The Burma Campaign

by Frank McLynn

  Epilogue

  pp. 446–456

  • 1. Mountbatten Diary, p. 209. • 2. DIV, pp. 516–20. Slim probably overrated Aung San, to judge from the following hyperbolic statement: ‘I have always felt that, with proper treatment, Aung San would have proved a Burmese Smuts’: ibid., p. 520. • 3. See ‘Patriotic Burmese Forces and Anti-Fascist Organisations, Burma’, WO 203/4404. • 4. Jon Latimer, Burma. The Forgotten War (2004), p. 409. • 5. See Alanbrooke Diaries, pp. 713, 721. • 6. Mountbatten Diary, p. 211; DIV, pp. 521–2. • 7. Leese. • 8. Robert Lyman, Slim, Master of War (2004), p. 256, says: ‘Mountbatten’s instructions had either not been clear or else Leese was so determined to remove Slim from command of 14th Army that he was prepared simply to ignore them.’ • 9. Philip Ziegler, Mountbatten (1985), p. 295. • 10. One version of the Leese–Christison conference is that the army to invade Malaya would be a completely new force but would have the title of 14th Army to utilise its propaganda value, while the real 14th Army was rebranded as 12th Army: Lyman, Slim, op. cit., p. 256. • 11. Later in life Leese admitted that Mountbatten had given no such order and could not be held accountable for his own blunder: Ronald Lewin, Slim. The Standard Bearer (1976), p. 238. • 12. Ziegler, Mountbatten, op. cit., p. 294. • 13. M. Hickey, The Unforgettable Army (Tunbridge Wells, 1992), p. 231. • 14. Ziegler, Mountbatten, op. cit., p. 294. • 15. On which one can only comment that if he was worried about it, he should have given clear and unambiguous instructions in the first place. • 16. Lewin, Slim, op. cit., p. 243. • 17. A. Greenwood, Field Marshal Auchinleck (Durham, 1991), p. 256. • 18. Mountbatten Diary, p. 207. • 19. Lewin, Slim, op. cit., p. 241. • 20. D. Smuthwaite, ed., The Forgotten War. The British Army in the Far East 1941–1945 (1992), p. 49. • 21. Alanbrooke Diaries, p. 698; Mountbatten Diary, p. 220. • 22. Alanbrooke Diaries, pp. 700–1. • 23. DIV, pp. 531–4. • 24. Lewin, Slim, op. cit. • 25. Barbara Tuchman, Sand against the Wind (1971), p. 511. • 26. Ibid., p. 519. MacArthur seems to have harboured no grudge that in 1944 Stilwell turned down his request for manpower from China. He wanted 50,000 labourers from Chiang for backup operations but Stilwell told him that the Chinese economy was so fragile it could not sustain such a loss, adding, however, that if China was properly run, there would be no problem about meeting the request: C.F. Romanus & R. Sunderland, Stilwell’s Personal File: China-Burma-India 1942–44 (1976), v, 2448. • 27. Tuchman, Sand against the Wind, op. cit., p. 520. • 28. Philip Knightley, The War Correspondent as Hero and Mythmaker from the Crimea to Iraq (2004), p. 303. Wedemeyer complained to Marshall in December 1944 along identical lines to Stilwell, making it clear that the problems in China were not due to a Stilwell–Chiang personality clash and thus exposing the ‘big lie’ of the pro-Chiang apologists; C.F. Romanus & R. Sunderland, Time Runs Out in CBI (Washington DC, 1959), pp. 165–6. • 29. Mountbatten Diary, pp. 221–3. Here Mountbatten displays rare self-knowledge, as Pownall often accused him of liking the sound of his own voice: Ziegler, Mountbatten, op. cit., pp. 339–41. • 30. Mountbatten Diary, p. 225. • 31. Ziegler, Mountbatten, op. cit., p. 297. • 32. Larrabee, Commander in Chief, op. cit., p. 309. • 33. This case is strongly argued in Andrew Roberts, Eminent Churchillians (1994). • 34. See David Leigh, The Wilson Plot (1988). • 35. Simon Heffer, Like the Roman (1998).

