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Often described as 'the forgotten war', the Burma Campaign was one of the most punishing and protracted military adventures of World War Two. It has become notorious for the ingenious tactics used by Britain, America and their allies on the one hand and the Japanese and their allies on the other, as well as for the atrocious conditions that had to be endured by both sides. Seasonal monsoon rains - which allowed effective campaigning for little more than half the year - as well as famine, disease, snakes and crocodiles all bore heavily on the troops. Impenetrable jungle, poor transport infrastructure and the Allied preoccupation with the war in Europe made this the longest single campaign fought by the British in the Second World War. It is against this epic backdrop that Frank McLynn constructs the dramatic story of the four larger-than-life commanders directing the Allied effort: Louis Mountbatten, Orde Wingate, Joseph Stilwell and William Slim. Strikingly original in its approach, the book explores the Campaign through the prism of these four men and their often stormy relationship.From 1942 and the greatest defeat for British arms in the history of the Empire, through the crucial simultaneous battles of Imphal and Kohima - 'the Stalingrad of the East' - and on to ultimate victory in 1945, this is a vivid, brutal and enthralling account. By telling it through the interactions and antagonisms of its principal players, we see how the plans, designs and strategies of generals and politicians were translated into a hideous reality for the men on the ground. ... Read more

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Modern Myanmar/Burma is very much a creation of World War II, when the British colony was occupied by the Japanese, and its immediate aftermath. These years saw the rise of Aung San and his assassination, as well as the establishment of military forces by the Japanese (subsequently evolving into today's ruling junta) and a sharp escalation of inter-ethnic antagonism and violence. Today the military regime continues to survive despite strong opposition at home and abroad. Its resilience is often explained in human rights terms or by reference to close military engagement with drug-dealing war-lords. What is less recognized, however, is that not everywhere is Burma an international pariah state. By its inclusion within their fold, the ASEAN states have worked hard to 'normalise' Burma, and China has provided strong backing for the military regime. The Japanese government, which gave massive amounts of development aid to Burma before 1988, has pursued a policy of 'quiet dialogue' as a non-confrontational way of promoting economic and political reform.Tracing Burma-Japan relations since 1940, this volume will be of value not only for an understanding of post-war Japanese diplomacy and aid programmes, but also because it offers new material and insights on the ongoing story of Burma itself. ... Read more

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Excellent overview of the British Commando
Well written & informative book detailing the history of the
British Commando. Nice photo reference of different uniforms and
equipment from WW2 to modern day. Unfortunately no color plates, but
B&W photos are crisp and varied enough to make up for this.
... Read more

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The Shan are the largest of the many national ethnic groups residing in the Union of Myanmar. After migrating from their early home in the Hwangho-Yangtze region of China, they settled in the eastern part of today's Myanmar, primarily in the Shan Plateau, around the first century AD. The Shan dominated the political stage for a few centuries, founding three historically important dynasties in the heartland of Myanmar at Pinya, Sagaing, and Inwa. Shan history then merges with that of Myanmar until after World War II and Myanmar's independence from the British, when the Shan initiated efforts to establish an autonomous state.

Sai Aung Tun deftly traces the cultural and political history of the Shan people from their origins, to Myanmar independence, and up to the constitutional crisis of 1962. His work highlights particularly the political affairs of the Shan state from 1946 to 1962. He details the Second Pang Long Conference of 1947, which brought about the historic agreement of all the nationalities of Myanmar to work together for independence. He examines the significant role played by the Shan people in the debate on whether Myanmar should adopt a federal system of administration, and their efforts to draft a new constitution. He concludes with an account of the military coup of 1962, which effectively sabotaged the constitutional reform process, a stalemate that still persists today. Unique among Shan histories is the in-depth analysis of the Kuomintang incursion into the Shan States in the early 1950s, with its political, military, and economic consequences.

Sai Aung Tun has amassed a substantial amount of primary materials in the text proper, including verbatim excerpts from conference interviews and speeches, as well as a rich collection of official documents, minutes, and reports in the appendixes. The historical critique of existing constitutional weaknesses will be of interest to those who advocate the drafting of a new constitution in Myanmar. The pleas for unity and goodwill among the ethnic groups, made by various leaders nearly half a century ago, will resonate with readers today. This comprehensive reference work will be an invaluable resource for all Shan scholars and Myanmar observers, and an excellent addition to any reference collection on Southeast Asia. ... Read more

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In this highly personal account, the author, Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, a son of the first President of the Union of Burma, tells of his youth and involvement in the Shan resistance movement. He gives his version of Shan history and explains the complexity of Shan politics covering the issues of autonomy, Shan-Burmese relations, opium, and other contraband trade. He discusses the personalities involved in the war that is now more than twenty years old. The final part of this book is a compendium of who's who in Shan history and politics. The author passed away in July 2004. ... Read more

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This author is extraordinarily lucky to be alive! All those who read this splendid Second World War memoir will doubtless come to the same view.

