Objective, Burma!

This is Burma...

the toughest battleground in the world...

where the Japs had sealed off the Burma road...

and closed the back door to China.

A door that had to be reopened.

After months of secret preparations...

at Mountbatten's base headquarters in India...

a far-reaching , combined operations was about to begin.

British General Wingate conferred with his staff.

Gen. Stilwell speeded up the training of his Chinese troops.

A special group of American Army Air Force commandos...

was set up under Col. Bill Cochran.

And deep in the jungle , the forward command posts...

of a force called Merrill's Marauders got ready to push off.

Only their top officers knew where to , or what for.

One hot afternoon , a reconnaissance plane from an advance air base...

near the border of India scouted the Jap-infested jungle.

The operation was about to begin.

Its objective:

Burma.

Major, photographs for the general.

Wait here.

General, the photographs of the Red Robin operation have come in.

Good!

Good work. Fine.

Lad, it's been a long time.

But here's where we start paying back the Japs.

Your parachuters will get the first crack.

That's okay with us.

- Rush these to Col. Carter. - Yes, sir.

- Get Carter on the phone. - Yes, sir.

Take these to Col. Carter, 503rd Parachute Infantry Headquarters.

- Col. Carter. - Carter?

Feed your men some raw meat. We're going in.

The Red Robin operation goes into effect immediately.

- Photographs? - Yes, sir.

For Col. Carter.

- Okay, Ned. Now you can go back to sleep. - Thank you, sir.

Nelson, here's your jump area.

- Jacobs, get me a weather report. - Yes, sir.

Leopard, 5-1.

Looks pretty good to me, Colonel.

Edge of the trees there ought to make good cover.

With the wind blowing west, this'll make a good go point.

Weather prediction remains same. No changes expected.

Good. Report all changes as they occur.

- Nelson, you're ready to go, I think. - Yes, sir.

You take off at 3:45 a.m., and jump at dawn.

Your landing will be covered by a diversionary bombing.

The CG has assigned six bombers to drop a load here at Yawe.

Once you and your boys get in, it's up to you to find the target and blow it.

I don't have to pound on your skull and make big speeches...

as to what this mission means. I think you know.

If you do good...

it means the lives of several thousand men.

So do good.

Roger.

Jacobs, I'll take the first platoon.

Briefing in an hour.

Nelson, here we go.

Yes, sir.

Hello, Treacy? Briefing, one hour.

First platoon, briefing in an hour. Yes, sir.

Save that for the Japs. Briefing in an hour.

Okay, you guys. Briefing in an hour.

All right, you bathing beauties. Briefing in an hour.

- Briefing in an hour, Gabby. - Just a minute.

I'm washing my last pair of nylons.

It's about time.

Never mind filling it, Doc.

We've got briefing in an hour. Pull it.

No!

Briefing in an hour, you guys.

- Thanks for the buck. - I hate sergeants.

Give me a shampoo, a light trim, and a manicure.

Finish it after the war. Briefing in an hour.

You monkeys! First platoon, briefing in an hour.

Come on. Throw the ball, you dummy.

I want to write a letter.

- But what a babe. - Yeah?

A real straw job, see?

- Stacked up like a pair of bricks. - I know the type.

- They take a taxi to cross the street. - But could she spend the dough.

It's about time we saw some action.

Speaking for myself...

I'd just as soon take it easy for another 100 years.

All right! Stop hounding me, will you?

When?

- Suppose you get killed? - So I get killed.

- So you're out $2. - Quit waving your teeth.

All right, but I still don't think this is a way to fight a war.

We've been sitting around so much, we've bunions on our landing gear.

You batted your gums so much, you have bunions on your lip.

I don't like your attitude. If I only had one more...

Who's that?

Who's what?

The guy with Lieutenant Jacobs. I've never seen him before.

He's that newspaper Joe that just came in yesterday.

No kidding? You mean we're gonna be in the newspapers?

Just in case he's gonna take pictures.

Why should anybody in his right mind want a picture of you?

What do you mean?

- I'm a curiosity. - You're not kidding.

No. I mean on account of I'm on a mission.

