Jack Bowsher - Thunder Run

The vicious fight was one of only a couple of major fights on the Thunder Run to Meiktila, most opposition was quickly swept aside, but the battle to come was to be equally ferocious.

a rugby player clutching the ball & jumping under a tank and blowing himself up. Major Arkinstall, CO C Squadron, saw another try to push a bomb in the tracks ‘but got entangled in the sprocket the mine going off, taking his head with it,& his body whipped around & thrown onto the top of the tank’..

Up to now, the Japanese had used tank hunting parties throughout the war, and while this was an incredibly dangerous job, their methods were intended for the men to survive.

At Oyin, 22 Feb 1945, the young Indian Army tank crews faced Japanese suicide attacks. One was described like...

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.

Cheers mate 👍

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...

Do remember just how young, inexperienced , and with rushed training the men were in the 7/10 Baluch. Korla (pic 2 he is 2nd from left in May 1945) would fight throughout the campaign, notably at Imphal 44 & Meiktila 45, & became a Maj-Gen in the post-war Indian Army. He died in 2007 aged 90.

coys counterattacked with the bayonet and ‘dahs’, killing or driving back the enemy…Capt. Siri Kanth Korla, commanding C Company, fought with exemplary gallantry and inspired and encouraged his men all night. He personally led six bayonet attacks, and his Coy fought fanatically’ ...

several parties attacking various sectors, and each party consisting of 10-15 men armed with swords, bayonets and grenades; and supported by automatic weapons. These parties attacked in short rushes of 10-12 paces, lying flat on their stomachs at the end of each rush. As the enemy got close...

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...

Absolutely! I’m writing my 1942 retreat book atm and so many of the places are battlefields more than once.

Kalewa would of course be the later site of the 1400 yard (and at that time the longest) bailey bridge - nicknamed 'Grub Bridge', where the liberation of Burma really got started.

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.

It’s all good, thanks though. Happened over a month ago now 👍

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)

then a signal was given to stop and the infantry would charge the last 10-20 yards and neutralise the bunker with grenades, SMGs, kukri and bayonet.

Aerial bombing and artillery would clear vegetation to expose the area of suspected bunkers, then the tanks would come up to around 50 yards and hammer it with 75mm HE fire, as the infantry approached they would switch to MG and AP rounds to keep the Japanese heads down,