- Pangsau Pass
Pangsau Pass, 3727 feet in altitude, lies on the crest of the
Patkai Hills on theIndia -Burma (Myanmar) border. The reputed route of the 13th century invasion ofAssam in India by the Ahoms, a Shan tribe, the pass offers one of the easiest routes into Burma from the Assam plains. Prospected by the British in the late 19th Century as a possible railway route from India toMyitkyina in north Burma through theHukawng Valley , the pass became famous duringWorld War II for being the initial obstacle encountered by American General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell's forces in their effort to build a land route to isolatedChina after the fall of Burma to theJapan ese. TheLedo Road began at Ledo, the railhead, and passed through Lekhapani, Jagun, Joyrampur (theAssam -Arunachal Pradesh boundary and beginning of Inner Line), and Nampong beforeswitchback ing steeply upwards through densely forested hills to the pass, 12km away. The distance from Ledo to Pangsau Pass is 61 km (38 miles). Because of the fierce gradients and the mud which made getting up to the pass difficult, it was nicknamed "Hell Pass" during the war. The first Burmese village, Pangsau, lies 2 km beyond the pass to the east.ee also
*
Ledo Road References
*"The Burma Road" by
Donovan Webster
*"Gazetteer of north-east India" , Govt. of India
*http://changlang.nic.in
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.