The Rainy Season’s Impact on Fighting in Burma

Antonio Graceffo

Truckloads of resistance soldiers wind their way through jungle roads that are difficult even in the dry season but turn into seas of mud during the rains. Abandoned and disabled vehicles line the route, an ominous sight in a country where vehicles are precious lifelines. With severe shortages, trucks are the only way to move fuel, food, medicine, and finished goods from Thailand to the people.

Each time the lead truck reaches a dip in the road, a young soldier is sent ahead to test the depth. Barefoot, he steps into the mud, sinking up to his knees. He doesn’t wear shoes because they’d be sucked off by the mud. Prodding the ground with a stick and his feet, he finds a passable route and signals the driver to follow. The trucks behind carefully trace the same path, one by one.