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

303, The Battle of Mandalay.

Last time, overall commander in Burma, Harold Alexander, had issued a general retreat

for the north of Mandalay on April 25 in Slim's words to get out of Burma as intact as we

could.

For clearly the fighting would continue, but only after the Allied forces retreated,

gathered themselves, and only then headed back into the fray.

In truth, the retreat orders sapped the morale of most, but not general Joseph still well.

The hiss-thinking, the order could have read, everyone dropped your weapons, and surrendered

to the nearest Japanese unit, not unlike what had happened at Singapore or Java.

No here in Burma, the war would continue.

As the Chinese forces had a head start in this dash to the north, Alexander kindly extended

his left flank to cover the Chinese retreat, which meant some of his forces would actually

be deeper in country as the rest were trying to flee to India.

But it was a political decision, one that would hopefully pay huge dividends later on.

But besides trying to cover the escape of the shattered Chinese Fifth Army, the British

were thinking about their own escape to India.

By now the pursuers had guessed where the British led troops were heading to, so one of

their main goals now was to cross the Irawadi at Mandalay and get ahead of the Commonwealth

troops to cut them off, which meant getting control of the Ava Bridge, the only bridge

across the Irawadi, which meant taking it from the Allies.

But Alexander and Slim were determined this would not happen, or else their troops might

...