CONTENTS

		Page
Introduction		xv
Chapter I.	Plans for the Defence of Burma, 1937-1941	1
Chapter II.	The Japanese Invasion of Southern Burma (December 1941-February 1942)	23
Chapter III.	India Becomes the Base for the War in the Far East (December 1941-February 1942)	47
Chapter IV.	The Bilin River Action and the Disaster at the Sittang (February 1942)	59
Chapter V.	The Evacuation of Rangoon (February-March 1942)	79
Chapter VI.	The Defence of India and Ceylon (March 1942)	105
Chapter VII.	Japanese Naval Raids on Ceylon (April 1942)	115
Chapter VIII.	Madagascar (April-November 1942)	133
Chapter IX.	The Struggle for Central Burma Begins (March 1942)	145
Chapter X.	The Loss of Central Burma (April 1942)	163
Chapter XI.	The Development of India as a Base (April-May 1942)	187
Chapter XII.	The Allied Withdrawal from Burma (May 1942)	199
Chapter XII.	The Pacific (January-June 1942)	221
Chapter XIV.	Frustrations During the 1942 Monsoon	235
Chapter XV.	The First Arakan Offensive (September 1942-February 1943)	253
Chapter XVI.	The Pacific (June 1942-February 1943)	269
Chapter XVII.	Plans for the Reoccupation of Burma in 1944	291
Chapter XVIII.	The First Chindit Operation (February-April 1943)	309
Chapter XIX.	The Japanese Offensive in Arakan (February-March 1943)	331
Chapter XX.	The End of the Arakan Campaign	347
Chapter XXI.	Plans for an Offensive in 1944 Frustrated	361
Chapter XXII.	The Pacific (February-April 1943)	373
Chapter XXIII.	The TRIDENT Conference (May-June 1943)	379
Chapter XIV.	The Aftermath of TRIDENT (May-August 1943)	389
Chapter XV.	The Pacific (May-September 1943)	409
Chapter XVI.	Allied and Japanese Plans for the Dry Weather 1943-44	419
	Index	523
APPENDICES
Appendix 1.	Order of Battle of the Army in Burma, 27th December 1941	439
Appendix 2.	The State of Training of Brigades forming 17th Indian Infantry Division in December 1941	440
Appendix 3.	Order of Battle of the Japanese 15th Army, December 1941	442
Appendix 4.	Dispositions of Brigades of 17th Indian Infantry Division, 8th February 1942	443
Appendix 5.	Order of Battle of 17th Indian Infantry Division at the Bilin River Action	444
Appendix 6.	Parade State of the Infantry of 17th Indian Division, 24th February 1942	445
Appendix 7.	Directive to Vice-Admiral Layton on Appointment as Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon, on the 5th March 1942	446
Appendix 8.	Order of Battle of Air Forces, Ceylon, 31st March 1942	447
Appendix 9.	Naval Forces taking Part in Operations off Ceylon, 29th March-10th April 1942	448
Appendix 10.	Naval Forces and Other Shipping taking Part in the Operation to Capture Diego Suarez	450
Appendix 11.	Order of Battle of the Japanese 5th Air Division, March 1942	451
Appendix 12.	Order of Battle of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma	452
Appendix 13.	Order of Battle of Burcorps on Formation, 19th March 1942	454
Appendix 14.	Directive to General J.W. Stilwell, February 1942	457
Appendix 15.	Order of Battle of Fighting FOrmations in Burcorps, 6th April 1942	459
Appendix 16.	Order of Battle of Eastern and Southern Armies, 21st April 1942	461
Appendix 17.	Order of Battle of Fighting Formations in Burcorps, 30 April 1942	462
Appendix 18.	The Administrative Background to the First Burma Campaign, December 1941-May 1942	464
Appendix 19.	Order of Battle of the Japanese 3rd Air Army, July 1942	476
Appendix 20.	G.H.Q. Operation Instruction No. 11	477
Appendix 21.	Order of Battle of Air Forces, India and Ceylon, September 1942	479
Appendix 22.	Order of Battle of 14th Indian Infantry Division	480
Appendix 23.	Particulars of British and Enemy Aircraft in use in South East Asia during the Period covered by this Volume	481
Appendix 24.	Administrative Problems in India Command, 1942-43	489
Appendix 25.	Supply and Administrative Problems during the First Chindit Expedition	499
Appendix 26.	The Composition of 77th Indian Infantry Brigade (The Chindits), February 1943	503
Appendix 27.	Wingate's Order of the Day, 13th February 1943	505
Appendix 28.	The Organization of the Japanese 55th Division for the Counter-Offensive in Arakan, March-May 1943	506
Appendix 29.	Eastern Army Operation Instruction No. 31	507
Appendix 30.	Order of Battle of 26th Indian Infantry Division, 23rd April 1943	509
Appendix 31.	Administrative Problems during the First Arakan Campaign, September 1942-May 1943	511
Appendix 32.	Order of Battle of Air Forces, India and Ceylon, June 1943	518
Appendix 33.	Order of Battle of the Japanese 5th Air Division during the 1943 Monsoon	520
MAPS AND SKETCHES
Forest growth is shown only where it is considered ncessaryy for the purpose of illustrating the text. Natural jungle is shown in green on the coloured maps and in a neutral tint in black and white sketches. Plantations (mostly rubber) are indicated by the conventional symbol for trees, in black and white. Conventional topographical symbols have been used on all maps. For economy in printing or for clarity, roads appear in black, red or brown.
MAPS
Map No.	Subject	Facing page
Strategic Map of Burma and Malay		at end of volume
1.	Moulmein--Rangoon, January-March 1942	23
2.	The Action on the Bilin River, February 1942	62
3.	The Action at Sittang	78
4.	Indian and Ceylon--showing Boundaries of India Command Areas	105
5.	Naval Operations off Ceylon, April 1942	126
6.	Indian Ocean	132
7.	Madagascar, 1942	142
8.	Toungoo--Prome, March-April 1942	145
9.	Mandalay--Kalewa, April-May 1942	163
10.	New Guinea--Solomon Islands	221
11.	Maungdaw--Buthidaung--Rathedaung	253
12.	Bhamo--Tamu, February-May 1943	309
13.	The Line of Communication for the Arakan Campaign 1942-43	360
14.	The North East Frontier 1942-43	434
15.	The Pacific showing Command Areas 1942-43	434
SKETCHES
		Facing page
1.	Burma superimposed on Part of Europe	2
2.	Burma Monthly Rainfall, May-October	3
3.	Moulmein	34
4.	Sittang Bridge	70
5.	Pegu	Page 91
6.	Yenangyaung	169
7.	Monywa	203
8.	Shwegyin	211
9.	Rathedaung	Facing page 268
10.	Guadalcanal	Page 285
11.	Papua	Facing page 290
12.	Htizwe Bridgehead	338
13.	Donbaik	340
14.	Atet Nanra--Indin	346
15.	Letwedet--Maungdaw	358
16.	Tiddim--Tamu	Page 407
17.	Assam Line of Communications 1943	Facing page 408
18.	Huon Peninsula	412
19.	New Georgia Group	Page 415
20.	India superimposed on Europe	Facing page 494
PHOTOGRAPHS
Most of the photographs in this volume are Crown copyright and are reproduced by courtesy of the Imperial War Museum and the Ministries concerned. For permission to reproduce Nos. 2 and 3 the authors are indebted respectively to Lieut-General Hutton and Major-General Smyth.
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Published Sources

