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Beyond the Chindwin
This account of a remarkable expedition still stands as a military classic. It was written in just 12 days, only a year after the end of the story that it tells.
The Second World War had still fourteen months to run and General Orde Wingate, the charismatic leader of the Chindits, had been killed in an aircraft crash only three months earlier. The immediacy of the narrative makes the story as exciting as any novel. For those who took part, the Wingate Expedition was a watershed in their lives.
Bernard Fergusson was one of the men whose whole perception of life and values were changed by the experience. The events are those encountered by Number Five Column, only one of the full Expeditionary Force, but they stand as representation of the whole.
The Second World War had still fourteen months to run and General Orde Wingate, the charismatic leader of the Chindits, had been killed in an aircraft crash only three months earlier. The immediacy of the narrative makes the story as exciting as any novel. For those who took part, the Wingate Expedition was a watershed in their lives.
Bernard Fergusson was one of the men whose whole perception of life and values were changed by the experience. The events are those encountered by Number Five Column, only one of the full Expeditionary Force, but they stand as representation of the whole.
- GenresHistoryWarWorld War II
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 5, 2022
Fergusson was a disciple of the eccentric Orde Wingate and a pioneer of Special Operations Warfare. Our present day Seals and Green Berets owe much to the Chindits. Check out his book The Watery Maze too.
December 2, 2012
Beyond the Chindwin and The Wild Green Earth by Bernard Fergusson. These books were recommended to me by my old friend and Ranger Buddy, Dave Eubanks, currently the leader of a Non-Govermental Organization known as the "Free Burma Rangers". Having been familiar with both Charlton Ogburn's classic account of Merrill's Marauders (The Marauders), Slim's "Defeat into Victory" and Master's "The Road Past Mandalay", I was interested in reading a first person account of the Chindits, Orde Wingate's Long Range Penetration initiative in the Burma theatre of World War II.
Fergusson's first account is that of a column commander, essentially the reinforced company/battalion (-) organization designed for these long range foot infiltration elements to be supported by airdrop. Fergusson commanded one of the eight columns drawn from Wingate's Brigade -- essentially combat groups built on reinforced company sized elements with all arms -- in this sense, recee, sapper and scout (Burma Rifles), light mortars and a support element (primarily mules). Half the columns were British; the other half Ghurka based on the composition of the Brigade. Fergusson reinforced a point often lost on others that these were not 'specially selected' troops, rather they largely regular battalions deployed from England or other parts of the Empire on Garrison duty to India prior to the war who were adapted through arduous training (footmarching and cross country movement in particular) to this mission. Fergussons writing is superb, as is that of most English authored memoirs that I have come across. His style is in first person and he takes you through the account with the facts as he knew them in the time. Those things he did not know but became known later he has referenced in the endnotes - and they are particularly valuable to review with the respect to personnel he lost and appreciations he had of the enemy at the time and then later. He doesn't shy away from the tough decisions he had to make -- and there were several and herein what I think is the greatest value of the book. What is lacking is an overall context of the campaign, the British situation in both Burma and India, which were well known at the time. The maps are obviously well thought out and well drawn however they don't help you put the actions of 5 Column or the Wingate expedition into the context of the overall campaign. It is helpful that "The Wild Green Earth", his second book, opens with a map with places both expeditions into the overall situation in the CBI. In the second expedition, he served as a brigade commander. His focus on both is on his own formations -- the knowledge of what the task and purpose of the other columns were doing is somewhat limited -- which may be accurate for the time. But again, a map at the end of the book for those of us relatively unfamiliar with the theatre showing the entire campaign would have been useful as well as laying out the actual disposition of enemy forces. Fergusson lost over 2/3 of his column and the expedition suffered commensurate casualties. The composition of the Special Force is also reinforced -- again infantry battalions (as well as artillery and reconnaissance (mounted) units) trained to conduct long range penetration by foot with air support. His admiration for Wingate is well stated and he is objective in his evaluation of this controversial leader. You will have to look to other accounts for a fuller and more lengthy portrait which may prove useful for those interested in this campaign.
