Rails of War: Supplying the Americans and Their Allies in China-Burma-India - Steven James Hantzis

This review was submitted to the Army History Journal

Title: Rails of War: Supplying the Americans and Their Allies in China-Burma-India

Author: Steven James Hantzis

ISBN: 978-1-612348-53-7

Publisher: Potomac Books

Year: 2017

Hardcover

Pages: 199

Photos/Maps: 25/6

The author Stephen James Hantzis, in his book Rails of War, has written a story relating the experiences of his father, Sergeant Hantzis, during his Second World War service in the Far East. The theatre in which he operated was in the eastern provincial region of India, specifically on the borders of what is today known as Myanmar. In 1944, while the Japanese were being pushed back across the Pacific theatre of operations, in this particular area they were still an offensive threat and seeking to break the British hold on India itself. What is less well known is the degree to which the Japanese were able to call upon Indian deserters in order to facilitate their offensive capabilities. The authors father was a sergeant in an American unit, the 721st Railway Operating Battalion, whose responsibility was to maintain the flow of supplies and material east to the 14th Army as well as to the regional American forces operating in support of the 14th Army.

This book is not an in-depth analysis of the strategic and operational events surrounding that particular area but more the story of the experiences of the authors father. The perspective of a sergeant working in conjunction with the other Americans who for the first time were exposed not only to a wartime environment but also the environmental and societal shock of working with the Indians (in India) and other nationalities associated with railway. For many of them, this was their first time outside of the continental United States. One of the strengths of this book is the fact that the author is able to provide the reader with a macro as well as micro synopsis of the events surrounding the period 1944 1945. For example, the author combines his discussion of not only the allied strategies associated with trying to defend the border of India but also the Japanese commander’s vision on how he hoped to bring India under the influence of the Japanese empire with a drive to Kolkata. The expectation was, from a Japanese perspective, that having broken through the allied lines and captured the regional capital Calcutta, they would be able to drive India out of the war thereby facilitating peace with the Chinese who would no longer be able to be supported by the flow of goods and supplies coming in from India over the hump. This would then free up over 2 million experienced Japanese soldiers who could then be utilized elsewhere in the field of combat. Another point of interest is the fact that the authors father was engaged in a key logistics function supporting Allied Ops in Burma. Japanese operational doctrine dictated that their soldiers travelled very light and were reliant upon capturing supplies from the Allies to augment their logistic shortfalls; thus they focussed much of their attention on the logistics hubs of the Allied armies.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the fact that he focusses his attention on the logistic requirements and support efforts made by the allies; In many cases historians focus exclusively on the operations and the front line soldiers either naval, air, or army and their engagement directly with the enemy. In this case the author has focussed upon a little known aspect of the Burma campaign which was the building and maintenance of the railway lifeline to the front. Air operations over ‘the hump’ have garnered a store of historical significance for the efforts made by the C - 47 pilots flying and dropping supplies to isolated operators. However, lesser known but of greater value were the efforts made by the railway troops who not only maintained the flow of supplies going to the front but also rebuilt the railway system itself, which was in very poor condition, but also serviced and refurbished the equipment which in the tropical environment deteriorated at a much faster rate then in the United States or Europe. The situations and conditions that faced Sgt Hantzis and his staff as related by the author also underscore the effect and challenge of the differences in culture, language and tradition. It is often forgotten in today’s world of extensive communications options just how limited was international exposure for many of the men from the small towns of the United States.

This book is an easy read and provides sufficient detail to enable to reader to appreciate the gravity of the environment in the Far East in 1944 as well as the challenges associated with trying to build, maintain and run a railway under the conditions of wartime India. The author provides a comprehensive bibliography that provides for further reading relating to both the logistics and operational environment. I enjoyed the book as it related a very personal as well as historical account of this theatre.