Operation Longcloth 1943: The First Chindit Campaign

A fascinating look at the campaign that launched the Chindit myth and saw Orde Wingate's long range patrol group wreak havoc across the Japanese lines.

Arriving in Burma in 1942 to survey the environment and finalise his development of long range penetration units, Major General Orde Wingate set up the training and deployment of the Chindits. Under Operation Longcloth, the Chindits crossed the Chindwin into Burma in February 1943. The 3,000-man patrol undertook considerable feats of physical endurance, attacked enemy positions, sabotaged lines of communications and made themselves a nuisance to the Japanese. The survivors returned in May 1943, bringing to an end the first Chindit campaign.

With detailed maps, stunning artwork and period images, this book looks at the origins and training of Wingate's long range penetration units and how Operation Longcloth became the basis of the Chindit legend. Written by expert historian Robert Lyman, the work explores how Wingate and the Chindits were heavily publicised even though the operation was a failure and their effectiveness was controversial.