Second World War

FIBIS resources

• "Indian Army Prisoners of War in the Second World War" by Hedley Sutton FIBIS Journal, No 12 (Autumn 2004). For details of how to access this article online, see FIBIS Journals.

An alphabetical listing by surname of nearly 900 Indian Army personnel who became prisoners of war between 1941 and 1945 is available at the British Library. Most were held by the Japanese, with some held by the Italians.The vast majority are Europeans, but a handful of Indians are recorded; plus a few Indian Medical Service nursing sisters

Also see

• Indian Army Educational and Training Establishments c 1945‎

Service Records

• For the British Army, see British Army-Army personnel serving after January 1921
• For the Indian Army, see Indian Army-Records

Reference to hospital admittances in the service papers may give a clue as to where the soldier was fighting. For example, the 23rd (Indian) Casualty Clearing Station was at Silchar in October 1943, and at Maungdaw, Burma, in October 1944, and in April 1944 68 IGH [Indian General Hospital] was in Chittagong. Once the relevant regiment has been determined, War Diaries from the National Archives at Kew, if available, should give details of the regimental history for the period. Forums such as WW2Talk Forum, refer External links below, are often able to provide information and advice about service history queries and the obtaining War Diary copies.

• A World War Two Nominal Roll has been created by the Government of Australia to honour and commemorate the men and women who served in Australia's defence forces and the Merchant Navy during WW2. This can be searched by place of birth - eg India or Ceylon.

British Library holdings

India Office Records

• IOR/L/MIL/14/143 3 Sep 1939-30 Jun 1948. Indian Army Officers Casualty Returns: Alphabetical lists of casualties by death among British officers and warrant officers of the Indian and Burma Services giving rank, age, unit, date, place and cause. Possibly may provide information additional to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database information (refer below).
• IOR/L/MIL/17/5/4247-4285 Indian Army: Second World War 1932-1947

Other

The History of the Second World War is a 75 volume official history published by HMSO 1949-1976, consisting of 28 volumes in the United Kingdom Civil Series, 21 volumes in the United Kingdom Medical Series and 26 volumes in the United Kingdom Military Series . Details are set out in this Wikipedia page and the link Hyperwar: British Official Histories.

A subcategory of the United Kingdom Military Series is the 5 volume series War Against Japan

• War Against Japan, Volume 1: The Loss of Singapore, Kirby, S. Woodburn et al. London: HMSO, 1957.
• War Against Japan, Volume 2: India's Most Dangerous Hour, Kirby, S. Woodburn et al. London: HMSO, 1958.
• War Against Japan, Volume 3: The Decisive Battles, Kirby, S. Woodburn et al. London: HMSO, 1961.
• War Against Japan, Volume 4: The Reconquest of Burma, Kirby, S. Woodburn et al. London: HMSO, 1965.
• War Against Japan, Volume 5: The Surrender of Japan, Kirby, S. Woodburn et al. London: HMSO, 1969.

Also available in reprint editions.

Part of the United Kingdom Medical Series is the publication The Army Medical Services, Campaigns, Volume 5: Burma, Crew, Francis A. E. London: HMSO, 1966

Medals

• Geoff Sullivan’s Geoff's WO 373 Lists: Recommendations for Honours and Awards, WW2, includes
  • Burma and India
  • Malaya And Singapore, Java, Hong Kong

External links

• Indian Army July 1939 by Dr Graham Watson. indianmilitaryhistory.org, now an archived website.
• Historical Orders of Battle and TOEs 1939-1945. Includes British Army and Indian Army. orbat.com, now archived.
• Order of Battle Indian Army Beginning 1940 Nafziger Collection, cgsc.edu. The information is referenced as: Kirby, Stanley, Woodburn, The War Against Japan, London, Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 1961.
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission [CWGC] includes searchable database.
  • Memorials to Indian soldiers and sailors - Second World War cwgc.org, now an archived webpage.

"Northeasterners in the World Wars" by P. Ramirez. Contains an Excel file download for all CWGC Indian Army deaths for WW2. Brahmaputra Studies Database.

• WW2Talk Forum. A Message Board for most aspects of the War. Includes sub categories Theatres of War/Burma & India and Unit History & Discussion /British Indian Army.
• World War II Forum, an American site. A Message Board for most aspects of the War, with an American focus.
• WW2 People’s War "An archive of World War Two memories-written by the public, gathered by the BBC". Written between June 2003 and January 2006. www.bbc.co.uk. If you can't find an article you are looking for, Google "BBC-WW2 People's War" and your search term.
• Locations of British General Hospitals during WW2. scarletfinders.co.uk. Some British General Hospitals spent some of their existence in India. Listed numerically, so information about India is scattered throughout the entries.
• "The Indian Army in Africa and Asia 1940-1942 Implications for the planning and execution of two nearly- simultaneous campaigns" by Major James Scudieri, 1995 from Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library. Link to a pdf download. Depending on your browser, you may need to locate the download in your downloads folder.
• The 10th Indian Division in the Italian campaign, 1944-45: training, manpower and the soldier's experience by Matthew David Kavanagh (2015) MA by research thesis, University of Birmingham.
• The Indian Army 1939-47: Experience and Development. The Second World War Military Operations Research Group
• "Contribution of the Indian Armed Forces to the Second World War": IDSA Special Feature January 2013 download pdf IDSA-Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Includes the advice that twenty five volumes in the Official History series were published.
• "From Wapitis to Vampires: Indian Air Force aircraft and the politics of decolonisation 1933-1950" by Aashique Iqbal. Posted on February 12, 2017. Institute of Historical Research,
• British Formation Badges 1939-1945. They were worn on the upper sleeve in pairs, on epaulets, on head gear etc. petergh.f2s.com. Also known as a flash, or a tactical recognition flash.
• British Army (Discharge Procedure) House of Commons 16 March 1945. Refers to King's Regulations Paragraph 390. "Most soldiers who are found to be medically unfit for further service in the Army are discharged under subheading 16". Another common reason is Sub-heading 18 (a), "Soldier's services being no longer required." Also see a WW2Talk Forum topic "Kings Regulations 1940".

