BOOK REVIEW: The Battle for Burma 1942-1945: Images of War

by Philip Jowett

Softcover. 234 pages.

A larger than normal collection of photos from an oft-ignored WWII front also includes two to three pages of text explaining the various campaigns and operations at the beginning of each chapter.

The 303 black and white photos offer a considerable resource for modelers and dioramists seeking to duplicate the variety of troops and equipment used in the operations. All the nationalities are represented: US, British, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Burmese tribal, Burmese regulars (of both sides), and East and West African and other Commonwealth troops. Burmese guerillas and Chindit forces get a chapter, as does both sides' air forces.

As for the Chindits, you might also be interested in another book: Wingate's Men: The Chindit Operations. Most of the 134 black and white photos in that Images of War volume came from the photograph album of one of the Chindits. See the Jan 22, 2020 AAR or my Historical Book Reviews blog on HMGS.org for the review.

Of all the photos in this Burma book, the one that really made me sit up and take notice was the Sikorsky YR-4B helicopter (p75). Six of them were sent to the theater (two crashed) for use as medical evacuation aircraft. The photo of the crew and two-person YR-4B shows a helicopter with rotor up top and tail rotor in back. I knew about autogyro experiments, but did not know the Allies deployed helicopters to Burma in April 1944. Learn something new every day.

Now, there's a Chindit rescue scenario!

Enjoyed it.