Seventy-eight miles from Kohima, the Assam Regiment dug in deep at Jessami. Despite ridicule from those unconvinced an attack would come, Brown’s defensive positions proved vital. Their refusal to yield in 1944 bought precious time for to organise the garrison in Kohima. #Warfare #Heroes #Defense

It's #ThingThursday! This week this is my Kodak Retina II Type 142-made between 1937-39 in Stuttgart-I bought this just before I went on school trips to the FWW battlefields, Auschwitz and Munich. Some really haunting photos, like the ones at Hooge Crater Museum, and the gate outside Auschwitz I.

In 1942, the Assam Regiment marched 134 miles to Imphal after their vehicles were confiscated. Moving by night through monsoon rains, they proved their endurance early on. This journey forged the spirit seen later at Jessami #Endurance #WW2 #March

Raised in Shillong in 1941, the Assam Regiment was built from local Naga, Khazi, and Kuki men. These soldiers brought an unmatched knowledge of the jungle to the front lines, defending their own soil with incredible bravery. #Legacy #Assam #Valor

Today's #MapMonday is the one my wife drew and I annotated to illustrate the capture of the tennis court at Kohima on 13 May 1944. The map and a detailed description of the event are in my first book Forgotten Armour: Tank Warfare in Burma. www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

This was such a fun pod to record, Charlotte is such a wonderful and passionate speaker on an amazing story. Her grandfather and the Assam Regiment really were quite extraordinary.

Our latest episode is LIVE! We dive into the history of the Assam Regiment & Lt. Col. Felix 'Bruno' Brown, a unit formed in 1941 that was the vanguard of India’s defence. From the oil fields of Digboi to fierce battles of 1944,hear how they stood firm with the inimitable Charlotte Carty #WWII #India

Tomorrow, we reveal the heroic story of the Assam Regiment. Join Jack and Rob as they speak with Charlotte Carty about her grandfather, Lt Col ‘Bruno’ Brown (far right in pic), and a unit that defied the odds in the jungles of Burma. Tune in for a tale of true grit #Burma #History #Podcast

Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA: heroes or traitors? We tackle the complex legacy of the Indians who fought alongside the Japanese. Walter Reid examines how this movement challenged British authority and shifted the post-war landscape forever. Tune in! #INA #ChandraBose #HistoryPodcast

While the Congress party was sidelined, how did Jinnah and the Muslim League gain ground? We explore the political shifts during the war that made the eventual Partition of India almost inevitable. A fascinating look at wartime power plays with Walter Reid. #Jinnah #Partition #IndiaHistory

Slightly quaint little thing for #ThingThursday - my Great-Grandfather Jasper Botten's Home Guard shooting competition trophy from 1941. It's barely 10cms tall, but I love it and my Grandfather was rather proud of his old man's achievement - he would have been ten in 1931...

Listeners will see our Apple Podcasts feed on their apps have now updated properly - apologies to those people affected, but you can now enjoy our discussion with Walter Reid.

Did Gandhi’s Quit India movement hamper the Allied war effort against Japan? In our latest episode, Walter Reid explores the high-stakes friction between the British Raj and Indian nationalists as the threat of invasion loomed in 1942. Essential listening! #Gandhi #WWII #HistoryPodcast

Today's #MapMonday takes me back to writing Thunder Run - the hand drawn map of Oyin found in the Probyn's Horse war diary. Oyin is a village on the way to Meiktila from the Irrawaddy bridgehead, its significance lies in the sudden increased intensity of Japanese tank hunting parties...

