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Burma: The Longest War 1941-45
The longest campaign in World War Two was fought in Burma. It was, arguably, also the most ferocious and the most varied. It comprised jungle as well as desert warfare; the longest retreat in the history of the British Army; the greatest defeat suffered on land by the Japanese army; long-range penetration groups operating hundreds of miles behind enemy lines; ruthless hand-to-hand fighting; armies transported both by Dakota aircraft and wooden rafts . . . the list is almost endless. And it had its fair share of forceful personalities — the cantankerous Limey-hating U.S. general, 'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell, the brilliant military genius, Orde Wingate; the colorful Japanese Japanese generals Mutaguchi and Miyazaki, the fiery Bengali revolutionary, Subhas Chandra Bose; the young Burmese rebel general, Aung San; and the two pillars of British high command, Field Marshal Slim and Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten.
Louis Allen's fascinating new account of this theatre of war is quite different from any previous account. First, his presentation of the story, from both sides, is derived from his unique command of the public and private archives in Tokyo and London, using evidence from private soldiers as well as generals from manuscript accounts as well as printed sources, from correspondence and conversations since 1945, and from personal knowledge of the battlefield itself. Second, he introduces into his military narrative fresh dimensions concerning what the war in Burma was like to those who took part in it, the factors of sex, race, and class, the way the war has been reflected in literature, and how each side thought (and still thinks) of the other. Third, he shows how, while the opposing armies twice fought to the death over the length and breadth of their land, the Burmese tried to fashion for themselves an independent future - how in fact the war in Burma was not only a series of fierce battles but also a heady mixture of strategy and politics.
Comprehensive, stimulating, lively, often controversial — Burma: the longest war 1941-45 will be regarded as one of the most original and important contributions to the literature of this campaign.
Louis Allen's fascinating new account of this theatre of war is quite different from any previous account. First, his presentation of the story, from both sides, is derived from his unique command of the public and private archives in Tokyo and London, using evidence from private soldiers as well as generals from manuscript accounts as well as printed sources, from correspondence and conversations since 1945, and from personal knowledge of the battlefield itself. Second, he introduces into his military narrative fresh dimensions concerning what the war in Burma was like to those who took part in it, the factors of sex, race, and class, the way the war has been reflected in literature, and how each side thought (and still thinks) of the other. Third, he shows how, while the opposing armies twice fought to the death over the length and breadth of their land, the Burmese tried to fashion for themselves an independent future - how in fact the war in Burma was not only a series of fierce battles but also a heady mixture of strategy and politics.
Comprehensive, stimulating, lively, often controversial — Burma: the longest war 1941-45 will be regarded as one of the most original and important contributions to the literature of this campaign.
686 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1984
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384 people want to read
About the author
Louis Allen
25 books3 followersA talented linguist, Louis Allen (born Louis Levy) was educated at the University of Manchester and the Sorbonne. During the Second World War, upon completion of the Services translators' course in Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, he was posted to India, where he served with the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre (CSDIC), the South East Asia Translation and Interrogation Centre (SEATIC), and the 17th Division.
After the war Allen became a lecturer (later Reader) in French at the University of Durham. During this time, he wrote five books on the war in the Pacific, as well as numerous articles on Japanese history, politics, and literature.
After the war Allen became a lecturer (later Reader) in French at the University of Durham. During this time, he wrote five books on the war in the Pacific, as well as numerous articles on Japanese history, politics, and literature.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 5, 2021
For all that has been written about the Second World War, comparatively little attention has been paid in the West to the campaigns waged in southeast Asia. Whereas the fronts in Europe and North Africa and the battles waged in the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans have been the subject of innumerable memoirs and works of history, the confrontation between the Japanese Empire and the Allies there receives only a fraction of the interest. This is especially surprising considering that it was Japan’s desire for the resources of the region was the motivation behind their expansion of the war, a decision that set the stage for the collapse of their empire.
While there are many reasons why the events on southeast Asia have not received the attention they deserve, a major one is the barrier imposed by language. While there is no shortage of English-language materials for prospective scholars, these provide only a limited perspective on a complex mélange of events that drew many different groups into the conflict. One of the great strengths that Louis Allen brings to his history of the Burma campaign is his facility with languages. Thanks to his fluency in Japanese, Allen was able to draw upon a wide range of Japanese sources – documents, histories, and interviews with surviving participants – to provide a more balanced account of the war that was fought in the region.
