Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organisation, the Special Operations Executive. Force 136 operated in the regions of the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II which were occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The Special Operations Executive (SOE), sometimes referred to as the Baker Street Irregulars after Sherlock Holmess fictional group of spies, was a World War II organization initiated by Winston Churchill and Hugh Dalton in July 1940 as a mechanism for conducting warfare by means other than direct military engagement. ... The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ... This article is about the year. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

Although the top command of Force 136 were British officers and civilians, most of those it trained and employed as agents were indigenous to the regions in which they operated. British, Americans or other Europeans could not operate clandestinely in cities or populated areas in Asia, but once the resistance movements engaged in open rebellion, Allied armed forces personnel who knew the local languages and peoples became invaluable for liaison with conventional forces.

History

SOE was formed in 1940, by the merger of existing Departments of the War Office and the Ministry of Economic Warfare. Its purpose was to incite, organise and supply indigenous resistance forces in enemy-occupied territory. Initially, the enemy was Nazi Germany and Italy, but from late 1940, it became clear that conflict with Japan was also inevitable. 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ... The Minister of Economic Warfare was a British government position which existed during the Second World War. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

Two missions were sent to set up (and assume political control of) the SOE in the Far East. The first was led by a former businessman, Valentine Killery of Imperial Chemical Industries, who set up his HQ in Singapore. A resistance organisation was set up in Malaya, but Singapore was captured soon after Japan entered the war on December 7, 1941. Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) is a British chemical group and one of the largest chemical producers in the world. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

A second mission was set up in India by another former businessman, Colin Mackenzie of J. and P. Coats, a clothing manufacturer. Mackenzie's India Mission originally operated from Meerut in North West India. Its location was governed by the fear that the Germans might overrun the Middle East and Caucasus, in which case resistance movements would be established in Afghanistan, Persia and Iraq. When this threat was removed late in 1942, the focus was switched to South East Asia. Colin Mackenzie (born 1754, Stornoway, Scotland, died 1821, Calcutta (India) Colonel and surveyor in the British Raj, also an art collector and orientalist. ... Meerut is an ancient city located to the north-east of New Delhi in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. ... Motto: Esteqlāl, āzādÄ«, jomhÅ«rÄ«-ye eslāmÄ«  (Persian) Independence, freedom, (the) Islamic Republic Anthem: SorÅ«d-e MellÄ«-e Īrān Capital (largest city) Tehran Persian Government Islamic Republic  - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Establishment 550 BCE Cyrus the Great overthrows Median overlords and... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...

The India Mission's first cover name was GS I(k), which made it appear to be a mere record-keeping branch of GHQ India. The name, Force 136 was adopted in March 1944. From December 1944, it moved to Kandy in Ceylon, and cooperated closely with South East Asia Command. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... The Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy Kandy (මහ නුවර in Sinhala கண்டி in Tamil) is a city in the centre of Sri Lanka. ... 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...

Force 136 was wound up in 1946, along with the rest of SOE. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Operations

Malaya

Before the Japanese attacked Malaya, a potential resistance organisation already existed in the form of the Malayan Communist Party. This party's members were mainly from the Chinese community and implacably anti-Japanese. They formed the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army, and their first members were trained by British officers such as Freddie Spencer Chapman. Although they mounted a few operations against the Japanese lines of communication during the invasion of Malaya, they were cut off from the Allied commanders with the fall of Singapore. Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... Communist Party of Malaya (CnoPM), also known as the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) until the 1960s was founded in Singapore in 1930 with a predominantly Chinese membership, carrying out armed resistance to the Japanese during World War II. From 1948 to 1960, its military arm, the Malayan Peoples Liberation Army... The Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) originated from among ethnic Chinese cadres of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) who became increasingly opposed to Japan due to its invasion of China in 1937. ... Frederick Spencer Chapman was born in London on May 10, 1907. ...

Using organisers and agents such as Singaporean World War II hero Lim Bo Seng, Force 136 was able to re-establish contact with the MPAJA, which had continued to exist in camps deep inside the forests. In isolation, the Malayan Communist Party had purged many of its members suspected of treachery or espionage, which contributed to its post-war hard-line attitude leading in turn to the Malayan Emergency. With equipment and supplies from Force 136, the MPAJA was built up to become a substantial guerilla army. However, Japan surrendered before it had a chance to stage a major uprising. Lim Bo Seng (April 27, 1909 - June 29, 1944) was a World War II anti-Japanese Resistance fighter who was based in Singapore and Malaya. ... The Malayan Emergency was an insurrection and guerrilla war of the Malay Races Liberation Army against the British and Malayan administration from 1948-1960 in what is now Malaysia. ...

