Hello, and thank you for listening to the History of World War II podcast, Episode

290, The Invasion of Burma, Prelude.

The initial invasion of Burma by the Japanese would unfold like all the other attacks in Southeast

Asia, a quick and stunning success.

With the Allies falling back in the face of an enemy that had more men, was better organized

and brought to bear a professionalism and savagery that the Westerners did not think

them capable of.

The Battle for Burma would be the longest land campaign fought by British Commonwealth

troops in the war, and the largest land campaign fought by the Western Allies against the

Japanese.

However, the Allies exploits here, the stunning defeats, at first, followed by stunning victories

later, have mostly been forgotten, outshined by other theaters of war.

While the men leading the Allied forces in Burma, like Lieutenant General William Slim,

General Viniger Joe still well, and even a Chinese expeditionary force which tried to save

the Westerners when they retreated in early 42, have lost their rightful place in history

books to more flashy individuals, the Erasible Patton, the Stollard Zhukov, the Wilphold

Montgomery, the Savior of Europe, Eisenhower, and even the Every Man's Leader, Omar Bradley.

Yet by the time Burma was liberated, at least from the Japanese, both sides, the Allies

and the Japanese were their allies, had lost just over 100,000 men each, dead, wounded,

or missing, a major theater, indeed.

Also less well known, in time, about 60,000 Americans fought there as well, mostly of the

47th US Army Air Force squadrons, but it would be the men of India, Sikhs, Rajputs, Baluchis,

...