Middle East and North Africa

• Refer Historical books online, below
• An Indian POW in Italy Satyen Basu, a doctor from Calcutta, joined the Indian Medical Service early in the Second World War and served with the Allied forces in Iraq, Syria and North Africa. His unit surrendered near Tobruk in 1942 and he was transported to a POW camp in southern Italy, not far from Naples. amitavghosh.com. Scroll to the bottom of the page for Part 1. A Doctor in the Army by Satyen Basu (Calcutta 1960) is available at the British Library
• Several Pakistani Generals were Italian POWs Officers of the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade during the Battle of Ghazala 1942 were captured when their brigade was overrun by the Afrika Korps on the very first day of the battle, and sent to POW camps in Italy, and later Germany. (retrieved 26 May 2014)

China-Burma-India (CBI)

• Also see Burma-Military
• Map of Battle Areas of Burma in 1942-1945 probertencyclopaedia.com, now archived.
• Carl Weidenburner’s China - Burma – India: Remembering the Forgotten Theater of World War II. A 'portal' type site with a large number of links.
• Gary Goldblatt’s CBI Order of Battle: Lineages and History
  • Ex-CBI Roundup online compiled by Clark King & Gary Goldblatt. This website will eventually be the online respository of all issues of the Ex-CBI Roundup from December 1946 through July 2009.
    • Includes CBI-related Websites, Books, Organizations which includes a CBI Bibliography download (scroll down) which lists over three thousand titles.
    • Ex-CBI Roundup July 1955 page 28 contains a List of “Air Corps Bases in CBI” for India, Burma and China
• Steve Rothwell’s The Burma Campaign
• The Circumstances of the War in Burma Burma Star Association
• WW2Talk Forum: Burma & India
• World War II Forum, an American site includes The CBI Theater The China-Burma-India Theater, including naval action in the Indian Ocean. Has links to the previous site, which is stated to be a "companion" website.
• Japanese conquest of Burma, December 1941-May 1942 historyofwar.org
• "A Close View of the Disaster at the Sittang Bridge" [Burma 1942] by Major E.R.B. Hudson of Malerkotla Field Company, an affiliated unit of the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners. michiganwarstudiesreview.com
• "Retreat from Burma 1942: The Struggles through the Northern Passes" by Harry Fecitt “Harry’s Sideshows” kaiserscross.com
• "Operation CHARACTER: Raising the Karens- Force 136 parachute insertions into the Karen Hills, Burma, 1945" by Harry Fecitt “Harry's Sideshows” kaiserscross.com
• Battle of Kohima Wikipedia; [Buckingham] Palace honours Battle of Kohima veterans Includes some newsreel footage. 9 November 2012 www.bbc.co.uk
• WW2 60th Anniversary: The Battles for Kohima mod.uk, now archived. Includes "British and Indian Army Units awarded the Battle Honour of Kohima".
• Chindit Chasing, Operation Longcloth 1943 The 13th King's Liverpool Battalion formed the British half of the infantry soldiers for the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade that year. Steve Fogden’s extensive website. Includes a section on cemeteries and memorials.
• Dr. Richard Duckett’s The Special Operations Executive in Burma, 1941 – 1945.
• Stewart Cochrane’s Black Watch RHR Chindit , dedicated to Pte.William "Cocky" Cochrane 
 
