BOOKS: Burma The Longest War

British Jungle Headquarters, Burma 1945

It was the “Longest War. A brutal campaign that was waged in Burma from 1941-1945. Many considered it the most brutal campaign of WWII, fought in the unbearably hot and humid Burmese jungle and immortalized in such films as: as “Bridge on the River Kwai,” and “Operation Burma.” Malaria, typhus, dysentery, anemia and foot rot racked the troops. Hardened and fanatical Japanese troops fought tenaciously in battles that took the allies 3 years to win. Burma in 1941 was hell and no one better portrays the horror of the Burmese theater than Louis Allen in his 2000 book: “Burma The Longest War 1941-1945.” Allen a Japanese linguist and veteran of the Burmese campaign takes special care to portray the gritty reality of life in the hostile Burmese jungle. This is a thick book, 720 pages long and 2 and a half pounds and considered the definitive account of the Burmese campaign. If you are into WWII history, especially the Southeast Asian Theater read this book. It’s fascinating. Unfortunately it is out of print and used copies can run from $60 to $150. It’s that good. Local libraries may have a copy. The plus about Allen’s book is that it is balanced. Both the Japanese and the British perspectives are presented. Allen drew not only from British and Allied sources, but also from official Japanese documents and personal interviews with Japanese troops. He is quite adroit at presenting the Japanese perspective, especially in the Battle of Kohima where the beleaguered Japanese were driven from India and back into Burma where they were eventually defeated. Allen’s book is poignant because today the Burmese campaign is mostly forgotten. It was a brutal and hard fought campaign and it is the war that saved the Indian subcontinent. Past accounts of about the Burmese theater have been fragmentary and based mainly on personal interviews with a few participants, but Allen has done a magnificent job of bringing it all together and giving the war a unified perspective. Most importantly Allen gives Burma the treatment it deserves and the book is a memorial to the suffering and sacrifice that has long been forgotten. Rarely do you find a book so well written by someone actually in the right place at the right time. If you’re interested in WWII, trying to obtain a copy is well worth it.