In doing so, Allen expands his focus from a narrow account of military operations to one that considers the vitally important local context in which the war took place. He begins the book not with the Japanese assault on Burma but the prewar Burmese political environment, in which ambitious patriots chafed under British rule. The Japanese exploited this discontent, drawing upon their claims as a liberating Asian power to win over the support of key figures in Burma and India. This appeal was enhanced by their dramatic victories over the Western powers in early 1942, which undermined Western claims of racial superiority and established Japanese dominance throughout the region.
Yet whereas Malaya, Singapore, and the Dutch East Indies were swiftly conquered by the Japanese, Burma became an ongoing battleground as the front lines between the Japanese and the British stabilized at Burma’s border with India. Despite being constrained by the relatively low priority accorded to the region by their superiors, British commanders sought to disrupt Japanese operations and reclaim the initiative. This gave the eccentric Orde Wingate an opportunity to embark upon the first of his two extended “Chindit” expeditions behind Japanese lines, which proved of limited military value but provided a powerful boost to British morale in the region. Thanks to Wingate’s activities and a determined training regimen, the British prepared to go on the offensive.
The Japanese had offensive plans of their own, however. Aspiring to disrupt British rule in the subcontinent, in March 1944 the new commander of the Japanese Fifteenth Army, Mutaguchi Reyna, launched U-Go, or Operation C, an ambitious invasion of northeastern India. Instead of forcing the British to retreat as before, though, the Japanese were locked into debilitating battles at Imphal and Kohima against well-supplied British and Indian forces, who eroded the overstretched Japanese and turned the tide of the war in the theater. With their units exhausted, the Japanese had no other option but to withdraw from Burma, which degenerated into a scattered flight by the time the war against Japan came to an end.
As a veteran who served in the theater, Allen’s account reflects his direct knowledge of the people and events he describes, which he supplemented with considerable research in both British and Japanese archives as well as the relevant publications in both English and Japanese. This allows him to provide a history of the war in Burma that gives equal attention to both sides, a quality too often lacking in English language books about the war in the region. The narrative that emerges captures something of the epic nature of the fighting, with soldiers battling each other in some of the most unimaginably difficult conditions of the war. Where the book falls short is with surprisingly limited attention given to the logistics of the war in the region (especially given the importance he accords it) and the absence of any analysis of how Burma fit into the strategic thinking of both sides in the conflict. Yet while this results in an awkwardly circumscribed account in some respects, it is no less indispensable because of it. For while there is still plenty more to be learned about the war in this underappreciated and often misunderstood theater, it is unlikely that anyone will ever be able to improve upon Allen’s magnificent chronicle of the combat that took place in it.
While there are many reasons why the events on southeast Asia have not received the attention they deserve, a major one is the barrier imposed by language. While there is no shortage of English-language materials for prospective scholars, these provide only a limited perspective on a complex mélange of events that drew many different groups into the conflict. One of the great strengths that Louis Allen brings to his history of the Burma campaign is his facility with languages. Thanks to his fluency in Japanese, Allen was able to draw upon a wide range of Japanese sources – documents, histories, and interviews with surviving participants – to provide a more balanced account of the war that was fought in the region.
In doing so, Allen expands his focus from a narrow account of military operations to one that considers the vitally important local context in which the war took place. He begins the book not with the Japanese assault on Burma but the prewar Burmese political environment, in which ambitious patriots chafed under British rule. The Japanese exploited this discontent, drawing upon their claims as a liberating Asian power to win over the support of key figures in Burma and India. This appeal was enhanced by their dramatic victories over the Western powers in early 1942, which undermined Western claims of racial superiority and established Japanese dominance throughout the region.
Yet whereas Malaya, Singapore, and the Dutch East Indies were swiftly conquered by the Japanese, Burma became an ongoing battleground as the front lines between the Japanese and the British stabilized at Burma’s border with India. Despite being constrained by the relatively low priority accorded to the region by their superiors, British commanders sought to disrupt Japanese operations and reclaim the initiative. This gave the eccentric Orde Wingate an opportunity to embark upon the first of his two extended “Chindit” expeditions behind Japanese lines, which proved of limited military value but provided a powerful boost to British morale in the region. Thanks to Wingate’s activities and a determined training regimen, the British prepared to go on the offensive.
