00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:22,040
{\an8}The only way
you're gonna get bombs
590
00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:24,560
{\an8}and fuel to those airfields
is they gotta fly over the Hump,
591
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,680
until they open up
a new Burma Road.
592
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:29,080
- (dramatic music)
593
00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:31,320
DR GRANT: It takes
eight airlift missions
594
00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,440
flying over the Hump
for every B-29 combat mission
595
00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,840
just to bring in the bombs
and the fuel.
596
00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:42,400
- (dramatic music)
597
00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:50,880
TOM: In mid-June, the first
B-29 combat mission to Japan
598
00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:53,720
sets off from Chengdu.
599
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:55,280
68 Superfortresses
600
00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,480
attack the Imperial
iron and steelworks
601
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,720
at Yawata in Southern Japan.
602
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,960
DR GRANT: But because they
don't have enough supplies
603
00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:13,960
coming into China, they're only
flying a few missions at a time.
604
00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:17,400
It's just not going to add up
605
00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:23,000
to the sustained pounding
campaign that Roosevelt wants.
606
00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:25,640
- (foreboding music)
607
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:27,560
TOM: Meanwhile,
Prime Minister Tojo
608
00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:30,960
has launched an
offensive in China.
609
00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:33,560
CHRISTOPHER: It's
called Operation Ichi-Go,
610
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,240
which means
Operation Number One.
611
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:37,760
{\an8}And this is the
largest operation
612
00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:39,880
{\an8}that the Japanese
undertake during the war.
613
00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:44,000
TOM:
The offensive has two goals,
614
00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:46,760
secure land access to
Japan's occupied possessions
615
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:49,600
in Southeast Asia
616
00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:53,160
and capture
US air bases in China.
617
00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:58,960
- (foreboding music)
JONATHAN: The Japanese attack
618
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:00,920
with about a half a million troops,
619
00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:02,760
several thousand artillery pieces,
620
00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:06,520
hundreds of tanks,
a lot of aircraft as well.
621
00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:09,240
- (explosion booming)
- (artillery firing)
622
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:10,680
- The big
surprise of this campaign
623
00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:13,760
is how poor
Chiang Kai-shek's forces are.
624
00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,120
At this point, some
of them are starving.
625
00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:18,320
There've been lots of
deserters from their army.
626
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:19,920
And with that level of morale,
627
00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:22,640
some of these forces,
under Japanese pressure,
628
00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,800
simply melt away.
- (sombre music)
629
00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:27,800
TOM: The Japanese push south,
630
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,320
overpowering Chinese forces.
631
00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:33,440
Millions of Chinese
attempt to flee,
632
00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:35,960
caught between a foreign invader
633
00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,840
and their own corrupt leaders.
634
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:44,320
The US is forced to abandon
bases and airfields.
635
00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:46,240
- It's a huge embarrassment
for Chiang Kai-shek,
636
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,880
particularly
in the face of his allies.
637
00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:52,360
All this time, he's been trying to
talk up what he's capable of
638
00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:55,120
if only the Americans
give him what he needs.
639
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:57,360
And yet in the face
of Operation Ichi-Go,
640
00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,440
his forces just seem to crumble.
641
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,560
JONATHAN: For the Americans
looking at the wreckage
642
00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:05,760
of the aftermath of Ichi-Go,
643
00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:09,880
they recognise that the Chinese
can't defend American bases
644
00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:11,360
no matter where they are.
645
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:15,040
On top of that, the increasing
logistical headaches
646
00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:16,800
of trying to get
supplies over the Hump
647
00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:22,000
means that they decide
to just cut their losses.
648
00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:24,160
And they pack up those B-29s.
649
00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:27,320
DR GRANT: The Army Air Forces
have put everything
650
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,040
into making these
Chinese bases work,
651
00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:32,240
but they're done with China.
652
00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:35,360
JONATHAN: And the Americans
may now have a new option
653
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:39,440
for basing B-29s,
which is a better option.
654
00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:41,640
- (suspenseful music)
655
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,760
TOM: Since 1943,
656
00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:45,840
American forces have
been fighting their way
657
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,320
across the Central Pacific.
658
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:50,560
Now a combined
Marine and Army force
659
00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:55,000
is on the verge of invading
the Mariana Islands,
660
00:34:55,160 --> 00:35:00,600
Tinian, Guam, and Saipan,
only 1,600 miles from Japan.
661
00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:04,440
JONATHAN: So if the Americans
can capture the Marianas,
662
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:07,680
the B-29 bomber will
now be within range
663
00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:09,360
of almost all of Japan.
664
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:13,040
The expectation for the
Americans is that this should be
665
00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:16,720
a relatively easy operation,
666
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,560
but the reality is gonna be
utterly different.
667
00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:29,440
TOM: Just after D-Day, the
Allied invasion of Europe,
668
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:34,960
American forces attack Saipan
in the middle of the Pacific.
669
00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:36,800
- (suspenseful music)
670
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,160
JONATHAN: This is really
an unprecedented display
671
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:46,840
of American power projection,
672
00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:49,600
that the Americans
are able to launch
673
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:52,000
{\an8}these two massive operations,
674
00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:56,280
{\an8}Overlord first in Europe
and then Saipan.
675
00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:58,200
They're separated
by half a planet.
676
00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:00,280
They're thousands
of miles apart.
677
00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:07,160
{\an8}- The expectation is that
this is gonna take three days
678
00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,400
for two Marine divisions
and an Army division
679
00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:12,760
to be able to conquer Saipan.
