This book provides a fascinating exploration of the Japanese conquest of Burma, as the Allied forces were forced back in disarray to India and China. The Japanese invasion of Burma in January 1942 marked the beginning of the single longest campaign of World War II. In the Burmese jungles, the battle-hardened, highly trained and lightly equipped Imperial Japanese Army quickly proved itself a vastly superior fighting force in clashes against the British, Indian and Gurkha troops that formed Burma Army and Chinese nationalist forces deployed in eastern Burma. This superbly illustrated book narrates Burma Corps' epic fighting retreat northwards, carried out mostly in contact with the enemy and across hundreds of miles of highly malarial and extremely difficult terrain, to safety in India. Among the battles covered are the disaster at the Sittang Bridge on 22 February 1942 (where 17th Indian Division was all but destroyed), the fall of Rangoon in March 1942 and the clashes at Yenangyaung, Monywa and Shwegyin. The performance of the opposing commanders and forces is also examined in detail, highlighting the success of Japanese aggressive light infantry tactics, which ruthlessly exploited the cover and concealment provided by the jungle to outflank, bypass and encircle their bewildered enemy.

In order to keep China in the war against the Japanese, the Western Allies believed they had to return to Northern Burma. Colonel Orde Wingate, a military maverick and proponent of guerrilla warfare, knew that a different type of British infantryman was required for this role – the Chindit, indoctrinated with special training – to re-enter the jungles and mountains of Northern Burma in order to combat the victorious Japanese forces there. The Chindits' opponents would include the 18th Division, one of Imperial Japan's most seasoned formations, which by 1941 had already accumulated as much operational experience as most Anglo-American divisions would acquire in the entire 1939–45 war. In a host of encounters the two sides clashed repeatedly in the harsh conditions of the Burmese jungle; the intended role and subsequent operational performance of the Chindits remains fraught with controversy today. Featuring full-colour artwork, specially drawn maps and archive photographs, this gripping study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, combat performance and subsequent reputations of six representative Chindit and Japanese infantry units involved in three pivotal actions that hastened Japan's defeat in Burma during World War II.

In December 1941 Japan set out to seize South-East Asia and the western Pacific to complete the building of a self-sufficient empire. The rapid loss of all of Britain's possessions in the Far East was the culmination of a failed attempt to deal with the rise of Japanese imperialism. Britain's bluff was called and millions of Britain's 'protected' subjects in Asia fell into the hands of a brutal occupying power. The British fought the Second World War in Burma and India against the backdrop of nationalist unrest and revolt. The appalling Bengal famine of 1943, brought about by the loss of Burma's rice crop and the dislocation of government, would cause the deaths of many. Alan Warren provides a new study of the series of battles that made up the Burma campaign, including first-hand accounts of the conflict and a fresh examination of the armies and commanders of the major combatants. Burma 1942 powerfully demonstrates how victory or defeat in particular battles altered the trajectory of the conflict, affecting the lives of millions.

Named one of Foreign Affairs' Best Books of 2016 In his magisterial 1,208 page narrative of the Pacific War, Francis Pike's Hirohito's War offers an original interpretation, balancing the existing Western-centric view with attention to the Japanese perspective on the conflict. As well as giving a 'blow-by-blow' account of campaigns and battles, Francis Pike offers many challenges to the standard interpretations with regards to the causes of the war; Emperor Hirohito's war guilt; the inevitability of US Victory; the abilities of General MacArthur and Admiral Yamamoto; the role of China, Great Britain and Australia; military and naval technology; and the need for the fire-bombing of Japan and the eventual use of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hirohito's War is accompanied by additional online resources, including more details on logistics, economics, POWs, submarines and kamikaze, as well as a 1930-1945 timeline and over 200 maps.

