A Chindits Chronicle

Author : Bill Towill
Publisher : iUniverse
ISBN 13 : 0595158323
Total Pages : 162 pages
Book Rating : 4.24/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Chindit's Chronicle written by Bill Towill and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2000 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At sunset on Sunday 5th March 1944 an airborne force set out from Lalaghat airstrip in Assam aboard gliders piloted by Americans of the 1st Air Commando USAAF. They were men of Special Force, otherwise known as "The Chindits" led by their famous commander Major General Orde Wingate. In the brilliant moonlight they flew eastwards over the steep mountain range separating India from Burma, crossed the mighty Chindwin River, which lay like a glittering silver ribbon far below them, to land in a small clearing, codenamed "Broadway" in the jungle 130 miles behind the Japanese front lines. Despite heavy casualties sustained in the glider landings, the survivors by dint of prodigious effort managed in a few hours to construct a rough airstrip, which on the following nights received Dakota transport aircraft ferrying men, mules and equipment. They achieved complete surprise over the enemy and within a period of six days, in a total of 78 glider and 660 Dakota sorties, some of which alighted at a nearby airstrip codenamed "Chowringhee", 9,052 men 1,360 pack animals and 250 tons of supplies were landed in a brilliantly successful operation for the loss of a total of only 121 men killed or wounded. It was the biggest operation of its kind so far launched during the War, though only three months later it was to be followed by "Overlord", the gigantic Allied invasion of Normandy. Fighting with grim determination against their fanatical opponents, in what became a conflict of primeval ferocity, with no quarter asked or given, the Chindits exerted a stranglehold over the enemy supply routes and so impeded the Japanese divisions to the north which were attempting to force their way into India via Imphal and Kohima. When the monsoon came, the fighting continued in a sea of mud, with the Chindits often starving and short of ammunition since the low lying cloud prevented supply drops being made to them by the RAF and USAAF. Inflicting enormous casualties on the enemy, they also took heavy casualties from battle and sickness until, at the last, broken in body but not in spirit, less than 5% of those who still survived were judged on medical examination to be physically fit enough to continue the fight.

Author : John Igbino
Publisher : AuthorHouse
ISBN 13 : 1546296166
Total Pages : 587 pages
Book Rating : 4.64/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Spidermen: Nigerian Chindits and Wingate’s Operation Thursday Burma 1943 – 1944 written by John Igbino and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2018-10-06 with total page 587 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1944 twenty thousand Allied Airborne Special Force troops in five Brigades commanded by Major General Orde Wingate landed behind the Japanese lines in Northern Burma. The Operation was Codenamed Operation Thursday. The Special Force troops were nicknamed ‘Chindits’. Four thousand Nigerian troops fought in the Special Force Brigades as Chindits during Operation Thursday. This book is an account of their operations behind Japanese lines between February and August 1944. The Brigade’s Insignia was the Black African Spider advancing on its prey. Thus, the Brigade called itself the ‘Spider Brigade’; its Battalions, namely the 6th, 7th and 12th Nigeria Regiments, ‘Spider Regiments’, and its troops ‘Spidermen’. The book is a well-written account of the Spider Brigade’s battles against the 18th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army. It should force Chindit Historians to confront the anomalies in Contemporary History’s treatment of Nigerian Chindits. The book is a scholarly and dispassionate excursion into the 14th Army’s Campaigns, putting under the microscope the preconceived assumptions of British and Indian Armies’ Officer Corps about the fighting quality of Nigerian Chindits. Thus, the book is an important and long overdue account of Operation Thursday that will become the standard work on Nigeria’s contributions to Allied Airborne Invasion of Burma.