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In the tradition of "Band of Brothers" and Anthony Beevor's "Stalingrad", Donovan Webster's "The Burma Road" vividly recreates one of the astonishing and important events of the Second World War - and the basis for the film "The Bridge over the River Kwai". With gripping prose, Webster follows the breathtaking adventures of the Allied 'Hump' pilots who flew hair-raising missions over the Himalayas delivering food and supplies to the 200,000 Chinese labourers charged with creating an overland link with the outside world. For the first time, we learn of the war in Burma from the perspective of the of the soldiers who fought and died there - the bravery, hardships and fears that motivated them to risk everything to avoid a full Japanese occupancy of China. Touching, moving and riveting, Webster's account of this gruelling and arduous campaign is a brilliant and important history, as well as an epic adventure story. 'A compelling narrative...The opposing armies pursue one another through tiger-infested jungles, plagued by leeches as they slog miserably from firefight to firefight. This is great material and Webster handles it well' - "Los Angeles Times". ... Read more

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China-Burma-India Campaign
My father served in the China-Burma-India theater as an Army supply sergeant assigned to the pack-mule trains. He had shared only minimal information with me about his service. He passed away many years ago and recently I became curious about his service over there. I think Donovan Webster did an excellent job in discussing the conditions the men fought in. One thing my father did tell me about was the mud and monsoon season in Burma. The maps displayed in the book were very good and allowed me to follow the various military actions taking place. Although the subject of the book is The Burma Road and the author did an excellent job of describing it and the accompanying Ledo Road, I would have liked more information on the Japanese forces in Burma. You do get some information such as top troop strength and related information but it is more towards the end of the book rather than the beginning.
Overall, an excellent book and easy to read. I highly recommend it. ... Read more

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This is two books in one. The first, written by Monty "Bush" Cotton, gives details of his early years before reaching the UK and flying Hurricanes with 43 Fighter Squadron in 1941. There is then a more comprehensive account of the years Cotton spent in the Burma-India theatre, again on Hurricanes with, and eventually commanding, 17 Squadron. Examining the role played by a pitifully small RAF force flying over the jungle in face of chilling odds, Cotton analyzes his friends, enemies, flying tactics and feelings. "Bunny" Stone's memoirs form the second book - an account of his three-year tour with the RAF in the Far East and centred around over 30 drawings in pen and ink which he started in India after the first Burma campaign. Stone commanded 17 Squadron during that campaign and the retreat, and his is a highly personal story. ... Read more

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An air war often neglected
Following Australian "Bush" Cotton through his early fascinations with flight to soloing in Australia and then being part of the first Empire Air Training Scheme group of cadets to graduate in Canada, the first combat action for the author is over England.The perils of flying at night in a single engined fighter are well described.Cotton is a confident man, confident in his abilities and in his demeanour but never to the detriment of others.He is promoted to flight leader largely through his skills.Transferring to 17 Sqn from the famous 43, Cotton ends up in Burma, again flying Hurricanes (often in company with the P-40s of the Flying Tigers) against the rapidly advancing Japanese.Cotton eventually goes on to command 17 Sqn and its conversion to Spitfires, spending almost three years in theatre.

The author does not mince his words and writes with a casual air.He writes of the mad scrambles to intercept incoming raids during the retreat from Burma detailing the continual losses and struggle to keep aircraft airworthy.Readers of this type of book would be familiar with the superiority of the Japanese aircraft at this time of the war.The bravery of the men who continued to face them is unsurpassed.

Although there are many books written by members of the "greatest generation" there are relatively few written by or about Australian airmen.In that respect, this is a rare book and well worth reading for a rare glimpse into a part of the WWII air war not often covered. ... Read more

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Scholars have long accepted the belief that a Theravada Buddhist Mon kingdom, Râmannadesa, flourished in coastal Lower Burma until it was conquered in 1057 by King Aniruddha of Pagân—which then became, in essence, the new custodian and repository of Mon culture in the Upper Burmese interior. This scenario, which Aung-Thwin calls the "Mon Paradigm," has circumscribed much of the scholarship on early Burma and significantly shaped the history of Southeast Asia for more than a century. Now, in a masterful reassessment of Burmese history, Michael Aung-Thwin reexamines the original contemporary accounts and sources without finding any evidence of an early Theravada Mon polity or a conquest by Aniruddha. The paradigm, he finds, cannot be sustained.