2nd Battalion, The Black Watch in Burma
• British Army Lieutenant Desmond F. Earley, Essex Regiment. He fought the Japanese in Assam in 1944. The Second World War Experience Centre
• Obituary: John Prendergast 1910-2008 The Telegraph 03 March 2008. He took part in the Arakan (Burma) campaign as second in command of 1/15th Punjab Regiment ( 1/15 PR) and was then given command of 3/6th Rajputana Rifles, part of 19th Indian Division (in Burma). He was awarded a DSO for the Burma campaign. His books include an autobiography Prender’s Progress: a soldier in India, 1931-47, available at the British Library
• The Telegraph Obituary of Major-General Derek Horsford (1917-2007). He was promoted to command the 4th Battalion 1st Gurkha Rifles in 1944 at Kohima in the Burma campaign.
• "'Greatest battle' veterans forgotten" by Manimugdha S Sharma, April 29, 2013 Times of India Alternative version with different photograph. Kohima
• "That battle under the cherry tree" by Kishalay Bhattacharya May 8, 2013 The Hindu Kohima-Imphal
• "Sikhs in Burma Campaign" and "About Viscount Slim" (scroll down) from mattoid.com
• Bracknell Paper No 6: A Symposium on the Far East War [The RAF and WW2] 24 March 1995. Royal Air Force Historical Society at raf.mod.uk. Scroll down for pdf download. Direct download Also available through the Royal Air Force Museum website (scroll down)
• The Indian Air Force in the Second World War bharat-rakshak.com
  • In the Skies of Calcutta : A tribute to Maurice Pring by Joydeep Sircar . Details the bombing of Calcutta in December 1942
• Policing Wartime Calcutta [WW2] by Peter R. Moore oldmartiniansassociation.co.uk
• Memories of Madras - The Summer of 1942 The Hindu 3 January 2012
• Listen to the 1992 interview with Harold Douglas James British officer served with 3/2nd Bn Gurkha Rifles with 3 Column 77 Bde during First Chindit Expedition in Burma, 1943. Imperial War Museums
• Listen to the 2008 interview with Gawain Thomas Alexander 'Gavin’ Douglas , born 1914. British officer served in India, with British and Indian Army, 1935-1940; trained as pilot with RAF in India, 1941-1942; served as flying instructor with RAF in India, 1943-1944, served with 28 and 60 Sqdns, RAF in Burma, 1/1945-5/1945; commanded 34 Sqdn in Burma, 5/1945-10/1945; commanded 28 Sqdn, RAF in Burma and Malaya, 1945- 1946; commanded 152 Sqdn, RAF on North West Frontier of India, 1946-1947 Imperial War Museums.
• WW2 People’s War "An archive of World War Two memories-written by the public, gathered by the BBC" includes categories India and Burma www.bbc.co.uk
  • "Marching on to Laffan's Plain" by Alan Shaw , the experiences as an officer of the Corps of Royal Engineers `"The Sappers", first in the UK, then for nearly four years with the imperial Indian Army in Central India, Ceylon and the Burma campaign. Chapter 3 At the very end of this chapter, the author received orders to proceed to India or Burma. Ch 4 Arrived in India May 1942, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9 , Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14
  • "Secret Training on DD (Swimming) Tanks. Preparations to retake Singapore" by John Leyin of the 25th Dragoons. This training took place on a spit off Cocanada (now Kakinada ) which was about 300 miles north of Madras. An adapted extract from Tell Them Of Us - The Forgotten War – Burma by John Leyin.
• A Story of War Colin Diarmid Campbell Dunford Wood, kept war diaries continuously from early 1939. Initially with the 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment in Waziristan, he later joined the Royal Air Force, flying in Iraq, India and Burma (where he flew the last Hurricane out, before the advancing Japanese) and Europe
• The Mumblings of Edward Sparkes Contents page Flt Lt Edward D S N Sparkes was in the RAF and arrived in India in the latter part of 1943 in the chapter Ashore in Bombay. He subsequently joined X Squadron Royal Indian Air Force and served in Burma until he was invalided back to England in 1945
• Military Cross - Mick Muldoon - “The Surfboard Commandos” dnw.co.uk, now an archived page.
• 152(Hyderabad) F Squadron 1939-1967 Served in India from 19th December 1943 as part of Calcutta’s defence and later moved to the front. Disbanded at R.A.F. Risalpur in 1947
• "Browsing Through a Treasure House: The Literature of the Burma Campaign" by Gordon Graham. From the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 2011 pdf Abstract (archive.org version)

Burma Campaign Memorial Library, SOAS, London, and Digital catalogue

• 7 Wonders of India: Kohima War Cemetery Video on YouTube
• Taukkyan War Cemetery Burma Video on YouTube
• Transport Home from India at the end of the war. Includes link to a booklet Westward Bound: Advice and help for your journey home, issued at Deolali. britain-at-war.org.uk

Photographs

• Photographs taken in India 1943-44 by Major E Brookman flickr.com. He is stated to be a RAPC [Royal Army Pay Corps] officer
• Photograph : Truck crossing a river on a raft. India or Burma early 1940s . The raft was probably made of bamboo. flickr.com (tmv_media)

Singapore and Malaya

• "The ‘Singapore Strategy’ and the Deterrence of Japan: Winston Churchill, the Admiralty, and the Dispatch of Force Z" by Christopher M Bell originally from English Historical Review, vol. 116, 467 (June 2001), 604-34. academia.edu
• Fall of Malaya and Singapore from The Rising Sun, part of Ron Taylor’s Britain at War website
• FEPOW Community Far East Prisoners of War, part of Ron Taylor’s Britain at War website
• Singapore National Library e book entry They Died For All Free Men by Surjan Singh available to read online as Limited Preview. The tags for this book include include India. Army; Sikhs- Singapore; World War, 1939-1945--Registers of dead—Singapore; World War, 1939-1945--Registers of dead--India; Soldiers' monument--Singapore. This book is also available at the Imperial War Museums, with this catalogue entry
• IWM catalogue entry with details of the service history of Lieutenant J Gordon Smith platoon commander in the 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (12th Indian Infantry Brigade, 11th Indian Division) from (?) July 1941 in Singapore and Malaya, his eventual capture in late January, 1942 and his time in the camps on the Burma - Siam railway. His memoir is War Memories: A Medical Student In Malaya And Thailand
• Eric Lomax obituary (1919-2012) The Guardian 10 October 2012. A member of the Royal Signals, he was in Singapore at the surrender and became a POW working on the Burma-Siam railway. His memoir is The Railway Man, now also released as a movie of the same name.
• Obituary: Ron Burton 09 October 2013 The Telegraph. He was Sergeant, 125 Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery (125 ATR), taken prisoner after the fall of Singapore.
• "Cover-ups and the Singapore Traitor Affair" by Peter Elphick 28 November 2001, abc.net.au, now archived. Presented at the Fall of Singapore 60th Anniversary Conference National University of Singapore, 16-17 February 2002. Mentions one time member of the 16th Punjab Regiment, Captain Patrick Vaughan Heenan executed on Friday 13th February 1942, two days before Singapore surrendered, for being a traitor. ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission).

Indian Ocean

• "A tale of two Mutinies: The Indian Ocean 1942" by Harry Fecitt from Harry’s Sideshows. The Heavy Battery, 7th Coast Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery on Christmas Island and a detachment of No 1 Coast Regiment of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island, one of the Cocos-Keeling Islands.