Author : Frank McLynn
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300178360
Total Pages : 458 pages
Book Rating : 4.64/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Burma Campaign written by Frank McLynn and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-04 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This history reveals the failures and fortunes of leadership during the WWII campaign into Japanese-occupied Burma: “a thoroughly satisfying experience” (Kirkus). Acclaimed historian Frank McLynn tells the story of four larger-than-life Allied commanders whose lives collided in the Burma campaign, one of the most punishing and protracted military adventures of World War II. This vivid account ranges from Britain’s defeat in 1942 through the crucial battles of Imphal and Kohima—known as "the Stalingrad of the East"—and on to ultimate victory in 1945. Frank McLynn narrative focuses on the interactions and antagonisms of its principal players: William Slim, the brilliant general; Orde Wingate, the idiosyncratic commander of a British force of irregulars; Louis Mountbatten, one of Churchill's favorites, overpromoted to the position of Supreme Commander, S.E. Asia; and Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, a hard-line—and openly anlgophobic—U.S. general. With lively portraits of each of these men, McLynn shows how the plans and strategies of generals and politicians were translated into a hideous reality for soldiers on the ground.

Author : Tony Redding
Publisher : The History Press
ISBN 13 : 0750956550
Total Pages : 817 pages
Book Rating : 4.50/5 ( download)

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Download or read book War in the Wilderness written by Tony Redding and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2011-10-01 with total page 817 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: War in the Wilderness is the most comprehensive account ever published of the human aspects of the Chindit war in Burma. The word 'Chindit' will always have a special resonance in military circles. Every Chindit endured what is widely regarded as the toughest sustained Allied combat experience of the Second World War. The Chindit expeditions behind Japanese lines in occupied Burma 1943–1944 transformed the morale of British forces after the crushing defeats of 1942. The Chindits provided the springboard for the Allies' later offensives. The two expeditions extended the boundaries of human endurance. The Chindits suffered slow starvation and exposure to dysentery, malaria, typhus and a catalogue of other diseases. They endured the intense mental strain of living and fighting under the jungle canopy, with the ever-present threat of ambush or simply 'bumping' the enemy. Every Chindit carried his kit and weapons (equivalent to two heavy suitcases) in the tropical heat and humidity. A disabling wound or sickness frequently meant a lonely death. Those who could no longer march were often left behind with virtually no hope of survival. Some severely wounded were shot or given a lethal dose of morphia to ensure they would not be captured alive by the Japanese. Fifty veterans of the Chindit expeditions kindly gave interviews for this book. Many remarked on the self-reliance that sprang from living and fighting as a Chindit. Whatever happened to them after their experiences in Burma, they knew that nothing else would ever be as bad. There are first-hand accounts of the bitter and costly battles and the final, wasteful weeks, when men were forced to continue fighting long after their health and strength had collapsed. War in the Wilderness continues the story as the survivors returned to civilian life. They remained Chindits for the rest of their days, members of a brotherhood forged in extreme adversity.

Author : ALI Caleb Chikammadu
Publisher : Lulu.com
ISBN 13 : 0359806996
Total Pages : 500 pages
Book Rating : 4.97/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Enotenplato'' The Chronicle of Military Doctrine' written by ALI Caleb Chikammadu and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Peter Jacobs
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1783463333
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.36/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Daring Raids of World War Two written by Peter Jacobs and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-06-30 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Second World War saw a host of heroic raids enacted across the various theatres, all delivered valiantly in a variety of ways by British combatants; on land, by sea and from the air. Daring exploits such as the raid on Rommel, the endeavours of the Cockleshell Heroes and the Dam Busters have become legendary in the annals of warfare. All feature here, alongside details of fascinating lesser-known operations.??It goes without saying that not all the raids were a success; in fact, some went disastrously wrong but the men who carried them out did so with extreme courage and in the knowledge that they might not return. Here, Peter Jacobs tells the gripping stories of some of the most heroic raids of the entire conflict. These include the disastrous landings at Dieppe; the amphibious assault on the dry dock at St Nazaire (more Victoria Crosses were won during this raid than in any other operation of the war); the airborne assaults on the German radar installation at Bruneval and later on Pegasus Bridge as a prelude to D-Day; and the low-level raid by RAF Mosquitos on the prison at Amiens to release members of the French Resistance.??This is an intriguing and insightful historical record of thirty of the most daring and strategic raids of military history and is sure to appeal to all enthusiasts of the genre.

