Bowsher, Jack/Rodríguez, Felipe Tanks in the Burma Campaign 1942-45

This richly illustrated work provides an overview of armored warfare during the Burma Campaign and describes how the Allies developed combined-arms tactics centered on tanks within this exceptionally challenging theater of operations. The deployment of 14th Army tanks in Burma remains one of the least-known aspects of this "Forgotten War." From February 1942 to May 1945a period spanning the initial retreat of British and Indian forces and their subsequent shift to the offensivetanks played a pivotal role in combat against Japanese infantry, bunkers, and anti-tank guns. Drawing on years of research, Jack Bowsher analyzes the evolution of armored warfare in Burma, beginning with the improvised operations of the 7th Armoured Brigade, which had been hastily deployed to defend the region. Their first offensive strike took place in 1943 during the First Arakan Offensive; although that campaign ended in disaster, it spurred a fundamental reorganization of armored forces in the theater. In 1944, units equipped with more powerful medium tanks were instrumental in repelling the Japanese "U-Go" invasion of India; at Imphal and Kohima, immense effort was required to deploy tanks across mountainous terrain, ultimately enabling them to overwhelm Japanese forces. In 1945, tanks spearheaded the 14th Army's offensivemost notably during the Battle of Meiktila, where combined-arms units led by the 255th Indian Tank Brigade struck Japanese forces eighty miles behind the front line. Featuring numerous original illustrations of the tank types employed alongside historical combat photographs, this book serves as an essential reference on how tanks proved their worth in the difficult terrain of Burma.