  Index

  ABDACOM, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 44, 187

  ‘Aberdeen’ (formerly ‘Templecombe’), 275, 279, 280, 285, 287, 288, 342, 345

  Abyssinia, 17 see also Ethiopia

  Admin Box, 251

  Battle of the, 253–4, 255, 256

  Agra, 177

  aircraft

  Beaufighter, 379

  Blenheim bomber, 30, 104

  B-24 Liberator bomber, 104, 170, 257, 379

  B-25 Mitchell bomber, 65, 110, 261, 288, 289, 431

  B-29, 215, 216, 227, 390, 391

  C-46 Commando, 170, 257

  C-47 Dakota, 170, 261, 275, 279, 280, 281, 282, 302, 303, 326, 378, 413, 414

  DC-3, 302

  Hurricane, 30, 104, 422

  P-40 Tomahawk, 30

  P-51 Mustang, 26, 344, 352, 358

  Sikorski helicopter, 261

  Spitfire, 256–7, 283

  Tojo, 257

  Wellington bomber, 257

  Zero fighter, 30, 57, 257, 310, 422

  airdrops, 82, 147, 149, 236, 316

  airpower

  Japanese, 24, 30, 34, 56–7, 256, 257, 31, 422

  Allied, 29–30, 65, 104, 115–16, 128, 162, 171, 181, 256–7, 260–1, 269, 280, 281, 282, 286–7, 297, 302–3, 306, 310, 320, 325–6, 352, 355, 374, 377, 378–9, 394, 398, 413, 414, 416, 419, 421, 422, 428, 431, 433, 435, 439

  see also Flying Tigers; RAF; USAAF

  Akyab, 30, 98, 99, 100, 104, 132, 137, 218, 244, 378, 433, 434, 443, 448

  Alamein, 134, 326, 432

  Alanbrooke, Alan Brooke, Viscount

  and ABDACOM, 22

  reaction to British defeats, 25

  and Wavell’s promotion, 96

  and TRIDENT conference, 165, 166

  and Stilwell, 165, 201, 361–2

  and Quebec conference, 174, 175, 187

  and Wingate, 174, 177

  and Churchill, 183, 190–1, 369–70

  and appointment of supreme commander for South East Asia, 189, 190–1

  disappointed in ambition to be supreme commander of OVER-LORD, 190–1

  and Mountbatten, 186–7, 190, 193, 194, 195, 196–7, 211, 240, 244, 339, 369, 382–3

  persuades Wavell to withdraw his resignation, 187

  and Cairo conference, 216–17, 218, 219–21, 222, 223

  and Tehran conference, 226

  and AXIOM, 244, 246

  pessimism about Burma situation, 324

  and DRACULA, 368–9

  and second Cairo conference, 372

  and Giffard, 382

  and Browning’s appointment, 383

  and Leese’s attempt to replace Slim, 449

  and dismissal of Leese, 450

  brief references, 173, 212, 321, 342, 367, 389, 447

  Alexander, General Harold

  background and career, 27

  appointment as commander in Burma, 26, 27

  and the British campaign and retreat, 27–8, 32, 33, 34, 36–7, 39, 40, 62, 64, 65, 90–1, 108, 241–2

  Slim’s opinion of, 33–4, 40, 108

  and Stilwell, 55–6, 60–1, 62, 64, 67, 241, 407

  and the Chinese, 33, 60, 80, 92

  brief references, 30, 31, 146, 194, 263

  ALFSEA, 450

  Alison, John, 260

  Allanmyo, 32, 33, 440, 444

  Allenby, General Edmund, 18

  Alsop, Joseph, 161, 230, 389, 403

  American Volunteer Group see Flying Tigers

  Amery, Leo, 173, 188

  Amin, Haj, 71

  ANAKIM, 118, 160, 161, 165

  Andaman islands, 118, 174, 212, 218, 220, 223–4, 232

  Anglo-Indian forces see British Army / British Indian Army

  Anglo-Iraq war, 18

  animals, Burmese, 9–10

  Arabs, 71, 72

  Aradura ridge, 322

  Arakan

  rainfall, 8

  campaign in 1942–3, 98–103, 104, 107, 134

  plans for operations in, 179, 181, 218, 232, 242

  campaign in 1943–44, 250–7, 272

  Slim is relieved of responsibilities in, 376

  operations assigned to Christison, 384

  campaign 1944–45, 433–4

  brief references, 79, 96, 137, 139, 174, 178, 271, 273, 275, 293, 299, 302, 303, 324–5, 333, 336, 378, 414

