Meiktila 1945

The battle of Meiktila was the decisive battle of the Burma campaign and resulted in the liberation of Burma, the capture of Rangoon and the virtual destruction of the Japanese Burma Area Army. General William Slim believed that it would be possible to re-conquer Burma over land if the Japanese army could be seriously weakened first. In the subsequent campaign Slim overcame immense logistical problems, executed a large-scale deception plan, oversaw the longest opposed river crossing conducted in World War II and carried out an armoured dash behind enemy lines supplied entirely from the air. This book details every stage of this formidable battle.