Possibly the most famous fighting formations of the Burma campaign
during the Second World War were the Long Range Penetration Groups, more
commonly known as the Chindits. Colonel Orde Wingate was given
permission to attempt long-range operations deep within Japanese-held
territory with the aim of sowing alarm and confusion amongst the enemy
and disrupting Japanese plans for the invasion of India. For this,
Wingate was given the Indian 77th Infantry Brigade. In February 1943
this force crossed into Burma on its first Chindit operation, codenamed
Loincloth.
The Chindits took the Japanese by surprise, putting one of the main
railway lines out of order, but the Japanese responded quickly,
interdicting supply drops to the Chindits who soon began to suffer
severely from exhaustion and shortages of water and food. With three
brigades chasing them, the Chindits headed back to India, being forced
to break up into small groups to avoid capture. By the time the 77th
Brigade crossed the border, it had lost a third of its strength.
Despite the heavy losses, Wingate had shown that British troops could
operate successfully against the Japanese in inhospitable terrain.
Promoted to acting major general Wingate was granted permission to
undertake another Chindit operation, but this time on a far greater
scale. In Operation Thursday Wingate aimed to fly a force of 10,000 men,
1,000 mules, equipment and supplies into clearings in the heart of Burma
behind enemy lines. The operation proved a considerable success, the
Chindits causing mayhem amongst the Japanese forces. Wingate, though,
did not live to see the end of Operation Thursday, as he was killed when
the aircraft in which he was being transported to one of the Chindit
bases crashed into the jungle.
In this wonderful collection of photographs, drawn in large part from
one man's photograph albums, we see the harsh conditions in which the
Chindits had to operate, and the terrible physical state of many of the
men who survived the jungles, the dry plains, and the ferocious Japanese
enemy.
