Behind Japanese Lines: With the OSS in Burma

by Richard Dunlop

In early 1942, with World War II going badly, President Roosevelt turned to General William “Wild Bill” Donovan, now known historically as the “Father of Central Intelligence,” with orders to form a special unit whose primary mission was to prepare for the eventual reopening of the Burma Road linking Burma and China by performing guerilla operations behind the Japanese lines. Thus was born OSS Detachment 101, the first clandestine special force formed by Donovan and one that would play a highly dangerous but vital role in the reconquest of Burma by the Allies.Behind Japanese Lines, originally published in 1979, is the exciting story of the men of Detachment 101, who, with their loyal native allies-the Kachin headhunters-fought a guerilla war for almost three years. It was a war not only against a tough and unyielding enemy, but against the jungle itself, one of the most difficult and dangerous patches of terrain in the world. Exposed to blistering heat and threatened by loathsome tropical diseases, the Western-raised OSS men also found themselves beset by unfriendly tribesmen and surrounded by the jungle’s unique perils-giant leeches, cobras, and rogue tigers.Not merely a war narrative, Behind Japanese Lines is an adventure story, the story of unconventional men with an almost impossible mission fighting an irregular war in supremely hostile territory. Drawing upon the author’s own experiences as a member of Detachment 101, interviews with surviving 101 members, and classified documents, Dunlop’s tale unfolds with cinematic intensity, detailing the danger, tension, and drama of secret warfare. Never before have the activities of the OSS been recorded in such authentic firsthand detail.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Military History, War, Asia

450 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1980

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outstanding, 4 Star account of Det 101 (so named as to create the impression of many detachments when this was the first) and the secret guerilla war in Burma and nearby areas. This was a racist war: Japanese vs Shan vs Kachin vs Western vs Chinese vs Burmese vs anyone else. Horrific acts occurred on all sides and this book details many of them. Another area is the creepy, crawly things and also ferocious creatures encountered in the jungle that will kill you or make your life miserable. Some creatures were intelligent:
Twenty miles from Nazira was the Inner Line, and the land of the Naga headhunters lay beyond. The Nagas were not known to have any particular fancy for white-men’s heads, but then they didn’t discriminate against them either. They were known to prefer those with long hair and big ears. Given a choice, they would also prefer to sever the head of a woman or child, which would be more efficacious in the fertility rites. A young Naga warrior who wanted to bring his best girlfriend a romantic offering might bring her a freshly cut-off human head. It was a very romantic thing to do, because it helped ensure that she would bear him many fine children and that the crops the couple planted would grow well, too. Their reputation as headhunters made the Nagas appear to be a very romantic people. At least they usually confined their headhunting to a time when they were not busy growing their skimpy crops of rice in their mountain fields, and they usually did not take this activity too seriously unless the crops were bad or the women infertile.

The tigers of Burma had little fear and acquired the taste for humans when the great exodus from Rangoon away from the Japanese occurred. A tiger was stalking tea plantation workers, so some gentlemen decide to take care of matters:
It was well into the night when the goat suddenly bleated in terror. The tiger sprang upon it. Like typical English gentlemen given to fair play, the men at first alternated their shots. The first shot hit the tiger without killing him. He charged, and now the men fired frenzied shot after shot into him He leaped high onto the ledge and, even as he died, his great teeth tore open the third man, who died soon afterward. There were a dozen bullets in the tiger, but he had still completed his charge, and a man was dead. A sign was put up at (Detachment) 101 headquarters advising personnel not to shoot at tigers with their .45s. When word of the fate of the tea planter’s companion got around, 101 men understood that if they did hit a tiger with a .45 slug, it would only serve to make him angry. As it was, even without such provocation, tigers just came naturally with a good bump of built-in anger.

