Slim's Burma Boys

by John Hill, Monica Butt

'Slim's Burma Boys' relates the personal experiences of men who fought the 'Forgotten War' of the Burma campaign. Hill wanted his readers to know what it was like to be there and with this in mind he selected a variety of operations and events from B Company of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Berkshire Regiment, which he commanded.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Connor Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapters felt a bit too short and disconnected but good overall

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book taught me so much and I could not put the book down no matter what. I will always carry what I’ve learnt from the book with me and never forget it.

[Andy Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially, the book was written by the commanding officer of a company of the Royal Berkshire Regiment of the British Army, in order to give an insight into the typical operations carried out during the Burma campaign of the Second World War.

He describes a number of separate events that took place in 1944 and 1945 including heroic actions by individuals as well as the operations carried out on a squad, platoon or company level. Although the book focuses on the infantry, there is some discussion of supporting elements, air crews and artillery batteries that interacted with Hill's company. Generally the stories are interesting and provide a flavour of what life must have been like for those men, and the book is well written throughout.

My one criticism is that some of the events described just aren't that exciting. However, it is claimed that the events reported were randomly selected for inclusion in the book, so this might be expected. This does give a more accurate feel for the sort of activities in which the company took part, and in that sense, the book is more genuine due to their inclusion.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short non fiction account of the Burma Campaign in the Second World War through ten stories of the actions of B Company of The Second Battalion of The Berkshire Regiment. It follows the Company from their initial jungle warfare training in India, through the invasion of Burma and the ultimate retreat of the Japanese. It is written by one of the officers who was present through the entire campaign. Very readable and should be required reading for any young boy looking for a career in the military.