The Kuomintang had also a widespread following in the days before the War, but were unable to mount any significant clandestine resistance to the Japanese. Partly, this was because they were based among the Chinese population in the towns, unlike the MCP which drew much of its support from mine or plantation workers or "squatters" on the edge of the forest. Most of the KMT's supporters and their dependents were therefore hostages to any Japanese mass reprisal. The KMT's underground actions were often tainted by corruption or private feuding. The Chinese Nationalist Party (Traditional Chinese: 中國國民黨; Simplified Chinese: 中国国民党; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Tongyong Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo Kuo-min-tang), commonly known as the Kuomintang (KMT), is a centre-right political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in terms of sitting Legislative...

Other than the MCP and KMT which were predominantly Chinese based resistance to Japanese, the force also collaborated with many Malay villages, often under the patronage of Malay royalties and officials. Even though the Malays and Indians were not badly treated by Japanese forces in the beginning of the occupation, later they too felt the hardship of life under the occupation and this was magnified by the brutal treatment of anyone who was suspected of being anti-Japanese. Thus the SOE found a suitable backing among the Malays and sends their officers from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to train local resistance forces which was famously known as Harimau Malaya Force 136 (Tigers of Malaya of Force 136).

The main base for this group was near Grik, a district in the Malayan state of Perak. The force’s main task was to form an intelligence-gathering network and, should prospects be favourable, to establish a resistance movement in northern Malaya. The force also arranged the reception of other parties of Force 136 who landed by parachute, providing them with guides and local contacts in the areas of their planned operations.

A novel loosely based on the exploit of the resistance force was produced in late 1980s and there were several known figures in the book including Lt.Colonel Peter Dobree, the well known commander of the force.

China

SOE had various plans regarding China in the early days of the war. Forces were to be sent into China through Burma and a Bush Warfare School under Michael Calvert was established in Burma to train Chinese and Allied personnel in irregular warfare. These plans came to an end with the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942. Michael Calvert, DSO and bar, was one of the most successful British soldiers of World War 2. ...

Strictly speaking, SOE was not tasked to operate inside China after 1943, when it was left to the Americans. However, one group under an officer named "Blue" Ride did operate near Hong Kong, in territory controlled by the Communist Party of China. The Communist Party of China (CPC) (official name, though almost universally known in English as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng) is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys...

In a mission known as "Remorse", led by an unscrupulous businessman named Walter Fletcher, SOE carried out dubious operations such as trying to obtain smuggled rubber, currency speculation and so on, in Japanese-occupied China. As a result of these activities, SOE actually returned a financial profit of GBP 77 million in the Far East. (To be fair, many of these funds and the networks used to acquire them were subsequently used in various relief and repatriation operations. But at the same time, critics will point out that they created a pool of money that SOE could use beyond the oversight of any normal authority or budget.)

Thailand

On December 21, a formal military alliance between Thailand, under Field Marshal Phibun, and Japan was concluded. At noon on January 25, 1942, Thailand declared war on the United States and Great Britain. Some Thais supported the alliance, arguing that it was in the national interest, or that it was better sense to ally oneself with a victorious power. Others formed the Free Thai Movement to resist. The Free Thai Movement was supported by Force 136 and the OSS, and provided valuable intelligence from within Thailand. Eventually, when the war turned against the Japanese, Phibun was forced to resign, and a Free Thai-controlled government was formed. A coup was being planned to disrupt the Japanese occupying forces in 1945, which was forestalled by the ending of the war. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Burma

Burma was the theatre in which the major Allied effort was made in South East Asia, and Force 136 was heavily involved. Initially, it had to compete with other intelligence organisations for suitable personnel, aircraft and other resources. It eventually played a significant part in the liberation of the country by slowly building up a national organization which was used to great effect in 1945.