Borneo

• The Telegraph Obituary of Philip Crosland (1918-2012). In October 1938 he joined The Statesman in Calcutta. He became a member of the Calcutta Light Horse. During World War 2 he accompanied the 2nd Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment to Sarawak and other parts of Borneo from May 1941. He became a Japanese POW April 1942-September 1945.
• Klemen L’s Dutch East Indies 1941-1942, now oocities.org, from the archived geocities .com website includes
  • The Invasion of British Borneo in 1942. There is brief mention of the 2/15 Punjab Regiment
  • The Use of Armoured Vehicles on Borneo, 1941-1942 from the section What’s new. There is brief mention of the 2/15 Punjab Regiment

Indonesia (Dutch East Indies or DEI)

• Chapter 9: "The Last Voyage and End of My Sea Career" from his autobiography Lest I Forget by Khwaja Sayeed Shahabuddin. In March, 1942 he was a Cadet on the 'Chilka' on the way to Padang in Sumatra to evacuate families and troops from Sumatra when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. He subsequently became a POW until the end of the war. His story continues to Chapter 20.
• "Unexpected Allies. Java 1945-1946. With the 5th Parachute Brigade" britains-smallwars.com, now an archived webpage. Includes Indian Army troops.
• The British Occupation of Indonesia : 1945-1946 by Richard Oliver Scorgie McMillan. 2002 PhD Thesis Royal Holloway, University of London. Download from British Library EThOS. Subsequently published 2005 as The British Occupation of Indonesia 1945-1946 : Britain, the Netherlands and the Indonesian Revolution (Contents) Includes Indian Army troops.

Hong Kong

• Hong Kong from The Rising Sun, part of Ron Taylor’s Britain at War website
• Obituary of Colonel Tony Hewitt www.telegraph.co.uk 17 Aug 2004 descibes the escape of three men in 1942 from a Japanese P.O.W. camp, following the fall of Hong Kong in December 1941, for which Anthony George Hewitt, and Captain Robert Douglas Scriven of the Indian Medical Service were awarded the Military Cross
• Hong Kong War Diary - a project that documents the 1941 defence of Hong Kong
  • Search Garrison: Hong Kong Defenders, December 1941-August 1945 Includes Indian Army Units and Indian Medical Service
• The Battle of Hong Kong 1941: A note on the literature and the effectiveness of the defence by Lawrence W C Lai, University of Hong Kong , Discussion paper series, July 2000 html version, original pdf

French Indo-China

• "The 20th Indian Division in French Indo-China, 1945-46: Combined/joint Operations and the 'fog of war'" by Daniel Marston (Professor, Australian National University). A presentation at the NIDS International Forum on War History, 13th Forum 2014. National Institute for Defence Studies, Tokyo Japan

Miscellaneous

• Axis and Allied Propaganda to Indian Troops by Herbert A Friedman (psywarrior.com)
• History of SOE Political Warfare Section, Force 136 including the setting up of a rumour-mongering network in India and the organisation of the Indian Field Broadcasting Units for the production of frontline propaganda. psywar.org. Same article WW2Talk Forum

Historical maps online

• Maps: One inch [Burma series] c 1945 by Survey of India. nla.gov.au. Currently 21 maps have been digitised, from a much larger collection.

Historical books online

Note, the Digital Library of India is only operating in a minimal way. Select the Archive.org version if available.

• Despatches Published in the London Gazette includes a number relating to Burma and South East Asia, in addition to the Middle East, North Africa, Malaya, etc. from "HyperWar: World War II on the World Wide Web", section "The United Kingdom in the Second World War". Pdfs of pages from The London Gazette.

The London Gazette World War 2 despatches. Links to all the military despatches from commanders-in-chief. The Gazette website.

• India in World War II. Details of the Official History of the Indian Armed Forces In the Second World War by the Combined Inter-Services Historical Section (India & Pakistan), published in the 1950s and 1960s. From "HyperWar: World War II on the World Wide Web". HyperWar describes two volumes in the Medical Services series, however there are seven in total. The complete Medical Services series is v. 1. Administration.--v. 2. Medicine, surgery and pathology.--v. 3. Campaigns in the Western Theatre.--v. 4. Preventive medicine (nutrition, malaria control and prevention of diseases).(1961)--v. 5. Statistics (1962).--v. 6. Medical stores and equipment. (1963)--v. 7. Campaigns in the Eastern Theatre. Further details of the series generally in the Book Survey by Stone&Stone. A set of eight volumes was reprinted in 2012. Many of the Official History publications are available at the British Library. The online transcription publications on HyperWar are
  • The Royal Indian Navy 1939-1945 by Instructor Lieutenant D.J.E. Collins, B.A.L.T. Indian Navy. 1964
  • East African Campaign, 1940-41 by Bisheshwar Prasad 1963
  • The following book is a description only
    • The Retreat from Burma, 1941-42 by Bisheshwar Prasad 1954. Note: Preface and Contents only

It appears that a total of 25 Official History volumes were published, series General Editor Dr Bisheshwar Prasad, seven volumes in the Medical Services series above, together with: Campaigns in the Eastern theatre: [v.1] Campaigns in South-East Asia, 1941-42 (Hong Kong, Malaya, Borneo).-[v.2] The retreat from Burma, 1941-42.-[v.3] Arakan operations, 1942-45.-[v.4,5] Reconquest of Burma, 1942-45.-[v.6] Post-war occupation forces : Japan and South-East Asia. Campaigns in the Western theatre [v.1] North African campaign, 1940-43.-[v.2] Campaign in western Asia (Iraq, Syria, Iran and Paiforce).-[v.3] Campaigns in Italy.-[v.4] East African campaign 1940-41. General war administration and organisation: [v] The Royal Indian Navy 1939-1945. [v] History of the Indian Air Force, 1933-45. [v] The Corps of Indian Engineers, 1939-1947. [v] Technical services: ordnance and I.E.M.E. [v] Expansion of the armed forces and defence organisation, 1939-45. [v] Defence of India: Policy and Plans. [v] Indian War Economy: Supply, Industry & Finance. [v] India and the War.

