The Special Operations Executive in Burma 1941-1945

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  The shortage of equipment for the Southeast Asian theatre of operations during the Second World War are well known.  From the supply of... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  Map Credit In the Far East, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) is now fairly well known as 'Force 136'.  This name was only... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  Photo courtesy of Simon Leney, son of W/T Sergeant Roger Leney Many of the post-operational reports written by the officers in charge of... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  Much has often made of the fractious relationship between the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS,) and the Special Operations Executive (SOE).  The words used... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  Map Credit The two SOE operations in Burma which have had the most exposure are Operation Character and Operation Nation.  The former was... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  This post is purely about data.  The aim is simply to show the extent of the SOE / Force 136 commitment to Burma... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  General Slim & Lt.Col. Cumming At the end of December 1944, as XIV Army were poised to push into Burma and chase the... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  A supply drop to Operation Character in 1945 Based upon reports from late 1942 and the early part of 1943, the following post... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  HMS Scarab, from 'The Navy's Most Important Ship' This post is specially for K.T. Lwin, ex Burma Navy. What follows is likely to... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  The Japanese Emperor, Hirohito, made his first radio broadcast in the afternoon of  15 August 1945.  In it, he told his nation that... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  Anglo-American war-time relations in the Far East, and particularly in Burma, are often characterised as being fractious.  This is primarily based on divergent... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  As anyone with an interest in the Chindits will tell you, there was no such column as 'Danforce' as this archive file suggests,... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  Picture Credit: British Library, IOR L/POS/12/2241 At the beginning of the war against Japan, Chiang Kai-Shek was apparently 'very anxious to give direct... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  On 19 January 1943, Burma Country Section (BCS) dropped their first team back into occupied Burma.  Two Karen agents, Saw Archibald Kino and... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  The name of Major Eric Battersby permeates SOE's Burma files.  There are numerous documents signed off 'Eric B, Maj' which put him squarely... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE    Map showing Kachin territory. Picture credit Kachin Relief Fund http://kachinrelief.org.uk/kachin.html One of Burma Country Section's (BCS) earliest missions was to the Kachin... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  In 2015, Sir Max Hastings published his 'The Secret War: Spies, Codes and Guerrillas, 1939 - 1945.'  Of course, I was interested to... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  The exploits of Major Hugh 'Stooky' Seagrim in Burma were first shared with the world in Ian Morrison's book, 'Grandfather Longlegs', published in 1946. ... Continue Reading →

If you like what you see on my website consider clicking HERE, or buying my book HERE  December 1944, bridging the Chindwin.  Photo credit: IWM open source, click HERE The following are the comments made in the report of Maung... Continue Reading →