Inventive interrogation technique by a British Intel officer:
Drown was a consummate intelligence officer, who had come to 101 from the Kachin Levies. He usually covered about forty miles a day on the rounds of his advance posts. His reports from the field were incisive, detailed, and often colorful. It was he who captured the Japanese whom Eifler had flown out from Forward. He had also surprised a Japanese officer on the trail and shot him to death to seize his pouch with precious maps. When he captured a Shan spy, he tied him down on a hill while the Kachins looked on with grinning anticipation. He deposited twenty pounds of explosives beneath his victim, attached a long fuse, and lit it. He quietly questioned the captive about his activities as the fuse burned closer and closer. “You’ll have to excuse me,” he said as if he were leaving a dinner party. “I will have to do without the pleasure of your company, but there is no way out of it.” He barely had time to saunter out of range. The Shan cried out. He babbled the names of other Japanese informants. As if he were grinding out a cigarette butt, Drown put out the fuse. He smiled. “Let’s just talk a bit more about the subject at hand. It’s quite fascinating, you know,” he said.

The fabled Japanese jungle warriors were terrified of the Kachins. They Japanese tried to terrorize the Kachins into submission:

The Japanese army retreating from the Hukawng in May was in a vengeful mood. The soldiers knew only too well that the Kachin people had played a critical role in their defeat. General Tanaka’s vaunted 18th Division had lost heavily in killed and wounded. Much of its equipment had been captured or destroyed. Because supplies could not reach the front, the men were hungry Now the monsoons were falling, and defeat turned to anger and hatred. Several Kachin villages in the valley which had escaped destruction the previous year were still under Japanese control. Sadistic soldiers rounded up the hapless villagers. They shot men, women, and children and sliced them with sabers. Along the Mogaung River they slit the Kachins open and pushed their dead bodies into the current. In village after village they seized victims and submitted them to the water treatment. “They were brutal and sadistic,” noted Ray Peers. “The victim was tied and spread on the ground and water was continually dripped in his mouth until his system could no longer handle it, and he swelled like a balloon. Then repeated thumps or jumps on the abdomen caused untold pain.” In villages close to Bhamo, Japanese soldiers crowded men, women, and children into bashas and drenched the structures with gasoline. Then they torched the bashas. As the people tried to escape the flames, they shot them and congratulated one another on the accuracy of their aim. The trick was to shoot a person who was burning so that he died in mid-scream.

The Kachins had no mercy for captured Japanese, especially if no Americans were around:
If there was no American present when a Japanese agent, or even a soldier, was captured by the Kachins, they often saw no reason to trouble their American friends about the matter. They stripped the hapless man naked. It was amusing to see him standing, shivering with fear, in the middle of a circle of hypenlas or villagers. The Japanese conqueror no longer looked so formidable as he cowered there, covering his penis and testicles with his hands as best he could. Sometimes the Kachins adapted the Japanese trick of beating their naked prisoners on the spine with a wooden paddle, but they were more likely to follow the time-honored custom of inserting a bamboo sliver into his penis and setting it on fire. When it came time to put the prisoner to death, the proper ritual was to pink him playfully with their dahs in order to encourage him in the business of digging his own grave. When the grave was the right depth, somebody would stab his dah into the prisoner’s right leg, and then another person would stab him in the other. The next stab was in the stomach, with a last thrust into his heart. It was always considered something of a misfortune that the victim could not cover himself with dirt as he lay in his grave.

Most of the book is about the men of Det 101 in the jungle. But sometimes the boys got out of the jungle to play:
On leave in Calcutta, Simla, Darjeeling, or wherever else they happened to go, 101 men were not known for either their sobriety or their good behavior. One group brought the reigning madam of a Calcutta whorehouse to a fancy ball given by the British governor general, much to the dismay of the gentlemen present. When word ran through the room with the speed of lightning that the handsome lady with the young Americans was the famous madam, wives stared at her in amazement. Their stares turned to angry glares as the madam blithely greeted almost all of their husbands by name.

An excellent book that brings a little-known theater of WWII into focus. Recommended!

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, but not entirely satisfying. The narrative jumps from participant to participant in the operation, making it difficult to latch on to any one person. Being a covert operation, it's fairly clear that some details are still kept under wraps, so a story here and an anecdote there sometimes feels incomplete. But overall this is highly enlightening for a civilian completely in the dark about such things.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind Enemy Lines is part memoir, part history, and part anthropology. In the darkest days of World War 2, with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan on the march everywhere, President Roosevelt ordered the creation of the OSS, a worldwide intelligence agency and guerilla warfare bureau under the legendary "Wild Bill" Donovan. Their first mission was the Burma theater, unwanted stepchild of the war, yet a vital link to China and defense for India.