The following volumes were previously available on the Digital Library of India website, as pdf downloads, however the website is only currently operating in a very minimal way. From January 2017, versions for most of these books are also available on Archive.org. Many DLI links have been deleted.

• Series: Campaigns in the Eastern Theatre
  • Campaigns In South East Asia 1960 (catalogued 1962) Archive.org version.
  • The Reconquest of Burma Volume I 1958 . Catalogued as Official History Of The Indian Armed Forces In The Second World War,Vol. 1, 1939-45 Archive.org version. Contents ibiblio.org/hyperwar. June 1942-June 1944. Authors: S.N. Prasad, K.D.Bhargava, P.N. Khera.
  • The Reconquest Of Burma Vol II 1962 Archive.org version. Contents ibiblio.org/hyperwar. June 1944-August 1945. Authors: P.N. Khera, S.N. Prasad, published 1959.
  • Post War Occupation Forces: Japan and South-east Asia by Rajendra Singh 1958. Archive.org version
• Series: Campaigns in the Western Theatre
  • The North African Campaign 1940-1943 1956. Archive.org version.
  • Campaign In Western Asia 1957. Archive.org version. Iraq, Syria and Iran, and Paiforce.
  • The Campaign In Italy 1943-45 1962 . Archive.org version.
• Series: General War Administration and Organisation
  • Technical Services: Ordnance and IEME 1962 (IEME =Corps of Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineering) (catalogued as Technical Services Ordnance And Ieme). Archive.org version.
  • Expansion Of The Armed Forces And Defence Organisation (1939- 45) by Nandan Prasad 1956. Archive.org version
  • Defence of India Policy and Plans published 1957. Archive.org version.
  • Indian War Economy Supply Industry And Finance 1962 Archive.org version.
• Series: Medical Services edited by B. L. Raina.
  • Medical Services: Administration 1953. Archive.org version. Catalogued as Official history of the Indian armed forces in the second world war - 1939-45 Administration. A second Archive.org version. This volume is also available on the subscription website South Asia Archive. Contents of the book
  • Medicine Surgery And Pathology 1955 (catalogued 1957). Archive.org version
  • The Campaigns In The Western Theatre 1957. Archive.org version.
  • Campaigns In The Eastern Theatre 1964. Archive.org version.

Restricted access Hathi Trust Digital Library, probably only available through a University or similar: The Retreat from Burma, 1941-42, History of the Indian Air Force, 1933-45, India and the War, Expansion of the Armed Forces and Defense Organization, 1939-45 Medical Services: 7 volumes

• The Tiger Strikes : India's fight in the Middle East by W. G Hingston Archive.org version. Alternative title: The Tiger Strikes (A record of the exploits of troops from India in the theatre of war of the Middle East during 1940-41.) The narrative of the Eritrean campaign, the battle of Sidi Barrani, and the Syrian campaign. Published for the Government of India.
• The Tiger Kills: The story of the Indian Divisions in the North African campaign by Lieut.-Colonel-W. G. Hingston and Lieut.-Colonel G. R. Stevens Archive.org version 1944. The Western Desert from 1941 onwards, and the Tunisian campaign.
• The Tiger Triumphs: The Story of Three Great Divisions in Italy Published by His Majesty’s Stationery Office for the Government of India 1946 "The Fourth, Eighth and Tenth Indian Divisions will forever be associated with the fighting for Cassino, the capture of Rome, the Arno Valley, the liberation of Florence and the breaking of the Gothic Line". Transcribed by Chris Gage ibiblio.org. Alternative version from ourstory.info AFS [American Field Service]
• Nine short histories, from a series of at least eleven, published under the authority of the Director of Public Relations, War Department , Government of India. All from Archive.org . Note that for these books, original pages have been filmed two to each digital page, and you may need to adjust settings to read all the pages. Select the single page viewing option.
  • The Fighting Fifth - History Of The Fifth Division Abyssinia, Burma. Note text out of order. Pages 7-10 and some accompanying photographs follow page 38. Maps
  • Golden Arrow - The Story of the 7th Indian Division Arakan, Imphal, Burma.

  A detailed history of 304 pages, with a very similar title was also published Golden Arrow. The Story of the 7th Indian Division in the Second World War, 1939-1945 by Brigadier M. R. Roberts, available in a reprint edition, which in turn is available as an online book on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3, titled The story of the 7th Indian Division (located in World War2/Military books/India).

  • One More River - The Story of the 8th Indian Division. Italy
  • Teheran to Trieste - The Story of the 10th Indian Division.
  • Dagger Division - Story of the 19th Indian Division Burma
  • A Happy Family - The Story of the Twentieth Indian Division April 1942 to August 1945. Battle of Imphal, and the Recapture of Burma.
  • The 23th Indian Division - Burma, Malaya, Java

  A detailed history of 318 pages was also published Fighting Cock: Being the History of the 23rd Indian Division, 1942-1947 Lieut. Col. A. J. F. Doulton, available in a reprint edition, which in turn is available as an online book on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3 (located in World War2/Military books/India).

