General Bill Slim's legendary 1942 tactical memo included a warning: 'Tanks must always have infantry with them... penny-packeting must be avoided.' Yet at Donbaik, these vital rules were fatefully ignored. Hear how command friction shaped a disaster #GeneralSlim #Tactics #WWIIHistory

Long & hot day today (20 hours in!) on the Somme with the wonderful @ZGTours4Schools & some amazing colleagues (some top arm folding from Dr Captain, Turnips, Field Marshal Bowsh, Major Cannons and Laingy Long Legs-latter not in pic) 3 more days at Arras & Ypres,my fave time of the year!

How do historians piece together a chaotic battle when different eyewitness accounts conflict? This week, Jack and Rob examine the 146th RAC war diaries from The National Archives to wade through the gaps between official reports and absolute chaos #HistoryPodcast #WWII #Archive

We got into the archives for this week’s episode - eyewitness reports in the war diary for 146 Regiment (9 Duke of Wellington’s), Royal Armoured Corps. It’s a tough one reading the chaos through the periscope on the Valentine tank massacre.

Did you know the late Sir Tom Moore was a Lieutenant in the 146 RAC - created from the 9 Duke of Wellington's Regiment - during 1943? He was even appointed the unit's official photography officer just before his comrades went on the tragic action in this week’s episode #SirTomMoore #WWII #History

Out now! Witnesses to Tragedy explores the Valentine Tank Massacre at Donbaik on 1 February 1943. Listen as Jack and Rob unpack raw eyewitness accounts from The National Archives of a deeply tragic, yet vital chapter of the Burma Campaign #ForgottenWarPod #HistoryPodcast #WW2History

Out tomorrow: Witnesses to Tragedy: tanks at Donbaik. Jack & Rob do something a little different and take a single document: the after action report by various eyewitnesses of the Valentine tank massacre on 1 Feb 1943. Raw, visceral, & sometimes confusing #burma #tank #valentine

In April 1942, planners in Delhi ordered a jeep track built to Burma within six weeks. The catch? No one in Margarita had ever even heard of a jeep! This wee we recount how a copy of Reader's Digest saved the project, allowing US help to reach China #LedoRoad #WWIIHistory #JeepHistory

Imagine piloting a tiny Percival Gull airplane into thick cloud banks with 13000ft peaks on either side & zero room for error. Jack & Rob detail these hair-raising survey flights that mapped the dangerous Ledo Road. Listen to the full episode now on your podcast app! #WW2History #Aviation #LedoRoad

A call to listeners if they can help friend of the show Gautam Hazarika search for brave Singaporeans who helped Indian PoWs in the Second World War 👇 his contact details are in the first image if you can help him.

Eric Lambert's private diaries reveal the raw, untold reality of the Ledo Road's origin story. He initially viewed the grand project as completely mad and preposterous given the unforgiving malarial terrain. Jack and Rob use his own words to explore his views. #LedoRoad #EricLambert #WWIIHistory

In February 1942, before Rangoon fell, the British made a monumental promise to Chiang Kai-shek to build a road from India to China. Was it just an empty political gesture? Listen in as we unpack the surprising backstory of the Ledo Road project #WWIIHistory #LedoRoad #MilitaryHistory

Did you know Japan's 1942 invasion of Burma was primarily launched to cut off American supply lines to China, not for oil or rubber? We explore the deep strategic wartime manoeuvres that prompted the colossal project of the Ledo Road. #BurmaCampaign #WWIIHistory #LedoRoad

The Ledo Road was one of the great engineering marvels of the Second World War, and chewing over its inception and the work that went into it was great fun! Nice to bring in an old friend of the pod too in Eric Lambert’s diary and his work surveying the initial route.

