Overview

This book provides a fascinating exploration of the Japanese conquest of Burma, as the Allied forces were forced back in disarray to India and China. The Japanese invasion of Burma in January 1942 marked the beginning of the single longest campaign of World War II. In the Burmese jungles, the battle-hardened, highly trained and lightly equipped Imperial Japanese Army quickly proved itself a vastly superior fighting force in clashes against the British, Indian and Gurkha troops that formed Burma Army and Chinese nationalist forces deployed in eastern Burma. This superbly illustrated book narrates Burma Corps’ epic fighting retreat northwards, carried out mostly in contact with the enemy and across hundreds of miles of highly malarial and extremely difficult terrain, to safety in India. Among the battles covered are the disaster at the Sittang Bridge on 22 February 1942 (where 17th Indian Division was all but destroyed), the fall of Rangoon in March 1942 and the clashes at Yenangyaung, Monywa and Shwegyin. The performance of the opposing commanders and forces is also examined in detail, highlighting the success of Japanese aggressive light infantry tactics, which ruthlessly exploited the cover and concealment provided by the jungle to outflank, bypass and encircle their bewildered enemy.

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9781472849731

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an informative and engaging account of what came to be known as 'The British Army's longest retrea -- Chris Jarvis * Miniature Wargames *

an informative and engaging account of what came to be known as 'The British Army's longest retrea -- Chris Jarvis * Miniature Wargames * an informative and engaging account of what came to be known as 'The British Army's longest retreat' -- Chris Jarvis * Miniature Wargames *

Author Information

Tim Moreman is a freelance military historian living in Somerset, who was formerly a Lecturer in War Studies at King’s College, London and briefly Resident Historian at the Staff College at Camberley. Tim has written a series of academic and popular books on the Indian Army and counterinsurgency, as well as contributing articles to various academic journals. He has worked for BBC Timewatch and various other film and television companies as a historical consultant.

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