Like other countries that have altered identities because of changing political power–Russia and the Czech Republic, for example–Myanmar has a long way to go before it is as well-known as neighbouring Thailand, China and India. One Canadian Dakota disappeared on a mission in the final days of the war. Captain Tom is hoping to draw attention to the Burma campaign, which was part of the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War. The Chindit War by Shelford Bidwell (Hodder & Stoughton, 1979), The Little Men: A Platoon's Epic Fight in the Burma Campaign by FW Cooper (Robert Hale, 1973), The Indian Army and the King's Enemies, 1900-1947 by Charles Chenevix-Trench (Thomas & Hudson, 1988), Japan's Last War by Saburo Ienaga (Blackwell, 1979), The Campaign in Burma by Frank Owen (HMSO, 1946), Defeat into Victory by Field Marshal Sir William Slim (Cassell, 1956), The War against Japan Vols II-IV by Kirby Woodburn et al (HMSO, 1958-69), The Wild Green Earth by Bernard Fergusson (Collins, 1946). Churchill had initially opposed his appointment to command 14th Army, considering him a 'sepoy general' (Slim had made his military home in the 6th Gurkhas). "When they saw that this wasn't going to happen, they changed sides later on in the war and supported the British," explained Sally. The campaign in Myanmar looked similar to online influence campaigns from Russia, said Myat Thu, a researcher who studies false news and propaganda on Facebook. You have just been promoted into this position, and are now responsible for supporting four divisions attacking from Burma across some of the most … Masters was a British Officer with the Indian Army and in his book he artfully captures both the horror and humanity that he experienced in Burma. Fighting every inch, the Japanese recoiled from the hills and back across the River Chindwin, harassed by Wingate's second Chindit expedition. In continuing to follow my interest in animals and animal-human relations in the Southeast Asian past, I was looking around the web site for the Imperial War Museums for information about mules in Burma during World War II. Slim, now in command of 14th Army, imbued his command with a new spirit. He is the author of The Unforgettable Army - Slim and the 14th Army in Burma (1992); Gallipoli (1995) and The Korean War 1950-53 (1999). Masters was a British Officer with the Indian Army and in his book he artfully captures both the horror and humanity that he experienced in Burma. India, whose troops had formed the backbone of the 14th Army, was granted independence in 1947 but only after the British government and its Viceroy - Mountbatten - had persuaded themselves that partition on religious lines, to create the states of India and Pakistan, would solve a problem growing far beyond the capacity of a weakened Britain to solve. The British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from the United Kingdom, British India and Africa. You are the officer in charge of logistics for the Japanese invasion of India in the spring of 1944. British and Indian troops in action, 80 miles south of Mandalay, in March 1945. The naval and island-hopping campaign of the Pacific theater would be Japan's equivalent of Germany's Russian front. Aerial resupply was crucial to the American ground campaign in north Burma. Maj. Gen. Orde Wingate, leader of the 77th Indian Brigade, also called the Chindits, dies in a transport plane crash. The Karen is the second largest ethnic group in Burma. After the campaign ended for the Allies and NATO agreements were signed Burma became an independent country on January 4th, 1948. 'It did get a bit hot,' Captain Tom chuckles. In his book The Road Past Mandalay, John Masters recounts his time fighting in the Burma Campaign during the Second World War. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. CASE STUDY CONCEPT: Campaign Strategies Cannot Succeed without Suitable Supply Chains – bold ideas depend on pragmatic logistics. Aung San, (born Feb. 13, 1915, Natmauk, Burma [now Myanmar]—died July 19, 1947, Rangoon [now Yangon]), Burmese nationalist leader and assassinated hero who was instrumental in securing Burma’s independence from Great Britain. spearheaded by the British Fourteenth Army, shattered the Fifteenth Army. Burma, 1942-1945: A part of World War Two that is often referred to as the Forgotten Theater. The first time I met Aung San Suu Kyi, she embodied hope. Burma Railway - Burma Railway - Life on the Death Railway: Allied POWs experienced inhumane treatment and endured torture by Japanese forces. Frank McLynn's "The Burma Campaign: Disaster into Triumph 1942-45" is one of the few comprehensive histories of this theater of World War Two. The