Chindits

The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British jungle Special Forces unit that served in Burma from 1943 until 1945 as part of the Fourteenth Army during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate from bases deep behind Japanese lines.

Operation Thursday

On February 5, 1944, Fergusson's 16th Brigade left Ledo for Burma. They avoided Japanese forces by traversing exceptionally difficult terrain. Wingate now proposed that the other brigades avoid both the Japanese and premature exhaustion by flying into landing grounds behind Japanese lines.

Related Topics:
February 5 - 1944 - Ledo

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Three landing zones, codenamed Piccadilly, Broadway and Chowringhee were selected and reconnoitred. Calvert's 77th Brigade prepared to fly by glider into Piccadilly on the night of March 5. A last-minute reconnaissance revealed Piccadilly to be covered in logs, making landing impossible. In most accounts of the incident, Wingate insisted that the operation had been betrayed and that the other landing zones would be ambushed. To proceed would be "murder". Slim accepted the responsibility of ordering a willing Calvert to proceed with the operation, using Broadway instead. Broadway was a worse landing ground and there were many casualties in crash landings, but Calvert's men were just able to make the strip fit to take transport aircraft. Chindit gliders landed on Chowringhee the next day. It was later revealed that the logs on Piccadilly had been placed there to dry by Burmese teak loggers.

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Over the next week, 600 sorties transferred 9000 men to the landing zones. Chowringhee was abandoned once the fly-in was completed, but Broadway was held with a garrison which included field artillery, anti-aircraft guns and even Spitfire fighters. Fergusson's brigade set up another base named Aberdeen north of Indaw, into which 14th Brigade was flown. Calvert's brigade established yet another, named White City at Mawlu, astride the main railway and road leading to the Japanese northern front. 111 Brigade set up ambushes and roadblocks around Pinlebu.

Related Topics:
Spitfire - Indaw - Mawlu - Pinlebu

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Ferocious jungle fighting ensued around Broadway and White City. At times, British and Japanese troops were in close combat, bayonets and kukris against katanas. On March 27, after days of aircraft attack, Japanese attacked Broadway for several nights before the attack was repulsed with flown-in artillery and the aid of Kachin guerrillas.

Related Topics:
Bayonet - Kukri - Katana - March 27 - Kachin

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However, a setback occurred when Fergusson's brigade tried to capture Indaw on March 24. The brigade was already exhausted from its long march, and there was no time to properly reconnoitre the objective. Also, Japanese reinforcements had moved into Indaw. Fergusson's battalions, attacking separately, were each repulsed. After this, most of the tired 16th Brigade were flown out.

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