My old lady expects me personally to capture Adolf Hitler...

and here I am in India. Doesn't that make me a curiosity?

You're just khaki-wacky.

Attention!

I'll make it short, men.

Capt. Nelson will brief you on the operation in a moment.

I just want to say this:

Two years ago, when Gen. Stilwell was run out of Burma...

he said among other things, that we took an awful pasting...

and somebody ought to go back in there and do something about it.

We're going.

You men will be the first to go back into Burma.

The action you're about to see is the first step...

of an extremely important operation.

On the success of your mission, depends to a large extent...

the entire course of the war in this theater.

It's a big job.

And I know you'll do it right.

Good luck to you.

And good hunting.

Capt. Nelson.

Let's get started. You can smoke if you want to...

and speak up if you can't hear me in the back.

Our mission is to demolish a Jap radar station...

and communications center somewhere near point W...

on operations map B.

All we have to do is to go in, find the radar station, blow it to pieces.

Then get out of there before the Japs know we're in.

I guess you're wondering why the Air Force doesn't go and bomb it.

We know approximately where the radar station is.

Approximately isn't good enough.

The Air Force needs to know exactly where it is. They don't.

The target's got to be destroyed. Someone's got to do it.

We're elected.

All right. We're going in.

All right. Gather around the sand table and I'll show you where you're going.

Don't shove, Hogan. Take it easy.

Guy must think it's a free lunch counter.

All right. We come in due east.

As soon as we reach the junction of these two rivers...

we cross this small range of hills here.

The other side of that is the jump field.

We'll jump just as soon as we reach the edge of the field. Is that understood?

And Miggleori, if we happen to run across any Burmese dancing girls...

we can't stop and talk to them.

At last reports, the jump field was undefended.

Jap patrols are from 30 to 60 men that have been spotted at various...

places this past month, usually in this area here.

Now, somewhere in this area is the radar station we're after.

It's not going to be a cinch finding it.

There's a supply depot located at point X.

And it's garrisoned by about 2,000 men.

Now, are there any questions so far?

- Nebraska. - There aren't any names on the table.

Where is this place?

For security reasons, we won't know until we board the planes.

Then you'll be given maps with names, places, locations. Any other questions?

Higgins?

If you don't mind, sir, how do we get back?

We'll fly back. Two transports are going to pick us up at an abandoned airstrip...

and fly us back to the base.

I'll ask Maj. Fitzpatrick of the Burma Rifles to tell you more.

- Go ahead, Major. - Thanks.

Two years ago, shortly before evacuating Burma...

we had an occasion to construct an emergency airstrip here.

It's still there, and the latest aerial reconnaissance tells us it's still usable.

Following the action against the radar station, your route of departure...

will be track "E"...

along here to the abandoned airstrip at "R2" here.

To make sure that you hit the airstrip on the nose we've assigned...

two Gurkha guides from the Burma Frontier Force to go with you.

Col. Holgerkin?

They don't speak English to any worthwhile degree.

But they're extraordinarily familiar with the terrain and the Burmese language.

I believe that you will find them excellent guides.

- That's all from me. - Thank you, Major.

The march from the radar station to the airstrip will be a forced march...

that shouldn't last over 11 hours at most.

Here's the administration information:

No musette bags, shelter halves or toilet articles are to be taken.

Each man will be issued four D rations, two K rations.

You'll carry SOP ammunition loads.

You'll take two.30 caliber machine guns, 1,000 rounds of ammo per gun.

Each man will take six hand grenades.

You'll carry SCR - 536 radios, one set of panels, four mirrors...

for signal communications.

That's about it. Stations and HR will be announced later.

You'd better hit the sack early, get some sleep. You'll need it.

Write your letters now. There's no mailing service where we're going.

The chaplains of each faith will hold services in half an hour.

That's all, fellows. Dismissed.

- You're Williams? American news service? - That's right.

- Nice to know you. I'm Nelson. - Glad to know you.

- The colonel said you'll be at the briefing. - He didn't say why.

I don't think you'll fall on my neck and kiss me when you find out.

But the fact of the matter is, I'm going along with you.