Second World War

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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

Service 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,[1] and in April 1944 68 IGH [Indian General Hospital] was in Chittagong.[2] 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.

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

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. Note some of the supplementary histories mentioned on the Wikipedia page are available at The National Archives Kew, see next section.

A subcategory of the United Kingdom Military Series is the 5 volume series War Against Japan by Major General S Woodburn Kirby et al, published London: HMSO, 1957-1969.
Volume 1: The Loss of Singapore; Volume 2: India's Most Dangerous Hour; Volume 3: The Decisive Battles; Volume 4: The Reconquest of Burma; Volume 5: The Surrender of Japan.
Available online, refer below.

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. Available online, refer below.

The book In Memoriam Burma-Siam 1942-1945, published in Bangkok in 1946 (Dutch language) in respect of Dutch war graves is available at the British Library UIN: BLL01011257081 , and also at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah - catalogue entry with details of contents. Also at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah catalogue entry for [List of deceased World War Two-era Dutch military personnel in Burma and Siam], 1946, Dutch language, source Nederlandsch Hoofdkwartier Bangkok, Kantoor Personeele Zaken Afd. Inlichtingen Overledenen (Dutch Headquarters Bangkok, Office Personnel Affairs Dept. Information Deceased).

The National Archives

Some/most? of the supplementary official histories of the Second World War, mentioned in the Wikipedia page History of the Second World War are available at The National Archives, Kew in the War Office series
WO 277 War Office Historical Monographs and WO 279 War Office and Ministry of Defence: Confidential Print. Two volumes are available online, see below, and at least three titles are available in reprint editions.[3]
The Air Ministry series AIR 10 and AIR 41 which contain Air Ministry publications, are also available at TNA. However, many of the Air Ministry publications are available online from the raf.mod.uk website, see Despatches, Offical histories (UK) below.

Medals

External links

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

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)

"How a forgotten British captain is a hero in Myanmar" 31 January 2016 bbc.com. Capt. Peter Robert Sandham Bankes, Army of Burma Reserve of Officers attached to the Chin Levies.
"Operation CHARACTER: Raising the Karens- Force 136 parachute insertions into the Karen Hills, Burma, 1945" by Harry Fecitt “Harry's Sideshows” kaiserscross.com
"Fighting Heroes Of The Intelligence Corps: Hero No. 2: Samuel Newland DSO Indian Army Intelligence Corps" by Harry Fecitt intelligencemuseum.org
Bibliography of Burma during the Second World War by Siegfried M Schwertner South Asia Institute Heidelberg 2012. (archive.org version)

Photographs

Singapore and Malaya

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

Indonesia (Dutch East Indies or DEI)

Hong Kong

French Indo-China

Miscellaneous

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.
  • An Atlas-History of the Second Great War by J F Horrabin (James Francis), in ten volumes, published 1940-46. Available at the British Library UIN: BLL01001737902 .
Vol. I- Sept. 1939 to Jan.1940, Vol.II- January to July 1940, Vol.III- July 1940 to January 1941, Vol.VII- July 1942 to January 1943, Vol. IX- September 1943 to April 1944. All Archive.org, mirrors from Digital Library of India.

Historical books online

Despatches, Offical histories (UK)