The Japanese had offensive plans of their own, however. Aspiring to disrupt British rule in the subcontinent, in March 1944 the new commander of the Japanese Fifteenth Army, Mutaguchi Reyna, launched U-Go, or Operation C, an ambitious invasion of northeastern India. Instead of forcing the British to retreat as before, though, the Japanese were locked into debilitating battles at Imphal and Kohima against well-supplied British and Indian forces, who eroded the overstretched Japanese and turned the tide of the war in the theater. With their units exhausted, the Japanese had no other option but to withdraw from Burma, which degenerated into a scattered flight by the time the war against Japan came to an end.
As a veteran who served in the theater, Allen’s account reflects his direct knowledge of the people and events he describes, which he supplemented with considerable research in both British and Japanese archives as well as the relevant publications in both English and Japanese. This allows him to provide a history of the war in Burma that gives equal attention to both sides, a quality too often lacking in English language books about the war in the region. The narrative that emerges captures something of the epic nature of the fighting, with soldiers battling each other in some of the most unimaginably difficult conditions of the war. Where the book falls short is with surprisingly limited attention given to the logistics of the war in the region (especially given the importance he accords it) and the absence of any analysis of how Burma fit into the strategic thinking of both sides in the conflict. Yet while this results in an awkwardly circumscribed account in some respects, it is no less indispensable because of it. For while there is still plenty more to be learned about the war in this underappreciated and often misunderstood theater, it is unlikely that anyone will ever be able to improve upon Allen’s magnificent chronicle of the combat that took place in it.
November 4, 2021
Engrossing, although as an Englishman it is frequently painful and embarrassing. Burma contained many different ethnicities, and although many were supportive of the British, the ethnic Burmese were – in general - not. This was a consequence of British colonial arrogance and racism, according to Brooke-Popham. And as he was the RAF commander, writing in 1941, his observations ought to be taken seriously.
There were many individual examples of heroism by members of the allied forces, and they had some able commanders (Wingate, although clearly mad, was one of them). Nevertheless, the Japanese frequently achieved remarkable victories, even when heavily outnumbered. Conventional military wisdom dictates you need odds of three to one in your favour to launch a successful attack. In the Arakan campaign, the British attacked with odds of three to one in their favour, and were humiliatingly defeated. But the Japanese frequently scored attacking victories with odds of three to one against.
Admiration at the Japanese is, of course, tempered by the appalling atrocities they routinely committed, both against allied prisoners and against civilians. This makes for grim reading. It’s hardly surprising that they were treated as evil creatures, barely human, by the allied soldiers in consequence. Allen, in quoting extensively from Japanese sources – especially their tendency to quote poetry or comment on the beauty of jungle flowers just before launching suicidal banzai charges – makes them seem a bit more human – though no less strange.
The author has nothing but contempt for “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell. Everything I have read on this theatre of war persuades me that this judgement is entirely accurate. However, I did not realise how extremely effective the Chinese forces that fought in the campaign were (Stilwell does not deserve any credit for this, however). It was good to read about the remarkable General Sun – possibly the best allied commander in the entire Burma campaign, though virtually unknown in the West. Slim, though a good leader, was not always a great general, and Allen explores his mistakes and shortcomings. He was outmanoeuvred and outfought by Iida at every turn.
Some curious historical footnotes I learned from this book: the Japanese used poison gas against British tanks, though the British were probably unaware of it (individual suicide bombers carried a kind of glass egg containing the poison). And in the battle around Fort Dufferin in Mandalay – named after the 1st Lord Dufferin – the 4th Lord Dufferin was killed in action. Also, the Burmese leader Aung Sun, father of the famous Aung Sun Kyi, was a convicted murderer, a Japanese patsy, and a double crossing traitor – at least from the British perspective.
On the whole I think this is a very good narrative history and it is fair and balanced. My one disappointment is that there is very little detail on the African units which formed a significant part of the allied effort. They are treated rather dismissively and almost the only reference to them is when the author snipes that many of them were disabled with venereal disease. I’d like to read something which gives them their due – because Allen certainly doesn’t.
There were many individual examples of heroism by members of the allied forces, and they had some able commanders (Wingate, although clearly mad, was one of them). Nevertheless, the Japanese frequently achieved remarkable victories, even when heavily outnumbered. Conventional military wisdom dictates you need odds of three to one in your favour to launch a successful attack. In the Arakan campaign, the British attacked with odds of three to one in their favour, and were humiliatingly defeated. But the Japanese frequently scored attacking victories with odds of three to one against.