Fergusson's first account is that of a column commander, essentially the reinforced company/battalion (-) organization designed for these long range foot infiltration elements to be supported by airdrop. Fergusson commanded one of the eight columns drawn from Wingate's Brigade -- essentially combat groups built on reinforced company sized elements with all arms -- in this sense, recee, sapper and scout (Burma Rifles), light mortars and a support element (primarily mules). Half the columns were British; the other half Ghurka based on the composition of the Brigade. Fergusson reinforced a point often lost on others that these were not 'specially selected' troops, rather they largely regular battalions deployed from England or other parts of the Empire on Garrison duty to India prior to the war who were adapted through arduous training (footmarching and cross country movement in particular) to this mission. Fergussons writing is superb, as is that of most English authored memoirs that I have come across. His style is in first person and he takes you through the account with the facts as he knew them in the time. Those things he did not know but became known later he has referenced in the endnotes - and they are particularly valuable to review with the respect to personnel he lost and appreciations he had of the enemy at the time and then later. He doesn't shy away from the tough decisions he had to make -- and there were several and herein what I think is the greatest value of the book. What is lacking is an overall context of the campaign, the British situation in both Burma and India, which were well known at the time. The maps are obviously well thought out and well drawn however they don't help you put the actions of 5 Column or the Wingate expedition into the context of the overall campaign. It is helpful that "The Wild Green Earth", his second book, opens with a map with places both expeditions into the overall situation in the CBI. In the second expedition, he served as a brigade commander. His focus on both is on his own formations -- the knowledge of what the task and purpose of the other columns were doing is somewhat limited -- which may be accurate for the time. But again, a map at the end of the book for those of us relatively unfamiliar with the theatre showing the entire campaign would have been useful as well as laying out the actual disposition of enemy forces. Fergusson lost over 2/3 of his column and the expedition suffered commensurate casualties. The composition of the Special Force is also reinforced -- again infantry battalions (as well as artillery and reconnaissance (mounted) units) trained to conduct long range penetration by foot with air support. His admiration for Wingate is well stated and he is objective in his evaluation of this controversial leader. You will have to look to other accounts for a fuller and more lengthy portrait which may prove useful for those interested in this campaign.
April 22, 2019
What an amazing read. I could not put this book down. Have ordered the sequel and will be reading well into the night again if it is as absorbing as this one.
June 10, 2023
Bernard Fergusson’s “Beyond the Chindwin” is an account of the Wingate Expedition into Burma in 1943. Fergusson, commander of No.5 Column, relays the daunting adventure in a straightforward, well-written narrative which details the extraordinary efforts of a relatively small group of British soldiers in an obscure theater of World War II.
The Chindit operation of 1943, was meant to be a coordinated plan with the field army; however, the offensive operations into Burma were canceled. Major General Orde Wingate persuaded Field Marshal Wavell to allow him to proceed. Wingate hoped to disrupt Japanese occupation efforts, and prove the validity of his theories of long-range jungle penetration. Wavell acquiesced, and ordered Wingate to set out from India, on February 12, 1943, with his Chindits organized into eight columns. The group was to cross the Chindwin River, and sabotage the transportation infrastructure critical to the Nipponese occupation. The force succeeded in striking several railway bridges, chief of which was Fergusson’s attack on the Bonchuang Gorge. Shortly thereafter, conditions no longer were deemed favorable to support further operations within Burma. The Japanese harassed Wingate’s Columns, interdicted his supply drops, and intimidated the indigenous Burmese, whose support was crucial for the survival for the Chindits. Fergusson, himself wounded, came to realize that his troops had lost their combat effectiveness. The jungle environment proved baneful; his troops suffered from wounds, disease, exhaustion and shortages of food and water.
Wingate ordered Fergusson’s No.5 Column to withdraw. Fergusson considered various options, and finally decided to retrace his steps to the Irrawaddy River, on his return to Imphal. Alternatively, No.5 Column contemplated other options, including the possibility of a northward march to China. In time, the Japanese had elements of three divisions pursuing the Chindits. Forced to form into independently controlled, small units, Fergusson's troops, for the most part, successfully evaded enemy forces. The author's direct roue of retreat brought his force back to India by late April; others traveled a more circuitous route, and were not so lucky. Casualties were appalling; Fergusson's force lost 50% of its total strength, and in addition to his hip wound, Fergusson himself lost 25% of his total body weight during the operation.
