Possibly the most famous fighting formations of the Burma campaign
during the Second World War were the Long Range Penetration Groups,
more commonly known as the Chindits. Colonel Orde Wingate was given
permission to attempt long-range operations deep within
Japanese-held territory with the aim of sowing alarm and confusion
amongst the enemy and disrupting Japanese plans for the invasion of
India. For this, Wingate was given the Indian 77th Infantry
Brigade. In February 1943 this force crossed into Burma on its
first Chindit operation, codenamed Loincloth. The Chindits took the
Japanese by surprise, putting one of the main railway lines out of
order, but the Japanese responded quickly, interdicting supply
drops to the Chindits who soon began to suffer severely from
exhaustion and shortages of water and food. With three brigades
chasing them, the Chindits headed back to India, being forced to
break up into small groups to avoid capture. By the time the 77th
Brigade crossed the border, it had lost a third of its strength.
Despite the heavy losses, Wingate had shown that British troops
could operate successfully against the Japanese in inhospitable
terrain. Promoted to acting major general Wingate was granted
permission to undertake another Chindit operation, but this time on
a far greater scale. In Operation Thursday Wingate aimed to fly a
force of 10,000 men, 1,000 mules, equipment and supplies into
clearings in the heart of Burma behind enemy lines. The operation
proved a considerable success, the Chindits causing mayhem amongst
the Japanese forces. Wingate, though, did not live to see the end
of Operation Thursday, as he was killed when the aircraft in which
he was being transported to one of the Chindit bases crashed into
the jungle. In this wonderful collection of photographs, drawn in
large part from one man's photograph albums, we see the harsh
conditions in which the Chindits had to operate, and the terrible
physical state of many of the men who survived the jungles, the dry
plains, and the ferocious Japanese enemy.
General
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