India and Burma

Despatch by General Sir Archibald Wavell (covering reports by Lieut.-General T.J. Hutton and General The Honourable Sir Harold Alexander) on operations in Burma from 15th December 1941 to 20th May 1942.
(Supplement to the London Gazette of 5th March 1948, No. 38228).

Despatch by Field Marshal The Viscount Wavell on operations in the Eastern Theatre, based on India, from March 1942 to 31st December 1942.
(Supplement to the London Gazette of 17th September 1946, No. 37728).

Despatch by Field Marshal The Viscount Wavell on operations in the India Command from 1st January 1943 to 20th June 1943.
(Supplement to the London Gazette of 20th April 1948, No. 38266).

Despatch by Air Vice-Marshal D.F. Stevenson on air operations in Burma and Bay of Bengal from 1st January to 22nd May 1942.
(Supplement to the London Gazette of 11th March 1948, No. 38229).

OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE INDIAN ARMED FORCES IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR: The Retreat from Burma, 1941-1942 (India, 1953), and The Arakan Operations, 1942-1945(India, 1954)

Romanus and Sunderland, UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II: THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER, Stilwell's Mission to China (Washington, 1953)

Craven and Cate, THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: Volume I, Plans and Early Operations (Chicago, 1948).

Madagascar

Despatch by Rear-Admiral E.N. Syfret (including a report by Lieut.-General Sir Robert Sturges) on the Capture of Diego Suarez.
(Supplement to the London Gazette of 2nd March 1948, No. 38225).

Despatch by Lieut.-General Sir William Platt on operations of East Africa Command, 12th July 1941 to 8th January 1943.
(Supplement to the London Gazette of 16th July 1946, No. 37655).

The Pacific

Morison, HISTORY OF UNITED STATES NAVAL OPERATIONS IN WORLD WAR II: Volume IV, Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, May 1942-August 1942 (O.U.P., 1949).
Volume V, The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942-February 1943 (U.U.P., 1949).

Volume VI, Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, 22 July 1942-1 May 1944 (O.U.P., 1950)
Volume VII, Aleutians, Gilberts & Marshalls, June 1942-April 1944 (O.U.P., 1952)

Roskill, OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR: THE WAR AT SEA, Volume II, The Period of Balance (H.M.S.O., 1956).

Matloff and Snell, UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II: THE DEPARTMENT, Strategic Planning for Coalition Warfare, 1941-1942 (Washington, 1953).

Miller, UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II: THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive (Washington, 1949).

Halsey and Bryan, Admiral Halsey's Story (New York, 1947).

Eichelberger, Jungle Road to Tokyo (Okhams Press, 1951).

Kenney, General Kenney Reports (New York, 1949).

Introduction