How, when, and why did the Mon Paradigm emerge? Aung-Thwin meticulously traces the paradigm’s creation to the merging of two temporally, causally, and contextually unrelated Mon and Burmese narratives, which were later synthesized in English by colonial officials and scholars. Thus there was no single originating source, only a late and mistaken conflation of sources.The conceptual, methodological, and empirical ramifications of these findings are significant. The prevalent view that state-formation began in the maritime regions of Southeast Asia with trade and commerce rather than in the interior with agriculture must now be reassessed. In addition, a more rigorous look at the actual scope and impact of a romanticized Mon culture in the region is required. Other issues important to the field of early Burma and Southeast Asia studies, including the process of "Indianization," the characterization of "classical" states, and the advent and spread of Theravada Buddhism, are also directly affected by Aung-Thwin’s work. Finally, it provides a geo-political, cultural, and economic alternative to what has become an ethnic interpretation of Burma’s history.

The Mists of Râmanna is a tour de force that challenges our fundamental understanding of early Southeast Asia. It will be essential reading for those interested in the history, art history, linguistics, ethnic studies, and archaeology of the region. ... Read more

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Ethnic hated posing as scholarship
Ultra-nationalist Burman fanatics see themselves as a race apart in Burma. They see themselves as masters and the lords of civilization while all others are subject people. little people.

Aung-Thwin sets out to purge non-Burmese peoples and their cultures from history. He does this by attacking previous scholarship based on the idea that more information must be provided by those holding viewpoints that disagree with his. In spite of him obviously being aware of how thin the sources for this history are in total, he demands the highest possible standard from his opponents. Then he brings out the imperialist/colonialist/british "brush" to tar his opponents with.

The author's implicit conclusions in the book are:

1) There is no civilization in Burma except Burman civilization.
2) There was no ethnic conflict in Burma before the arrival of the evil colonialists. There were only great Burmans providing the benefits of civilization to their inferiors.
3) The history of southeast asia must be rewritten from an exclusively Burman nationalist/ethnic point of view.
4) Given that his father was a Mon, his point of view must be accepted.

... Read more

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Based on personal letters and unpublished manuscripts, this book contains first-hand accounts of life during World War II, written by British servicemen and women who served in India, Burma and the Far East. The accounts are presented by members of the British 14th army, the RAF, Royal Marines, the Chindits, V force, Combined Operations, Indian Airborne and the East and West African forces. ... Read more

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A comprehensive and authoritative overview of the astonishing victory of the 14th Army, the 'Forgotten Army', against the Japanese in Burma in World War II where overwhelming victory followed initial defeat.

The campaign is seen in the context of East Asian history, especially the astonishing rise of Japan from a medieval feudal state into a major industrial and military power in the space of a generation. It includes an analysis of what made the Japanese soldier such a formidable opponent and a sympathetic description of the Indian troops who formed the greater part of 14th Army, and of the African troops who made such a notable contribution.

The complex relationships between the British and their American allies, and the power struggles which took place within the allied high command are analysed as are thecharacters of the principal commanders, notably Bill Slim, Orde Wingate, Mountbatten. Detailed specimen orders of battle and descriptions of equipment are provided along with a foreword by Colonel the Viscount Slim OBE DL ... Read more

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Nothing new!
The story told in this books follows F.M. Slim's 'Defeat into Victory' to the point of often repeating the same words used by Slim in his very interesting work.

The book shows very little research work done by the author on the facts and details of the fascinating Anglo-Indian Fourteenth Army, which developed into a very modern army in spite of the few resources dedicated by the British to the war in Burma.

If you read Slim's 'Defeat into Victory', this book will result to you kind of boring. ... Read more

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Burma was conquered by Britain in the course of three wars fought in 1825, 1852 and 1885, and colonial rule was to last until 1948. Throughout this period, there were several armed uprisings against foreign rule and its social and economic ramifications. In this book, the author explores how peasant militancy was first generated and then crystallized into an open challenge to the colonial state. He focuses on two types of uprisings: the 19th-century resistance, which followed the three wars of conquest; and Saya San's revolt of 1930 to 1933. ... Read more