Burma

Wow! The author did an amazing job of educating the reader on a little known war, but important part of history. Well researched and written.

This is a big book with many, many references on the fighting in Burma during WWII. It covers the background, the initial defeats, the slow turning of the tide and the final victories. The focus is on the military campaigns especially those of the English and American forces.
I have read books on Mountbatten and Stiwell that provide more focus on the politics and the relationships with the cunning Chiang Kai-shek, as well as better covering the role of the Chinese forces. When you read about the dynamics and egos of the war time leaders you wonder how the Allies ever won.
Latimer's book is a detailed and meticulous researched record of the Burma campaign which should provide any student of WWII with plenty to mill over.

Burma by Jon Latimer, Thank You Net Gallery and Thistle Publishing for this copy.

In the title it mentions The Forgotten War, to me this is correct because I never heard of it until this book.

We follow brave men as they fight to the front lines to end the war. I found some parts laugh out loud even though in the face of death, like the guy who kept getting shot in the butt. There is a lot of blood and gore what you would expect due to the title. This book shows about 600 pages but it's really about 360 give or take. In the end of the book there are footnotes, the numbers constantly in the book is a little annoying, but easy to get through, All in all it's an important book and perfect for war buffs.

Thank you for the book for my review, I hope it helps.

I enjoyed the book primarily because the author let the men/women/tribes on the ground tell the story. SO MANY times our English friends get caught up in the politics of battle but not so here. Great work about great people who did truly great things; EVEN GETTING SHOT IN THE BUTT!!!

I would to thank both NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Burma’ in exchange for my honest unbiased review.
As a person who loves history all I can say is WOW! This book is well researched and well written.
I had heard a little about Burma but not a great deal. However it is certainly has a very important place with history.

I feel it needs to be discussed and learnt about within educational level also.

Burma is a southeast Asia country bordering India, Bangladesh, Laos, China and Thailand. During WW11, it was a prize that was fought over and they almost destroyed this country and it's people. Japan wanted Burma to secure what it had won in Malaya and Singapore and to, also to cut off the supply line of the Chinese. Britain wanted it under British rule. It was a hard fought war sending the British 900 miles in defeat. This book is a comprehensive guide to this part of the war that some have forgotten about. For all WW11 history buffs and those who love history in gemeral. It's a great book that I highly recommend, The author has written a book that you won't want to put down. I received this book from Net Galley and Thistle Publishing for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

Thank you NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for the eARC.
Not knowing anything about Burma or the war there, this was an eye opener for me. So many soldiers from different countries endured labour camps, hand to hand combat and utterly impossible conditions. Those poor men! The English and Japan wanted to conquer Burma, the Burmese fought for their independence ...all in all the country was virtually destroyed in the process.
The author obviously did meticulous research, making for an easy to follow read that's ideal for anyone interested in WWII and, I think, would be a great addition to any library, whether general or school. It's as horrifying as it is fascinating and once again solidified my hatred of war, knowing full well we will never learn from experience.

I was aware of the Burma campaign mainly from the British perspective. The author, quite rightly, gives details of the many other nationalities and armies that fought in that dreadful campaign. The roles of the Chinese, Indian, Gurkhas, East / West Africans, pro and anti-Japanese Burmese, USA and other global participants are very rarely discussed in the media.

The book is astonishingly well researched with many references to the various events taking place in Burma at that time. Jon Latimer is to be congratulated in his efforts in drawing together the many stories from every side of the conflict. There must be many thousands of unrecorded stories of those involved, soldiers and civilians, which are lost forever or are yet to be found.

The allies were led by a mixed bag of senior leaders, ranging from the weak & incompetent to the bravest & most talented to be found in any army. Most Staff Officers seemed to be out of their depth, never having fought a campaign in such arduous and impenetrable terrain. The infighting between the leaders of the various nationalities on the Allies side was quite shocking and led to needless loss of life.

Conditions for the troops, on all sides, were unimaginably bad with disease, malnutrition, lack of supplies, chaotic leadership, the dense jungle and of course constant threat of death and violence.

The Japanese were exceptionally ruthless and violent to their enemies, even when wounded or taken prisoner. Unnecessary torture and executions being commonplace. However, I was surprised to learn that a large number of Burmese could also be equally sadistic to other ethnic groups. Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised at the attempted genocide of the Rohingya people.that is currently taking place.