  • The Story Of The 25th Indian Division - The Arakan Campaign
  • Tiger Head - The Story Of The 26th Indian Division Arakan, Rangoon.
• The History of the Royal West African Frontier Force by Colonel A. Haywood and Brigadier F.A.S.Clarke. 1964. lib.militaryarchive.co.uk, now archived at Archive.org. Originally required Flash turned on, this requirement may still apply - if you see a Flash icon, click it. Transcribed version. Includes operations in Burma.
• Fourth Indian Division by Lieut-Colonel GR Stevens OBE, published c 1945-48 is available in a reprint edition, which in turn is available as an online book on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3 (located in World War2/Military books/India). Covers five years of service in Eritrea, Syria, the Western Desert, Tunisia, Italy including Cassino, and Greece.
• The White Belts: History of the Corps of Military Police by Lt Col R Ganapathi, CMP Centre and School, Bangalore 1982 HathiTrust Digital Library. A researcher stated that this book contains "a huge amount of material on 4th Indian Division". Other theatres of war are also covered.
• An Account of the Operations in Burma carried out by Probyn’s Horse during February, March and April 1945 by Major Mylne published 1945 is available in a reprint edition, which in turn is available online on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3 (located in World War II/Military Books/Myanmar).
• The Sikh Regiment in the Second World War by Colonel F. T. Birdwood c 1950 is available in a reprint edition, which in turn is available online on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3 (located in World War II/Military Books/India).
• For regimental histories which include WW2, see the regimental pages
  • 12th Frontier Force Regiment
  • 13th Frontier Force Rifles, on fold3 (pay website).
  • 3rd (Queen Mary's Own)/10th Baluch Regiment, on fold3 (pay website).
  • The Guides, on fold3 (pay website).
• M & R: A Regimental History of the Sikh Light Infantry 1941-1947 by J D Hookway originally written 1999 is available in a second edition on Archive.org. This was the Mazhbi and Ramdasia Sikh Regiment. Alternative spelling: The Mazhabi and Ramdasia Sikh Regiment; The Mazabhi and Ramdasia Sikh Regiment.
• The History of the Assam Regiment: Volume 1 1941 - 1947 by Captain Peter Steyn 1959 Archive.org.
• The Indian Engineers, 1939-47 by Lieut Colonel E. W. C. Sandes 1956. Archive.org version.
• The Royal Bombay Sappers & Miners 1939 - 1947 Laurie and Cecilia Norman (eds.) 1999 Archive.org.
• Eastern Epic Volume I 1951. Archive.org version. Full title: Eastern Epic Volume I September 1939 - March 1943 Defence by Sir Compton Mackenzie. "The story of India's efforts during the war" Includes the activities of Indian forces in the various theatres-North Africa, the Near East and Southeast Asia. Volume I appears to have been the only volume published.
• The March On Delhi by A J Barker 1963. Archive.org version. The title refers to Japanese plans for a "march on Delhi", following March 1944 when the 15th Japanese Imperial Army, supported by forces of the Indian National Army, crossed the Chindwin to invade India. Includes material supplied by Japanese commanders. The author served as an army air liaison officer during the siege of Imphal.
• A Roll of Honour: the Story of the Indian Army by Major General J. G. Elliott. Full title appears to be A Roll of Honour: the Story of the Indian Army, 1939-1945, published 1965. Archive.org version.

Also available as Unfading honour; the story of the Indian Army, 1939-1945 by Maj.-Gen. J G Elliott 1966. Archive.org Lending Library. Appears to be a better quality digital file.

• Hyperwar: CBI Theater of Operations from "HyperWar: World War II on the World Wide Web".

Hyperwar: Scroll to The China-Burma-India Theater "Hyperwar: US Army in World War II"

• The War With Japan, Parts 1, 2, And 3 (December 1941 To August 1945) by Department of Military Art and Engineering, United States Military Academy. 1950. Archive.org. Written for use in the instruction of cadets at the Military Academy. Maps at the end of Part I; Part II, Part II Maps;Part III, Part III Maps.
• Indian Army Triumphant in Burma by Dr Anil Chandra 1984. Full title: Indian Army triumphant in Burma : the Burmese campaign, 1941-45. Archive.org version.
• Burma During Japanese Occupation Volume II 1944. A government Burma Intelligence Bureau report, published at Simla. Archive.org version.
• Crisis Fleeting. Original Reports On Military Medicine In India And Burma 
In The Second World War Compiled and Edited by 
James H. Stone. Office Of The Surgeon General 
Department Of The Army 
Washington, D.C., 1969. Website of the US Army Medical Department, Office of Medical History
• [United States Army] The Medical Department : Medical Service in the Mediterranean and Minor Theaters by Charles M. Wiltse.1965. Hathi Trust Digital Library. Part of the series The Technical Services [of the United States Army]. Includes North Africa, Italy.

[United States Army] The Medical Department : Medical Service in the European Theater of Operations by Graham A. Cosmas and Albert E. Cowdrey 1992 Hathi Trust Digital Library. Part of the series The Technical Services [of the United States Army]

[United States Army] The Medical Department : Medical Service in the War Against Japan by Mary Ellen Condon-Rall and Albert E. Cowdrey. 1998. Hathi Trust Digital Library. Part of the series The Technical Services [of the United States Army]. Includes Burma.

• Imphal: A Flower On Lofty Heights by Lieutenant-General Sir Geoffrey Evans and Antony Brett-James 1962 Archive.org
• Trek Back From Burma by W G Burchett, first published c 1943. Two different files to Archive.org version A; Archive.org version B. The author was a journalist initially covered the Sino-Japanese War . Early in 1942 he covered the rout of British forces in Burma then from June travelled extensively through Kuomintang-controlled China and eventually returned to India through Burma.
• Chungking Diary by D F Karaka. 1942. Archive.org version

With The 14th Army by D F Karaka, War Correspondent, The Bombay Chronicle. 1944. A personal diary. Archive.org version.