Author : Andrew Selth
Publisher : ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN 13 : 9814951781
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.84/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Myanmar (Burma) since the 1988 Uprising written by Andrew Selth and published by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. This book was released on 2022-01-24 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated by popular demand, this is the fourth edition of this important bibliography. It lists a wide selection of works on or about Myanmar published in English and in hard copy since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, which marked the beginning of a new era in Myanmar’s modern history. There are now 2,727 titles listed. They have been written, edited, translated or compiled by over 2,000 people, from many different backgrounds. These works have been organized into thirty-five subject chapters containing ninety-five discrete sections. There are also four appendices, including a comprehensive reading guide for those unfamiliar with Myanmar or who may be seeking guidance on particular topics. This book is an invaluable aid to officials, scholars, journalists, armchair travellers and others with an interest in this fascinating but deeply troubled country.

Author : Jacques Legrand
Publisher : Longman Publishing Group
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 800 pages
Book Rating : 4.07/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Chronicle of the Second World War written by Jacques Legrand and published by Longman Publishing Group. This book was released on 1990 with total page 800 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : George Glenton
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317403789
Total Pages : 275 pages
Book Rating : 4.84/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Last Chronicle of Bouverie Street written by George Glenton and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-07-16 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1963. This book tells the story of the closure of the News Chronicle and its London evening companion The Star as seen by two journalists on the News Chronicle. They describe the Daily News tradition, record some of its finest hours and write about some of the greatest journalists who served their employers loyally. They endeavour to unravel what went on in Bouverie Street immediately before, at the moment of the crash and afterwards. The merger of these two prominent organs of public opinion with the Daily Mail and Evening News made splash headlines and was widely discussed in the press, on television and radio. Faithful readers were dismayed, politicians were alarmed, and the staff of the newspapers were indignant. For 114 years the Daily News and its modern successor the News Chronicle had weathered financial storms and overcome gales of prejudice and political opinion to become one of the most respected morning papers. The Star had, since 1888, fought the cause of the underdog and earned the affection and gratitude of many Londoners. This book highlights the feelings of men and women who were proud to work for their paper but did not know till almost the very last that they were fighting a losing battle, and how and why some of them kept the secret.

Author : Frank Baines
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1844683680
Total Pages : 375 pages
Book Rating : 4.80/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Chindit Affair written by Frank Baines and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2011-07-12 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In March 1944, some 2,200 battle trained men of 111 Brigade flew from India into northern Burma to land on improvised airstrips cleared from the jungle, They were part of General Orde Wingates Chindit force sent to fight the Japanese deep behind their lines. Five months later, 111 Brigade was down to 118 fit men eight British officers, a score of British soldiers and 90 Gurkhas. One of those eight officers was Frank Baines, and in Chindit Affair he tells, in vivid language and with shrewd insight, what happened.Frank commanded two platoons of young Gurkhas and was attached to 111 Brigade Headquarters, serving under John Masters, where he had a close-up view for most of the time. His account throws new light on the leadership of the Chindit campaign, but above all it is a soldiers story.All the horrors of jungle warfare are here bodies blood-sucked by leeches and corpses impaled by bamboo; Japanese soldiers reduced to eating human flesh; a court martial and execution; soldiers falling sick and dropping by the wayside, and being killed and wounded in action. He also captures the atmosphere of the jungle; its watercourses, trees, birds and the Kachin villagers simple way of life. No other account of the Chindit operations touches the same raw nerves, and none recreates so immediately the sensations of being there in the jungle and hills which devoured nearly all of them.ABOUT THE AUTHORBorn in 1915, the son of a prominent architect, Frank Baines ran away from school and went to sea on a Finnish four-masted grain sailing ship. He enlisted at the outbreak of the Second World War, trained as an artillery officer in India, saw action on the Northwest frontier before being seconded to 111 Brigade. After the war, he spent three years as a Hindu monk in a Himalayan monastery and he then moved to Calcutta where he set up a business repairing tea chests and started writing. Frank returned to England in 1956 and published four books, including Look Towards the Sea, a widely acclaimed account of his Cornish childhood. At the age of 62, still seeking adventure, he cycled back to India from his home in Coggershall, Essex. He died in 1987 leaving behind this unpublished memoir.