Burma '44

Holland is good on the mechanics of warfare and gives a thrilling blow-by-blow account of the fighting, which will please military buffs. There are also crisp vignettes of the commanders … But it is the voices of the fighting men that lift this book above the level of a simple battle narrative. Holland has a good ear. * The Times *Up there with Rorke’s Drift … in rescuing the Battle of the Admin Box from oblivion, Holland has performed a signal service for all the men who fought – and died – in its defence * Telegraph *In this superb account of an obscure but decisive battle fought in almost indescribably difficult jungle terrain, the always excellent James Holland tells a tale of heroism and grit to match any in the annals of war * The Mail on Sunday *Vivid … military historian James Holland conjures the heroism and horror of this gallant stand by a motley force of doctors, clerks and other base troops against highly trained Japanese infantry. * Daily Mail *A gripping account of one of the war’s lesser-known episodes * Soldier *Holland is excellent at conjuring up the sights, sounds and smells of combat in the Arakan’s inhospitable terrain … Too many histories of the Second World War revisit the same old battles: Dunkirk, El Alamein, D-day and Arnhem. It is refreshing, therefore, to be reminded of one of the lesser known yet still highly significant engagements. Burma ’44 is a brilliant exploration of how and why the British turned the tide in the East * Literary Review *This book not only reveals previously unknown facts, it also makes one proud of the British achievement, both by the ‘clerks and orderlies; and by senior commanders * Country Life *A smashing battle history … The fear and tension of jungle combat are tangible in this pacey narrative of how British and Indian troops won their first decisive victory over the Japanese * BBC History Magazine *

James Holland is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories including most recently The Savage Storm and Cassino ‘44, he is also the author of ten works of fiction and a dozen Ladybird Experts. He is the co-founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival which is now in its twelfth year, and he has presented - and written - many television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and the History and Discovery channels. With Al Murray, he has a successful Second World War podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, which also has its own festival, and is a research fellow at St Andrew’s University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

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