Admiration at the Japanese is, of course, tempered by the appalling atrocities they routinely committed, both against allied prisoners and against civilians. This makes for grim reading. It’s hardly surprising that they were treated as evil creatures, barely human, by the allied soldiers in consequence. Allen, in quoting extensively from Japanese sources – especially their tendency to quote poetry or comment on the beauty of jungle flowers just before launching suicidal banzai charges – makes them seem a bit more human – though no less strange.
The author has nothing but contempt for “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell. Everything I have read on this theatre of war persuades me that this judgement is entirely accurate. However, I did not realise how extremely effective the Chinese forces that fought in the campaign were (Stilwell does not deserve any credit for this, however). It was good to read about the remarkable General Sun – possibly the best allied commander in the entire Burma campaign, though virtually unknown in the West. Slim, though a good leader, was not always a great general, and Allen explores his mistakes and shortcomings. He was outmanoeuvred and outfought by Iida at every turn.
Some curious historical footnotes I learned from this book: the Japanese used poison gas against British tanks, though the British were probably unaware of it (individual suicide bombers carried a kind of glass egg containing the poison). And in the battle around Fort Dufferin in Mandalay – named after the 1st Lord Dufferin – the 4th Lord Dufferin was killed in action. Also, the Burmese leader Aung Sun, father of the famous Aung Sun Kyi, was a convicted murderer, a Japanese patsy, and a double crossing traitor – at least from the British perspective.
On the whole I think this is a very good narrative history and it is fair and balanced. My one disappointment is that there is very little detail on the African units which formed a significant part of the allied effort. They are treated rather dismissively and almost the only reference to them is when the author snipes that many of them were disabled with venereal disease. I’d like to read something which gives them their due – because Allen certainly doesn’t.
July 14, 2022
There is no debating Allen's quality; he deserves his classic status.
If you take your time, his battle scenes roar up & down the tropical hills.
If you take your time, entire conversations in Japanese about the folly of the next attack, the shortage of food and the ravages of disease slip between the banzai charges.
However, as the Spartans were wont to say, If. Allen requires a fresh mind. He's not a light read, nor a book to read for hours on end lest I feel overwhelmed.
Perhaps is it because I have zero knowledge or affinity with Burmese geography?
It's easy to let the eye wander past incomprehensible place names where a troop of the 1/2 something-British unit face officer Yamamoto-something's infantry group...
If you take your time, his battle scenes roar up & down the tropical hills.
If you take your time, entire conversations in Japanese about the folly of the next attack, the shortage of food and the ravages of disease slip between the banzai charges.
However, as the Spartans were wont to say, If. Allen requires a fresh mind. He's not a light read, nor a book to read for hours on end lest I feel overwhelmed.
Perhaps is it because I have zero knowledge or affinity with Burmese geography?
It's easy to let the eye wander past incomprehensible place names where a troop of the 1/2 something-British unit face officer Yamamoto-something's infantry group...
January 4, 2021
I am torn on 4/5 starts for this book. 4 because it missed on a few key analysis areas (mostly because I was being picky about info I wanted to know). 5 because it does what no other book on this theatre of war actually does-it covers it. Myself and my friend have continually tried to find a decent book not this theatre and continually fall short. Not sure if it’s a language barrier or just laziness, but this theatre is definitely ignored in literary history. It’s a shame because this author does an exceptional job, especially in the second half. Don’t let 4 stars scare a lot of history snobs away from an outstanding work.
April 5, 2016
An interesting overview of the horrific battles fought in Burma in the Second World War in snow, tropical jungle and surprisingly, 'desert' regions well suited to a war of manoeuvre with armour. The early cowardice, bungling and incredible incompetence of the Allied forces, in particular the British officers who led the Indian Army, is exposed in shocking detail. The role of the quisling Indian forces in the INA and the Burmese who fought on the side of the Japanese was well covered but the role of the thousands of African troops from West, East and Central Africa is very poorly examined, a definite weakness. The author served in the campaign as an intelligence officer who spoke Japanese and has drawn extensively on Japanese sources, on of the books strengths. The imbecilic bigotry of Vinegar Joe Stillwell is explored in some detail, his only redeeming feature was his ability to inspire and lead the Chinese nationalist troops who played an important strategic role in the campaign.
November 13, 2016
This book is one of the most comprehensive histories of the Burmese conflict in the second world war. It takes both perspectives and uses them to fuel its overview of the campaign. If you want to delve into the history of the Burma campaign, this is as good a place to start as you're going to find.