Out today! Our next Forgotten War Podcast episode is officially live. Jack and Lyman explore the incredible story behind the Ledo Road, a monumental WWII engineering feat carved through unforgiving terrain. Listen to the episode now! #LedoRoad #PodcastRelease #WWIIHistory

Tomorrow, a brand-new episode of The Forgotten War Podcast arrives! Join Jack and Rob as they head into one of WWII's most staggering logistical engineering triumphs: the creation of the brutal Ledo/Stilwell Road. Don't miss this epic tale #LedoRoad #WWIIHistory #BurmaCampaign

The legendary Berlin Airlift of 1948 owes much of its success to the lessons learned over the skies of Burma and India. This week, Caroline Alexander outlines how the logistical mechanisms perfected during the Hump campaign changed aviation history. Tune in today! #WWII #History #Aviation

The pressure of flying the Hump drove many pilots to nervous breakdowns, a condition dubbed "Humpitis." They feared bailing out over the jungle so much one airbase built a venomous snake farm to acclimatise the pilots to them. Hear this strange tale on your podcast app now! #WWII #History #Aviation

Why did FDR pour endless resources and many lives into the Hump Airlift? This week Caroline Alexander unpacks Roosevelt’s somewhat naïve post-war vision for China, the deep missionary ties, and the shocking intelligence he ignored. Hear this absolutely gripping episode now! #WWII #History #Podcast

Did you know FDR ordered a secret plan to assassinate Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek via a staged plane crash? This week on The Forgotten War Podcast, Caroline Alexander reveals this mind-boggling, cynical plot from the Allied archives. Listen to the episode today! #WWII #History #Podcast

Think flying today is tough? The Hump pilots navigated completely unmapped peaks and some of the worst aviation weather on Earth, creating a grim "aluminium trail" of lost aircraft. Caroline Alexander details the sheer terror of these flights. Tune in now! #Aviation #WWII #History

There are some particularly hair raising stories in this week’s episode, as well as the sheer scale - some of the bravest pilots of the Second World War flew the Hump, and Caroline Alexander was a wonderful guest to talk it through with.

Out now! The new episode of The Forgotten War Podcast has landed. Join Jack Bowsher and Rob Lyman as they interview author Caroline Alexander about the staggering, heroic scale of the WWII Hump Airlift operation. Hear this incredible tale right now! #WWII #Podcast #History

Tomorrow on The Forgotten War Podcast, we swoop into one of WW2’s most hazardous airborne operations: The Hump Airlift. Jack & Rob are joined by Caroline Alexander, author of Skies of Thunder, to dissect this massive, life-defying Allied logistical marvel. Listen in tomorrow! #WWII #History #TheHump

The jungle is neither impenetrable nor unfriendly. This was just one of General Slim's eight definitive tactical lessons that transformed the war in Burma. In our new episode, we look at how the Indian Army became a brilliant, highly adaptive learning institution. #WWII #History #Slim

In March 1944, the completely brand-new untested Assam Regiment faced the veteran Imperial Japanese Army at Jessami. Thanks to months of intensive, relentless training, they stood firm and fought like seasoned professionals. Hear this epic story in our new episode #WWII #History #Podcast

My dad remembered live fire exercises when he did his National Service in 1945/46. One of his squad mates accidentally shot someone with a sten gun, another was killed in a mortar *mishap* (the mortar tube was pointing straight up…) Dad continued to dream about National Service into his 90th year.

Imagine training under live machine gun fire where a strict five percent casualty rate was accepted just to harden troops for the reality of combat. With Alan Jeffreys we discuss the brutal but vital world of battlefield inoculation in the Indian Army. #WWII #MilitaryHistory #Podcast

Did you know the British Army's jungle manuals were actually based on an innovative booklet pioneered by the Indian Army? Discover the fascinating history of 'The Jungle Book' pamphlet in our latest podcast episode, and how it taught troops to survive. #WWII #History #Military

How did an overlooked infantry committee in June 1943 fundamentally alter the course of the war in Burma? In our latest episode, we look at Major General Reginald Savory's vital role in halting rapid army expansion to refocus entirely on expert training. #WWII #History #Podcast

Jack’s last book Thunder Run is coming out in paperback soon!

Got my first look at the paperback of Thunder Run Meiktila 1945 this afternoon. For those holding back for the greatest battle you’ve never heard of, then the wait is almost over! Coming out soon with @chiselbury #newbook #history #ww2 #tank #thunder

This was a great interview about the crucial turnaround in the training of the Indian Army - and of course British Army units in India. All the pain and sacrifice of 1942-3 led to lessons that were taken on and caused real change, bringing victory in 1944-45.

