Product Description

From the end of 1941 to 1945, a pivotal but often overlooked conflict was being fought in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II - the Burma Campaign. In 1941, the Allies fought in a disastrous retreat across Burma against the Japanese - an enemy more prepared, better organised and more powerful than anyone had imagined. Yet in 1944, following key battles at Kohima and Imphal, and daring operations behind enemy lines by the Chindits, the Commonwealth army were back, retaking lost ground one bloody battle at a time. Fighting in dense jungle and open paddy field, this brutal campaign was the longest fought by the British Commonwealth in the Second World War. But the troops taking part were a forgotten army, and the story of their remarkable feats and their courage remains largely untold to this day. The Fourteenth Army in Burma became one of the largest and most diverse armies of the Second World War. British, West African, Ghurkha and Indian regiments fought alongside one another and became comrades. In "Forgotten Voices of Burma" - a remarkable new oral history taken from Imperial War Museum's Sound Archive - soldiers from both sides tell their stories of this epic conflict.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3985 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

About the Author
Julian Thompson served in the Royal Marines for 34 years, retiring as Major General. He commanded 3 Commando Brigade, which carried out the initial landings in the Falklands conflict and fought most of the subsequent land battles. He is now Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies, King's College, London and is the author of the critically acclaimed The Imperial War Museum Book of the War in Burma 1942-1945.

Customer Reviews

Forgotten Voices of Burma
Forgotten Voices of Burma draws on the vast resources of the Imperial War Museum's sound archive to retell this story in the words of those who were there. This book captures the essence of what it was like to fight in the Allie's largest campaign against the Japanese in Burma's austere environment. Thompson's narrative expertly stitches together numerous accounts of the conflict into a comprehensive, coherent and revealing story of how the `Forgotten Army' turned defeat into victory. Forgotten Voices of Burma will be of immense value to anyone with more than a passing interest in the 1941 - 45 Burma campaign.