Burma: The Forgotten War [Paperback]

'Thanks to works like Latimer's the Forgotten Army will be rightly remembered.' -- West Devon Diary 20041101 'Latimer ... expertly describes the story of the Allies' savage struggle to rid the British colony of Burma of its Japanese invaders' -- Anthony Looch (syndicated) 20041029 'This is a book to buy, read and enjoy and go back to time and again. I cannot recommend it highly enough.' -- Dekho! 20041029 'A long overdue tribute to the soliders of a diverse Commonwealth force' -- Sunday Morning Post (Hong Kong) 20050724 'Well balanced between political overview and intimate details, this account deserves to be noticed.' -- Good Book Guide 'Latimer, a former British Army officer turned military writer, expertly describes the story of the Allies savage struggle' -- Birmingham Post 'Latimer is acquiring a formidable reputation as a military history heavyweight with a light enough touch not to put off the merely curious' -- Soldier 'Former soldier Jon Latimer offers a gripping narrative of the Fourteenth Army's Burma campaign' -- History Today 'Jon Latimer breathes life into the maelstrom that ripped through the jungles of Burma during the second world war.' -- Big Issue

‘Jon Latimer breathes life into the maelstrom that ripped through the jungles of Burma during the second world war.’

‘Well balanced between political overview and intimate details, this account deserves to be noticed.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'Former soldier Jon Latimer offers a gripping narrative of the Fourteenth Army's Burma campaign' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Through festering jungle and across burning plains to high mountains and lazy rivers, the Burma campaign of the Second World War involved the longest retreat in British history, and the longest advance; long-range penetration miles behind enemy lines, vicious hand-to-hand fighting, and the horrors of forced labour. The Figureheads of the campgain were singular characters like Slim, Mountbatten, Stilwell and Wingate. While its ranks were dominated by ordinary soldiers gathered 'like a whirlpool from the ends of the earth': from Britain, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, West, East and South Africa, but overwhelmingly, from India. Jon Latimer draws these disparate strands together in a gripping narrative that encompasses everything from the widest political developments to detailed tactical operations. His focus is the experiences of thousands of ordinary people whose lives were transformed by this south-east Asian maelstrom, many of whom feel that they were forgotten. Burma ensures that none of them are.

Jon Latimer served for sixteen years as an officer in the Royal Welch Fusiliers (TA) including as Platoon Commander, Battalion Intelligence Officer and with the staff of the 4th Armoured Brigade. He has published widely in military journals and is also the author of Operation Compass 1940, Tobruk 1941, Deception in War and the highly acclaimed Alamein.