The author of this book Jon Latimer sadly died in in 2009 at the early age of 44, however this remarkably detailed and comprehensive account of the Burma campaign of World War 2 will stand as a lasting legacy to him. In forensic detail the book first published in 2004 recounts and analyses the path to war, its conduct and legacy which is felt sadly to the present day. For various reasons this is a complex story owing to the differing objectives of the allies, (principally the British Empire, America and China) the ethnic and racial diversity of the British Empire forces (which peaked at around 1,000,000 and were primarily from British India but also included East and West African colonial troops and smaller numbers of land and air forces from several other Dominions and Colonies) and the existence on the Japanese side of the Indian National Army and The Burmese Independence Army. For many, perhaps the majority of the Burmese population this war was seen as a clash between two colonial powers and for them the overriding priority was the creation of an independent Burmese state. Every battle and campaign is painstakingly documented with the aid of maps and the role of various key personalities is examined. This was a theatre of war that was beset by personality clashes, distrust and indeed open hostility between many of the commanders in charge of operations. Not only do we learn about the role of such figures as Slim, Wavell, Wingate and Stilwell but other less well known characters such as Ursula Graham Bower who was the only female guerrilla leader in the history of the British Army as part of "V force". The book takes a dispassionate and clinical look at the strategies and effectiveness of the various operations including the role of the Chindits for which military historians disagree on their military significance. This is certainly an anti war book for it portrays the sheer horror and brutality involved with more dying from disease, hunger and illness than from actual weaponry. This is a long book and may take a few weeks to read but the time taken is well worth investing in for it gives you not only increased knowledge of a past period of history but an increased insight on current events. The Muslims of northern Arakan were armed by the British to fight and provide intelligence against the Japanese and also to counter balance the Buddhist Rakhine community of the area who supported them. Following the end of the war a brutal ethnic civil war raged between these two armed sides. Following independence in 1948 and the non appearance of what the loyal to the British Muslim minority believed would be the creation of a "Muslim National Area" in Burma the country has been riven by ethnic tension leading in the last few years to acts of persecution destruction and ethnic cleansing by its military. To understand the present you sometimes need to look at it from the perspective of history and this book certainly provides this portal.

This is my first book covering the fighting in Burma and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author’s style brought the subject matter, which has been extensively researched, alive and produced a highly detailed narrative. The descriptions of the near impenetrable terrain, making the passage of troops and matériels a huge challenge, brought me a real sense of the hardship being endured. Couple this with a lack of provisions causing malnutrition and disease and the picture becomes even clearer. Atmospheric and authentic this was a great introduction to this theatre of conflict