Fighting Mad: One Man's Guerrilla War

by Michael Calvert

Michael Calvert was one of the legendary figures of the Second World War. He hit the headlines as 'Mad Mike' after the first Chindit campaign in 1943, with a reputation as a tough and daring leader of guerrilla troops. His specialty was penetrating behind enemy lines; his success was due to a resourceful mind and the fact that men would follow him wherever he led.

Mad Mike fought in the snow and ice of Norway, in the steaming jungles of Burma, and on the battlefields of Europe where in 1945 he commanded the crack Special Air Service Brigade.

He was one of the first men selected for the Chindits by the controversial General Orde Wingate. He became Wingate's right-hand man - both in fierce jungle fighting and in battles against stick-in-the-mud staff officers.

Genres: Military Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Lieutenant Colonel James Michael Calvert, DSO

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that was written in 1964 about one of the key members of the Chindits in Burma during World War 2, and is about their operations there behind Japanese lines which is quite a well known subject. The book also focuses on his early wartime career where he was a member of the unit that would have intervened on the Finnish side during their Winter War with Russia and his time fighting in Norway. Also of particular interest is where he was trained as a "stay-behind" guerilla in case of a German invasion of Britain, and where he did small scale raids on his own initiative against the Japanese during the early days of the invasion there before falling back to India and joining the Chindits. Mike Calvert had a very colorful wartime career which included time with the SAS in western Europe fighting the Germans after his exploits with the Chindits, and I recommend this to any special operations enthusiasts of World War 2.

[Brannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great autobiography set during WWII. It’s very interesting and reads smooth.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly frank, interesting and easy to read book about an amazing warrior who battled not only the Japanese and Germans but the British armies general staff.

[Robert Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent true war experience.

Great book about an amazing man during WW II and into the 1950’s . A super read. Try it you’ll, you’ll like it if your a WW II story lover .

[Dave Hay · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandfather was a a Chindit, and POW'ed. He was under the command of "mad" Mike Calvert, and this is why I looked this book up.
My grandfather would not speak of what happened during his time in service, although the treatment as a POW in Burma was always evident. Fighting Mad gave me good insights into what time and conditions were like for all in the jungle wars of those times. So glad I have not had to go through these nasty experiences, and have so much respect for anyone put in these conditions and having these experiences.