The Chindits: The History of the Indian and British Special Operations Forces in Burma during World War II

While the fighting on the Asian mainland is often overlooked in favor of other theaters, at the beginning of 1942, Japanese soldiers in the 15th Army invaded Burma and drove out the British forces in a state of disorder. In fact, it was a headlong retreat, and with the fall of Burma, the Japanese posed a threat to India itself. As Britain scrambled to rebuild its forces and morale to hold back the Japanese, one British officer, Orde Wingate, with considerable experience with irregular operations in the Middle East, formed a radical plan to disrupt the Japanese forces now at the gates of India. He advocated taking the fight to the enemy by using a relatively small group of highly trained soldiers to attack the vulnerable Japanese supply lines that extended precariously through the Burmese jungle.

The “Chindits” came about as a result of Wingate’s idea. They were a British-trained force of British, Indian, and Gurkha soldiers designed to be employed on long-range offensive operations behind the lines of the Japanese. They were launched on two major campaigns, one in 1943 and one in 1944, and they fought in some of the most brutal and grueling terrain and climatic environments on the planet. In addition to facing enemy fire, soldiers in Burma had to deal with monsoons, tropical diseases, thick jungles, bad water, and poor nutrition, along with hidden booby traps and the potential of being ambushed by local villagers. On top of all that, the Chindits were up against an experienced, tenacious, and savage enemy who rarely took prisoners.

Training for the operations was intense, fighting was fierce, and the casualties were high, which has ensured their service is still a subject of heated debate.