The Stilwell (Ledo) Road... an engineering marvel.

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       During the World War II, the Ledo Road was intended to be the primary supply route to China and was built under the direction of General Stilwell of the U.S. Army from the railhead at Ledo (Assam, India) to Mong-Yu road junction where it joined the Burma Road. Stilwell's staff estimated that the Ledo Road route would supply 65,000 tons of supplies per month.

       15,000 American soldiers (60% African-Americans) and 35,000 local workers built the road at a cost of US$150 million.  Thousands of locals and 1,100 Americans died during the construction. Since most of Burmese territory was in the Japanese hands, it was not possible to acquire information about the topography, soils, and river behaviour before starting the construction. This information had to be acquired as the road was constructed.

                Work started on the first 166 km section of the road in Dec 1942, a steep, narrow trail through territory from Ledo, across the Patkai Range through the Pangsau Pass, nicknamed "Hell Pass" for its difficulty, and down to Shingbwiyang in Burma. The road rose sometimes as high as 4,500 feet and passed over steep gradients, hairpin curves and sheer drops of 200 feet, all surrounded by  thick rain forests.

       In late 1944, barely two years after Stilwell accepted responsibility for building the Ledo Road, it connected to the Burma Road. It became a highway stretching from Assam, India to Kunming, China, 1736 km in length. On 12 Jan 1945, the first convoy of 113 vehicles, led by General Pick, departed from Ledo; they reached Kunming, China on 4 February 1945. In the six months following its opening, trucks carried 129,000 tons of supplies from India to China. 26000 trucks that carried the cargo (one way) were handed over to the Chinese.

      After Burma was liberated, the road gradually fell into disrepair. Since an improvement in relations between India and Myanmar, travel has improved and tourism has begun near the Pangsayu Pass (at the Lake of No Return). At present the Nampong-Pangsau Pass section is passable in four-wheel drive vehicles. The road on the Burmese side is now reportedly fit for vehicular traffic. 

     One of the toughest and most interesting road journeys in the world would remain a dream for the travellers until India and China shed mutual distrust.