Indian and African forces constituted the greater part of the 14th Army which overran the Japanese forces and reconquered Burma. A hitherto invincible army was virtually destroyed by the Allied forces.
A puff piece for Prince Louis of Battenburg. Almost any book on the campaign will explain that Slim was from a lower middle class Bristol family, so he had to get there on ability, not establishment connections. Deliberately sidelined, but now recognised as probably the best general England ever produced. Some of the film clips are interesting.
How could the history of the Burma Campaign be complete without any mention of the contribution and sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of African soldiers. Those truly "forgotten" soldiers of the 14th Army from the 81st and 82nd West African Divisions and the East African divisions contributed untold exploits and efforts to the defeat of Japanese forces and to the ultimate allied victory in Burma. For whatever reasons, their contributions and exploits are never mentioned. As someone who lost a family member during the Burma campaign, I find it very galling that the heroic parts played by African soldiers are always downplayed with the obvious intention of "washing" their heroic sacrifices out of history.
My dad flew those medevac planes in the Arakan ( where I think a lot of the African soldiers fought ). He never forgot that most of the wounded he was evacuating to hospital were from Africa and he made sure his children knew how much he admired these tough guys. I don't think the African contribution has been deliberately ignored. More likely that there has been no market for the stories.... perhaps now it could be done if the children of those soldiers could record their parents stories? ( Like I'm trying to do for my mum and dad ) I met the 90 year father of a friend in 1970. He ( the father ) had been a professional porter, ending WW1 working for a British Army unit in Japan. I was too dumb to think about interviewing him ( I was only 22 and even more dim than I am now ) though I did take some portrait photos for him which his son said he was delighted with. ..... these stories have not been "written out". They just haven't been written.... perhaps they become part of an oral tradition but more likely, like the vast majority of folks stories they fade away, overtaken by the excitement of current events.
Without doubt, African soldiers made huge sacrifices to the Burma success. In my teenage years, I lived with a Nigerian soldier who talked so much about Burma campaign. It is a grievous slight to brush their heroic contributions aside.
@5:10 Mountbatten, was of a similar mind , as to what was required to Slim. He needed Slim, an adventurous Army man to do what only he could do. Mountbatten was influential in getting Slim promoted to the post.
I listen to the narrator at the beginning describing the Burmese climate during the Monsoon and remember the words of Romans who went into Germany and Britain and said pretty much the same things. Both complained about the rain, the damp, the mildew, the "terrible climate", diseases... It's hard to be a Legion in the Empire!!! 😂
British is the only reason that everyone isn't speaking German US was a great country in battle but, a bit over glorified except on D-Day that deserves all the glory they get and Russia well they could have not taken part but the cold would've killed just as much
The British victory at Imphal in 1944 against the Japanese was a much bigger battle than any single battle the Americans fought against the Japanese. The Japanese lost 30,000 men
honestly i believe the string of defeats leading up to Tobruk is the reason why so much glory is given to the United States. The isles were under siege and after american involvement materials were finally in abundance. I will say the men of the Commonwealth sacrificed much more and were involved in more decisive battles, but like everything else in life the defeats weigh much more.
@@rafflesman during the battle of Okinawa the Japanese had roughly 80 thousand men killed. Not to mention a majority of the losses at Imphal were from starvation and disease during the Japanese retreat.
Yes indeed Tre Murray, but the biggest land battles against the most Japanese soldiers were Imphal-Kohima. fought by the British and the British Indian army on the Burmese - Indian border in 1944. It stopped the Japanese attempt to invade India.
Hi - is that the whole film? Seemed to end a bit abruptly before victory. I ask because I just read in an old letter from my dad to my mum that my dad was in the film Burma Victory (just in a background shot) but I failed to spot him in this.
Jon Neilson555dvdbdbbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhtf bv
MY DAD WAS A CHINDIT! SO PROUD, ALL YOUR FAMILY POPS , EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE ONLY 15, FALSIFIED YOUR AGE, COULD OF SWARE I SAW A PICTURE OF YOU IN THE JUNGLE , THESE FLILMS ARE TELLING US, WHAT YOU NEVER DID, NOW WE ARE FINDING OUT, THANKYOU FOR THIS FOOTAGE! THIS IS LIFE CHANGING, FOR HIS FAMILY! WHAT BRAVE MEN, LIKE MANY IN THE FORCES, BUT DAD ALWAYS SAID THEY WERE OFTEN CALLED THE FORGOTTON ARMY, GOD BLESS YOU OLD SOLDIERS EVERY WHERE.( WE ONLY HEARD SNIPPETS, BUT HE NEVER MISSED THE CENETAPH,. SO POPS GODBLESS YOU AND ALL YOUR COMRADES , FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS, AS. THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. YOU SUFFERED, BUT ALWAYS REMINDED US PLEASE NEVER FORGET, NEVER POPS NEVER. ❤
Did he survive? What was he doing there? Which unit was he in? ...... You have just driven me to my father's logbooks where for the 9 th April '44 he was flying Medevac in the Arakan.... no mention of any other action...sorry.
