The Forgotten War Podcast: Burma Campaign WW2

This week, in the first of a three part mini-series, Jack and Rob begin the to look at one of the most important events of the Burma Campaign - and one of the most depressing. The First Arakan Campaign, and the events at Donbaik. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part 2 of Jack and Rob's interview with Catriona Child we look at Ursula Graham Bower's war. Listeners should not that there was a technical problem while recording these two episodes, where part 1 was re-recorded - there are one or two small points that are repeated. Apologies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack and Rob have the great pleasure of talking to Catriona Child, daughter of the legendary Ursula Graham Bower. In this first of a two part interview, we discuss Ursula's early life up until the end of 1942. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rob and Jack continue tackling Operation Longcloth and the Chindits, looking at - to use a cliché - Wingate; the man, the myth the legend! Was he mad? Was he a genius visionary? We cover the period up to the end of 1943, Operation Thursday will come in a future series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Jack and Rob as they tackle one of the most famous stories of the Burma Campaign - Operation Longcloth, the first Chindit expedition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week Rob and Jack discuss the story of the very remote Naga village of Pangsha in the Second World War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob welcome KS 'Sree' Nair to the pod to discuss the Indian Air Force - its origins and early work in the Second World War. We will of course have him back in later series to discuss the IAF up to 1945, including its change to the Royal Indian Air Force in 1945. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rob and Jack are joined by Charlotte Carty, historian and granddaughter of Lt. Col. William Felix “Bruno” Brown who raised and commanded the 1st Battalion of the Assam Regiment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob are joined by Walter Reid to discuss India and Indian Independence - a controversial topic that is thoroughly misunderstood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining Rob this week is Gautum Hazarika, discussing the research behind his book The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob look at the defences of the Indo-Burmese border, in particular the stay-behind, watch and ward, guerrillas V Force. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Landlubbers Jack and Rob are taking off their dusty jungle boots and removing their monsoon capes to take a look at the Royal Navy in the 1942 Burma Campaign - from the Royal Marine Force Viper raiding up the Irrawaddy, to Admiral Sir James Somerville's Eastern Fleet's shadow boxing with Admiral Nagumo's 2nd and 5th Carrier Divisions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics: in this episode Jack and Rob talk about preparing Assam and Manipur for war - including the incredible effort by the Assam Tea Association. Their vital work not only made it easier to defend an invasion, but would also be needed if Japan were to be pushed out of Burma in the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob go through the extraordinary and harrowing tale of John 'Tim' Finnerty, a subaltern in the 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and one action at the Battle of Yenangyaung, April 1942. This episode was recorded at the same time as our last episode 'Last Ditchers' but Jack and Rob waffled on too long, and so the FWP team split it into two parts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Jack and Rob explore the annotated diary of Bernard Kane, a last ditcher out of Rangoon demolishing telecoms equipment. His story is really quite extraordinary.This was recorded with another story but Jack and Rob got so into it, that the FWP team decided to split it into a two parter - hear thedramatic story of Major John Finnerty, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, next week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob are going back to 1942 to cover the air war, having missed it out last series. You may detect that Jack is rather taken by the Flying Tigers ... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back! Jack and Rob get right into the detail of the pre-war Indian Army, mostly because they realised they should have done it much earlier! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear Jack and guest-host Lucy Betteridge-Dyson at IWM Podcast Live Festival doing Burma 1945 in 45 minutes!This was recorded in less than ideal recording conditions, but Robbie has done heroic work to get it as listenable as possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob sit down with Levison Wood and Alex Bescoby about their brilliant new documentary: The Last Burma Star. Catch it on release day Sun 9 November at 9pm on Sky History, or on catch up afterwards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob answer your questions that have built up over the last 20 weeks! At the end Jack and Rob also give a quick run down of the future of the pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rob and Jack welcome the fascinating David Tanner - author of Burma 1942: Memories of a Retreat, the Diary of Ralph Tanner, KOYLI. David co-wrote the book with his father who was with 2 KOYLI in the retreat in 1942, but also worked in Japan in the 1970s and 80s, where his father visited. This is a fascinating chat reflecting on the retreat from Burma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob hit gold when he was recently gifted an unpublished memoir/diary by Eric Lambert, who, among other things, played a fascinating role in helping get the Chinese 5 Army out of the Hukawng Valley - the Valley of Death. This week Rob and Jack discuss his chapter on this topic, and the retreat of Chinese 5 Army. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob discuss the human cost of the retreat in 1942 with the wonderful Felicity Goodall, author of Exodus Burma! The British Escape Through the Jungles of Death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rob and Jack welcome Hannah Watson, author of The Jungle War, to discuss the retreat from Burma and the challenges of presenting the subject in a book aimed at children and adults alike! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob interview historian Philip Davies, author of Lost Warriors, about Major Hugh Seagrim GC and also Ras Pagani. - two of the most courageous men of the Second World War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob finish the narrative of the retreat from Burma, discussing the final retreat across the Chindwin, and into safety in India. The Burma Army's swansong, but fear not dear listener, for there are still some more episodes, interviews, and a Q+A to come! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rob and Jack were joined by the brilliant journalist and novelist John Sweeney. Aside from his work all over the world and covering all sorts of topics, including Trump and Putin, John also wrote the novel Elephant Novel, set during the retreat from Burma in 1942, and partly inspired by 'Elephant Bill' Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rob and Jack review the excellent Through the Jungle of Death by Stephen Brookes. A wonderful, if traumatic, book about his families escape on foot out of Burma in 1942. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack and Rob have a surprise VJ Day Special for listeners - bringing together a panel to discuss what is happening to support the memory, and spread knowledge of, of the Burma Campaign through their various work. Joining the FWP team are Lord Slim representing the Burma Star Memorial Fund, Sylvia May of the Kohima Educational Trust, and Alex Bescoby of Help 4 Forgotten Allies, and his new documentary on Sky History with Levison Wood - The Last Burma Star. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode Rob and Jack do something a little different. They discuss the civilian evacuation of Burma, including a number of eyewitness accounts from a variety of sources. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob welcome Archie Wavell's biographer Victoria Schofield onto the pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob take review their first book: the truly excellent A Hell a Licking: Retreat from Burma by James Lunt. A staff officer during the retreat, he recalled, the confusion, lack of preparedness, but also courage of the men of 1st Burma Division. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob welcome historian Philip Woods, author of Reporting the Retreat: War Correspondents in Burma - hear some fascinating stories of the brave journalists in Burma in 1942 as the imperial edifice collapsed around them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining Jack and Rob this week is Historian Steve Rothwell to talk about the Burma Rifles, and the Burma Army in general. Steve also runs the indiaburmasoldiers.co.uk website, and fantastic resource to begin research into the Burma Campaign. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Rob and Jack look into the Chinese role in the retreat from Burma, and the relationships between the US, China and Britain. They focus on the military side of things, although there will be more on Chinese troops as they evacuated the country in another episode later in the series... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack finally gets to nerd out on 7th Armoured Brigade in the retreat in 1942 - and Rob happily indulges him!Listeners may notice that Jack mentions an interview with Victoria Schofield the previous week - due to unforeseen circumstances this has been pushed back to later in the series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob welcome author and historian James Holland onto the pod to discuss Harold Alexander. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the Sittang Bridge disaster, Rangoon was the next. Rob and Jack now look at the decision to abandon the capital, followed by the famous roadblock action at Taukkyan, and the retreat north to Prome. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob dissect the disastrous decision to destroy the Sittang Bridge - the crucial moment in the 1942 Campaign where defeat became practically inevitable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Forgotten War Pod is back with a bang! Rob and Jack exclusively interview Lord Mark Slim, Field Marshal Bill Slim's grandson. Talking about his childhood and early military career, and also what it was like growing up with (confusingly) 'Uncle' Bill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Jack and Rob this week for a question and answer episode, maps to troop diversions, deception to grand strategy, this episode has a bit of everything, including a few teasers on Series 2. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob discuss two crucial battles, Meiktila and Mandalay, from the perspective of two generals: Thomas 'Pete' Rees, and David 'Punch' Cowan. Aggressive commanders, they were the right men for the right jobs, in an epic campaign that destroyed the Japanese Burma Area Army. A tale of drama, deception, endurance, and heroism - do not miss it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob look at the third attempt to breakthrough in Arakan. Picking up from just after the Admin Box, they look at the 81st West African Division's epic campaign in the Kaladan Valley, as well as Akyab and Ramree Islands and the brutal fight over Hill 170. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob discuss one of the most important aspects of the Burma Campaign: the air war. Success was built on air power, Slim's strategy from the end of 1943 to the of the war relied on aerial resupply in an air supremacy environment. The Hump, Admin Box, Kohima, Imphal, and the thunder run to Meiktila in 1945 all relied this all important supply line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 8 Rumbles in the Jungles: Special Operations in Burma, Rob and Jack take a look at the Chindit Operation Thursday and SOE's Force 136 Operation Character. The former is one of the most famous events in the history of the war in Burma, and the other is one of the most forgotten of all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob and Jack continue their overview of the Burma Campaign by turning to the Northern Combat Area Command - the NCAC - in particular 'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell's efforts to navigate the power politics of the CBI theatre between the USA, China and Britain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kohima: one of the big names in Second World War history. In this episode Rob and Jack look at the epic siege and the tooth and nail battle for Kohima that followed, part of the overview of the campaign that his Series 1. Including whether it was really a battle worth fighting for Sato and his men. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob continue their overview of the Burma Campaign by looking at the Battle of Imphal - a huge battle where Slim's Fourteenth Army delivered a hammer blow to the Japanese 15th Army in its invasion of India. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jack and Rob finally have some good news! The first major victory by Fourteenth Army against the Japanese in Burma - the Second Arakan offensive and most famously the Battle of the Admin Box, in February 1944. The Japanese intended to distract Slim by attacking Arakan just before the invasion of India, but fell upon newly retrained troops determined to fight it out rather than retreat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Rob and Jack discuss the sandwich year of 1943 - stuck between the defeat in 1942 and victory in 1944. Nevertheless, it was an important year, seeing the disastrous first Arakan campaign, Fourteenth Army eventually created, and Operation Longcloth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.