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Wingate's lost brigade : the first Chindit Operation 1943

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Operation LONGCLOTH took place in 1943, when the Far East was at the mercy of the Japanese Imperial Army. Singapore had fallen and its 130,000 defenders were now in captivity, having been out maneuvered and outfought by a much smaller Japanese invasion force. Burma had also fallen to the men who seemed to move through the jungle like ghosts and who fought like men possessed. The British Army had retreated across the Chindwin River to India where it sat licking its wounds and wondering what to do next. Through the fog of defeat appeared Brigadier Orde Wingate, the charismatic but eccentric leader and expert in unconventional warfare. He convinced General Wavell to allow him to raise and train a brigade of 3,000 men with which he would take the fight to the seemingly invincible Japanese. For three months 77 Indian Infantry Brigade operated deep behind the enemy lines, testing Wingate's theory of Long Range Penetration. Eventually they over-reached themselves by crossing the Irrawaddy River into a waterless area heavily defended by the enemy. Hunted by three Japanese Army divisions, Wingate split the brigade up into small dispersed groups and sent them on a journey of hundreds of miles across enemy territory back to India. A third of the men fell by the wayside, while the rest survived starvation, exhaustion and a determined enemy to cross the Chindwin River back to safety. This book tells their remarkable story.

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Summary Note

Operation LONGCLOTH took place in 1943, when the Far East was at the mercy of the Japanese Imperial Army. Singapore had fallen and its 130,000 defenders were now in captivity, having been out maneuvered and outfought by a much smaller Japanese invasion force. Burma had also fallen to the men who seemed to move through the jungle like ghosts and who fought like men possessed. The British Army had retreated across the Chindwin River to India where it sat licking its wounds and wondering what to do next. Through the fog of defeat appeared Brigadier Orde Wingate, the charismatic but eccentric leader and expert in unconventional warfare. He convinced General Wavell to allow him to raise and train a brigade of 3,000 men with which he would take the fight to the seemingly invincible Japanese. For three months 77 Indian Infantry Brigade operated deep behind the enemy lines, testing Wingate's theory of Long Range Penetration. Eventually they over-reached themselves by crossing the Irrawaddy River into a waterless area heavily defended by the enemy. Hunted by three Japanese Army divisions, Wingate split the brigade up into small dispersed groups and sent them on a journey of hundreds of miles across enemy territory back to India. A third of the men fell by the wayside, while the rest survived starvation, exhaustion and a determined enemy to cross the Chindwin River back to safety. This book tells their remarkable story.

Content Note

Part 1. Operation LONGCLOTH. Declaration of war -- A new way of fighting -- Assembling the circus -- First across the river -- Across the threshold of battle -- The first casualties -- Attacking the railway / Part 2. March or die. A river too far -- Disperse-get back to India! -- A long way from home-1 Column -- First man home-3 Column -- Nightmare at the river-5 Column -- Long walk to China-7 Column -- Plane land here now-8 Column -- A near run thing-brigade headquarters / Part 3. Success or failure? Prisoners of war -- An unexpected ally -- Wingate's censored report -- The second Chindit expedition -- Home at last -- Postscript / Appendix 1: awards and decorations / Appendix 2: 1 Column order of battle / Appendix 3: 3 Column order of battle / Appendix 4: 5 Column order of battle / Appendix 5: 7 Column order of battle / Appendix 6: 8 Column order of battle / Appendix 7:  letter from Wingate to Ken Spurlock's father.