Burma Victory, 1944-1945

- Blurb -

General Stilwell' s ad hoc force of Merrill' s Marauders, American-trained Chinese divisions, Kachin guerrillas and General Wingate' s Chindits conducted a northern Burmese offensive that led to the coup de main seizure of Myitkyina' s airfield in May 1944. In August 1944, after a protracted siege, Myitkyina town on the Irrawaddy River fell to the Allies. At the same time elements of General Slim' s 14th Army were mounting a defence of northeastern India at Imphal and Kohima against Imperial Japan' s 15th Army; Operation U-Go, led by General Mutaguchi, from March to July 1944. Thereafter, the Allies began two major campaigns. First, the northern Burmese Sino-American offensive re-opened the land supply route to China via a newly-built Burma Road, which replaced the American Air Transport Command' s ' Hump' airlift that had kept Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek' s Chinese forces supplied. The second offensive was by General Bill Slim' s multi-national British 14th Army under, which advanced south-east through the Arakan. The ' Forgotten Army' eventually re-occupied Mandalay and Rangoon. These legendary campaigns are superbly described in words and images in this fine addition to the Images of War series. AUTHOR: Jon Diamond MD is a kidney specialist in the USA with a deep interest in the Second World War. He is a keen collector of photographs. His Stilwell and the Chindits, War in the South Pacific, Invasion of Sicily, Invasion of the Italian Mainland: Salerno to Gustav Line, 1943-1944, Onto Rome 1944; Anzio and Victory at Cassino, Beyond Rome to the Alps; Across the Arno and Gothic Line, 1944-1945, Op Plunder - The Rhine River Crossing, MacArthur' s Papua New Guinea Campaign, Hell in the Central Pacific and Liberation of the Philippines are all published by Pen and Sword in the Images of War series. 250 b/w illustrations