The campaign in Burma was the longest in World War II, and was, arguably, also the most ferocious and the most varied. It comprised jungle as well as desert warfare; the longest retreat in the history of the British Army; the greatest defeat suffered on land by the Japanese army; long-range penetration groups operating hundreds of miles behind enemy lines and ruthless hand-to-hand fighting.
Louis Allen's account is based on his unique command of the public and private archives in Tokyo and London. He presents the story from both sides using evidence from private soldiers as well as generals, from correspondence and conversations since 1945, and from personal knowledge of the battlefield itself.
