The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-01-08
BAMBOO BIG AID
TOU. S. TROOPS
IN INDIA-DURMh

By FRANK HEWLETT
UNITED Press Stan CuETeEpoAtl
India Burma Border CUp)-Dauz
boo means more than Just another
fishing pole 10 the American soldier
on this front. He has discovered
there are countless uses Tor thi1
giant tropical grass. It Is q soufc4
Of food, water, shelter and weapons.
There are soldiers who owe their
lives to bamboo; also, &c has been
responsible for the death 81 Jap
warriors.
However, bamboo primarily e q
source OF shelter. Bamboo hgts -
commonly called bashas = have
proven more practical than tents.
They are cooler and with 3 little
effort can be made more comfort
able,
Not only the huts, but often an
the furnishings and fixtures are
made from bamboo. Without using
nails. and q knife as his only car
pentry tool, q native workman can
provide you with a table, wash
stand and bench. With q little ef-
fort you may talk him into making
couple Of chairs.
In some caps, water for show
ers and the mess hall is brought IN
from nearby springs by using ban-
bool poles for pipes.
have inspected American field
hospitals where the administrative.
surgical, laboratory and ward
buildings were all made Of bamboo.
The nurses, likewise, live in
bashas and by adding the womaIa's
touch they have shown q bamboo
house can be made attractive as
we'll as comfortable
Bashas have windows, but you
can count on your fingers the ones
with glass panes; however, most Of
them have shutters, which are
closed during storms and for the
blackout.
In connection with bashas. one
nurse remarked: IT have been IN
hospitals where the nurses quar-
tiers weren't as good as the ones We
have here. But, pal, II we stay here
much longer my Mas going to have
a hard time breaking me OF the
habit of leaning out the window in
the morning to brush my teeth"
Indian bashas generally have
dirt floors, but the Army, wherever
possible, provides flooring. It is gen.
orally rough boards or bricks. al
though occasionally concrete. The
floor makes it easier to keep the
building clean, and also helps keep
out the dampness during the mon
soons.
Man on patrols, who are often
away from camp several days, say
that tender bamboo shoots taste
like chicken" to a hungry man. The
same food has been credited with
easing the hunger pangs Of pilots
making their way back to civiliza-
ton after being shot down in the
jungles.
Additionally, British jungle vet
Grams say water is frequently found
inside the bamboo of the Burma
jungle. A Tommy who has led many
patrols told me the water from the
bamboo was pure and not bad tast-
ing.
The pangi pit. one Of the worlds
first BOBBY traps. is widely used on
the Burma front. 1t is a pit filed
with sharpened bamboo sticks.
Some are shallow, others several
feet depe The pits are carefully
concealed by grass or brush. placed
over a thin layer of bamboo.
The Allies and Japanese both are
using pangi pits. These deadly oh
stacles sometimes are placed across
trails, but usually they are on the
edge of them. Panei pit have
proven valuable in further
strengthening important defensive
positions, and reducing the posi-
bility Of surprise attack.
Fate has been kind in providing
this sector with a bamboo which
does not have sharp thorns. In the
Philippines and other Far East
countries there is a type Of bamboo
with sharp thorns which make the
cutting Of wood most difficult. In
have seen thornS so sharp and
strong that they would penetrate
the thick soles of CT shoes.
Troops in this sector are amazed
when told there is no bamboo In the
jungles of New Guinea or the Solo
mons. They are, so used to bamboo
that they find 1t hard to conceive
jungle fighting without 1t.
Nearly one-third of the eunIoves