  • 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.
The series comprises : Ian Hay: Arms and the Men (1950); Eric Linklater: The Campaign in Italy (1951); Christopher Buckley: Norway. The Commandos. Dieppe (1951); Christopher Buckley: Greece and Crete 1941 (1952); John North: North-West Europe 1944-45. The Achievement of 21st Army Group (1953); Christopher Buckley: Five Ventures. Iraq. Syria. Persia. Madagascar. Dodecanese (1954).
Part III November 1944 to May 1945 pub. 1988 is available at the British Library UIN: BLL01010671133 .
All volumes are Google Books except where otherwise stated.
Volumes from this series may be available at The National Archives Kew, or at least 2 titles including a title with 3 volumes, have been reprinted by Naval & Military Press.
The four volumes are available in reprint editions,[9] which in turn are available on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3.com as The War at Sea, located in Military Books/ Britain/Scroll to letter T
By the same author, although not part of the official series: The Navy at War, 1939-1945 by Captain S W Roskill 1998 reprint edition, first published 1960. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. Published in USA under the title White Ensign: The British Navy at War, 1939-1945.
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 1970-1976.
Volume I 1970 (640 pages) Archive.org, Google Books; Vol. II 1971 Archive.org, GB; Vol. III 1971 Archive.org, GB; Vol. IV 1975 Archive.org, GB; Vol. V 1976 Archive.org, GB.
Also available Archive.org Lending Library. Volume I; Vol. II, Vol. III, Vol. IV, Vol. V.
Archive.org editions First (1919-1930), Second (1929-1938) and Third (1938-1939) Series.
HathiTrust Digital Library editions I-X Third Series, and earlier series viewable in some areas such as UK, but probably not USA. Vol. 8 Policy in the Far East; attitude of H.M.G. towards the Sino-Japanese conflict; interaction of events in the Far East and Western Europe, August 1938 - April 1939 (1955). Contents; Vol. 9 Policy in the Far East during the five months preceding the outbreak of war in Europe, April - September 1939 (1955). Contents; Vol.10 Index [to Third Series] (1961) Contents.
Contents of the volumes diplomatic-documents.org, now an archived webpage.

Indian Armed Forces

Official History of the Indian Armed Forces In the Second World War by the Combined Inter-Services Historical Section (India & Pakistan) was published in the 1950s and 1960s. Some details of the series are in India in World War II (ibiblio.org/hyperwar) and in the Book Survey by Stone&Stone. A set of eight volumes was reprinted in 2012.[10] Many of the Official History publications are available at the British Library.

It appears that a total of 25 Official History volumes were published, series General Editor Dr Bisheshwar Prasad.

  • Campaigns in the Eastern Theatre, six volumes see below.
  • Campaigns in the Western Theatre, four volumes see below.
  • General war administration and organisation: eight volumes, of which seven are available online, see below. The other volume is The Corps of Indian Engineers, 1939-1947 which is however searchable, but not viewable at Google Books.
  • Medical Services, seven volumes see below.

The following volumes were originally available on the Digital Library of India website, now closed. From January 2017, mirror versions of these books have been available on Archive.org. There are also some editions which were added later to Archive.org in the collection Servants Of Knowledge.

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.

