Callahan, Raymond/Jeffreys, Alan Churchill's Forgotten Generals

Victors in Burma

The crucial role played by Generals Auchinleck, Slim and Savory in the campaigns in northeast India and Burma (Myanmar) has been largely overlooked in the historiography of the Second World War. Prime Minister Winston Churchill dismissed General Claude Auchinleck as commander-in-chief in the Middle East after the first battle of El Alamein, but he served as commander-in-chief in India for the rest of the war. In this position, he was instrumental in preparing the Indian Army for jungle warfare and improving conditions for officers and soldiers, not least through reforms in pay and welfare. General William Slim, who was later celebrated as commander of the 14th Army, remains better known his memoirs, Defeat into Victory, capture the spirit of the Burma campaign. Bill Slim, who was equally popular with British and Indian troops, led one of the most impressive turnarounds of the war. Auchinleck and Slim were both promoted to field marshals after 1945. Major General Reginald Savory, as Director of Infantry from 1943 to 1945, played an important, though long-forgotten, role in ensuring that battalions throughout India were trained and equipped for the special requirements of jungle warfare. His influence extended into the post-war period, culminating in his role as Adjutant General until the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947. The appointments of Auchinleck, Slim and Savory in 1943 together proved decisive in the eventual defeat of the Imperial Japanese Army in Burma. For the first time in this war, all the key figures who shaped the policy of the Indian Army came from its ranks and understood its traditions and ethos. Their leadership helped to mould the Indian Army into a force that was both victorious in the field and successfully managed the transition to independence.