The Ledo Road

Brendan I. Koerner · #1 (**permalink**) June 10th, 2008, 05:56 PM

Hello All,

As promised in my introductory post, I've compiled a photo album of shots from the Ledo Road (aka Stilwell Road) as it exists today. In late 2006, while in the course of researching my new book, I traveled the first section of the road--the part that stretches from Mile Zero outside Ledo, India, to the jungles of northwest Burma (currently known as Sagaing Division). This is an area that is seldom traversed by outsiders, given the tenuous security situation.

The public photo album can be reached by clicking the link below (no registration required):

Brendan I. Koerner's Photos - The Ledo Road Today | Facebook

The road is in okay shape for the first 25 miles or so, up until the so-called Hellgate at Nampong. But as you'll be able to see in the photos, the jungle rapidly takes over from that point forward.

I'd be curious to hear what people think of the Ledo Road from a historical perspective. What was the project's value to the Allied war effort? And how does it affect Gen. Stilwell's legacy? (I express some pretty strong opinions in Now the Hell Will Start, but I'll keep those to myself for the moment.)

Thanks to everyone who makes this forum possible. So glad I found it.

Cheers,
Brendan

dgmitchell · #2 (**permalink**) June 10th, 2008, 07:28 PM

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

diddyriddick · #3 (**permalink**) June 12th, 2008, 01:51 PM

Nice pics, Brendan. Is the road commonly used today?

Brendan I. Koerner · #4 (**permalink**) June 12th, 2008, 05:37 PM

Good question, David. The first 25 miles or so, stretching from Ledo to Nampong, are paved and used by locals--primarily people engaged in the tea and coal trades. But once you get above Nampong and near the Burmese border, the road isn't really used at all. For starters, the Indian Army doesn't allow much vehicular traffic beyond that point, for security reasons. And once you get to about Mile 35 or so, you can't drive it--even in the best 4x4 in the universe. It's just a total bog.

The conditions improve a little bit once you cross into Burma, but I didn't see a single working motor vehicle over there. A very spooky place--totally run by the military, and incredibly poor and underdeveloped.

There are many parts of the road further on in Burma that are trafficked (esp. near Myitkyina), but I concentrated my reporting efforts along the Indo-Burmese border. That's where all of my book's action takes place.

If you're interested in visiting the road yourself, let me know. I have some good contacts over there.

Cheers,
Brendan