China, Burma, India

  • "Book 3 India, Burma, West Africa" from page 315, War in the Sun by James Lansdale Hodson, 1942. Archive.org. Diary Extracts from February 18th, 1942. Archive.org. The author was a war correspondent. James Lansdale Hodson Wikipedia.
  • The Reluctant Major by David Atkins 1995 reprint, first published 1986. The back cover says “This is the only published account of the collapse of the troops on the Dimapur-Imphal Road in 1942”, which was due to overwhelming illness due to malaria. Archive.org Books to Borrow. The continuation book The Forgotten Major : (in the siege of Imphal) by David Atkins 1989 is available at the British Library UIN: BLL01008820208 .
  • 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. Lt.-Col. Arthur James Barker (1918-1981) wrote many military histories. For one available online, see Mesopotamia Campaign.
  • Imphal: A Flower On Lofty Heights by Lieutenant-General Sir Geoffrey Evans and Antony Brett-James 1962 Archive.org. 1944 Battle.
  • The Siege. A Story From Kohima by Arthur Campbell. First published 1956. Archive.org. Appears to be a reprint edition, with some incorrect date references to the action in 1914, not 1944, and date of first publication is incorrectly advised to be 1916, not 1956. The author’s Preface states "Although the story is true and the incidents I describe actually took place, they may not have occurred exactly as I describe them".
  • Kohima by Arthur Swinson 1966 Archive.org Lending Library.
  • Kohima 1944 - The Battle That Saved India by Robert Layman. Illustrations by Peter Dennis 2010. Archive.org.
  • 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"
[United States Army] The Medical Department : Medical Service in the European Theater of Operations by Graham A. Cosmas and Albert E. Cowdrey 1992 HathiTrust 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. HathiTrust Digital Library. Part of the series The Technical Services [of the United States Army]. Includes Burma.
  • Trek Back From Burma by W G Burchett, first published c 1943. Two different files 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.
Unofficial History by Field Marshal Sir William Slim 1962, first published 1959. Archive.org Lending Library. Chapters about WW2, Middle East from page 127
Slim, Master of War: Burma and the birth of modern warfare by Robert Lyman 2004. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
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"[17]
  • 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], now archived.
    • Ball Of Fire: The Fifth Indian Division in the Second World War by Antony Brett-James, 1951, now archived.
    • Burma Diary by Paul Geren published 1943, now archived. 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, now archived. 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, now archived.
  • 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. Archive.org mirror version. 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 [18] This book (55 pages) was published in Calcutta for Private Circulation and was illustrated with black and white plates and line drawing maps. [19] 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.
  • Part II The War years. Page 171 Elephant Bill by Lt.-Col. J H Williams 1950. In 1942 he helped escort a group of women and children on the Trek out of Burma and later, in October, he was appointed elephant adviser to the Eastern Army (later XIVth Army). Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. "Elephants at war", by Philip Wynter Life April 10, 1944. In Burma, World War 2 from "China - Burma - India: Remembering the Forgotten Theater of World War II"
  • 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
  • Far East by Cecil Beaton 1945. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library version with better photographs, Archive.org version. Well known photographer. During WW2 he worked for the UK Ministry of Information, which sent him to India, Burma and China 1943-1944 for six months (he was in China in 1944), as a war photographer. Chapters include "Assam, Burma and the Arakan Front" page 22, and chapters on China.
  • 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 still applies - you can only read the print version of this book if you still have Flash installed on your computer. Transcribed version. Includes operations in Burma.
"West African Way" The Story of the Burma Campaigns 1943-1945, 5th Bn. Gold Coast Regt., 81 West African Division by Lt. Col. C. G. Bowen originally published 1946, is available in a reprint edition,[20] which in turn is available online on the Ancestry owned pay website fold3 with title The Story of the Burma Campaigns (located in /Military Books (locate by the Search)/West Africa).
War Journal Of The Fifth (Kenya) Battalion The King’s African Rifles 1939-1945 by W. D. Draffan & T. C. Lewin is available on fold3.com, a pay website owned by Ancestry, located in Military Books (locate by the Search)/Kenya. This is an online version of a Naval & Military Press reprint edition.[21] Begins with the campaign against the Italians in Abyssinia and ends fighting the Japanese in Burma.
  • A Traveler's Tale : Memories of India by Enid Saunders Candlin 1974. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. Life in India during the Second World War. The author’s husband was a metallurgist/chemical engineer who worked for the Inspectorate of Armaments in ordnance factories at Ishapore and Ambernath (Bombay Presidency) 1941-46, having been transferred from Hong Kong.
  • Codebreaker in the Far East by Alan Stripp 1889. A volume in the Cass Series: Studies in Intelligence. Archive.org Books to Borrow

Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaya, Dutch East Indies, Vietnam