Congratulations to the author on producing such a monumental work of Military History.

This is a really well researched and informative account of what happened in Burma in the Second World War. It goes into a lot of detail and tells of events that should be known about. This is a really insightful and interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The author of this book Jon Latimer sadly died in in 2009 at the early age of 44, however this remarkably detailed and comprehensive account of the Burma campaign of World War 2 will stand as a lasting legacy to him. In forensic detail the book first published in 2004 recounts and analyses the path to war, its conduct and legacy which is felt sadly to the present day. For various reasons this is a complex story owing to the differing objectives of the allies, (principally the British Empire, America and China) the ethnic and racial diversity of the British Empire forces (which peaked at around 1,000,000 and were primarily from British India but also included East and West African colonial troops and smaller numbers of land and air forces from several other Dominions and Colonies) and the existence on the Japanese side of the Indian National Army and The Burmese Independence Army. For many, perhaps the majority of the Burmese population this war was seen as a clash between two colonial powers and for them the overriding priority was the creation of an independent Burmese state.

Every battle and campaign is painstakingly documented with the aid of maps and the role of various key personalities is examined. This was a theatre of war that was beset by personality clashes, distrust and indeed open hostility between many of the commanders in charge of operations. Not only do we learn about the role of such figures as Slim, Wavell, Wingate and Stilwell but other less well known characters such as Ursula Graham Bower who was the only female guerrilla leader in the history of the British Army as part of "V force". The book takes a dispassionate and clinical look at the strategies and effectiveness of the various operations including the role of the Chindits for which military historians disagree on their military significance. This is certainly an anti war book for it portrays the sheer horror and brutality involved with more dying from disease, hunger and illness than from actual weaponry.

This is a long book and may take a few weeks to read but the time taken is well worth investing in for it gives you not only increased knowledge of a past period of history but an increased insight on current events. The Muslims of northern Arakan were armed by the British to fight and provide intelligence against the Japanese and also to counter balance the Buddhist Rakhine community of the area who supported them. Following the end of the war a brutal ethnic civil war raged between these two armed sides. Following independence in 1948 and the non appearance of what the loyal to the British Muslim minority believed would be the creation of a "Muslim National Area" in Burma the country has been riven by ethnic tension leading in the last few years to acts of persecution destruction and ethnic cleansing by its military. To understand the present you sometimes need to look at it from the perspective of history and this book certainly provides this portal.

No-one could fault Latimer on the forensic research that lies behind his writing this weighty tome on the Burma campaign. His reportage of what really was experienced by the individuals involved is both vivid and gripping. Heroism, stamina and bravery jump of the page and certainly merit telling. I found it a little difficult to follow the geography of this campaign as the combatants covered thousands of miles through jungle and over jagged passes - perhaps a campaign wall-map could be enclosed. Nonetheless, Latimer is to be congratulated on doing a great service to the millions who fought in "The forgotten war" by giving this campaign the respect and analysis it clearly deserves. His book is a worthy addition to the Burma War literature.

I normally read novels, and don't have an interest in combat or warfare; but made a mistake in selecting this book to read in my eagerness to learn more about this region, not realizing this is a military history. In the beginning I found this to be dry and academic, as if reading a compilation of footnotes, but the more I read the more interested I became; so I'm sure every reader reading this genre on purpose gives it 5-stars.

A sprawling yet balanced account of the travails undergone by armies from Japan, Britain, China, and America; including personal accounts of Africans, Dutch, Australians, Indians, et al of warring against the Burmese (Karen, Chins, Kachins, Shans, Mons, Nagas...) with their 126 different languages. It is incredible to me how much these people on all sides endured, and what all they were up against. Latimer's attention to the "pervasive European racial arrogance, which relegated all Asians to a lower tier," along with acknowledging admiration so many of these military men hold for their enemies is commendable. The scope of involvement in this world war is stupefying. I learned so much about empires and alliances, collaboration and deceit, suffering and sacrifice, death and disease, nature and weather, bombing and destruction, cruelty and heroism, rations and famine, stench and pestilence, suicides and desertion. My favorite bits were about elephants proving more reliable than tanks and the discovery of a strange lizard that says "Fuck You".