680
00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:15,920
- (sombre music)
681
00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:18,080
GEOFFREY: But the
Japanese had fortified it
682
00:36:18,240 --> 00:36:20,080
and built D-Day style
fortifications,
683
00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:21,880
{\an8}not only bunkers and pillboxes,
684
00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:24,160
{\an8}but they had dummy
bunkers and pillboxes
685
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:26,360
so that they could waste
some of the naval bombardment
686
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:28,840
on fake targets.
- (sombre music)
687
00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,440
- In fact, there's actually
32,000 Japanese there.
688
00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:35,480
- (dramatic music)
689
00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:37,480
- Saipan is part of
the Japanese defences
690
00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:39,760
that they would consider
to be the inner ring
691
00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:41,280
that must be defended,
692
00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:44,640
that they will
sacrifice the most for.
693
00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:46,880
- (dramatic music)
694
00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,520
- Because if they lose Saipan,
then Tokyo is in danger,
695
00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:52,640
and that's where the Emperor is.
696
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:57,280
- (suspenseful music)
- The resistance is ferocious.
697
00:36:57,440 --> 00:36:59,280
JONATHAN: The Americans
successfully get
698
00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:01,240
a full division's worth
of troops on there
699
00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:03,880
within the space of
just a few hours.
700
00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:08,240
COL DOUDS: In the initial
assault, 8,000 Marines land.
701
00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:11,360
Over 2,000 of them
become casualties.
702
00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:15,920
This is a bloodletting beyond
what anybody had expected.
703
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,520
JONATHAN: Any time
a Japanese formation
704
00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:20,840
attempts to put in
a counter-attack,
705
00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:22,400
they are immediately met
706
00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,000
with inordinate amounts
of naval gunfire
707
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:26,880
that just crushed them.
708
00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:30,000
- (explosions booming)
709
00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,160
GEOFFREY: The Japanese retreat
into the hills in the interior,
710
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,920
along with several thousand
Japanese settlers
711
00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:38,800
living in Saipan. And they forced
the Marines and the Army troops
712
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,200
to root them out of caves
in these hills.
713
00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:42,920
- (sombre music)
- (guns firing)
714
00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:46,880
- (sombre music)
715
00:37:51,240 --> 00:37:55,520
TOM: The battle for Saipan
lasts almost a month.
716
00:37:55,680 --> 00:38:01,480
Thousands of civilians die,
caught in the crossfire.
717
00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:10,040
- The final climax of this battle
happens at a set of cliffs
718
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,800
on the northern
part of the island.
719
00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:16,400
TOM: At Marpi Point,
advancing US troops
720
00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:18,440
trap civilians and
Japanese soldiers
721
00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:22,680
between the frontline
and the sea.
722
00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:24,360
JONATHAN:
The Japanese propaganda
723
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:26,360
that's been fed to these people
724
00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:29,840
tells them that the Americans
are going to kill all the men,
725
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,040
rape all the women, and it's
effective. They don't surrender.
726
00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,160
- (sombre music)
727
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:40,560
GEOFFREY: And then
as the Marines close in,
728
00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:41,960
some of them leap
to their deaths,
729
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:43,720
some of them clutching
their children.
730
00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,720
- (sombre music)
731
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:53,480
TOM: Marines and soldiers
confront the inconceivable.
732
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:59,160
For Japan, the loss of Saipan
is a disaster.
733
00:39:00,720 --> 00:39:01,920
JONATHAN:
They've had the heart
734
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:05,160
ripped out of their
defensive line.
735
00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:08,400
And they know that
the Americans now
736
00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:11,000
are gonna have perfect
operating conditions
737
00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:15,040
to launch this bomber
offensive against Japan itself.
738
00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:19,760
- (sombre music)
- (guns firing)
739
00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,440
- The casualties
are high, for both sides.
740
00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:26,000
DR GRANT:
But the terrible loss of life
741
00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:27,480
finally gives the B-29s
742
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,920
the air bases they need
to bomb Japan.
743
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:34,280
Instead of having
hand-built runways in China
744
00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:37,120
{\an8}that require airlift
just to bring in the gas,
745
00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:41,520
now in the Mariana's islands,
you have huge runways
746
00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:45,960
built by the Seabees
using brilliant white coral,
747
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:48,720
as hard and durable
as you can want.
748
00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:50,480
COL DOUDS:
On these three islands,
749
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:52,320
Saipan, Tinian, and Guam,
750
00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:55,560
the Americans build five
long runway complexes,
751
00:39:55,720 --> 00:40:00,520
each to be supported by a
bomber group of 180 B-29s.
752
00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:02,440
DR GRANT: And suddenly
the Marianas
753
00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:04,720
are the world's
biggest air base.
754
00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:06,400
- (dramatic music)
755
00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:13,920
{\an8}COL DOUDS:
FDR's objective, the B-29,
756
00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:17,320
{\an8}finally gets its optimum opportunity
to achieve the mission
757
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:20,840
{\an8}for which it was developed
in the first place.
758
00:40:21,720 --> 00:40:24,560
TOM: November, 1944,
759
00:40:24,720 --> 00:40:28,080
{\an8}B-29 Superfortresses
760
00:40:28,240 --> 00:40:30,960
{\an8}take off for the
first of many missions
761
00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:33,840
{\an8}to bomb the home islands of Japan.
762
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,640
- (planes rumbling)
763
00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:42,640
- With the capture of the
Mariana island chain,
764
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:47,000
the United States is capable
of regularly striking Japan,
765
00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:49,440
just as it's been
able to hit Germany
766
00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:51,240
for the past two years.
767
00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,800
As the tide turns for
these Axis partners,
768
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:57,200
each country tightens its grip
on its people.
769
00:40:57,360 --> 00:40:58,960
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