November 27, 1942 SUMMARY OF REPORT ON SUPPLY ROUTES TO CHINA. 1. Lend-Lease records indicate that there are over 73,000 tons of supplies for China at Karachi and other points in India with thousands more to come as per list attached. 2. This means that it will be necessary to have a combination of ground and air transport to deliver these supplies using the railway across India to Sadiya. 3. Meager reports which we have from various sources indicate that there are several possible short, quickly constructed road routes between Sadiya and points on the Burma Road. These road routes should be investigated immediately by engineers. 4. It is absolutely necessary to have trucks--modern Armies can not operate without them. Mr. C. V. Bowman, Zone Manager, who was super- intendent of maintenance on the Burma Road, reports that the tracks which were used on this highway are in very bad condition and that there are practically no facilities at all for maintaining these trucks. None of the equipment shipped from the United States and intended for maintenance for some 5,000 trucks on this highway ever reached China. Lend-Lease re- ports that there are 1,800 tons of spare parts--a greater portion of which are for vehicles in China are still at Karachi. It should be easier to transport these parts by plane to points on the Burma Road and install a system of maintenance and repair than to ship new trucks from the United States. 5. Lend-Lease reports the following trucks at Karachi: Number of trucks: 1/4 ton (4X4) 285 a 1/2ton (4X2) 31 3/4 ton (4X2) 50 2-1/2 ton (6X4) 42 2-1/2 ton (6X6) 449 b ----------------------- 857 Tank trucks 48 Wrecker trucks 79 Floodlight trucks 40 all of which are supposed to be in good condition. These trucks can be shipped from Karachi to Sadiya by rail or go by highway and transport a load, if necessary. Colonel Dawson, Indian Supply Mission, says that the journey would require about three (3) weeks. a/ Fifteen diverted- Jeeps b/ Probably 20 diverted. |