@jackieking1522 do you happen to have any information on the Devonshire 1st Battalion, they were part of the XXXIII (33) Corps, my grandfather served with then and anything I can find outside of Wiki~ would be forever appreciated 🙏
Typical Mountbatten chicanery by omitting any mention of Bill Slim. Although in turn Slim thought the Chindits' contribution was exaggerated. Also no mention of Mike Calvert. What a soldier!
The Burma Road was critical to the Allied effort. Once it was cut the airlift to China was almost a hopeless operation. Thousands died flying to and from China the fuel for the planes had to be flown to China. Most of the cargo was fuel. To operate the planes in China and to refuel the planes that flew over the Hump back to India was the major problem.
California legislators just passed a "40-day waiting period for firearm purchases". Basically, in CA, if you need a gun fast, then you have no choice but to buy one on the black market.
My dad was born in Rangoon in 1933. The house they lived in was taken over by the Japanese. It was used as a command post. The family had to flee being of mainly British descent. They lived in a cave for two years in a tiny place called myindyck. They emigrated to New Zealand in 1952. The war still casts it's long shadow.
The British surrendered their entire army in Singapore in Boxing Day 1941...All 140,000 military personnel....Don't believe Monbatten, or Battenburg his real German name.
Yes, that was in 1941-42! In 1944-45, the 14th Army completely smashed Japanese at Imphal & Kohima (Over 53,000 dead Japanese! In historical terms, their largest ever military defeat!!), then they drove them out of central Burmese plain, across the Irrawady river, captured Rangoon & Mandalay & up to the Japanese surrender in August 1945, forward units of the British 14th Army had crossed the borders into both Thailand & Malaya!
So how much recognition did the Chinditz; the Chinese and Stilwell get?!! Sweet FA!Every heard of the X, Y, and Z Forces and the Tulip 204 Forces?!!What about Jack Wong Su. Australian Chinese...Medal Winner.... All on line...
@@garychin5321 : The Chindits under Major-General Orde Wingate were always under the direct, overall control of Slim & the 14th Army, in fact their deep-penetration activities behind Japanese lines (Disrupting their supplies, reinforcements & Communications etc.) were all under the directions of both Slim & Mountbatten, the latter as the Supreme Commander Allied Forces, South-East Asia Command. Stillwell's command was totally independent of the 14th Army under Slim, however, despite his well recorded reluctance to operate together with the British, he enjoyed a very cordial & businesslike relationship with Slim, & cooperated well with joint projects (e.g. the building of the Ledo Road etc) & military operations in north & north-west Burma from 1942-45 with Slim & the 14th Army also operating there then. The 14th Army, their units & also the RAF squadrons assigned to this theatre of war, also then cooperated & coordinated efforts in-unison at both strategic & tactical levels throughout this campaign with both Chiang Kai Shek's Chinese Forces that were assigned under Stillwell's control, as well as with US units such as Merrill's Marauders, US Army Corps of engineers & USAAF units there both in China & India. Many of these Chinese units worked in unison with the 14th Army that successfully diverted Japanese Forces from reinforcing their garrison at Mandalay, which enabled the city (Burma's second largest) to be quickly & efficiently captured by the British 14th Army in late March 1945.
@@trevorfuller8980 A lot of technical detail; bottom line, try and find a single book on Stilwell; in your local Library.....I bet U Can't! Hint; (Sand Against the Wind!)
For rest of film visit: ua-cam.com/video/nlidvdtn68I/v-deo.html
Was going to thumb this up but realised that Mountbatten is basically taking the credit for General Slim's fantastic leadership.
Indian and African forces constituted the greater part of the 14th Army which overran the Japanese forces and reconquered Burma. A hitherto invincible army was virtually destroyed by the Allied forces.
You understand the meaning of 'Supreme Commander' , right?
A puff piece for Prince Louis of Battenburg. Almost any book on the campaign will explain that Slim was from a lower middle class Bristol family, so he had to get there on ability, not establishment connections. Deliberately sidelined, but now recognised as probably the best general England ever produced.
Some of the film clips are interesting.
OMG such video still exists thanks a lot for uploading
How could the history of the Burma Campaign be complete without any mention of the contribution and sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of African soldiers. Those truly "forgotten" soldiers of the 14th Army from the 81st and 82nd West African Divisions and the East African divisions contributed untold exploits and efforts to the defeat of Japanese forces and to the ultimate allied victory in Burma. For whatever reasons, their contributions and exploits are never mentioned. As someone who lost a family member during the Burma campaign, I find it very galling that the heroic parts played by African soldiers are always downplayed with the obvious intention of "washing" their heroic sacrifices out of history.
blacks will be forever hated by whites.
