Official History of Indian Armed Forces in the Second World War reprints

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Orwell1984, Apr 18, 2013.

  1. Maureene

    Maureene Well-Known Member

    An update of what is available on the Digital Library of India website for free, but you do need to have a plug-in that can read images in the TIFF format (see website}

    The following is copied from the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Second World War http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php/Second_World_War


    The following volumes may be viewed online on the Digital Library of India website.
    • Series: General War Administration and Organisation
      Defence of India Policy and Plans published 1957 bar code 99999990081112
    • Indian War Economy Supply Industry And Finance 1962 barcode 99999990080985
    • Technical Services: Ordnance and IEME 1962 bar code 99999990080984 (IEME =Corps of Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineering) (catalogued as Technical Services Ordnance And Ieme)

    [*]Series: Campaigns in the Eastern Theatre
    • The Reconquest of Burma Volume I 1958 barcode 4990010060131. Catalogued as Official History Of The Indian Armed Forces In The Second World War,Vol. 1, 1939-45
    • The Reconquest Of Burma Vol II 1962 barcode 99999990080988
    • Campaigns In South East Asia 1960 (catalogued 1962) barcode 99999990080987

    [*]Series: Campaigns in the Western Theatre
    • Campaign In Western Asia 1957 barcode 4990010060130 Iraq, Syria and Iran
    • The Campaign In Italy 1943-45 1962 barcode 99999990080986

    [*]Series: Medical Services
    • Medical Services: Administration 1953 barcode 99999990062920 . Catalogued as Official history of the Indian armed forces in the second world war - 1939-45 Administration This volume is also available on the subscription website South Asia Archive. Contents of the book
    • Medicine Surgery And Pathology 1955 (catalogued 1957) bar code 99999990081072


    Cheers
    Maureen
     
    sol, bamboo43 and Capt.Sensible like this.
  2. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Thanks Maureen,

    As always you're informational links led me to somewhere new, resulting in additional material for my research. This time it has ended up being material about officers of the Indian Army held in Rangoon Jail.

    Brilliant!! :)
     
  3. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Anyone captured at Sittang or generally during the first Burma Campaign?
     
  4. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

  5. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

  6. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Thanks Steve,

    I found many familiar names. Seems that they have a lot of records of officer who were commissioned during ww1 and shortly after it. Many of them were Brigade and Battalions commanders during 1942 like

    Hugh-Jones, Noel (CO 48th Indian Brigade)
    Jones, J K (John Keane - CO 16th Indian Brigade)
    Ekin, Roger Gillies (CO 46th Indian Brigade)
    Power, Arthur John (CO 5/17th Dogra Regiment, POW at Sittang, 1942)
    Dyer, Cecil Jerome (CO 7/10th Baluch regiment, KIA at Pa-an, 1942)
    Godley, Brian Richard (CO 1/9th Jat Regiment)
    Edward, William Donald (CO 4/12th Frontier Force Regiment)
    White, Benjamin Goring (CO 1/7th Gurkha Rifles, KIA at Pegu, 1942)
    Stevenson, Herbert Allen (CO 3/7th Gurkha Rifles)
    Lentaigne, Walter David Alexander (CO 1/4th Gurkha Rifles)

    and the most interesting to me

    Cameron, Ronald Thomas (CO 2/5th Royal Gurkha Rifles)

    I only couldn't find record of George Alexander Ballinger, CO of 1/3rd Gurkha Rifles, killed at Sittang in 1942. I found very few lower ranking officers.

    I'll try to see if copies of these files cold be purchased. They probably won't be cheep but at least I'll try to obtain Cameron's record.
     
  7. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Glad you have the chance of something from the files. I will look into the service records and how to apply for them soon myself.

    Best wishes

    Steve
     
  8. Maureene

    Maureene Well-Known Member

    It's great that you both found more information, even if indirectly from the original topic.

    Some service records may still be closed. The closure period for service record files has been set at 75 years from the date of entry of the serviceman into the service. The files are opened on an annual basis. On 1 January 2015, files relating to persons joining the service in 1939 should have been opened. For men you joined later, if you know he has died, perhaps this may influence the decision to release the file.

