The Pacific War and Britain's Forgotten Army in Burma

While the war in Europe dominates British memory of the Second World War, some of the fiercest fighting involving British and Commonwealth forces took place thousands of miles away in the jungles and mountains of Burma (modern Myanmar). The British 14th Army — known as "The Forgotten Army" — fought a brutal three-year campaign against the Japanese Imperial Army in conditions of extreme heat, monsoon rain, jungle disease, and mountainous terrain.

The Fall of Burma

Japan's lightning conquest of Burma in early 1942 was one of Britain's worst military disasters. The longest retreat in British military history — over 1,000 miles from Rangoon to the Indian border — cost thousands of lives and left Britain's eastern empire in Japanese hands. Malaria, dysentery, and exhaustion killed more men than enemy action.

The Chindits

In 1943, Brigadier Orde Wingate launched the first Chindit operation — long-range penetration behind Japanese lines. Though costly in lives, the Chindit operations proved that British and Indian troops could match the Japanese in jungle warfare and boosted morale at a critical time.

Imphal and Kohima

The turning point came in 1944 at the twin battles of Imphal and Kohima in northeast India. The Japanese launched a major offensive aimed at invading India, but were met by determined British, Indian, and Gurkha resistance. The battle of Kohima — fought around the Deputy Commissioner's tennis court — has been called "the Stalingrad of the East." After months of savage fighting, the Japanese were decisively defeated, suffering over 50,000 casualties.

The Reconquest

Under the brilliant leadership of General William Slim, the 14th Army — composed of British, Indian, African, and Gurkha troops — drove the Japanese back through Burma. Mandalay was liberated in March 1945 and Rangoon in May. Yet even as victory was celebrated in Europe, the men of the 14th Army continued fighting in the jungle heat. Their campaign ended only with Japan's surrender in August 1945.