The small OSS team, Detachment 101 (named as such because 'hell, we can't let the Brits know we only have one unit') had the good fortune to meet the Kachin people of the Burmese highlands. In their initial invasion, the Japanese had treated the Kachin with exceptional brutality, massacring and mutilating entire villages. Whether this was due to the IJA's own cruelty or bad advice from local Shan allies, the Japanese made mortal enemies of an entire people. Kachin warriors needed no training in jungle warfare. They could march miles across some of the worst terrain in the world, living off of grubs and fruits, and leaving no trace as they moved. All they needed were guns, radios, and a handful of experts in industrial warfare, and they would make the Japanese bleed.

Part of this book is a conventional military history, Unit X marched to Y and attacked. The better part is a memoir, as Dunlop was one of these OSS agents, and managed to get the tales of many of the other Detachment 101 men. He has high regard for the Kachin, a little less for the OSS, much less for the British, and no regard at all for the Chinese. What comes through, again and again, is a sincerely love of the Kachin, their courage, and their skill living in the jungle.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book reads like an American army manual, filled with glory tales of valiant soldiers risking everything against the cruel yet brave Japanese occupying army in trying jungle conditions of North Burmese mountains. The major disappointment is the almost lack of detail of Kushin culture. There is also a lack of cohesion in the story with various operational details listed one after the other, again from the eyes of the brave American soldiers.

The only aspect I enjoyed was the details of the era, and the region which does not have a lot of literature.

Another aspect which stood out was the way Americans readily provided arms and military training to their Kushin partners in order to kill as many Japs as possible, which is understandable during a war, but this had some unintended consequences of promoting insurgencies in many future countries in South America and Asia. Even the catholic and Protestant missionary priests seem to aiding the guerrilla efforts with all of their might. Small wonder then if any American or Western 'aid' effort is viewed with the most deepest suspicion by the recipient developing nations.

[Sharon Buchbinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first hand account of a war we don't often hear about, the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater. While many of us have relatively good knowledge of the European theater, as well as many movies and books in popular culture, the CBI is one we only recently have come to appreciate thanks to declassification of many OSS documents. Simultaneously helped and hindered by the British SOE, which felt the fledgling OSS was too green to have a major role in Europe, the CBI was open to the OSS by virtue of Eisenhower's support and need for better intelligence and behind the scene support from the people living in the countryside. This detailed account of the grueling work and sacrifices of the men of the 101 will live on in your heart. Highly recommend to any serious student of WWII and the OSS.

[Robert F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could only give this book three stars as it is difficult to read due to the authors style and organization. The facts and the anecdotes are supremely interesting and informative though and well worth the struggle if this area’s history is of interest to you. Little has been written of this extremely brutal chapter of WWII and makes this book worthwhile. It also gives the reader an insight into how clandestine warfare is organized and waged.

It is a wonder that Japan survived as a country when you look at the broad scope of how their army behaved. We’re it not for the Emperor making the right choice in the clutch moment, it probably would not exist today.

[Dee Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible.com 13 hours 35 min. Narrated by David Baker (A)

I've listened to Richard Dunlop's biography of "Wild Bill " Donovan and immensely enjoyed it. It's been interesting to learn of the great affect the OSS had of the Second World War. I am just beginning to read books about the campaigns of the Japanese on the Far East when I came across this title and decided to begin here. This is fascinating sometimes personal first hand account of the war in Burma. The 101 First Expeditionary Force initiated by Donovan and headed by General Stillwell exemplifies the unique guerilla force of about 100 creative Americans who elisted native tribes of Kachins feared as headhunters who despised the Japanese for the ruthless slaughter of women and children. Along the they are drawn to the good-natured Americans and by the end of the war in Burma over 32,000 Kachins many as young as 12 would use their natural abilities to wipe out the Japanese in Burma. This is a powerful story, and you'll have a better understanding of other books like "Merrill's Marauders " if you read this book first.