  Ardennes, 432

  Arnhem, 369, 432

  Arnold, General Henry ‘Hap’, 116, 160–1, 176, 193, 240, 241, 260, 261, 283, 286, 433, 452

  Ashley, Edwina see Mountbatten (née Ashley), Edwina

  Assam, 36, 38, 39, 53, 79, 91, 98, 110, 115, 121, 122, 126, 143, 150, 155, 178, 181, 198, 252, 256, 294, 364

  Assam-Bengal
railway, 38, 115

  Astor, Mary, 183

  Atkinson, Brooks, 452

  Attlee, Clement, 167, 190, 368, 451

  Auchinleck, Sir Claude (‘The Auk’)

  becomes commander-in-chief of the Middle East, 19, 77

  Wingate’s meeting with, 77–8

  becomes commander-in-chief in India, 108, 166

  respected by Slim, 108

  Wingate’s proposals sent to, 174

  response to Wingate’s proposals, 175

  approves Slim’s plans, 179

  and food supplies, 181–2

  displeased with Mountbatten’s appointment, 190, 195–6

  and Wingate’s views on the Indian army, 195, 258–9, 393

  wife’s affair with Peirse, 197

  refuses to visit Burma front, 238

  and Wingate’s return from Quebec, 259

  and departure of the Chindits, 276

  and Mountbatten’s move to Kandy, 338

  Stilwell writes to, 407

  opinion of Slim, 449

  brief references, 109, 172, 177, 178, 194, 201, 210, 263, 270, 275, 326

  Auchinleck, Lady, 197, 382

  Aung San, 6, 97, 143, 378, 438, 442, 446

  Aung Thin, 88

  Australasia, 23 see also names of countries

  Australia, 24, 44, 50, 367, 393, 451

  Australians, 23, 179, 368

  Ava bridge, 36, 37, 98, 437

  AXIOM, 244–5, 246

  Baldwin, Air Marshal John, 280, 282, 325, 326, 433

  Balfour Declaration, 71

  Ba Maw, 6, 446

  Bamwe Taung hills, 144, 145, 146

  Bangalore, 178

  Bangkok, 104, 276

  Barrackpore, 209, 211, 384

  Barrett, Colonel David, 214, 388

  Bataan peninsula, 214

  Baw, 149, 156

  BBC, 64–5, 132, 352

  Beaverbrook, Lord, 237

  Belgaum: Senior Officers’ School, 17

  Bengal, 91, 96, 98, 174

  East, 178

  Bengal, Bay of, 30, 94, 100, 118, 129, 133–4, 209, 220, 433

  Bengal Club, 102

  ‘Ben Nevis’, 308

  Bhamo, 8, 62, 130, 150, 232, 345, 356, 399, 403, 421

  Bhamo-Lashio road, 149, 267

  Big Tree Hill, 321, 322

  Bihar, 91, 95, 98, 122

  Bilin, River, 25

  Birmingham, 16, 105–6

  Birmingham University: Officers Training Corps, 16

  Bishenpur, 304, 309, 310, 312, 313, 364

  Bishenpur-Silchar track, 309, 311

  Bissell, Colonel (later General) Clayton L., 50, 53, 115–16, 161, 162

  BLA (Burmese Liberation Army), 146

  ‘Black and Tans’, 72

  ‘Blackpool’, 343, 344, 357

  BNA see Burmese National Party

  Boatner, General H.L., 233, 234, 246, 333, 348, 353, 354, 356, 361

  Boer War, 18

  Bombay, 95, 363

  Bongyaung gorge, 144, 267

  Bongyaung railway station, 144

  Bonin islands, 221

  Boothby, Robert, 197

  Bose, Subhas Chandra, 252, 313, 378, 420, 429, 442

  Brahmaputra, River, 94, 294, 317

  Brahmaputra valley, 181, 295, 301, 337

  Brett, General George, 22

  Briggs, Harold R., 180–1, 251, 252

  Britain, 21, 22, 40, 44, 45, 47, 48, 50, 64–5, 72, 94–5, 111, 116, 126, 129, 130, 132–3, 158, 160, 161, 164, 165, 166, 174, 192, 193, 213, 214, 215, 217, 218, 230, 245, 246, 372, 392, 398, 436, 446, 454, 456

  and international context before Burma campaign, 1, 2, 5, 6–8, 19

  see also British Army/British Indian Army; Churchill, Winston; names of commanders

