Jungle Commandos

Bloomsbury presents Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan, Burma 1945 by Lucy Betteridge-Dyson, read by Catrin Walker-Booth.

Drawing on unpublished first-hand accounts, this is a gripping history of the experiences of the Commandos and their unsung allies in one of the bloodiest battles of the Burma Campaign.

Following the battles of Kohima and Imphal in mid-1944, the tide was turning against the Imperial Japanese Army. By the end of that fateful year, the Allies were preparing to launch an offensive in the Arakan region of Burma, to deliver a knockout blow to the increasingly desperate Japanese 28th Army. This fascinating new history details the actions of 3 Commando Brigade, who would spearhead this attack in a series of daring amphibious landings into the depths of the Burmese jungle, culminating in the brutal fight for Hill 170.

They would be the only Commando Brigade to serve in the Far East, yet their story has never before been told in detail. With access to previously unseen primary sources, this book is the story of the men who volunteered for a fight against a fearless enemy, 5000 miles away from home in one of the most unforgiving environments in the world. Thrown into combat with limited jungle training and scant resources, it would be a baptism of fire, but the Commandos, alongside the brave men of the Indian and West African Divisions of XV Corps, would inflict a terrible defeat on an enemy once thought to be unbeatable.

Written by a granddaughter of a Commando veteran who fought at Arakan, this new book shines a light on a largely forgotten yet crucial battle of World War II.