My dad flew those medevac planes in the Arakan ( where I think a lot of the African soldiers fought ). He never forgot that most of the wounded he was evacuating to hospital were from Africa and he made sure his children knew how much he admired these tough guys.
I don't think the African contribution has been deliberately ignored. More likely that there has been no market for the stories.... perhaps now it could be done if the children of those soldiers could record their parents stories? ( Like I'm trying to do for my mum and dad )
I met the 90 year father of a friend in 1970. He ( the father ) had been a professional porter, ending WW1 working for a British Army unit in Japan. I was too dumb to think about interviewing him ( I was only 22 and even more dim than I am now ) though I did take some portrait photos for him which his son said he was delighted with. ..... these stories have not been "written out". They just haven't been written.... perhaps they become part of an oral tradition but more likely, like the vast majority of folks stories they fade away, overtaken by the excitement of current events.
Without doubt, African soldiers made huge sacrifices to the Burma success. In my teenage years, I lived with a Nigerian soldier who talked so much about Burma campaign. It is a grievous slight to brush their heroic contributions aside.
At the time, the countries y'all mention were part of the British Empire. Meaning that ALL of the troops fighting for Britain were British troops.
Including the Aussies. Who, as everybody knows, actually won the fekkin war. Wanker.
Am pleased to see Chines General Sun, Li-Jen (Nickname:Rommel of the East) in this documentary film timing @9:50. Thanks!
@5:10 Mountbatten, was of a similar mind , as to what was required to Slim. He needed Slim, an adventurous Army man to do what only he could do.
Mountbatten was influential in getting Slim promoted to the post.
That feels so weird...my dad was flying one of the medevac planes. I had no idea that the Chindits got some movie footage out.
I am from Imphal and still wondering if there is any videos and pictures taken of central Imphal and airports during british stay.
Malsom Singson
MY grand father fought here as a part of british indian army.
Salute to all soldiers, who fought for their countries..
Genral Slim ?? where is he??
I listen to the narrator at the beginning describing the Burmese climate during the Monsoon and remember the words of Romans who went into Germany and Britain and said pretty much the same things.
Both complained about the rain, the damp, the mildew, the "terrible climate", diseases...
It's hard to be a Legion in the Empire!!! 😂
The titanic struggle in Burma by the British and her allies was overshadowed by the campaign in the Pacific by the US.
British is the only reason that everyone isn't speaking German US was a great country in battle but, a bit over glorified except on D-Day that deserves all the glory they get and Russia well they could have not taken part but the cold would've killed just as much
The British victory at Imphal in 1944 against the Japanese was a much bigger battle than any single battle the Americans fought against the Japanese. The Japanese lost 30,000 men
honestly i believe the string of defeats leading up to Tobruk is the reason why so much glory is given to the United States. The isles were under siege and after american involvement materials were finally in abundance. I will say the men of the Commonwealth sacrificed much more and were involved in more decisive battles, but like everything else in life the defeats weigh much more.
@@rafflesman during the battle of Okinawa the Japanese had roughly 80 thousand men killed. Not to mention a majority of the losses at Imphal were from starvation and disease during the Japanese retreat.
Yes indeed Tre Murray, but the biggest land battles against the most Japanese soldiers were Imphal-Kohima. fought by the British and the British Indian army on the Burmese - Indian border in 1944. It stopped the Japanese attempt to invade India.
Hi - is that the whole film? Seemed to end a bit abruptly before victory. I ask because I just read in an old letter from my dad to my mum that my dad was in the film Burma Victory (just in a background shot) but I failed to spot him in this.
Jon Neilson555dvdbdbbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddbddrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhtf bv
MY DAD WAS A CHINDIT! SO PROUD, ALL YOUR FAMILY POPS , EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE ONLY 15, FALSIFIED YOUR AGE, COULD OF SWARE I SAW A PICTURE OF YOU IN THE JUNGLE , THESE FLILMS ARE TELLING US, WHAT YOU NEVER DID, NOW WE ARE FINDING OUT, THANKYOU FOR THIS FOOTAGE! THIS IS LIFE CHANGING, FOR HIS FAMILY! WHAT BRAVE MEN, LIKE MANY IN THE FORCES, BUT DAD ALWAYS SAID THEY WERE OFTEN CALLED THE FORGOTTON ARMY, GOD BLESS YOU OLD SOLDIERS EVERY WHERE.( WE ONLY HEARD SNIPPETS, BUT HE NEVER MISSED THE CENETAPH,. SO POPS GODBLESS YOU AND ALL YOUR COMRADES , FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS, AS. THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. YOU SUFFERED, BUT ALWAYS REMINDED US PLEASE NEVER FORGET, NEVER POPS NEVER. ❤
My great Uncle was shot down over Burma on April 9th 1944.
good
Did he survive? What was he doing there? Which unit was he in? ...... You have just driven me to my father's logbooks where for the 9 th April '44 he was flying Medevac in the Arakan.... no mention of any other action...sorry.