Fascinating chat with Walter Reid in this week’s episode of India and Indian Independence 👇

Our new episode is live! Historian Walter Reid joins us for a deep dive into the 1942 Quit India movement. How did the global war collide with the domestic struggle for freedom? Listen now to The Forgotten War Podcast on all major platforms today!! #History #WWII #IndependenceDayIndia

The hardback of Thunder Run: Meiktila 1945 is 20% off the RRP on Amazon right now 👇

Tomorrow, we jump into a pivotal moment in global history. Join Jack and Rob as they welcome acclaimed historian Walter Reid to discuss India’s complex road to independence during WWII. Was British policy a failure or a necessity? Find out tomorrow!! #WWII #History #TheForgottenWarPod

For many Indian soldiers, the choice between the INA and remaining a POW was, in Gautam's words, an "impossible dilemma". Breaking a military oath was a code-shattering decision akin to breaking marriage vows. Listen to the latest episode today. #MilitaryEthics #WW2History #Podcast

History is often written by the elite, but Gautam Hazarika used 20,000 interrogation reports to hear the actual voices of the sepoys and sergeants. Discover their personal accounts of the Burma campaign in our new episode. These stories are there to be told. #History #WWII

It's #ThingThursday (it's a thing!), & is a little bit special. My great-grandfather Jasper Botten's Soldier's Small Book, his Pay Book, & a little pocket history of the 1st Royal Sussex Regt that he had clearly got from someone else. He spent the FWW on garrison duty, which maybe saved his life.

Imagine escaping Singapore & walking 3,000 miles to India. Lieutenant Markandan 'Mark' Pillai refused to be a prisoner, island-hopping & trekking through the monsoon to reach safety in India by August 1942. An incredible feat of endurance that we discuss in detail on the latest show. #EscapeStory

Going live with Tom and Eddie from This Week in the Second World War in just over an hour - 6pm GMT. Link👇 www.youtube.com/live/UCOekZD...

I mentioned the last stand of the 7/10 Baluch earlier this week, and they really show that the retreat in 1942 was not just a meek rolling over by the fighting troops. Here is an extract from the war diary on 12 Feb 1942 at about 2am: 'These [Japanese] attacks came in waves. Each wave containing...

Today's #MapMonday is the Burma Army's final evacuation route - the ferry between Shwegyin & Kalewa on the Chindwin, a 6 mile meandering course where the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company steamers & requisition boats used by Force Viper helped bring the remnants of Alex & Slim's army to safety in May 1942.

I missed this due to a family emergency, but what a brilliant interview - thank you Gautam. A fascinating look at Indian POWs and the birth of the INA 👇

Out now! Gautam Hazarika joins us to discuss his new book on the 62,000 Indian soldiers captured in 1942. We explore the birth of the INA and the brutal reality of captivity across the Far East. Listen today for this truly gripping story #ForgottenWar #MilitaryHistory #WW2Podcast

Tomorrow, we delve into the complex, hidden history of 62,000 Indian POWs from WWII. Join Rob & special guest Gautam Hazarika as he explores the "impossible dilemma" of loyalty after the fall of Singapore. It is a truly deep story of survival, sacrifice, & forgotten struggle #FEPOW #WWII #History

Learning a lot I didn't know because of this podcast.

Though the Japanese didn't invade India in 1942, V Force ensured the frontier was never truly blind. By providing eyes & ears for the military & dominating no-man’s land, they laid the groundwork for eventual Allied victory. Hear the full analysis in S3 E6 of the pod today #History #Burma #VForce ..

The concept of "stay-behind" parties was central to V Force operations. These brave individuals remained in areas occupied by the enemy to report on Japanese movements. It was a high-stakes game of cat and mouse in the thickest monsoon jungles of the East. #WW2 (pic from the excellent ekkhaale.org)

It's #ThingThursday - and today I have gone with an original picture I bought recently showing Lee tanks of 25 Dragoons moving up towards the 'Tortoise' position in the Razabil 'Fortress', on the Mayu Range at the end of January 1944 (pic 3 aerial photo of Tortoise)

As they helped build roads for the evacuation and then militarising of Assam & Manipur, the Tea Planters also supported V Force. In our latest episode, we discuss how civilian residents & tea estates became integral to the V Force network, providing logistical support and local expertise in a crisis