    For contact details for the India Office Records at the British Library, see within this link the contact email “Ask the Reference Team” which is an online form you have to fill in and send.
    http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/apac/apacoll/apac.html

    Regarding the Official Histories, I should have previously mentioned there are two transcriptions on Hyperwar (links on the FIBIS Fibiwiki page previously mentioned)

    I am now trying to establish a list of all the titles in the series The Official History of the Indian Armed Forces in the Second World War 1939. I think I have them all except one.
    The following link of presentations at the launch in 2013 of the first eight reprint editions, says there were 25, and that the titles were printed on the jackets of the reprint editions
    http://www.idsa.in/system/files/IndiaWorldWarII.pdf
    Contribution of the Indian Armed Forces to the Second World War. IDSA Special Feature January 2013 The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi

    I have found reference to 24 of the titles as follows:

    Campaigns in the Eastern theatre: (6}
    [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 (4)
    [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: {7)
    [v] ''The Royal Indian Navy 1939-1945''. [v] ''History of the Indian Air Force, 1933-45''. [v] ''Expansion of the armed forces and defence organisation, 1939-45''. [v] ''Technical services: ordnance and I.E.M.E''. [v] ''Defense of India: Policy and Plans''. [v] ''Indian War Economy: Supply, Industry & Finance''. [v] ''India and the War''.

    Medical Services: (7)
    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).--v. 5. Statistics.--v. 6. Medical stores and equipment.--v. 7. Campaigns in the Eastern Theatre.

    There may possibly be a volume on Operations in Greece, but I have not been able to find an actual title, or an indication that it was actually published.

    Can anyone supply another (or more) titles?

    Cheers
    Maureen
     
  9. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I would recommend asking about Ballinger when you contact the BL to enquire about the files that definitely do exist, such as Cameron's. It is possible they have it, because I was able to access a Longcloth related file several years ago, which cannot be found using the search engine.
     
  10. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Maureen,

    You seem to be missing The Corps of Indian Engineers. It was published in 1974, some time after the bulk of the series. Its dustjacket lists 24 volumes in the rest of the series (though the series title has been Americanised into 'World War II' rather than the original 'Second World War'). I wonder if that's where the confusion of '25 volumes' comes in: an original plan for 25 volumes (including the announced-but-unpublished Operations in Greece) of which only 24 were published, then Corps of Indian Engineers pops up a decade later to make 25?

    One of the original dustjacket lists refers to an Introductory Volume which I think is India and the War; just in case things were becoming too clear!
     
  11. Maureene

    Maureene Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the information idler, much appreciated.

    Cheers
    Maureen
     
  12. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Thanks Steve, I'll ask. All others I can think off are there so I guess that they could have his service record too.
     
  13. Warlord

    Warlord Veteran wannabe

    Somehow, and I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW!, I overlooked this post... :mad:

    With the volumes about SE Asia, the Arakan, East Africa and North Africa already in the bag, this is the one I was waiting for. Already on buying queue :wink:
     
  14. Maureene

    Maureene Well-Known Member

    I have previously mentioned online editions of the Official History, many of these on the Digital Library of India. The DLI has recently had an upgrade, and books which were previously only available in single page TIFF format, are now available as pdfs to download.

    Out of a total of 25 books in the Official History, there are currently 15 available as pdfs on the Digital Library of India, and two transcriptions on HyperWar, total 17.

    The links, together with links for other books on Burma, are on the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Second World War
    http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php/Second_World_War#Historical_books_online

    Details for the Official History volumes copied:

    • Series: Campaigns in the Eastern Theatre
      Campaigns In South East Asia 1960 (catalogued 1962) barcode 99999990080987 Pdf download
    • The Reconquest of Burma Volume I 1958 barcode 4990010060131. Catalogued as Official History Of The Indian Armed Forces In The Second World War,Vol. 1, 1939-45 Pdf download
    • The Reconquest Of Burma Vol II 1962 barcode 99999990080988 Pdf download
    • Post War Occupation Forces: Japan and South-east Asia by Rajendra Singh 1958. Pdf download






    • Series: General War Administration and Organisation
      Technical Services: Ordnance and IEME 1962 bar code 99999990080984 (IEME =Corps of Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineering) (catalogued as Technical Services Ordnance And Ieme). Pdf download
    • Expansion Of The Armed Forces And Defence Organisation (1939- 45) by Nandan Prasad 1956. Pdf download
    • Defence of India Policy and Plans published 1957 bar code 99999990081112. Pdf download
    • Indian War Economy Supply Industry And Finance 1962 barcode 99999990080985. Pdf download

    [*]Series: Medical Services edited by B. L. Raina.


    HyperWar transcriptions

    Cheers
    Maureen
     
    Aixman likes this.
  15. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Thanks as always Maureen.
     

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