Out now! The latest episode of The Forgotten War Podcast is live. Phoenix from the Ashes–Retraining the Indian Army with special guest Dr Alan Jeffreys uncovers the monumental training turnaround of the armies in India after the painful lessons of 1942. Stream it now! #WWII #History #NewEpisode

Tomorrow, a brand-new episode of The Forgotten War Podcast! In This week, we sit down with Dr Alan Jeffreys to explore how revolutionary training methods transformed the Indian Army from the bitter defeats of 1942 into a world-class fighting machine #WWII #History #Podcast

How do you feed a massive army when standard lines of communication are at their limit? In our new episode, we look at the innovative farming on the Imphal Plain, where 800 farmers grew vegetables & much more to sustain hundreds of thousands of troops. #WWII #MilitaryLogistics #History

The 1943 Bengal Famine remains a tragic and painful chapter of the war, where millions died as various pressures pushed India to its absolute breaking point. In this episode, we briefly confront this dark period, before a dedicated episode later in the series #WWII #History #BengalFamine

Rob’s point on the line of communication from the port at Calcutta to Imphal being the same distance as London to Moscow maybe on his bingo card, but it’s such a neat comparison of the scale of the theatre that is so often overlooked.

Just a quick thank you to everyone who listens to The Forgotten War Pod - it’s amazing to think people want to hear about the Burma Campaign.

Imagine fighting a fierce war in Moscow with your supply line starting back in London. That was the staggering logistical reality of the Burma Campaign. Our latest episode explores the massive expansion of Allied land & air power that overcame these vast distances. #WWII #Logistics #History

We made it! Fourteenth Army is born. We promise the story gets better from here!

In late 1943, a profound structural transformation shook India Command. The Eastern Army was rebranded into what would be the aggressive, innovative 14th Army under General Slim, forged specifically to crush the enemy. Tune in to hear how it happened. #WWII #14thArmy #MilitaryHistory

Why did the peripheral hill tribes of Burma reject Japan's propaganda of 'Asia for the Asiatics'? In our latest episode, we explore how the Karens, Kachins, Chins, Nagas & more took up arms against invaders, defying expectations. Discover their stories now. #WWII #BurmaCampaign #History

This was a fascinating and wide-ranging topic Rob and I really dived into - the way all of the lessons of 42/43 were digested and surprisingly quickly turned into real changes. From diet, developing aerial resupply, to a lesson learning culture, these are the foundations for the success of 1944/45.

Out now! The latest episode of The Forgotten War Podcast is live. In Phoenix from the Ashes, we uncover the monumental rebuild of the British and Indian Armies after the crushing defeats of 1942/3. Stream it today on your podcast app. #WWII #History #NewEpisode

Tomorrow: a brand-new episode of The Forgotten War Podcast. We explore how Allied forces rebuilt themselves from the ashes of 1942/43's bitter defeats into a world-class fighting machine capable of defeating the Imperial Japanese Army. Listen tomorrow! #WWII #History #Podcast

Desperation in the Arakan led to extraordinary measures. Engineers attempted to destroy Japanese bunkers using a hand-pushed cart filled with explosives from the end of a long tube under moonlight. Why did such gallant, creative attempts ultimately fail? Listen today. #Engineering #WW2 #Podcast

Bravery alone could not overcome administrative failure. At a critical moment in the attack, troops discovered their ammunition was defective, leaving rifles jammed as they went over the top. Hear the harrowing accounts from the Durham Light Infantry. #Soldiers #History #WW2

The fighting at Donbaik bore a haunting resemblance to the horrors of 1917. Battalions were trapped in lines of trenches and dry riverbeds, facing an immovable enemy across a paddy field no man’s land. Why did the campaign revert to such static warfare? #MilitaryHistory #WW2 #Burma

While General Irwin focused on a slow advance, the Japanese were teaching a hard lesson in jungle warfare. By using the terrain to bypass fixed positions and encircle their enemy, they turned the tide at Indin. How were the British outmanoeuvred? #JungleWarfare #WW2 #Tactics