From the end of 1941 to 1945, a pivotal but often overlooked conflict was being fought in the South-East Asian Theater 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 organized, 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.

Forgotten Voices of Burma: A New History of the Second World War's Forgotten Conflict in the Words of Those Who Were There

History

Thompson, Gen. Julian

Military

Ebury Press

From the end of 1941 to 1945, a pivotal but often overlooked conflict was being fought in the South-East Asian Theater 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 organized, 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.

Forgotten Voices of Burma: The Second World War's Forgotten Conflict

Asia

"Between Friday and Monday we never slept at all. Everyone’s face was one mass of sand. . . . The guns were so hot, all the paint had gone." —Bombardier Ray Ellis 
Had the Allies lost in North Africa, Rommel’s Afrika Korps would have swept through the Middle East, cutting the vital supply line through the Suez Canal to Australia and India, and taking the oilfields of the Persian Gulf. Britain would have been isolated, without oil, and unable to fight. These crucial battles of 1940–1943 were fought over vast distances on rugged terrain, with supply lines often stretched to breaking point. It was here that David Stirling formed the SAS to perform audacious sabotage missions, and the Long Range Desert Group collected intelligence from behind enemy lines. This is the story of the Allies’ first victory against Hitler’s army, told in the voices of the men who were there, which proved that the seemingly unstoppable Germans could be beaten.

Forgotten Voices Desert Victory

Imperial, War Museum

Africa

For the British navy, the First World War was a massive learning curve as, for the first time, she went into battle with an untried weapons system, mines, submarines, aircraft, and airships. In spite of this, the navy never failed to provide the shield which enabled the British Army to play a key part in the Western Front. Based on eyewitness accounts of the action, General Julian Thompson has written a gripping history that recreates the war at sea through the experiences of those who fought, and sometimes died.

The Imperial War Museum Book of the War at Sea 1914-1918: The Face of Battle Revealed in the Words of the Men Who Fought

Pan/Macmillan

For the British navy, the First World War was a massive learning curve as, for the first time, she went into battle with an untried weapons system, mines, submarines, aircraft, and airships. In spite of this, the navy never failed to provide the shield which enabled the British Army to play a key part in the Western Front. Based on eyewitness accounts of the action, General Julian Thompson has written a gripping history that recreates the war at sea through the experiences of those who fought, and sometimes died.

Europe

Macmillan, UK

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Thompson, Gen. Julian. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Thompson, Gen. Julian

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Thompson, Gen. Julian. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Forgotten Voices of Burma: A New History of the Second World War's Forgotten Conflict in the Words of Those Who Were There

Forgotten Voices of Burma: The Second World War's Forgotten Conflict

Forgotten Voices Desert Victory

The Imperial War Museum Book of the War at Sea 1914-1918: The Face of Battle Revealed in the Words of the Men Who Fought

The Imperial War Museum Book of the War at Sea 1914-1918: The Face of Battle Revealed in the Words of the Men Who Fought