THE RETREAT FROM BURMA 1941-1942 Official History of the Indian Armed Forces in the Second World War 1939-45 Campaigns in the Eastern Theatre

This monumental work covers all aspects of India’s contribution to the Allied cause between 1939 and 1945. The narrative is packed with a huge amount of information regarding even the smallest fighting, logistical and medical units and sub-units, and yet it remains eminently readable throughout.
After the end of World War II, the Government of India formed a Historical Division in the Ministry of Defence. This office was tasked to produce History of the Second World War, with special reference to the part played by soldiers of the British Indian Army, based on the official war diaries, reports and other documents held by the Division, as well as in consultation with a few actual participants.

The Indian Army was the largest volunteer force during the Second World War. Without resorting to conscription, the British were able to recruit 2.5 million Indians in the colonial Indian Army. The Indian Army fought the three major Axis powers (Japan, Italy and Germany) from Hong Kong in the east to Italy in the west. It displayed tactical virtuosity and organisational flexibility while fighting in varying terrains, from the swamps and jungles of Malaya and Burma to the rocky terrain of Eritrea, the sandy desert of North Africa, and the mountains of central Italy. The Indian Army deserves credit for crushing the Italian Army in East Africa and defeating the much-vaunted Wehrmacht in Tunisia and Italy. The Imperial Japanese Army experienced its greatest defeat in Burma, where most of the Commonwealth soldiers were Indians.