The Jungle War Against the Japanese by Tim Heath

Author:Tim Heath [Heath, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Asia, Japan, Military, World War II
ISBN: 9781526759863
Google: ihcgzgEACAAJ
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Published: 2021-04-15T22:11:07+00:00

Chapter 8

Welcome to the Jungle

One couldn’t possibly write about the jungle war against the Japanese without any admirable mention of what became known as the Chindits. The Chindits, the brainchild of British Army officer Major-General Orde Charles Wingate, DSO, saw action in the jungles of Burma from 1943 to 1945. Officially conceived as the Long Range Penetration Groups, the Chindits, made up of large infantry elements of British Empire forces, were predominantly a special operations force and as each sub-unit within the Chindits had to be specially selected, they were rightly regarded as a special forces group. In fact, the Chindits were the largest Allied special forces group of the Second World War. On paper this may all sound very glamourous, yet it has to be said that anyone entering the ranks of the Chindits understood they were undertaking what was in effect ‘a serious gamble with their own life’. Being a Chindit was without doubt one of the most dangerous occupations of the war. Training was exceptionally tough, and the unit spent months in India prior to the commencement of operations learning how to live, move and fight in the jungle without regular lines of supply or infrastructure around them. Their primary role was to travel on foot deep into the jungle behind enemy lines where they would endeavour to disrupt Japanese operations, wreak havoc and kill as many Japanese as possible. Their missions included the destruction of railway lines, bridges and enemy logistical hubs, and to harass the Japanese, thus forcing them to commit resources from other fronts. It is a sobering fact that many soldiers who entered the jungle as Chindits did not return -they were either killed, wounded or fell ill due to jungle conditions, conditions such as malaria and dysentery. An equal number became separated during jungle firefights only to become lost and never seen again. However, the Japanese soon learned to both fear and respect these remarkable soldiers.

The first Chindit foray into Japanese territory was by the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade who marched into occupied Burma in 1943 under Operation Longcloth that saw 3,000 men marching over a thousand miles during the campaign. The second operation, on a much larger scale, was called Operation Thursday and took place in March 1944 and consisted of a force of 20,000 men. It was also the second-largest airborne operation of the Second World War. Air support for the operation was provided by the 1st Air Commando USAAF. Sadly, General Wingate was killed a few weeks after the launch of this operation.

The Chindits were typically comprised of multiple infantry regiments, a commando company, eight sections of the Royal Air Force, a signal section, and a mule transport company. Food, weapons, water, ammunition and everything else required for their operations had to be carried by themselves. Each Chindit soldier had to carry more than seventy-two pounds of equipment, proportionately more than the mules requisitioned to carry the support weapons and other supplies. Typically, a Chindit had to carry his standard weapon, either a .

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