lasting impact of the Burma Campaign on Canadians still echoes. More than 12,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and tens of thousands of forced labourers perished during its construction. It was in Burma, that Orde Wingate and the Chindits found fame and it was in Burma where the Japanese Army suffered serious military setbacks that led to them retreating back east. These needs fired the strategic thinking of belligerent politicians and service chiefs in Tokyo. There were men from every state in America, and there were Indians of every caste, each with riffle and Tommy gun. The three volumes on the China-Burma-India theater in the Army's official history of World War II provide a thorough, detailed narrative of the campaign in Burma. It allowed the infantry to conduct offensive combat operations against an enemy that had to rely on ground transportation for resupply. Architect of Obama pivot to steer Asia... Medical staff, elderly first in line for... Pyin Oo Lwin braces for worst drought ever, Drug abuse a major concern of Myanmar govt. Burma played a significant part in World War Two for the British Army. This was unfortunate, as Slim was the only British general in World War Two who had fought against an enemy 'First Eleven' throughout, and who, having been knocked out of the ring at the beginning, got back in and beat his opponent flat. Many of the Indian troops were recruited into the pro-Japanese Indian National Army for use in the Burma Campaign. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese wars through the creation of Burma as a Province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence. Aung San, (born Feb. 13, 1915, Natmauk, Burma [now Myanmar]—died July 19, 1947, Rangoon [now Yangon]), Burmese nationalist leader and assassinated hero who was instrumental in securing Burma’s independence from Great Britain. It is modestly written, but reveals the humanity of this truly great soldier, as well as his professional ability - both qualities that explain why his men loved him as much as they did. The theater, and this campaign, gathered to itself, like a whirlpool, men from the ends of the earth.". The Longest Retreat - Arrival in India. Japan invaded Burma in 1942, then part of the British Empire, beginning what was to become the longest continuous campaign fought by the British during the war. But why is the country not known in the UK by its official name, Myanmar? A province of India. © Copyright 2021 The Myanmar Times. Along this road a steady stream of military aid was being transported from Rangoon, over the mountains of the 'Hump' and into Nationalist China, but if this supply route was closed, the Japanese could deprive Chiang Kai Shek's Kuomintang (Nationalist Chinese) armies of their life-blood, permitting the Japanese to conquer all China. This year marked 75 years since VJ Day – the end of the Second World War in Asia. It is for this reason that Grammar Productions created their documentary, recording the stories of veterans from Myanmar, most in their twilight years, before it is too late. Apart from two experienced light tank regiments and an infantry battalion brought in from the Middle East, whose presence in the long retreat up-country undoubtedly saved Burma Corps from total destruction, no other reinforcements reached Burma Command. (The British 18th Division, destined for Burma, was redirected to Singapore on Churchill's orders, reaching it just in time to march into Japanese prison camps.). This took place despite the fact that thousands of Japanese were still fighting hard, many of them still in strength, behind British lines - as they tried desperately to escape across the Sittang river into Thailand, losing heavily as they went. Firstly the Japanese knew it … One Canadian Dakota disappeared on a mission in the final days of the war. The Japanese completed their triumphs by overrunning the Dutch East Indies, spreading out into the western Pacific by capturing numerous island bases, and threatening the security of Australia. Despite this, Japanese plans elsewhere worked beyond expectation. In the Arakan, the Japanese had to be winkled out of strong positions before Rangoon was taken on 3 May. E-mail: info@worldwithoutgenocide.org Phone: 651-695-7621 Mailing Address: Mitchell Hamline School of Law, 875 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105 Died: September 2 2020 aged 99. Entering Burma from Thailand, the Japanese quickly captured Rangoon, cutting off the Burma Road at source, and depriving the Chinese of their only convenient supply base and port of entry. Another Japanese attack was made simultaneously in the Arakan. 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