• Back to Mandalay by Lowell Thomas 1951 Archive.org. The story of Wingate and the American Air project and campaign from the very beginning.
• Wings Over Burma by Kenneth Hemingway 1944. Archive.org version
• Wingate's Raiders. An Account of the Incredible Adventure that Raised the Curtain on the Battle for Burma by Charles J Rolo , first published 1944. Archive.org version
• With Wingate In Burma by David Halley 1945. Archive.org version
• Beyond the Chindwin, Being an Account of the Adventures of Number Five Column of the Wingate Expedition into Burma in 1943 by Bernard Fergusson 1945. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection. (Note, catalogued under a different title)
• Chindit Column 76 by W.A. Wilcox 1945. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.
• Wrath In Burma by Fred Eldridge 1946. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection. Full title: Wrath in Burma : the uncensored story of General Stilwell and international maneuvers in the Far East.
• Walkout : with Stilwell in Burma by Frank Dorn 1971 Archive.org Lending Library.
• The Chindit War : Stilwell, Wingate, and the Campaign in Burma, 1944 by Shelford Bidwell 1980 Archive.org Lending Library.
• Quartered Safe Out Here: A Recollection of the War in Burma by George MacDonald Fraser 1993 Archive.org Lending Library. Audio extracts Archive.org, originally a BBC Radio Reading. He served in the Border Regiment. He was also the author of the Flashman series of novels. George MacDonald Fraser Wikipedia.
• Burma And The Japanese Invader by Christian John Leroy 1945. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.
• The War In Burma by Roy Mckelvie 1948. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.
• Defeat into Victory by Sir William Slim, 1956, about the Burma Campaign. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.

Unofficial History by Field Marshal Sir William Slim 1962, first published 1959. Archive.org Lending Library. Chapters about WW2, Middle East from page 127

• The Road Past Mandalay by John Masters 1979. Internet Archive (Archive.org) Lending Library. Earlier title: The Road Past Mandalay : a Personal Narrative. First published 1961. 2nd volume of Autobiography. The short first part takes Masters and the 2/4th Ghurkas to Iraq and Syria. After a staff course back in India, the balance of the book concerns his time in Burma, with a Chindit Column. Also see the Fibiwiki page John Masters.
• Burma Surgeon by Gordon S Seagrave Lieut. Colonel, MC. United States Army Forces in China, Burma, India. 1944. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection. 1943 Archive.org Lending Library edition has more pages and may be easier to read.

Burma Surgeon Returns by Gordon S Seagrave MD 1946. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection. Archive.org Lending Library edition - print quality may be better.

The missionary surgeon and his "Burmese Nurses". "Book one describes the walkout with Stilwell, who he calls "Uncle Joe" and their service for the refugees streaming out of Burma and with the Chinese army in India. Book two describes the return with the Chinese and American army while the Ledo Road is build and the north of Burma and the west of Yunnan are liberated and the combined Ledo Road & Burma Road are reopened"

• The Building of the Burma Road by Tan Pei-Ying 1945 Archive.org Lending Library. The building of the road by the Chinese from the late 1930s.
• Behind The Burma Road by William R. Peers and Dean Brelis 1963. For ease of reading online, if you do not have a wide screen, click on the “Single page “ option, as one digital page consists of two actual pages of text. Archive.org
• The Burma Road : the epic story of the China-Burma-India theater in World War II by Donovan Webster 2004. Archive.org Lending Library
• From the field service [American Field Service AFS]
  • Ball Of Fire: The Fifth Indian Division in the Second World War by Antony Brett-James, 1951
  • Burma Diary by Paul Geren published 1943. In 1941 Paul Geren agreed to spend two years at Judson College in Rangoon, Burma, as a short-term missionary under the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. Following the Japanese bombing Professor Geren's classroom became a field hospital as he offered his services as an ambulance driver to Dr. Gordon Seagrave, the famed Burma surgeon. He later trekked to India.
  • American Sahib by John Frederick Muehl 1946 He was with the American Field Service, attached to the British Indian Army. Also available on Archive.org
  • Victory in Burma published July, 1945 by British Information Services, New York
• Text from Navvies To The Fourteenth Army by AH Pilcher c 1947 is available as pdf downloads from the Koi Hai website, located under Memories, the Henderson Family Scroll down to the item dated October 12, 2009; the direct link for the main text. Note: Depending on your browser, you may need to locate the downloads in your downloads folder. The downloads do not contain the illustrations and maps from the original publication. The author was Col. A H Pilcher who at the outbreak of the second world war commanded the Assam Valley Light Horse. In March 1942 he was put in charge of raising a labour force from the Tea Plantations to build the Manipur/Burma Road to evacuate the 14th Army and also the many civilians who were fleeing Burma. Eventually he raised and commanded a labour force of 82000 This book (55 pages) was published in Calcutta for Private Circulation and was illustrated with black and white plates and line drawing maps. The British Library has a catalogue reference Mss Eur F174/1316, but it is not stated whether this is the printed book, or a manuscript. The book is available at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Library, University of London.
• Forgotten Frontier by Geoffrey Tyson, published 1945. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection. The book is about the escape of refugees from Burma in 1942 and the help provided by the tea planters of Assam in assisting the refugees from North Burma into India.
• Burma under the Japanese : Pictures and Portraits by Thakin Nu, Prime Minister of Burma. Edited and translated, with introduction, by J.S. Furnivall 1954 Archive.org
• Singapore And After: A Study Of The Pacific Campaign 1942. The author is stated elsewhere to be Joseph Montague Kenworthy, 10th Baron Strabolgi. Archive.org. Public Library of India Collection.
• Last Flight From Singapore by Arthur G. Donahue 1943. The book tells the story of the battle, in particular the air battle for Singapore and the subsequent battle in the air over the jungle. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.
• Why Singapore Fell by Lieut Gen H. Gordon Bennett 1945. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.
• Why We Lost Singapore by Dorothy Crisp 1945. Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.
• Percival and the Tragedy of Singapore by Sir John Smyth 1971. Pdf download, Repositori Digital, digital repository of the National Library of Malaysia. Note: sample pages only.
• Malayan Postscript by Ian Morrison,1943. The Malayan jungle campaign and the disaster of Singapore. Pdf download, DSpace, National Library of Malaysia. Note: Sample pages only
• The War in Malaya by Lt-Gen A E Percival 1949 is available as a pdf download on the Sejarah Melayu [Digital] Library located under General. Scroll down the alphabetical list to T.
• Prisoner of the Japs by Gwen Drew 1943. HathiTrust Digital Library, Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection. The author was an American journalist who was taken prisoner at the fall of Hong Kong.
• Indian Cavalryman by Captain Freddie Guest, [Reginald Edwin Guest] 1959. Pdf download, PAHAR Mountains of Central Asia Digital Dataset.

