Hundreds of local civilian laborers work by hand to grade and level ground for a military airfield somewhere in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. Armed with simple hand tools, workers break apart clods of earth to prepare a smooth, compacted surface capable of supporting Allied aircraft operations. Throughout the CBI Theater, Allied forces depended heavily on massive local labor forces, often numbering in the tens of thousands, to construct and expand airfields with little mechanized equipment, most notably the B-29 bomber bases built near Chengdu, China. A traditional hilltop temple overlooks the scene, a striking contrast between centuries-old local heritage and the urgent demands of modern industrial warfare. Project: 218381