Osprey's 'Warrior' #136 covers the short lived group of British and Gurhka soldiers known as Chindits. These units were the brain child of somewhat eccentric Major-General Orde Wingate and was probably the largest use of what we would call Special Forces during WWII.

The idea was to send these troops behind enemy lines to cause mayhem and disruption, thus pulling troops from the front lines. Their biggest operation came in 1944 when thousands of men set up and operated strong points in northern Burma that included airfields for attack aircraft. These men involved in that operation were there for months and the casualty rate from both enemy action and disease was staggering. So much so that the Chindits were disbanded shortly thereafter. Many think this was done as their strongest advocate, General Wingate, was not there to force the issue (he died in a plane crash in early 1944).

Many historians have mixed views of the Chindits with some considering them a waste of resources while others felt they helped to drive the Japanese out of Burma. Regardless of the thoughts of the effectiveness of this unit, they paved the way for other special forces and provided insights on what did and did not work when operating in this sort of situation.

Author Tim Moreman tells us the full story of these men begining with  how they were recruited, what training they got, how they worked with others in their unit, what clothing and weaponry they used and how they performed in battle. Add to it a goodly selection of period photos combined with the the artwork of Peter Denis, and you have a superlative book on a subject that I found particularly fascinating. I'm positive you will feel the same way once you read this so put the grabs on this title when you come across it at your local shop.

May 2009

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