V Force wasn't just regular soldiers. It relied on the bravery of local hill tribes—the Naga,Chin&Lushai people, or people like the anthropologist Ursula Graham Bower. Their knowledge of the geography of the Burma/India frontier was the ultimate weapon against invasion. #NagaHills #BurmaWar #VForce

For the first time ever Jack and Rob will be onstage together at Despatches Magazine Live. Doors open at 2:30pm on Sunday 26 April, with the FWP team giving their headline talk Thunder & Lightning: Burma 1945 at 5:15pm. Get your £25 tickets here👇 DispatchesLiveTalks.eventbrite.com

Great to see the phrase Thunder Run is sticking for the advance and capture of Meiktila, most recently here - the @Imperial War Museum have used it in their recent video on the Burma Campaign.

In 1942 the defence of Northeast India was described as "naked." Wavell had to act fast to fill the massive gaps. S3 E6 details how V Force was created as a screen to watch the borders & provide vital intelligence from the deep jungle. Listen now. #History #Military #VForce (pic from ekkhaale.org)

The bond between soldiers and their horses & mules was not just sentimentality...

The FWP’s entry for #MapMonday can only be the Sittang Bridge at Mokpalin- #OTD 23 Feb 1942 in the early hours, Maj. Gen. Jackie Smyth VC blew it up with up to 2/3s of his Division on the wrong side. It was one of the decisive of the retreat campaign. You can hear Jack & Rob’s take on it in S2 E2.

Today's #MapMonday is from the 7/10 Baluch (17 Indian Division) 1942 war diary and their positions on the night on 11/12 February - they had only been raised in 1940 and many of the troops were incredibly young, they were understrength, what experienced personnel they had originally been assigned...

Today’s episode is a fascinating look at the defences of Northwestern India developed in 1942, especially V Force.

Out now! S3 E6 explores the formation of V Force. As the Japanese loomed over India in 1942, a unique group of scouts & stay-behind parties became the empire's eyes & ears in the jungle. Hear this incredible story of the Burma campaign today. Tune in now! #WW2History #VForce Pic from buff.ly/Uuz6nHJ

Still tickled by this! Nice one @historybowsh.bsky.social

Tomorrow on The Forgotten War Podcast, we are in the desperate days of the summer of 1942. Discover how General Wavell scrambled to defend India’s frontiers against the Japanese advance. A story of shadows, and survival. Join Jack and Rob for S3 E6 at dawn. #WWII #HistoryPodcast #VForce

My feelings on the names of the AVG squadrons in Burma 1942 🫡 #ww2 #burma #tiger #history #author

Listeners will know Mad Mike Calvert, this week we follow his less well-known audacious raid at Henzada with Force Viper. Facing a sudden ambush, Calvert’s commandos & Force Viper Royal Marines fought back to the boats in a classic display of pirate spirit. Hear the full story today! #Chindits #WW2

Leonard Birchall’s story is a great reminder that there were Canadians in the Burma Campaign (another thing often forgotten!), but he is also a genuine hero for is actions after the Indian Ocean Raid as a FEPOW. Catch his story in this week’s episode.

Why was the Eastern Fleet's survival so critical? This week, Jack & Rob discuss the "fleet in being" strategy. By avoiding a decisive battle, Somerville ensured the Allies kept a crucial presence in the Indian Ocean (Leonard Birchall, Hiryu, HMS Formidable + Albacore, in pics) #Strategy #WWII #Navy

Can we make #ThingThursday a thing? Anyway, this is my Microphone Hand No.3. A common handset used across the British & Indian Armies, including in tanks as a back up, or by the wireless op if the tank was stationary and the engine off. The Infantry box on the back of tanks sometimes had one too.

April 1942: Admiral Nagumo’s fleet strikes the Indian Ocean. The loss of HMS Dorsetshire and Cornwall (sinking in pic) signalled a dark era for British naval power. We break down the vital "shadow boxing" that kept the rest of Adm Sir James Somerville’s Eastern Fleet alive #NavalWar #WW2 #HistoryPod