The Forgotten Army

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by craftman, Mar 6, 2006.

  1. craftman

    craftman Junior Member

    ''You call yourselves a forgotten army. Well your wrong. At home they haven't even heard of you'' Mountbatten.

    Why was 14th army the forgotten army? Why is it still unheard of? We all know about Singapore and the POW's but ask anybody about the Burma campaign and you'll draw a blank. Why?
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    The main thrust of the British war effort was to defeat Germany.
    That was why Britain went to war in 1939. Bombs and V weapons were falling on Britain. Germany was THE enemy.
    Japan was far,far away. Not such an immediate threat to Britain. Lower down in the priority list.
    India was threatened but not Britain itself.
     
  3. Brownag

    Brownag Member

    Up until 1944 there were no British victories in Burma so the theatre was ignored apart from news about The Chindits. By '44 there were a lot more interesting things happening in Europe to keep Burma off the front pages.

    Another reason could be that there were relatively few British troops fighting in Burma. It was mainly an Indian Army operation with East and West Afrcan Divisions and Chinese as well
     
  4. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

     
  5. craftman

    craftman Junior Member

    We know that Europe took presedence over Burma in 1944-45 but its still an unknown war 60+ years later.We still seem to not want to know what heroic battles were fought and the conditions that those boys had to endure.
    Try buying a book on the campaign and you'll have to look hard.
     
  6. morse1001

    morse1001 Very Senior Member

    The expression "The forgotten Army" comes from the men of the 14th army who felt left out. Compared to what the troops were getting in Europe they were al but forgotten.

    it shows you what Whitehall felt about the 14th, when they demanded the return of fifty Dakotas for D-Day. Luckily Mountbatten stood his ground and it allowed 5 corp to be airlifted into Imphal.

    Imphal, was in many ways a decsive battle because had the Japs succeeded then they would have a open door into India. If that had happened then there was nothing that the Allies could do until they had destroyed the germans.
     
  7. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    I know a lad who was at Imphal. Unfortunately he's succumbing to mental problems brought on by old age, and his stories are being lost.
    But why is it still forgotten 60 years on? Because politicaly correct Lefties are refusing to allow my generation to be taught British history, and if we do happen to get any it's always the Brits as pariahs. I am sick of it! For my GCSE's i covered women in China, the American west and the history of medecine. Where were the WW1 & 2? The Romans? Industrial revolution? Where i ask you! We got WW1 in Year 7, from the German viewpoint only, and we were the baddies! I am sick of it!
    Let us march dear brothers on London, demand our heritage back from TB and The Wicked Witch! Let us take back our country and set the world to rights once more! Let us fight for the truth!
    Grrrrrrrrrrrr!:mad:
     
  8. morse1001

    morse1001 Very Senior Member

    I know a lad who was at Imphal. Unfortunately he's succumbing to mental problems brought on by old age, and his stories are being lost.
    But why is it still forgotten 60 years on? Because politicaly correct Lefties are refusing to allow my generation to be taught British history, and if we do happen to get any it's always the Brits as pariahs. I am sick of it! For my GCSE's i covered women in China, the American west and the history of medecine. Where were the WW1 & 2? The Romans? Industrial revolution? Where i ask you! We got WW1 in Year 7, from the German viewpoint only, and we were the baddies! I am sick of it!
    Let us march dear brothers on London, demand our heritage back from TB and The Wicked Witch! Let us take back our country and set the world to rights once more! Let us fight for the truth!
    Grrrrrrrrrrrr!:mad:

    For my higher History, I had to study german History!
     
  9. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    At A levels i got 16th century Europe, which did include the Tudors, so that was fun. Seems everything was about politics, sex and war, with religion as an excuse.
    :D
     
  10. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    We had British History because we didn't have enough.
     
  11. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    As Eddie Izzard said, I'm from Britain, where the history comes from.
    :D
     
  12. jeffbubble

    jeffbubble Senior Member

    i dont have a problem re Burma being forgotten - I just ask the Father -in -Law Tom Duram ee RAF Regiment, still going strong at 82 and still uses his back pack for his shopping!
     
  13. Mark Hone

    Mark Hone Senior Member

    As part of the supposed sinister left wing conspiracy to undermine the teaching of British History, I feel compelled to reply. Virtually all British schoolchildren now study aspects of the First and Second World Wars, even if they do not go on to study History at GCSE and beyond. (Incidentally making the subject non-compulsory after Year 9 was not a decision made by History teachers). Many children study Britain in the Second World War and also the First World War at Primary School. 20th Century conflicts, including the two World Wars are usually taught in Year 9 (old-fashioned Third Year)
     
  14. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    As part of the supposed sinister left wing conspiracy to undermine the teaching of British History, I feel compelled to reply. Virtually all British schoolchildren now study aspects of the First and Second World Wars, even if they do not go on to study History at GCSE and beyond. (Incidentally making the subject non-compulsory after Year 9 was not a decision made by History teachers). Many children study Britain in the Second World War and also the First World War at Primary School. 20th Century conflicts, including the two World Wars are usually taught in Year 9 (old-fashioned Third Year)

    Speaking from the Aussie perspective, we don't want it "shoved" down their throats however they should be aware of the events that led up to the wars, the fighting, the homefronts and the culture changes that followed post war.

    Anzac day in Australia has had a marked resurgance over the past 10 years or so as we honour the last of our WW1 Anzacs and the dwindling of representation of WW2 veterans. Korean & Vietnam veterans are becoming better known and the Vietnam involvement accepted now that the protests of the 60's have faded and people are able to realise it was the governments of the day that sent the soldiers and they should still be honoured for doing their duty.
     
  15. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    Here here Spidge!
    I am aware that history has made a fightback in British schools, but in my psychology class three weeks ago we were discussing views and racism, and the lecturer happened to mention that a WW2 film was being remade, and the Americans were very nervous over including a certain black dog in it because of it's name. i instantly named the film, and the restof my class (all under21) hadn't a clue who or what the Dambusters were. And we're in Buxton, less than 30 minutes from the Derwent! I ask you, it's a crying shame.
    :huh:
     
  16. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    There is no disrespect meant to your peers however you would be the rose amongst the thorns when it comes to knowledge of 20th century history.

    No, not knowledge of war, knowledge of history. When you study 20th century history you can't just leave out the parts that don't interest you or go against what your friends think is kosher and what is not.
     
  17. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Well in Ireland the attitude towards history is a strange one. Our History is dominated by our relationship to Great Britain and this comes across in the Teaching of History. Having said that, there is great interest in the 20th Century and indeed all aspects of it.
     
  18. Kitty

    Kitty Very Senior Member

    I wish i had learnt some irish history. It really annoyed me the lack of history i was taught. 6 months was wasted on Women in China, and another 6 on the history of medecine at GCSE level. We then had 6 weeks on the industrial revoloution cotton mills. Where was the balance? At least the history teachers are beginning to fight back.
    :huh:
    Spidge, i thank you for the compliment, i have never been called a rose before. As to disrespecting my peers, go for it. Most of them are a load of twonks anyway.
     
  19. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    And so the forgotten army gets forgotten again.
     
  20. Brownag

    Brownag Member

    [/quote]
    Most of the Aussies that were transferred from Singapore to Burma were treated miserably.

    Australian POW's of the Japanese died at the rate of 36% (8051 of 22,376 died in captivity)[/quote]

    Spidge

    The original post was about Burma Corps / Eastern Army / 14th Army fighting in Northern Burma not the P-o-Ws building the railway between Burma and Thailand. That's why I didn't mention Australians.

    Cheers

    Adam
     

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