Tank Tracks to Rangoon

Tank Tracks to Rangoon

Author: Bryan Perrett

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2014-04-30

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 1473835151

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A look at how British and Indian forces used tank warfare against the Japanese during World War II in modern-day Myanmar. Fighting in a somewhat forgotten corner of empire during the Second World War, the British and Indian armored regiments called upon to harness the power of tank warfare to extreme new levels did so in an effort to outwit an army until that point considered invincible: the Imperial Japanese Army. Their collective heroic, massively effective efforts gave the Japanese a taste of mechanized warfare from which they never recovered. Author Bryan Perrett describes the full course of the armored units’ endeavors, illustrating the importance of the mighty 7th Armoured Brigade; a “magnificent formation” in General Slim’s estimation. In a conflict that saw much development in the field of tank design and production, Perrett illustrates the practical repercussions of such advances in this most extreme of wartime environments. Detailed research has produced hard evidence of the Japanese use of gas against British tanks, and countless instances of Japan’s human-bomb anti-tank technique. Above all, this book shows to what extent the tank can prove a decisive weapon in the unlikeliest areas. Praise for Tank Tracks to Rangoon “A valuable examination of the crucial role [armor] played in the long Burmese campaign, and the impressive way in which the British and Allied tanks and tankers performed their difficult duties.” —History of War


Colonizing Animals

Colonizing Animals

Author: Jonathan Saha

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-11-11

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1108839401

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A pathbreaking history of British imperialism in Myanmar from the early nineteenth century to 1942 populated by animals.


Phoenix from the Ashes

Phoenix from the Ashes

Author: Daniel P. Marston D. Phil.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2003-10-30

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 0313093814

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In June 1942 the Indian Army suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Japanese Army and subsequently endured its longest retreat ever. The Japanese forces had proved more mobile in tactics and more motivated and seasoned in warfare. As a result, the Indian Army assessed its mistakes to determine what changes were needed to rebuild itself into a more capable fighting force. Marston looks at the Indian Army as a reform-minded organization, one that was able to take lessons from this major defeat, implement the necessary reforms, and ultimately defeat the Japanese soundly in 1945. Army leaders instigated analysis of the defeat at all levels of command. Innovations in operational procedure, organization, and tactics were compared, discussed, then implemented. An ongoing reassessment continued both during and after subsequent engagements. By analyzing the changes made in tactical doctrine, reinforcement procedure, Indianization of the officer corps, and the quality of nonmartial race units, Marston demonstrates that the Indian Army of 1945 was vastly different from that of 1939. The Indian Army's transformation into a highly professional force contradicts the commonly held belief that it was too conservative a force to reform itself thoroughly in the face of new challenges.


The Late Colonial Indian Army

The Late Colonial Indian Army

Author: Pradeep Barua

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-11-04

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 1498552218

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The Indian Army was one of the most important colonial institutions that the British created. From its humble origins as a mercantile police force to a modern contemporary army in the Second World War, this institution underwent many transitions. This book examines the Indian Army during the later colonial era from the First Afghan War in 1839 to Indian independence in 1947. During this period, the Indian Army developed from an internal policing force, to a frontier army, and then to a conventional western style fighting force capable of deployment to overseas’ theaters. These transitions resulted in significant structural and doctrinal changes in the army. The doctrines, and tactics honed during this period would have a dramatic impact upon the post-colonial armies of India and Pakistan. From civil-military relations to fighting and structural doctrines, the Indian and Pakistani armies closely reflect the deep-seated impact of decades of evolution during the late colonial era.


We Gave Our Today

We Gave Our Today

Author: William Fowler

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 2009-02-26

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0297857614

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The Lost Voices of our 'Forgotten Army' in the war with Japan 1941-45. Nearly a million strong by 1944, the British 14th Army fought and ultimately conquered the Japanese forces that invaded Burma and strove to break through into India. But the victory was hard won, with great suffering along the way. With priority given to defeating Germany, these troops were last in line for additional men and equipment, and they joked about being "The Forgotten Army." Here is the story of these remarkable soldiers, whose monument at Kohima reads: 'When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today.'


Japan's Last Bid for Victory

Japan's Last Bid for Victory

Author: Robert Lyman

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2011-12-13

Total Pages: 481

ISBN-13: 184884946X

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“This is an excellent account of a series of very hard fought battles that helped prepare the way for the British re-conquest of Burma.” —History of War Robert Lyman’s deep knowledge and understanding of the war in Burma, and the great battles at Kohima and Imphal in 1944, are well known. In this book he uses original documents, published works and personal accounts to weave together an enthralling narrative of some of the bitterest fighting of WWII. Not only does he use British sources for his research but he has also included material from the Naga tribes of north-east India, on whose land these battles were fought, and from Japanese accounts, including interviews with Japanese veterans of the fighting. Thus he has been able to produce what is arguably the most balanced history of the battles that were pivotal in ending the Japanese empire. Fergal Keane, journalist and author of Road to Bones: The Siege of Kohima 1944 wrote to the author saying “What a triumph! I finished it last night. You have done a wonderful job. I only wish I’d read it before writing my own book!” He goes on to say “Robert Lyman is one of the great writers about men and war and in this book he has succeeded in conveying the courage, genius and folly of an epic struggle. I cannot think of a writer engaged in the subject of the Second World War who can match Lyman for his integrity or the soundness of his judgments.”


Routledge Library Editions: World War II in Asia

Routledge Library Editions: World War II in Asia

Author: Timothy Hall

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-03-11

Total Pages: 1752

ISBN-13: 1317424883

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The 4 volumes in this set, originally published between 1980 and 1983, bring to light and focus on the conflict between Japan and Australia and Japan and the USA. Timothy Hall’s volumes, richly illustrated with black & white photographs, used highly contentious documents as their sources and give fascinating insights into a period of Australian history which is sometimes less than gloious. John J. Sbrega’s tour de force is not only one of the most extensive annotated bibliographies on the USA and Japan in World War 2 ever published, but it also provides invaluable information on lesser known but no less important aspects of the conflict.


Gunboat!: Small Ships At War

Gunboat!: Small Ships At War

Author: Bryan Perrett

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 2012-10-11

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1780225229

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This is naval action adventure with a difference - thirteen naval engagements in which gunboats won the day against every kind of enemy, large and small Britain, like other colonial powers, established, controlled and accessed her empire from the seas. It was realised that the preservation of secure trading conditions required armed ships able to operate in shallow coastal and river waters. The gunboat was developed to meet this need: a small, shallow-draft, steam-powered screw or paddle driven vessel, sufficiently fast and manoeuvrable to take the enemy, whether on shore or afloat, by surprise. In this book Bryan Perrett recounts thirteen episodes of exciting gunboat action, ranging from the Burma war in 1824, through two world wars and on to the dramatic escape of the Amethyst down the Yangtze in 1949.


Against All Odds!

Against All Odds!

Author: Bryan Perrett

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 2012-10-11

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 1780225202

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The story of dramatic military actions where a few fought against many, often with unbelievable success. From the Napoleonic Wars to Korea, Bryan Perrett has found a further 13 dramatic military actions where a few fought against many, often with unbelievable success. The events take place in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America; they are linked only by the bravery and devilment which led military men to risk their lives for a last ditch attempt to advance their cause. Attending to the important facts and statistics required by the military historian, the author avoids invention and undue surmise whilst also avoiding the dry lecturing style found in so many volumes describing military strategy. The result is an absorbing, exciting and above all accurate account of astonishing battlefield warfare: narrative history of the sort at which Bryan Perrett excels.