When Singapore fell : Evacuations and Escapes, 1941-42 by Joseph Kennedy 1989. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
Singapore : the Pregnable Fortress : a Study in Deception, Discord and Desertion by Peter Elphick 1995. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
Far Eastern File : The Intelligence War in the Far East, 1930-1945 by Peter Elphick 1998, first published 1997. Archive.org Books to Borrow
  • The Railway Man by Eric Lomax 2014 first published 1995. A member of the Royal Signals, he became a POW at the fall of Singapore. Archive.org Books to Borrow Lending Library. This book was subsequently made into a film.
Burma Railway Man : secret letters from a Japanese POW : the remarkable record of Charles Steel, a Japanese POW by Brian Best 2013. Archive.org Books to Borrow Lending Library. Steel was a Battery Sergeant Major, 135th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, who became a POW at the fall of Singapore.
Volume 3 of the series: The invasion of the Dutch East Indies edited and translated by Willem Remmelink 2015. The campaign to gain control over the Indonesian archipelago. Open Access oapen.org. Archive.org mirror version.
Volume 26 of the series: The Operations of the Navy in the Dutch East Indies and the Bay of Bengal edited and translated by Willem Remmelink 2018. Describes the Japanese Navy’s role in the campaign to gain control over the Indonesian archipelago. It includes the first complete Japanese analysis of the Battle of the Java Sea, a much-debated battle that ended disastrously for the Allies and opened the way to Java for the Japanese. Open Access oapen.org. Archive.org mirror version.
Volume 34 of the series: The Invasion of the South: Army Air Force Operations, and the Invasion of Northern and Central Sumatra edited and translated by Willem Remmelink 2021. Open Access oapen.org. Archive.org mirror version.
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.
At the Going Down of the Sun : Hong Kong and South-East Asia, 1941-1945 by Oliver Lindsay 1981. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
The Great Crusade : a new complete history of the Second World War by H P Willmott first published 1989. A review quote on the front cover: "The best balanced one-volume history of the Second World War". 2nd file.
The Second World War in the Far East by H P Willmott 1999.
World War II by H P Willmott, Charles Messenger, Robin Cross 2008, first published 2004 or prior.
All Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
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.