[Charles m smith jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

One fine read

I have done I great deal of reading on WW2 both the Europe theatre and the Pacific, and small amount on Burma. Like raiders but nothing about the OSS. This was all new to me. I could hardly put the book down. I learn so much more from this book. I just want to thank Richard Dunlop on such a wonderful job. Mr. Dunlop thank you.

[Dan McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written chronology of the OSS and the Kachin Raiders in Burma. Written by a veteran of the fight and using recollections of his comrades to put you in the jungles with the guerilla fighters behind enemy lines.

[Wai Zin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting stories by the persons who were there. They tell us early days of OSS and difficulties they faced.

But this book tend to overplay the roles by irregular forces in Burma campaign and depiction of the Kachin people are very stereotyped and one dimensional.

[Anthony Meaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Dunlop served with the OSS in Burma. He was right there. On the front lines (well behind them actually).

As a result his account of the guerilla war against Japan in Burma has a very authentic feel. Right down to the gruesome stories of torture and mutilation comitted by the Japanese and the similar revenge exacted by the Burmese tribes.

Some of this book will absolutely make your hair stand on end and your stomach churn.

But at the same time it gives some great insight into the OSS itself and its formation and history so Wild Bill Donovan has more than a cameo here as does Vinegar Joe Stillwell (the author later wrote a biography of Donovan).

Their are very few books about this somewhat neglected theatre of war which makes this essential reading. However I am refraining from giving it five stars because at times the book lost direction and became a collection of vignettes strung together which took away from the overall narrative and for the reader this led to a disconnected feeling from the actual timeline and broader strategy.

However, it is an excellent read and a must have for any WWII buff.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This an interesting story of the Second World War in the North Burma campaign. It is written by a first hand participant a,though much of the story has been gathered from other primary sources es. A couple of. caveats: the story is neither strictly chronological or told from an omniscient point of view. So it's easy to get the threads of narrative confused. There is no list of chRacters so it's very difficult to keep track of them as they pop in and out of the narrative, the native population is superficially described but an appendix with current cultural and political information would be much appreciated. This drama is still waiting to be retold by a good writer. Nonetheless I was interested to learn about the operations of the OSS in Asia and I can recommend this book with reservations.

[Bill Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind Japanese lines is a really good detailed account of what happened during WWII in Burma. Richard Dunlop went into great detail about initial forming of the OSS and he provided a lot of insight into its early history. I was excited to read this book because my grandfather served during this period and he was part of this effort. Unfortunately, my grandfather’s part in the story was not mentioned in this book. Bummer. The book was well written and there were some really great stories presented. If I were to make a complaint, I think the ending was a bit rushed. There could have been another 30 pages of post history. Specifically about what happened to the individual men mentioned in the book. Did they stay in the OSS to form the CIA? Who knows… Overall it was a great read and I have recommended it to 3 people.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a history of the new Office of Strategic Services development and use of guerrilla warfare in the campaign to retake Burma from the Japanese in WW II. The tale is told from the perspective of the agents on the ground behind enemy lines, with dozens of anecdotes of their personal experiences. These anecdotes are often about the travails of logistics, the hardships of life in the jungle, and the tactics used to disrupt and ultimately defeat the Japanese.

The book is also, and I would say almost primarily, a love note to the Kachin people of northern Burma. Their culture, their men and women, their knowledge of and skills in the jungle and terrain, their fierce warriors, and the atrocities inflicted on them by the Japanese, made them partners to the US and UK. Indeed, according to this account, they were the reason we won Burma.

[Estella Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unheralded Warriors: The Burma campaign

Being an Army Brat , I don't remember a time when I never heard og Gen. Stillwell and Wild Bill Donavan as well as Merri's Mauraders. Unfortunately not much has been revealed to those who were not intimatly involved in rhe Burma Theatre. This book was fascinating to me as most of what I have learned about WWII covers Europe and the Pacific Theaters. It was a real eye opener to learn about Burma asse and the American and Native peoples becoming valued assets in this front. I recommend this boo to anyone who wants to know about the origins of the OSS and their ability used in Burma.