@jackieking1522 do you happen to have any information on the Devonshire 1st Battalion, they were part of the XXXIII (33) Corps, my grandfather served with then and anything I can find outside of Wiki~ would be forever appreciated 🙏
14:45 that chap just got out of the way in time!
keeping memory. 👍
After such high contribution in ww2 india got nothing in recognition. security council permanent member ship went on to chines.
Typical Mountbatten chicanery by omitting any mention of Bill Slim. Although in turn Slim thought the Chindits' contribution was exaggerated. Also no mention of Mike Calvert. What a soldier!
Calvert would revive the SAS during the Malayan Emergency.
am so fascinated by the will of humans when the odds are against us,look at those people building a road with primitive tools.
The Burma Road was critical to the Allied effort. Once it was cut the airlift to China was almost a hopeless operation. Thousands died flying to and from China the fuel for the planes had to be flown to China. Most of the cargo was fuel. To operate the planes in China and to refuel the planes that flew over the Hump back to India was the major problem.
California legislators just passed a "40-day waiting period for firearm purchases". Basically, in CA, if you need a gun fast, then you have no choice but to buy one on the black market.
I'm from Burma sir
POPS PASSED AWAY 1996. ❤
Chinese divisions armed by US had huge contribution in War against Japan
In the 19 they were alot of war in the country like England North Korea and Asian and more
怒江之畔，处处埋有我远征军将士之忠骨。
緬甸遠征軍和中共PRC無關，少來抽水!
@@Thelaceless 缅甸你老母，是中国远征军！
Netaji subhash chandra bose- father of Britishers
Grandad on my Mothers side fought there. Too bad it turned into such a hellhole.
My dad was born in Rangoon in 1933. The house they lived in was taken over by the Japanese. It was used as a command post. The family had to flee being of mainly British descent. They lived in a cave for two years in a tiny place called myindyck. They emigrated to New Zealand in 1952. The war still casts it's long shadow.
My father shook hands with Wingate
No wonder why British so nervous when they heard the word, 'Subash Chandra Bose' at that time.
No victory only slave for people
The British surrendered their entire army in Singapore in Boxing Day 1941...All 140,000 military personnel....Don't believe Monbatten, or Battenburg his real German name.
Yes, that was in 1941-42! In 1944-45, the 14th Army completely smashed Japanese at Imphal & Kohima (Over 53,000 dead Japanese! In historical terms, their largest ever military defeat!!), then they drove them out of central Burmese plain, across the Irrawady river, captured Rangoon & Mandalay & up to the Japanese surrender in August 1945, forward units of the British 14th Army had crossed the borders into both Thailand & Malaya!
So how much recognition did the Chinditz; the Chinese and Stilwell get?!! Sweet FA!Every heard of the X, Y, and Z Forces and the Tulip 204 Forces?!!What about Jack Wong Su. Australian Chinese...Medal Winner.... All on line...
At exactly the same time that an American army surrendered in Corregidor.
@@garychin5321 : The Chindits under Major-General Orde Wingate were always under the direct, overall control of Slim & the 14th Army, in fact their deep-penetration activities behind Japanese lines (Disrupting their supplies, reinforcements & Communications etc.) were all under the directions of both Slim & Mountbatten, the latter as the Supreme Commander Allied Forces, South-East Asia Command. Stillwell's command was totally independent of the 14th Army under Slim, however, despite his well recorded reluctance to operate together with the British, he enjoyed a very cordial & businesslike relationship with Slim, & cooperated well with joint projects (e.g. the building of the Ledo Road etc) & military operations in north & north-west Burma from 1942-45 with Slim & the 14th Army also operating there then. The 14th Army, their units & also the RAF squadrons assigned to this theatre of war, also then cooperated & coordinated efforts in-unison at both strategic & tactical levels throughout this campaign with both Chiang Kai Shek's Chinese Forces that were assigned under Stillwell's control, as well as with US units such as Merrill's Marauders, US Army Corps of engineers & USAAF units there both in China & India. Many of these Chinese units worked in unison with the 14th Army that successfully diverted Japanese Forces from reinforcing their garrison at Mandalay, which enabled the city (Burma's second largest) to be quickly & efficiently captured by the British 14th Army in late March 1945.
@@trevorfuller8980 A lot of technical detail; bottom line, try and find a single book on Stilwell; in your local Library.....I bet U Can't! Hint; (Sand Against the Wind!)