General

Sisters in Arms : British Army Nurses Tell Their Story by Nicola Tyrer 2008. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. Second World War. Includes
Joyce's War : the Second World War Journal of a Queen Alexandra Nurse by Joyce Ffoulkes Parry, edited by Rhiannon Evans 2015. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. She served on a troop ship, a hospital ship and in land hospitals in Alexandria and Calcutta 1940-1944.
  • 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
# 001-#005, # 101-103, #006, #007, #008 (1939 11 04) to #250 (1947 01 17), #072, 082, 105, 152. All Archive.org. Missing #010-011(1939 11 18/25), #032(1940 04 12), #251-255(1947 01-31/02-14/03-14/03-28/04-11).
2000 reprint editions. (Title page)The War Illustrated : complete record of the conflict by land and sea and in the air edited by Sir John Hammerton. (Cover) The Second World War: An illustrated History of WWII
Volume 6 Axis Domination June 1942 to May 1943. [Issues 131-155]
Volume 9 Victory May 1945- April 1946 [Issues 206-230] Both Archive.org Lending Library
Also available on the pay website Findmypast as the searchable database The War Illustrated 1939-1947 located in Armed Forces & Conflict/Second World War. There appears to be a complete range of all editions. If browsing the various editions, not all pages may appear in the search results, however you can navigate from page to page when looking at the text, and it appears that all pages are available.
The Second Great War. A Standard History edited by Sir John Hammerton. Note, includes text of some historic documents which may not be readily available elsewhere.
Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3, Vol.4, Vol.5, Vol.6, Vol.7, Vol.8, Vol. 9. All digital files. All Archive.org. Note Vol.9 looks somewhat different to read online, as it has been divided into three files which are shown in blue below the book reader bar at the foot of the book (as at 2020/12).
  • Purnell's History of the 20th Century, in ten volumes, published 1971. WW2 period Volume 7, Volume 8. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. (Subsequently revised in 1979 as 20th Century published in twenty volumes by Purnell Reference Books).
The Illustrated encyclopedia of 20th century weapons and warfare edited by Bernard Fitzsimons. Originally published 1967-1969 by Purnell & Sons Limited. Other editions to 1978. In 24 editions, arranged alphabetically. Includes WW2. Broken range of editions Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. Volume 24 contains an Index for the whole series.
History of the Second World War, Volumes 1-8, Publisher Purnells is available on the pay website Forces War Records in the category UK, Historical Documents Library, category Magazine.
  • The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of World War II : an objective, chronological, and comprehensive history of the Second World War 1985. In 12 Volumes.
Volume 1 not available online, Vol.2 1940-1941,Vol.3 1941-1942, Vol.4 1942-1943, Vol.5 1943-1944, Vol.6 1944,Vol.7 1944, Vol.8 1944-1945, Vol.9 1944-1945, Vol.10 1945-1946,Vol.11 1939-1946, Vol.12 Biliography and Index Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
There are also some earlier editions published 1972 from a 25 Volume series with a similar title, and one volume from a 1981 series Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library, including Volume 1
  • 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.
Winston Churchill by John Connell (pseud. John Henry Robertson). Revised edition 1965, first published 1956. An essay. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
Churchill in Power, as seen by his Contemporaries by Brian Gardner 1970, first published 1968. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
Winston S. Churchill by Martin Gilbert. Also see his book below The Second World War.
Winston S. Churchill Volume V The Prophet of Truth 1922-1939 1977
Winston S. Churchill: Volume V Companion Part 2 Documents: The Wilderness Years 1929-1935 1981
Winston S. Churchill: Volume V Companion Part 3 Documents: The Coming of War 1936-1939 by Martin Gilbert 1982.
Winston S. Churchill Volume VI Finest Hour 1939-1941 by Martin Gilbert 1983. 2nd file.
Winston S. Churchill: Volume VII Road to Victory 1941-1945 by Martin Gilbert 1986.
Winston S. Churchill: Volume VIII Never Despair 1945-1965 by Martin Gilbert 1988.
All Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. For earlier editions, see First World War
Winston Churchill by John Keegan 2007 edition, first published 2002. A book in the series Penguin Lives. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
Winston's War: Churchill, 1940-1945 by Max Hastings 2010. Archive.org Lending Library.
The Desert Generals by Correlli Barnett 1986 reprint of a 1982 New and Enlarged Edition. Archive.org Books to Borrow/ Lending Library.
The Memoirs of Field-Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, K. G 1958 Archive.org. Missing one Contents page. Archive.org Books to Borrow/ Lending Library version, 1959 reprint.
Auchinleck: A Biography of Field-Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck by John Connell (pseud. John Henry Robertson) 1959 Archive.org. Auchinleck was appointed Commander-in Chief, India on 20 June 1943, but the role was restricted to not include operations against the Japanese.
Wavell In The Middle East by Major-General H Rowan-Robinson 2nd impression, first published c 1942. Archive.org
Wavell, Scholar and Soldier: To June 1941 by John Connell (pseud. of John Henry Robertson) 1964. 2nd file. Archive.org Books to Borrow/ Lending Library. There was a further book published Wavell, Supreme Commander, 1941-1943 by John Connell (pseud. John Henry Robertson), edited and completed by Michael Roberts 1969. Available at the British Library UIN: BLL01000764973 .
The Chief : Field Marshal Lord Wavell, Commander-in-Chief and Viceroy, 1939-1947 by Ronald Lewin 1980 File 2, File 3 Archive.org Books to Borrow/ Lending Library.
The Crucible of War: Volume I Wavell’s Command by Barrie Pitt 2001. Additional wording on cover The definitive history of the Desert War. Published in three volumes 2001, first published in two volumes 1980 and 1982 with titles Crucible of War : Western Dessert 1941 and The Crucible of War: Year of Alamein 1942. Archive.org Books to Borrow/ Lending Library.
The Crucible of War: Volume II Auchinleck's Command not available online, but available at the British Library UIN: BLL01006723011. Editions, all catalogued 1980, are available on HathiTrust Digital Library, searchable only.
The Crucible of War: Volume III Montgomery and Alamein by Barrie Pitt 2001, first published in two volumes 1980 and 1982. Archive.org Books to Borrow/ Lending Library.
Handbook for Spies by Alexander Foote 1949. Digital Collection University of Calgary Canada. Download may be possible, see under Actions "Permissions and access" (registration required, fee seems to/perhaps may apply for digital copies- see FAQ). British citizen Alexander Foote was recruited into a Soviet network of spies against Nazi Germany. Some editions may have been published under the title Story of a Russian Spy The Factual Autobiography of a Former Soviet Agent. Alexander Foote Wikipedia.
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.
The World at War : the landmark oral history from the previously unpublished archives by Richard Holmes 2008. Both Archive.org Book to Borrow/Lending Library.
Night over Europe; the Diplomacy of Nemesis, 1939-1940 by Frederick L Schuman 1941. File 2 Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.

