Japanese Conquest of Burma 1942: The Advance to the Gates of India

The Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942 was the beginning of the single longest campaign of World War II. The Imperial Japanese Army proved to be a superior fighting force against the British, Indian, and Gurkha troops. This book covers the Burmese Corps' epic fighting retreat northwards to safety in India, including battles such as the Sittang Bridge, Rangoon, and Yenangyaung, Monywa, and Shwegyin. It highlights the success of Japanese aggressive light infantry tactics that exploited the jungle's cover and concealment.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 24 November 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

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 the 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.

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 the 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.

Weight: 308g
Dimension: 185 x 247 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472849731