December 8, 2009
My grandfather fought the Japanese in Burma during WW2 so was very interesting reading the full history of that campaign. And it is a FULL history - very detailed. Recommended.
January 15, 2023
This book is a comprehensive examination of the Burma Campaign. It covers the battles well although I wish the maps had been more descriptive. It covers the military strategy and the interactions of the leaders for the British, American, and Japanese commands. It addresses the politics of the region especially Burma and India. I am convinced that the fighting in Burma and the Pacific in general was the toughest of the war. The author, Louis Allen, describes the terrain, weather and the diseases that the soldiers faced and essentially all contracted some of them many contracted most of them. The strangest leader in the theater was Orde Wingate. I'm not sure he was sane. His influence calls to question the intelligence of British senior commanders and even because of his strong support of Wingate, Churchill himself! Stillwell though a strong tactical commander and trainer of troops was his own worst enemy in his strategic leadership role. He could not be diplomatic of would not be diplomatic. I found it interesting that many Indian soldiers who were captured in the region decided to join the Indian National Army fighting for Japan. Of course their aim was freedom for India from the British but even so it speaks to how the English treated the average Indian. The same was true of many Burmese who were led by Aung San who was made a general in the Japanese Army. Eventually he realized that Japan would lose and turned sides. He went on to be assassinated after the war in the struggle among the Burmese for independence. The many native factions within Burma struggled among themselves and that legacy continues today in Myanmar. It is a slow read and often tedious but interesting and informative. I recommend it to those interested in the Pacific Theater and the China-Burma Theater.
October 29, 2021
I read this book when it first came out in the 1980s, and thought it was first rate back then. Now, after nearly 40 years from that time, I have come to the same conclusion. Very well written, extremely well researched by an author who could read, write and speak Japanese as well as other languages, it’s doubtful that a better work on this subject could be found. His work covers not only the battles of 1942 through 1945, but also the pathos of the Japanese struggles to escape from Burma at the end of the war and the struggles left behind that are continuing even today in Burma. Of course, what Mr. Allen wrote in 1984 could not encompass the ongoing struggle of the Burmese in the past 40 years, the civil war he speaks about is still, unfortunately, continuing.
It helps that Mr. Allen was British veteran of the war in Burma, and saw first hand at least some of what he wrote about. That generation now is all but gone, and all we have is the writings of those that chronicled the events they saw. He met and spoke to many of the main participants, both allied and Japanese, after the war, to fill in what he needed. Again, those men have now almost all departed.
So, to sum up, it was battle that probably need not have been fought, but was fought, and many folks died as the result. I hope that the Burmese people can settle their differences and learn to live in their country, with all their differences in religion, race and culture. But of course, don’t we wish that for all nations?
Summer grasses…
All that is left of
The dreams of soldiers.
(Quoted from page 636 of the book, penned by the 17th century Japanese poet, Basho.)
It helps that Mr. Allen was British veteran of the war in Burma, and saw first hand at least some of what he wrote about. That generation now is all but gone, and all we have is the writings of those that chronicled the events they saw. He met and spoke to many of the main participants, both allied and Japanese, after the war, to fill in what he needed. Again, those men have now almost all departed.
So, to sum up, it was battle that probably need not have been fought, but was fought, and many folks died as the result. I hope that the Burmese people can settle their differences and learn to live in their country, with all their differences in religion, race and culture. But of course, don’t we wish that for all nations?
Summer grasses…
All that is left of
The dreams of soldiers.
(Quoted from page 636 of the book, penned by the 17th century Japanese poet, Basho.)
May 15, 2024
A very detailed military history that occasionally becomes bogged down in command structures on the part of the British and Japanese. The most interesting parts were the interplay between minorities like the Karen, Khurkas, Shans, and other peoples in the British imperial system. The hints of future racial, religious, and ethnic discord in Myanmar during and after WWII is a valuable avenue that should be explored as much as the rigid military history. Still worth the read.
February 11, 2018
Very detailed book about the British loss and recapture of Burma.
November 9, 2013
I found it a little heavy going at times, but there is no arguing the detail and thoroughness of this work. Louis Allen did a fantastic job at telling this history, giving the story from the top to the bottom, as well as from the Japanese perspective. I was struck by the multinational effort that the 'British' forces made up, and I also didn't realise the cast differences in terrain over which the campaign was fought. I had thought it had been all jungle, how wrong can you get!
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February 18, 2019very useful book
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