  British Army/British Indian Army

  Armies

  Eastern, 98

  8th, 381, 384, 385

  12th, 433–4, 447, 448, 449, 450

  14th, 106, 209–10, 211, 249–56, 259, 270, 271, 272, 286, 294–322, 338, 341, 362, 364–6, 366–7, 373–5, 376–7, 379, 384, 385, 407, 413–14, 415–33, 436–8, 439–43, 444–5, 447, 448, 449, 450

  Army Group

  11th, 266, 303

  Brigades

  2 Burma Brigade, 25, 38

  3 West Indian Brigade, 272, 278

  4 Brigade, 319

  5 Brigade, 317, 319

  6 Brigade, 319, 322

  7 Armoured, 24, 31, 33

  9 Brigade, 18, 302, 322, 365

  10 Indian Brigade, 17, 18

  13 Brigade, 34

  14 Brigade, 260, 278, 285, 286, 288, 342, 344, 345, 359, 360

  16 Indian Infantry Brigade, 260, 267, 273, 276–8, 280, 288

  23 Brigade, 260, 278, 286, 318

  28 East African Brigade, 416, 419

  32 Brigade, 310

  33 Brigade, 309, 321, 423, 424

  37 Brigade, 296

  47 Brigade, 102

  48 Brigade, 34, 36, 311, 441

  49 Brigade, 296, 299–300

  50 Armoured Brigade, 96

  50 Indian Parachute Brigade, 443

  50 Tank Brigade, 101

  63 Brigade, 310, 426

  64 Brigade, 421

  77 Brigade, 82–6, 88, 136–58, 259, 267, 272, 273, 279, 282, 288, 342, 343, 351, 352, 353, 356, 357

  99 Brigade, 441

  111 Brigade, 172, 259, 267, 273, 279, 282, 342, 343, 344, 359–60

  114 Brigade, 423

  116 Brigade, 287

  123 Brigade, 302

  161 Indian Brigade, 254, 302, 314, 315, 317

  254 Tank Brigade, 379

  255 Tank Brigade, 379, 417, 425, 440, 441

  268 Tank Brigade, 415, 418

  6300 Brigade, 426

  Lushai Brigade, 373–4, 416, 419

  West African, 260, 272, 288, 343, 351, 359

  Corps

  4 Corps, 90, 93, 94, 137, 148–9, 157, 172, 266, 294, 298, 303–4, 320, 342, 373, 374, 375, 376, 379, 415, 416, 417, 419, 420, 421, 423–4, 426–7, 437, 440–3

  14 Corps, 429

  15 Indian, 94, 96–7, 101, 137, 178, 250–5, 256, 257, 259, 439, 442, 444

  33 Corps, 303, 304, 373, 375, 379, 415, 418–19, 420–3, 427, 428, 430–1, 434, 438, 439–40, 444

  BURCORPS (Burma Corps), 31–2, 34–5, 36–9, 40, 90, 93, 209

  Medical Corps, 85–6

  Royal Armoured Corps, 260

  Royal Artillery, 69, 260

  Royal Engineers, 37, 83, 260

  Divisions

  1 Burma Division, 31, 35, 45, 57

  2 British Division, 303, 304, 317, 379, 418, 421, 422, 431, 436, 437, 438

  5 Indian Division, 17, 180, 250, 251–2, 254, 302, 303, 304, 305, 324–5, 365, 373, 374, 375, 429, 440, 441, 442

  7 Indian Division, 250–1, 252, 253, 304, 317, 320, 321, 324–5, 376, 379, 417, 423, 440

  11 East African Division, 365, 373, 416