ABSTRACT

While Allied forces converged on Germany from east and west and U.S. forces carried out their island-bypassing operations in the Southwest and Central Pacific, fighting also took place in China, Burma, and even along the frontier of India. The Americans referred to this vast area as the ChinaBurma-India theater (CBI). But this designation gave the impression of greater unity in Allied operations in Southeast and East Asia than was actually the case. In reality, Chiang Kai-shek retained command in China, and the British exercised authority in India and in attempts to reconquer Burma. Starting in 1942, small American ground forces and larger air contingents operated from bases in India but remained strictly under U.S. jurisdiction. Cooperation among the three Allies was often far from close, and a great deal of mutual distrust prevailed.