[Richard Harral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic details and information about the war in Burma. Too many people’s names for my old brain to remember but some real dedicated men enduring horrible environment, monsoons, and Japanese soldiers. Local Kachin tribesmen are fantastic jungle fighters and reliable allies who without I doubt the allies would have lost many more men. It is definitely a WWll book that shows why these men and women are called “The Greatest Generation”. I would hate to see this generation of full time electronic device addicts put into the Burma’s jungle and live a week before ever seeing the enemy. I would recommend it to any person interested in learning about the war in Asia.

[Al Lock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent history of Detachment 101 and the American-Kachin Rangers, from the early deployment of a few select officers by General Donovan to pushing the Japanese out of Burma and back into China by much smaller forces aided by locals led by this OSS detachment - in the end fielding about 10,000 irregulars in the fight against the Japanese in the jungles of Burma.

This book also does an extraordinary job of capturing the character of the Kachin tribesmen.

Highly, highly recommended.

[Suzanne Auckerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been interested in WWII because of my father and uncles serving. My father (Philippines) and Uncle Wister (Manila) served in the Pacific. My Uncle Wesley served in the European Theater, landing at Normandy on D-Day. I was not aware of the Asian Theater until I planned a trip to Myanmar. This book was an excellent introduction to what went on there and today's continuing impacts.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a kid when Burma was at war for its country but I've always remembered this fight by the many stories I heard and a few years ago I vacationed there on the Irrawaddy. So, I more than enjoyed this story by Richard Dunlop and was rewarded with the tale of so many brave Kachins, Brits, Americans etc. I learned of their struggle with headhunters, dysentery, leeches, cobras and other snakes, and life taking germs etc. What a story.

[Anthony J. Cantele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Known ww II Unit

Amazing exploits & heroism. I knew nothing of Kachin but they were amazing fighters and loyal to American friends. Unit 101 leaders were fantastic dropping into jungle and developing superior fighting forces using nothing larger than mortars. The geography and locations were very hard to follow.

[Ray Siwinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting History

"Behind Japanese Lines: With the OSS in Burma" is an interesting history of World War II in an area of the world that gets little attention. The foreign locations and language, as well as the numerous characters got tedious but the focus on Kachin people and culture made the book a good read.

[Marco Subias · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want facts about the OSS in Burma, you pretty much have to read this book. If you want history written in an engaging manner, well, this is pretty dry.

Five stars in you want accurate nuts and bolts and three if you want to read something that sucks you in and makes you forget your own world.

[Stephen F. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best OSS operations books ever

This book takes you work the OSS operatives and their Burmese partners behind Japanese lines as if you were there with them. Jump into th e jungle , organize a guerilla force and wreak havoc on the enemy. This is what allied unconventional warfare is about. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Charles W. Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story of the war in Burma that has received little coverage in most other books. The efforts of the OSS personnel along with the willingness of the native Indians of various tribes in Burma to join with the allied leadership was not a subject I had read about or knew much about. The fighting capability of the natives was surprising and well received by the allied leadership. Worth reading!

[Kraig Dodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I have been starting to read some about the Burma theatre of WW2 since that is a part of WW2 I have not read anything about. This book was as much about surviving in the jungle and what amazing people the Kachin were. It was interesting just learning about how they lived in the jungle. I have a lot more to read about but this was interesting and a good start.

[Roger Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

WWII action

This book had a lot of good historical action but I found it a little hard to follow. The enclosed maps in the book didn't help me because the print was so small and it was kind of hard to follow. It's worth reading just be patient!

[peter handley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Army Rangers and Kachin allies in Burma.

An amazing story of four years of guerilla warfare behind enemy lines in the fight to defeat the Japanese and retake Burma. Donovans foresight in organizing and implementing this operation was a large part of the ultimate victory.

[Ken Alger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A testimony of courage

Thousands of natives, American, British and other forces, giving their very lives to protect the freedom we cherish. This book should be a mandatory read in every high school in America.

[Jack Petro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Clearly written. Maps Ok, but not enough detail. Must read for WW II vets. Would read anything written by Dunlop.

Vigorously written. As a WW II vet I want to read more of his work. Logics and motivation are well noted.

[TheQueensBooksII · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a WWII buff, you'll probably like this. There are a lot of data points that were a little confusing to me as I am not that familiar with this part of that conflict, but the detail (sometimes too much; really gross), and the players was interesting.