Fiction

  • The Jacaranda Tree by H E Bates 1949. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. Describes the escape from Burma of a small group of British and Burmese civilians from the invading Japanese.
  • The Singapore Grip by J G Farrell 1979. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. About the Fall of Singapore. Another book by Farrell won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1973, see Indian Mutiny - Fiction.
  • Biggles Sees It Through by Captain W E Johns 1941 Archive.org, Digital Library of India Collection. For younger readers.

References

  1. ↑ Rothy. 2nd Survey Regiment, Burma 1944-45 WW2Talk Forum 25 April 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  2. ↑ Skoyen89. 122 field battery 178 assault field regt.R.A WW2Talk Forum 10 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Naval & Military Press has reprint editions for The Development of Artillery Tactics and Equipment (Official History of the Second World War Army) by Brigadier A. L. Pemberton, 2 volumes including a Map volume, published 2022; Airborne Forces of the Second World War 1939-1945 (Official History of the Second World War Army) by T B H Otway published 2018; Special Weapons and Types of Warfare (Official History of the Second World War Army) by D J C Wiseman in 3 volumes, published 2018.
  4. ↑ skimmod. Kings Regulations 1940 WW2Talk Forum February 19, 2012. Log in to view images. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  5. ↑ ABDA-CBI-SEAC. Book thread. WW2Talk Forum
  6. ↑ Kyt. British Indian Army in Dutch East Indies WW2Talk Forum 28 November 2006. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  7. ↑ London Gazette Tuesday 18 August 1942 Supplement: 35670 Page: 3601
  8. ↑ War Against Japan Scroll. Naval & Military Press reprint editions.
  9. ↑ The War at Sea 1939-1945 in four volumes Naval & Military Press
  10. ↑ WW2Talk Forum post Official History of Indian Armed Forces in the Second World War reprints (retrieved 18 September 2018)
  11. ↑ WW2Talk Forum thread Short online Histories, category British Indian Army
  12. ↑ Golden Arrow. The story of the 7th Indian Division in the Second World War, 1939-1945 by Brigadier M. R. Roberts. Naval & Military Press reprint edition.
  13. ↑ Fighting Cock: Being the History of the 23rd Indian Division, 1942-1947 Lieut. Col. A. J. F. Doulton. Naval & Military Press reprint edition.
  14. ↑ Fourth Indian Division by Lieut-Colonel GR Stevens. Naval & Military Press reprint edition.
  15. ↑ An Account of the Operations in Burma carried out by Probyn’s Horse during February, March and April 1945 by Major Mylne, Naval & Military Press reprint edition.
  16. ↑ Sikh Regiment in the Second World War by Colonel F. T. Birdwood c 1950. Naval & Military Press reprint edition.
  17. ↑ The Burma Road (scroll to the bottom) tinyadventurestours.com, now archived. For images, which are not available in this link, see an earlier archived version
  18. ↑ Scroll down to comments section Jungle Work: A Civil Engineer in Burma BBC ww2peopleswar
  19. ↑ marelibri.com, page no longer accessible
  20. ↑ 'West African Way" The Story of the Burma Campaigns 1943-1945, 5th Bn. Gold Coast Regt., 81 West African Division by Lt. Col. C. G. Bowen. Naval & Military Press.
  21. ↑ War Journal Of The Fifth (Kenya) Battalion The King’s African Rifles 1939-1945 Naval & Military Press reprint.
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