Forgotten War

The British Empire and Commonwealth's Epic Struggle Against Imperial Japan, 1941–1945

Brian E. Walter

• Publisher: Casemate
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781636243580
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

A new assessment of the British and Commonwealth contribution to the defeat of Japan in the Pacific. The monumental struggle fought against Imperial Japan in the Asia/Pacific theater during World War II is primarily viewed as an American affair. While the United States did play a dominant role, the British and Commonwealth forces also made major contributions—on land, at sea and in the air, eventually involving over a million men and vast armadas of ships and aircraft. It was a difficult and often desperate conflict fought against a skilled and ruthless enemy that initially saw the British suffer the worst series of defeats ever to befall their armed forces. Still, the British persevered and slowly turned the tables on their Japanese antagonists. Fighting over an immense area that stretched from India in the west to the Solomon Islands in the east and Australia in the south to the waters off Japan in the north, British and Commonwealth forces eventually scored a string of stirring victories that avenged their earlier defeats and helped facilitate the demise of the Japanese Empire. Often overlooked by history, this substantial war effort is fully explored in Forgotten War. Meticulously researched, the book provides a complete, balanced and detailed account of the role that British and Commonwealth forces played on land, sea and in the air during this crucial struggle. It also provides unique analysis regarding the effectiveness and relevance of this collective effort and the contributions it made to the overall Allied victory.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Maps
• 1 The Long Road to War
• 2 The Storm in Europe
• 3 On the Brink in Asia
• 4 Japan Unleashed
• 5 Turning the Tide
• 6 Commonwealth Contributions in the South Pacific
• 7 Return to the Indian Ocean
• 8 The Battle for India and the Opening of the Burma Offensive
• 9 Tightening the Noose
• 10 Victory over Japan
• 11 Reflections on the Asia/Pacific War
• Appendix A Timeline of Significant Global Events during World War II
• Appendix B Wartime Biographies of Selected Senior British/Commonwealth Leaders in the Asia/Pacific Theatre
• Appendix C Victoria Cross Recipients in the Asia/Pacific Conflict
• Appendix D Plight of the Prisoners of War
• Appendix E Contributions made by the Various Elements of the British Empire and Commonwealth during World War II
• Endnotes
• Selected Bibliography