An detailed illustrated exploration of the Japanese raid into the Indian Ocean in April 1942 – one of the largest operations conducted by the Imperial Navy during the war. In the wake of Japan's conquest of Burma in early 1942, plans were formed by the Imperial high command to capture Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) to consolidate Japan's defensive perimeter and disrupt British shipping lanes to India, Australia, and the Middle East. The Imperial Japanese Army, however, could not release sufficient troops for an invasion, and so in response the Japanese Navy developed Operation C, an aggressive raid by the Combined Fleet into the Indian Ocean. The key objective was to destroy the British Eastern Fleet in port. Expert naval historian Mark Stille documents the high point of Japanese naval air power as its carriers struck Ceylon – the heart of British naval power in the East – sinking several Allied ships. He describes the Allied air attempts to destroy Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's force, and the Japanese attacks against British shipping and the cities along the Indian coast. Specially commissioned battlescenes bring to life the sinking of British carrier Hermes, the Bristol Blenheim attacks on the Japanese carrier force, and a Zero vs Hurricane dogfight over Colombo on 5 April. Easy to follow maps and diagrams reveal the strategic situation at the start and end of the campaign, and track the movements of the Japanese carrier task force and the British Eastern Fleet throughout. Details of weaponry, equipment, personnel and the events of the fascinating battles that took place are revealed in over 60 photographs, many of which are from Japanese sources.

The first comprehensive account of the impact of Japanese occupation on Southeast Asian economies and societies during World War II.

Hindi popular cinema has played a key role as a national cinema because it assisted in the imagining of a unified India by addressing a public across the nation-to-be even before 1947. Examining the diverse elements that constitute the 'popular' in Indian cinema, M.K. Raghavendra undertakes, in this book, a chronological study of films to speculate on narrative conventions, thematic continuities, myths, archetypes, and other formal structures that inform it from its hesitant beginnings up to the 1990s. A significant contribution to film studies, the book makes crucial connections between film motifs and other aspects of culture, exploring the development of film narrative using the social history of India as a continuing frame of reference.

This book provides context, analyzes, and narrates the events of 1942, which shook British Rule of India and eventually led to the collapse of the British Empire. 1942: Japanese armies reached the Northeast Borders of India after taking over Burma (Myanmar). Then, the Japanese bombed Madras, Vizag, and Calcutta. Ports on India’s East Coast were closed. Almost 100,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army and 400,000 civilians- disease-ridden and demoralized- came to India from Burma, making a tortuous journey with nearly 50-100,000 perishing while trekking through the mosquito-infested jungles. Earlier, The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor and Malaya almost simultaneously. The British-ruled areas of Malaya, Hongkong, and Singapore surrendered quickly. Under Chatfield doctrine, the defense of these areas was the responsibility of British India. Besides, there were a large number of Indians in trade and various professions. Fearing a Japanese invasion, the British started sending their families to the interior and began planning to evacuate from India. In Feb '42, Churchill informed King George VI that 'Burma, Ceylon, Calcutta, and Madras in India and part of Australia may fall into enemy (Japan) hands.' Then, Congress launched the Quit India movement. The formation of the Indian National Army planted the seeds for the collapse of the British Empire.

Witness our incredible human story unfold - from the very first people in Africa to the collapse of Communism and beyond - exquisitely charted map by map. Come on a journey through global history, told in more than 130 specially made maps that each offer a window on a key event. Step into the action and follow Ghengis Khan sweeping through China, Napoleon conquering Europe, or two world wars raging across the globe. See empires rise and fall - from the Egyptians and the Aztecs to the British Empire and the Soviet Union. History of the World Map by Map also explains how elements of civilization, such as writing, printing, and tool-making, came into being and spread from one country to another. It tells of the rise of the world's great religions and of human endeavour such as the voyages of early explorers. It charts stories of adversity such as the abolition of slavery, and shows how people have always migrated for a better life, from the very first humans moving across Africa, to millions of 19th-century Europeans crossing the Atlantic in search of the American dream. Journey into the past to discover: - Maps which combine beautiful illustration with satellite relief data for unrivalled accuracy and detail - Maps are overlaid with panels of text and information-rich graphics, for a deeper understanding of each episode - Feature spreads offer a closer look at key people, developments, and turning points in history - 80-page reference section contains a full-colour illustrated timeline of world events from prehistory to the present day - Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution in the US Endorsed by renowned broadcaster, historian, and author Peter Snow, this is an unmissable visual guide to ancient, medieval, and modern history in all corners of the world. This updated edition contains eight pages of brand new maps, and has been reviewed and updated for diversity and inclusion.

Beretter om den amerikanske "7th Bombardment Group/Wing" og dens indsats under såvel 1. som 2. verdenskrig, hvor den var aktiv både i Stillehavskrigen og over Europa.