WAR BUSH. 81st (West African) Division in Burma 1943-1945

In his foreword HRH Prince Philip makes the point that the 81st Division was unique in the story of the British Empire in that it was the largest concentration of our African troops ever to be formed. The troops came from all the West African colonies - Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Gold Coast and Nigeria and collectively they were designated the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF). Despite being naturals for war in the jungles of Burma their skills were never realised or fully exploited, and yet the two brigades which fought in north Arakan for a full year through two dry seasons and the monsoon, were rated by the Japanese as ‘undoubtedly our best jungle fighters.’ This history offers the evidence to support the Japanese assessment. It also provides a full account of the service of its third (Nigerian) brigade as Chindits, relegated by Wingate to ‘garrison duties. As Prince Philip observes, Wingate, too, failed to exploit this brigades jungle fighting capabilities.(All profits from the sale of War Bush are given to the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League for the benefit of West African veterans)

Details


Product Code:	5483
Author:	by John A.L Hamilton
ISBN:	0 85955 267 5
Format:	2001. HB. 400pp with 91 b/w illus and 17 maps, index, bibliography
Shipping Time:	Usually dispatched Next Day
Our Price:	£25.00