Wingate’s theory seemed plausible to Wavell and Churchill: as presented, it held the promise of being both efficient and strategically sound. In reality, the results were disastrous. Overall,alone almost one third of Wingate's men died or ended up as POWs- a fate akin to death. Many of Wingate's force did not return to allied lines for weeks or months. Those that traveled the 400 mile route to China, rather than cross back into India returned as wraiths- and all for the result of blowing the Bonchuang Gorge, a small steel span of a railway bridge the Japanese, in Fergusson’s words “did not take long to repair” In addition, while it is undeniable that they “gathered some useful intelligence,” the Chindits managed to kill a scant few hundred enemy troops of the Japanese 15th Army, a force comprised of some 155,000 men.
The Chindit operation of 1943, was meant to be a coordinated plan with the field army; however, the offensive operations into Burma were canceled. Major General Orde Wingate persuaded Field Marshal Wavell to allow him to proceed. Wingate hoped to disrupt Japanese occupation efforts, and prove the validity of his theories of long-range jungle penetration. Wavell acquiesced, and ordered Wingate to set out from India, on February 12, 1943, with his Chindits organized into eight columns. The group was to cross the Chindwin River, and sabotage the transportation infrastructure critical to the Nipponese occupation. The force succeeded in striking several railway bridges, chief of which was Fergusson’s attack on the Bonchuang Gorge. Shortly thereafter, conditions no longer were deemed favorable to support further operations within Burma. The Japanese harassed Wingate’s Columns, interdicted his supply drops, and intimidated the indigenous Burmese, whose support was crucial for the survival for the Chindits. Fergusson, himself wounded, came to realize that his troops had lost their combat effectiveness. The jungle environment proved baneful; his troops suffered from wounds, disease, exhaustion and shortages of food and water.
Wingate ordered Fergusson’s No.5 Column to withdraw. Fergusson considered various options, and finally decided to retrace his steps to the Irrawaddy River, on his return to Imphal. Alternatively, No.5 Column contemplated other options, including the possibility of a northward march to China. In time, the Japanese had elements of three divisions pursuing the Chindits. Forced to form into independently controlled, small units, Fergusson's troops, for the most part, successfully evaded enemy forces. The author's direct roue of retreat brought his force back to India by late April; others traveled a more circuitous route, and were not so lucky. Casualties were appalling; Fergusson's force lost 50% of its total strength, and in addition to his hip wound, Fergusson himself lost 25% of his total body weight during the operation.
Wingate’s theory seemed plausible to Wavell and Churchill: as presented, it held the promise of being both efficient and strategically sound. In reality, the results were disastrous. Overall,alone almost one third of Wingate's men died or ended up as POWs- a fate akin to death. Many of Wingate's force did not return to allied lines for weeks or months. Those that traveled the 400 mile route to China, rather than cross back into India returned as wraiths- and all for the result of blowing the Bonchuang Gorge, a small steel span of a railway bridge the Japanese, in Fergusson’s words “did not take long to repair” In addition, while it is undeniable that they “gathered some useful intelligence,” the Chindits managed to kill a scant few hundred enemy troops of the Japanese 15th Army, a force comprised of some 155,000 men.
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March 25, 2025Great Chindit story from WW2
March 5, 2020
Not my cuppa brew ... really more of a 'men against nature' story, that took place during the war, rather than a 'war story'. Amazing detail about what they went through on their marches through the jungle, but I was hoping for a bit more action. Now the version I have says it was for 'young readers' so I was left thinking if some of that was cut out?
For that theatre, I found a bio of Orde Wingate covered the big picture better, a Mike Calvert (auto?) bio that was more exciting, and George Macdonald Fraser's autobio "Quartered Safe Out Here" to be the pinnacle of reflective, memorable war dramas.
For that theatre, I found a bio of Orde Wingate covered the big picture better, a Mike Calvert (auto?) bio that was more exciting, and George Macdonald Fraser's autobio "Quartered Safe Out Here" to be the pinnacle of reflective, memorable war dramas.
October 29, 2013
I found that while reading this book I would drift off into another realm. Not beacause the book wasn't interesting but that it was written like a battle report. I admire the men who lived through such terrible times & feel the need to honor them through reading their accounts, but this one was a bit of a toughy for me. I good account nontheless.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews