K Hale wrote:I am partway through
Quartered Safe Out Here by George MacDonald Fraser. A private soldier's memoirs of the Burma campaign. Very boots-on-the-ground nuts-and-bolts stuff and plenty of opinions on how the war was viewed and is viewed now, as well as how the views have changed over time, etc. All Higgins aficionados should give this a read! If you have a Kindle (or smartphone with Kindle app) you can read it for free.
https://www.amazon.com/Quartered-Safe-O ... e+out+here
Hi K Hale,
Excellent book by the author of the Flashman series, though the British slang at times might hinder the understanding of some bits for those never
exposed to it before.
You are spot on regarding Higgins fans enjoying it, as Higgy baby would no doubt have had this on his bookshelf.
Field Marshal Slim's 14th Army may have been the most diverse army in history, with troops from all over the empire plus Americans and other Allies.
After Slim identified and corrected the tactical and strategic mistakes that had allowed the Japanese so much success before he took over, he then inflicted on them one of the most complete defeats EVER in history.
Of the 150 to 200,000 Japanese(with some Quisling Indian troops) soldiers who invaded India in March 1944, just about every single one was dead by July, 1944.
In 1945 he liberated Burma in another brilliant campaign under brutal conditions.
For every man lost under Slim's command during 1944 and 1945, the Japanese lost 100 and more.
One of the war's greatest achievements, made with men from Africa to Scotland to New Jersey and Calgary to Australia/NZ and India, who supplied the majority of the effort. The fact that Slim made a cohesive and effective army out of this mini United Nations was by itself a great feat.
The next time you hear some jackass bray that we Americans won the war practically by ourselves point out Slim, the greatest general you never heard of.
