First Burma Campaign: The Japanese Conquest of 1942 by Those Who Were There

by E.C.V. Foucar (contributor), John Grehan (Introduction)

The British Army's report on the Japanese invasion of Burma during WWII--based on firsthand accounts by the officers who survived it.

In 1942, the Japanese military drove British and Indian forces out of Burma. Colonel E.C.V. Foucar, M.C., was given the task of discovering what happened. Seeking information and documentary evidence from officers of the First Burma Campaign, Foucar wrote this detailed account for the Director of Military Training.

This volume describes the challenging geographical, climatic, and political conditions in Burma before turning to the devastating Japanese ground assault. He describes harrowing episodes such as the 'Disaster' at Sittang Bridge, the evacuation of Rangoon, and the march to the River Irrawaddy in an attempt to secure the north of Burma and its oilfields.

With the Japanese closing in on the beleaguered British force, the decision was taken to abandon Burma and try to reach India. The ragged, disease-ridden troops battled their way west just as the monsoons broke. General Wavell, wrote that, "operations were now a race with the weather as with the Japanese and as much a fight against nature as against the enemy."

384 pages, ebook

Published August 30, 2020

Reviews

[Kammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy via netgalley!

This is a interesting book. Having never heard about this forgotten battle, i was Intrigued to know more. This book extensively explains all the details during and after the battle. It also, prior to the battle details, gives you a good introduction to Burma as a country. Intensive at time, but worth the read for any history buffs.

[Soozee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and detailed account of a little recognised episode from the Second World War - the attempt by the British, along with Gurhka and Chinese forces - to hold the front in Burma and to repel the Japanese attempt to progress into India. Shortly after the British and Indian forces had withdrawn from Burma in the face of the Japanese onslaught in 1942, Colonel E.C.V. Foucar MC was instructed to undertake a ‘special duty’, namely seek out documentary material and information from the various officers involved in the First Burma Campaign.

The campaign was in some ways a failure, as the troops had to withdraw, leaving the Japanese in control. They were hampered by poor supply chains, horrific jungle conditions, some antagonism or lack of c0-operation from the Burmese and struggles between the commanders, especially over who should command the combined forces. However, it did delay the Japanese, holding them in Burma until the monsoon, allowing India time to prepare its defence.

That the men fought bravely was not denied. However, Colonel Foucar does seem to see the events purely from the view of the British officer. He is quite disparaging on occasions about the efforts for the Gurkhas, Indians, Chinese and other natives. He also only records officers as individuals, the rest were just 'the men', and while he credits them with achievements and effort, he does not see them as individuals. However, he was writing as a contemporary, in the accepted style and mindset of that time.

For me, the book is a very detailed military account of troop movements, rather like a Regimental War Diary, and I would have liked to see some individual stories come through. An interesting account.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pen & Sword and Frontline Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Colonel E C V Foucar MC published the book “First Burma Campaign: The First Ever Account of the Japanese Conquest of 1942” in 2020 (November). Colonel Foucar was assigned the task in late 1942 of writing an account of the action in Burma for the Director of Military Training. This his only publication.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘G’. The book describes the actions of British and Commonwealth troops during the early months of fighting in WWII Burma.

I found the 14.5+ hours I spent reading this 288-page military history interesting. This book is very dry and it is obvious from the writing style that it was written nearly 80 years ago. It includes many details of those involved in the fighting and the tactics followed. The biggest deficiency is that it has no maps. Any book like this needs detailed maps for the reader to follow the action. This book needs maps more than most since few of the cities mentioned will be familiar to most readers. I give this book a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Bex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed historical account which gives a glimpse of some of the factors and consequences of the conflict between the Japanese and British in Burma in 1942.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frontline Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sally Birkitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to use for reference unfortunately the sheer amount of information made it a hard read. It is the sort of book you dip in and out of. Very useful as an historical reference book.