This book records a brief description of my early life in a lower middle-class family of rural Karnataka, followed by an account of my short-lived career in the British Indian Army during World War II and, lastly, the story of the Indian National Army in which I was privileged to serve as a minor functionary from its very inception until the tragic day when it passed off into history. The narrative also details my bitter experiences as a prisoner-of-war in Japanese hands, my daring escape from captivity, my subsequent trials, and tribulations as a fugitive in Singapore and Malaya and, later on, the humble role which I played in the battle for freedom on the Indo-Burmese frontier. And towards the end, I have recounted the hard times which I had to face in the wake of the collapse of our armed struggle against the British forces.
Far From Home recounts the life of a soldier who grew up in 1920s Calgary and became an officer in the Canadian army who travelled the world. Williams offers a vivid retelling of growing up in Calgary during the depression. Williams transition from "the most untrained officer in the army" to an army officer at home in the Pentagon, along with the culture shock of moving from a relatively simple upbringing to the sophisticated life of an international officer, is told with great humour and rare insight into the human side of the military life.
My Memories of I.N.A. and its Netaji is an eyewitness account of I.N.A. and its Netaji from a man who was intimately associated with Netaji for the entire period he was in East Asia: the author Shahnawaz Khan was with him in Singapore; then he moved with him to Burma where he stayed together with Netaji nearly a year and half. I.N.A. made history not only in Malaya and Burma but also in people's minds all over India. The book provides an important record of an important undertaking.
The decade of the Forties was turbulent for British Raj - World War II was raging and the Indian subcontinent was swept by a popular freedom movement. As the War ended, Indian subcontinent was divided in 1947. India as a fledgling nation rose to the aftermath of Partition violence, exodus and influx of population; and a War in posed in Jammu and Kashmir.
John Baptist Crasta's only mistake was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time--Singapore, when the Japanese invaded--and to be a man of rectitude and courage. His memoir tells of his miraculous survival through 3.5 years as a POW of the Japanese. The memoir itself miraculously survives 51 years until it is published by his son, just before his death!
In the two World Wars, hundreds of thousands of Indian sepoys were mobilized, recruited and shipped overseas to fight for the British Crown. The Indian Army was the chief Imperial reserve for an empire under threat. But how did those sepoys understand and explain their own war experiences and indeed themselves through that experience? How much did their testimonies realise and reflect their own fragmented identities as both colonial subjects and imperial policemen? The Testimonies of Indian Soldiers and the Two World Wars draws upon the accounts of Indian combatants to explore how they came to terms with the conflicts. In thematic chapters, Gajendra Singh traces the evolution of military identities under the British Raj and considers how those identities became embattled in the praxis of soldiers' war testimonies – chiefly letters, depositions and interrogations. It becomes a story of mutiny and obedience; of horror, loss and silence. This book tells that story and is an important contribution to histories of the British Empire, South Asia and the two World Wars.
"When war comes, you look for certain special qualities in the people you'll be working with. General Tom Franks embodies those qualities: strength, experience, a keen mind, energy, honor, good humor, and a deep loyalty to his troops and to his country. "Tom Franks is truly a soldier's soldier." -- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld The Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command from July 2000 through July 2003, General Tommy Franks made history by leading American and Coalition forces to victory in Afghanistan and Iraq -- the decisive battles that launched the war on terrorism. In this riveting memoir, General Franks retraces his journey from a small-town boyhood in Oklahoma and Midland, Texas, through a lifetime of military service -- including his heroic tour as an Artillery officer in Vietnam, where he was wounded three times. A reform-minded Cold War commander and a shrewd tactician during Operation Desert Storm, Franks took command of CENTCOM at the dawn of what he calls a "crease in history" -- becoming the senior American military officer in the most dangerous region on earth. Now, drawing on his own recollections and military records declassified for this book, Franks offers the first true insider's account of the war on terrorism that has changed the world since September 11, 2001. He puts you in the Operations Center for the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom just weeks after 9/11, capturing its uncertain early days and the historic victory that followed. He traces his relationship with the demanding Donald Rumsfeld, as early tensions over the pace of the campaign gave way to a strong and friendly collaboration. When President Bush focused world attention on the threat of Iraq, Franks seized the moment to implement a bold new vision of joint warfare in planning Operation Iraqi Freedom. Rejecting Desert Storm–style massive troop deployment in favor of flexibility and speed, Franks was questioned by the defense establishment -- including Secretary of State Colin Powell. Yet his vision was proven on the ground: Within three weeks, Baghdad had fallen. American Soldier is filled with revelation. Franks describes the covert diplomacy that helped him secure international cooperation for the war, and reveals the role of foreign leaders -- and a critical double agent code-named "April Fool" -- in the most successful military deception since D-Day in 1944. He speaks frankly of intelligence shortcomings that endangered our troops, and of the credible WMD threats -- including eleventh-hour warnings from Arab leaders -- that influenced every planning decision. He offers an unvarnished portrait of the "disruptive and divisive" Washington bureaucracy, and a candid assessment of the war's aftermath. Yet in the end, as American Soldier demonstrates, the battles in Afghanistan and Iraq remain heroic victories -- wars of liberation won by troops whose valor was "unequalled," Franks writes, "by anything in the annals of war." Few individuals have the chance to contribute so much of themselves to the American story as General Tommy Franks. In American Soldier, he captures it all.
