The British Fourteenth Army was a multinational force comprising units from Commonwealth countries during World War II. Many of its units were from the Indian Army as well as British units and there were also significant contributions from East African divisions within the British Army. The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as The Commonwealth, is an association of independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The Indian Army in the time of the British Raj (1857–1947) See Indian Army for the post-independence (and post-partition) army of the Republic of India. ... East Africa is a region generally considered to include: Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Somalia Tanzania Uganda Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Sudan are sometimes considered a part of East Africa. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

The army was formed in 1943 in eastern India. Its commander was the brilliant General William Slim. It is referred to as the "Forgotten Army" because its operations in the Burma Campaign were often overlooked by the contemporary press, and have remained more obscure than those of the corresponding formations in Europe to this day. 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... Field Marshal Sir William Slim (pictured here as a Major General) William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC (6 August 1897 – 14 December 1970), British military commander and 13th Governor-General of Australia, was born near Bristol, Gloucestershire. ... The Burma Campaign was a campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It was fought primarily between Commonwealth, Chinese and American forces against the Empire of Japan. ...

Men of the 81st and 82nd West African Divisions served with great distinction against the Japanese in Burma, as part of the famous ‘Forgotten’ 14th Army. The 81st was composed of units from the Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast (now Ghana ), while the 82nd comprised further reinforcements from Nigeria and the Gold Coast, including the two experienced infantry Brigades, 1 (WA) Bde (Nigeria), and 2 (WA) Bde (Gold Coast, which had taken part in the Abyssinian Campaign in 1940 and 1941. Both Divisions formed the majority of the RWAFF (Royal West African Frontier Force). The Abyssinian Campaign can refer to at least two different military campaigns. ...

With the creation of SEAC in late 1943, the Eastern Army of India was split into two. The Eastern Command took over responsibility for Bihar, Orissa and most of Bengal. The rest, including Burcorps, became the Fourteenth Army under the command of General Slim. South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II. The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir Archibald Wavell, initially as head of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command... Bihar ( िबहार in Devanagari) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ... Orissa (2001 provisional pop. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla (Bengali), is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ...

Many plans for offensives from India to recapture Burma from the Japanese had been formed since British forces had been ejected from the country unceremoniously in 1942. However, they had all floundered for lack of resources. Since the UK was fully engaged in fighting in the Mediterranean and European Theatres, it could not spare many resources for SE Asia. By late 1943, it was felt that enough resources had been assembled to go over to the offensive. This was not to be a general offensive, but a more limited push along the Arakan coast of Burma. The attack proceeded, but a Japanese counterstroke halted its progress relatively quickly. This article is about the year. ... The Mediterranean region. ... Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini // Preceding events Main articles: Events preceding World War II in Europe, Causes of World War II After Germany lost World War I, the Treaty of Versailles placed punitive conditions on the country, including significant financial reparations, the loss of territory (some only temporarily), and war... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... Arakan is a state in the North Western part of Myanmar, formerly Burma. ...

With the offensive in the Arakan blunted, and indeed in danger of being cut off from the rear, the main Japanese threat materialised. They attacked the centre of Fourteenth Army and the battles of Kohima and Imphal began. During March and April 1944, large numbers of British and Indian troops were cut off in those two enclaves. They were supplied by air in the largest operation of its type. The Japanese forces were cut off from their supplies by air attack, and gradually the roles were reversed. The besiged garrisons broke out and pursued the Japanese back to the border. The Battle of Kohima was a battle of the Burma Campaign in World War II, fought around the town of Kohima in northeast India from April 4 to June 22, 1944. ... The Battle of Imphal took place in Manipur district of North East India from April until June 1944. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

With the Japanese attack broken, a general advance was ordered. The original idea had been to capture Rangoon, the capital of Burma, from the sea and then link up Fourteenth Army troops advancing from the north. However, due to lack of landing craft, the landing could not be pursued. Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ...

Fourteenth Army had to be supplied from the air. In a brilliantly successful campaign, they made it to Rangoon from the north before a deadline when the American transport aircraft, upon whose support the offensive rested, were reassigned. The capture of Rangoon, a large port, made it possible to supply Fourteenth Army by sea, and thus no disasters ensued. Rangoon was captured at the beginning of May, and with its fall most of Burma, outside of a small area down towards the Kra Isthmus, was recaptured. The Isthmus of Kra The Kra Isthmus is the narrow landbridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. ...

The Army headquarters was then relieved of responsibility for operations in Burma. IV Corps from Fourteenth Army remained in Burma, and took over operations against the remaining Japanese formations. A new Army headquarters, Twelfth Army, was raised to take over command of Burma. The British Twelfth Army was formed on May 28, Burma from the Fourteenth Army, which was being withdrawn to plan for Operation Zipper, the planned invasion of Malaya by amphibious assualt, which was due to take place in August 1945. ...

Offensive operations under the command of Fourteenth Army then paused for the rest of the war, whilst an offensive to retake Malaya by amphibious landing, Operation Zipper, was planned. Fourteenth Army was low profile, but within its limited powers, it made a good contribution towards Allied victory over Japan. The Federation of Malaya, or in Malay Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, was formed in 1948 from the British settlements of Penang and Malacca and the nine Malay states and replaced the Malayan Union. ... During World War II, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture of either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Burma as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore. ...

Fourteenth Army was renamed Malaya Command on 1 November 1945. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ...

When you go home don't worry about what to tell your loved ones and friends about service in Asia. No one will know where you were, or where it is if you do. You are, and will remain "The Forgotten Army." ― attributed to General Slim.

The beautiful War Cemetery in Kohima has the famous inscription "When they ask of us, tell them that for their tomorrow, we gave our today." — The Kohima Epitaph. Kohima is a small hill town which serves as the capital of Indias north eastern border state of Nagaland. ... An epitaph (literally: on the grave in ancient Greek) is text honoring the dead, most commonly inscribed on a tombstone or plaque. ...