Burma Road and Wartime Transportation

• Main Authors: LIM KWOK YONG, 林國榮
• Other Authors: YANG, WEI-CHEN
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/cz2m95

碩士 === 國立中正大學 === 歷史系研究所 === 106 === This thesis contain the Burma Road and its War-time Transportations. In war-time, China international route comprise of : 1. Canton(廣州) – Hankow（漢口） Railways, this routes toward to Hongkong, but due to loss of Canton and Hankow in October 1938, this route become useless. North- West Road（西北公路）, this route via Gansu （甘肅） and Xinjiang（新疆） Provinces, to USSR. Although USSR borrowed Chinese Government totally USD 250 million’s war material but this route too long, difficult to managed it. 3. Yunnan（雲南）- Vietnam（越南） Railway, this route via mountainous terrain, also difficult to repair it. Due to the French surrender to Germany, Japanese invades Vietnam, Chinese Government cut off this route. During Shanghai War, Governor of Yunnan Province（雲南省政府主席）, Long Yun（龍 雲） flew to Nanjing attend military meeting. Long Yun plan’s was this : built a road from Kunming to Burma, to the sea. Yunnan Provincial Government and Central Government flew to Yangon to negotiate with Burmese Government. They agree within a year to finish it. Yunnan Province famous with its mountainous terrain and rivers. Construct a road toward such terrain is nearly impossible. During Shanghai and Wuhan battle, 600km mountainous routes, 250000 various ethnics, in lack of machines, the world astonish Chinese construction miracle- in 7 months built the Burma Road! The Road was built, but the administrations and improvement works was begins. Chinese- Burmese bilateral transit tariffs negotiations and promulgates these laws and regulations. Chinese Military Commission’s（軍事委員會） arms and ammunition was carried by South West Transportation Bureau(西南運輸處，SWTB for short). Other governmental transport agency do the same job. Thus causing administrative chaos. The road was built, but lack of drivers and mechanics. This because SWTB drivers was scattered in other provinces, doing their jobs. Due to such conditions, director of SWTB, Song Tse Liang, call the president of Southeast China Relief Fund Union（南僑總會），Tan Kah Kee（陳 嘉庚）, to recruit drivers and mechanics. With a number of 3000 drivers and mechanics , the SWTB transport capacity grew steadily. Beside of constructions and improvement works, transit tariffs, the closure of the Burma Road cause related regions act differently. For worsen the conditions, the closure of the road causes Nationalist Government economically and financially difficulties, causing hyperinflation, till 1950’s the Communist Government controls it. Last of my thesis was the Battle of Burma Road. Tragically, this war ends with the retreat of Chinese Expeditionary Forces and the British retreat to India. The Chinese army blew out the Huitong（惠通橋） Bridge to hold off Japanese Army. Causing two army across the Salween River, till 1943-1945’s counterattack.