Wow, what a book. It is chock full of information on their fight during world war II. I recommend this book. It's a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Burma’ in exchange for my honest review.

I love reading history books and when this book become available to read, it gave me a great opportunity to read about a subject I know nothing about and I was not disappointed the book is well researched and well written. and gives a very detailed look at the Burma campaign of WW2 . Highly recommended for those interested in the history World War II but also recommended because it's a history that needs to be told.

I love History and Military History in particular and this well researched and written book on 'The forgotten war' did not disappoint. The Burma Campaign is a difficult subject for both reader and writer and this book does much to plug the gap. Informative, detailed and covering both the Military and the Human aspect of this terrible conflict. A must read.

This book was about a part of history I always considered myself knowledgeable in, but I never knew about this. This was heartbreaking and encouraging and just toyed with your emotions. To know this really happened hits home all the more. This is a well researched read that will have you hooked on the first page. It's entirely gripping and once I started it was something I thought about. I still do, and I finished the book a few weeks ago. If you love history this is the book for you. 4 out of 5 stars.

A very detailed account of the war nobody really knew much about. A lot of actors, a lot of political and economic interests concentrated on a tiny territory of Burma. Author did a great job researching this book. There are account of witnesses and eye-witnesses of many events.
Author brings together histories of many countries in the region to explain the reasons and consequences of events.
All of us knew of WWII and it's consequences in Europe and USA. We all know of who did what, why and when. However, what was happening in Asia, was overlooked, was pushed on the back bench of world history and world interests.
This book makes Burma The Forgotten War less forgotten and less unknown.
This is a worthy read for those interested in military history and in the history of international relations.

A very well researched book about a lesser-known war. I am sure readers who enjoy history would be glad to read this one. An insightful read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Thistle Publishing and the author, Jon Latimer, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Burma in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book was extremely well researched and written. It offered a more in depth analysis of the war in Burma.
Definitely well worth a read for fans of history.

Burma: The Forgotten War is an intriguing, intense look at the battles fought in Burma, in an attempt at maintaining an Allied toehold in the orient. Roosevelt and Churchill formed a China Theatre of War in January of 1942 in order to protect Australia, New Zealand and the balance of the Pacific as the battles for Europe ground on. Jon Latimer brings us a thorough and insightful entry into this little publicised segment of WWII.

Though I have read other histories of Burma, The Forgotten War is a marathon of information and insight into the why's and how's of the battles fought by the allies in the northern Pacific Theatre. This is a history I can recommend to history buffs, but also to families of those soldiers and sailors who battled in these little known but massive movements to cement our hold in the Pacific. Without their sacrifice, so much of the world we know would have been lost.

This was a book I had to take in smaller doses than usual. About 20 hours of reading time, but another 12 hours of notes, sources and references indicate the intense amount of research involved in bringing this history to life. A reviewer cannot do justice to this work with only five stars to work with. Originally published in 2004 by John Murray Publishers, I am grateful to Thistle Publishing for bringing this back around to the general public. I missed it the first time around.

I received a free electronic copy of this history from Netgalley, John Latimer, and Thistle Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me

A brilliant, informative, insightful book. I didn’t know much about the war in Burma before I read this book, but this was rich in detail and fascinating facts.

This is excellent comprehensive reading of the campaign of Burma during WWII. I was sorry to learn the author has passed away.
This book was written with extraordinary detail of the war effects on Burma, . The author writes of the clash of varied countries involved in the fight and how the fighting affected Burma and its people. .
For all who enjoy WWII history this is fascinating and rich historical book. Very well done and pleasing to read.
Thank you for the review copy which did not influence my review.
This is a book to savor in order to better understand the history.

It is very seldom that i read non fiction. Many years ago, and as a child, i knew someone who spoke about Burma and the Second World War. I was very young at the time to understand what went on in Burma, so when i spotted Jon Latimer's book 'Burma', my interest was aroused.

A very well written book which was very informative and interesting, but due to topic and amount of pages, it was by no means a quick read. i would recommend if you wish to know more about Burma during the Second World War.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.

(Review has been posted on Goodreads and awaiting Amazon to publish my review)