Recommended by Peter Moore in Military reading list who says "He saw active service in the North-West Frontier; Africa; China and was the first prisoner-of-war to escape from the Japanese in Hong Kong; ending the war as the Equitation Instructor at the Officer Cadet School in Bangalore”. His earlier book Escape From The Bloodied Sun was a more detailed account of his escape from Hong Kong when he was an officer in the Middlesex Regiment.

• The Monastery. Full title: The Monastery. An account of the assault of the Abbey of Monte Cassino in 1944 by Fred Majdalany 1945. Archive.org version.
• Neither Fear Nor Hope. Full title: Neither Fear nor Hope. The wartime career of General Frido von Senger und Etterlin, defender of Cassino. Translated by George Malcolm. 1963. The memoir of General Frido von Senger, first published in the German language in 1960 as Krieg in Europa. Archive.org version.
• The First Vietnam War by Peter M Dunn 1985. "A short, sharp conflict in the late summer and autumn of 1945…Immediately after the Japanese surrender, Saigon was occupied by British/Indian forces…" Archive.org Lending Library. "Contents" and "Preface" Google Books. Earlier PhD thesis An interpretation of documentary and oral primary source materials for the period September 1945 until May 1946 in the region of Cochinchina and Southern Annam by Peter M Dunn 1979 SOAS University of London.
• One Hundred Years of Army Nursing : The Story of the British Army Nursing Service from the time of Florence Nightingale to the present day by John Hay Beith 1953 Archive.org. Contains chapters on WW2, including India and Burma.
• An Atlas History Of The Second Great War by J F Horrabin, in ten volumes, published 1940-1946. Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection.

Vol. 1 Sept. 1939-Jan. 1940, Vol. 2 Jan. 1940-July 1940, Vol. 3 July 1940-Jan. 1941, Vol. 4 Jan. 1941-July 1941, Vol. 5 Jul. 1941-Jan. 1942, Vol. 6 Jan. 1942-Jul. 1942, Vol. 7 Jul. 1942-Jan. 1943, Vol. 8 Jan. 1943-Aug. 1943, Vol. 9 Sept. 1943-Apr. 1944

• Statistical Digest of the War: History of the Second World War Central Statistical Office, London (Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1951). Pdf download, Digital Repository of GIPE, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics [Pune].
• Rank and Badges in the Army, Navy, R.A.F. and Auxiliaries edited by E C Talbot- Booth 1943 Archive.org
• German Military Symbols 1 April 1944 Military Intelligence, War Department Washington and War Office London. Archive.org
• Engines of War: the Mechanised Army in Action Produced in collaboration with the War Office, published by Adam and Charles Black. 1941. Hathi Trust Digital Library.
• The Second World War by Winston S Churchill

Volume I: The Gathering Storm 2nd impression 1948. Volume II: Their Finest Hour 3rd edition 1951, first published 1949. Volume III: The Grand Alliance 1950. Volume IV The Hinge of Fate 1951. Volume Five: Closing the Ring 6th impression 1961, first published 1952. Volume VI: Triumph and Tragedy 1954. Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection.

Memoirs of The Second World War; an abridgement of the six volumes of The Second World War, with an epilogue by the author on the postwar years written for this volume by Winston S Churchill 1959 Archive.org Lending Library.

Into Battle. Speeches by the Right Hon. Winston S Churchill P C, M P compiled by Randolph S Churchill M P 1941 Archive.org. Speeches from 1938.

• History of the Second World War by B. H. Liddell Hart 1971 Archive.org Lending Library. B. H. Liddell Hart Wikipedia.
• World War II Naval Staff Histories Eight volumes including Naval Operations off Ceylon. Admiralty publications. Website of the Royal Australian Navy.

BR 1886 (C.B. 4273 (52) H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action 3 Sep 1939 - 2 Sep 1945 Based on reports held in the Admiralty at the time of its publication in 1952. A publication in the Navy Department: Reference Books (BR Series). Website of the Royal Australian Navy.

• British Foreign Policy in the Second World War by Sir Llewellyn Woodward 1962. Archive.org. This work is stated to be an abridgement (592 pages) of a larger version written for official reference. The latter larger version was published from 1970 also with the same title

British Foreign Policy in the Second World War by Sir Llewellyn Woodward 1970 Archive.org Lending Library. Volume I (640 pages); Volume II, Volume III, Volume IV, Volume V

• Documents On British Foreign Policy 1919-1939 - Third Series published by HMSO from 1949. Volume I 1938, Volume II 1938,Volume VI 1939, Volume VII 1939, Volume VIII 1938-39 Archive.org, including some from the Digital Library of India Collection. Volumes VIII is the first of two volumes relating to British policy in the Far East, the earlier volumes relating to European affairs. Volume X, not available online, is an index for the series. Contents of the volumes diplomatic-documents.org

Fiction

• Biggles Sees It Through by Captain W E Johns 1941 Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection. For younger readers.