Two separate sections of SOE dealt with Burma. One concentrated on the minority communities who mainly inhabited the frontier regions; the other established links with the nationalist movements among the majority Burman peoples in the central plains. It has been argued that this division of political effort, although necessary on military grounds, contributed to the inter-community conflicts which have continued in Burma (Myanmar) to the present day.

Karens, Chins, Arakanese and Kachins

Among the minority peoples of Burma, including Chins, Karens and Kachins, there was a mixture of anti-Burman, anti-Japanese and pro-British sentiments. In 1942, the Burma Independence Army raised with Japanese assistance, attempted to disarm Karens in the Irrawaddy River delta region. This created a large-scale civil conflict which turned the Karens firmly against the Japanese. 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... The Burma National Army was originally organized by the Minami Kikan as the Burmese Independence Army in December of 1941 , where it then served as an auxiliary of the Imperial Japanese Army. ... The Ayeyarwady River (Burmese: ; formerly known as the Irrawaddy River) flows through the centre of Myanmar (formerly Burma). ...

The Karens were the largest of the minority communities. Although many lived in the Irrawaddy delta, their homeland can be considered to be the "Karenni", a mountainous and heavily forested tract along the border with Thailand. They had supplied many recruits to the Burma Rifles, and in the chaos of the British retreat into India, many of them had been given a rifle and ammunition, and instructed to return to their home villages to await further orders. The presence of such trained soldiers contributed to the effectiveness of the Karen resistance.

In 1943, the Japanese made a ruthless punitive expedition into the Karenni, where they knew a British Officer was operating. To spare the population, a British liaison officer, Hugh Seagrim, voluntarily surrendered himself to the Japanese and was executed along with several of his Karen fighters. 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Major Hugh Paul Longlegs Seagrim (1909-1944) D.S.O. M.B.E. G.C. was a famous leader of Karen rebels, fighting Japanese invaders in Burma during World War II. His brother was Derek Anthony Seagrim V.C. He and his bother have the distinction of being the only...

However, Force 136 continued to supply the Karens, and from late 1944 they mounted Operation "Character", which organised large-scale resistance in the Karenni. In April 1945, Force 136 stage managed a major uprising in the region in support of the Allied offensive which prevented the Japanese 15th Army forestalling the advance on Rangoon. After the capture of Rangoon, Karen resistance fighters continued to harass Japanese units and stragglers east of the Sittang River. It was estimated that at their moment of maximum effort, the Karens mustered 8,000 active guerillas (some sources claim 12,000), plus many more sympathisers and auxiliaries. 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... The Sittang is a river in Myanmar. ...

SOE had some missions to the territory inhabited by the Kachins of northern Burma, but for much of the war, this area was the responsibility of the American China-Burma-India Theater. China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the name used by the United States Army for its forces in China, Burma, India during World War II. Well-known US units in this theater included the Flying Tigers, transport and bomber units flying the Hump, the engineers who built Ledo Road, and...

The various groups (Chins, Lushai, Arakanese) who inhabited the actual border areas between Burma and India were the responsibility of V Force, an irregular force which was under direct control of the Army. From 1942 to 1944, hill peoples in the frontier regions fought on both sides; some under V Force and other Allied irregular forces HQ, others under local or Japanese-sponsored organizations such as the Chin Defense Force and Arakan Defense Force. V Force was a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering organisation established by the British during the Burma Campaign in World War II. // Establishment and Organisation In April 1942, when the Japanese drove the British Army from Burma and seemed likely to invade India, General Sir Archibald Wavell ordered the creation of... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ...

Burmese political links

The Burma section of Force 136 was commanded by John Ritchie Gardiner, who had managed a forestry company before the war and also served on the Municipal Council of Rangoon. He had known personally some Burmese politicians such as Ba Maw who had later formed a government which, although nominally independent, collaborated through necessity with the Japanese occupiers. Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... Ba Maw (February 8, 1893 – May 29, 1977) was a Burmese political leader. ...

In 1942, when the Japanese invaded Burma, the majority Burman people had been sympathetic to them (or at least hostile to the British and the Indian community). During the years of occupation, this attitude changed. Force 136 was able to establish contact with Burmese communist groups, and through them with Aung San, commander of the Burma National Army (reorganised from the Burma Independence Army/Burma Defense Army). The Burmese groups, communist and BNA, were organized into a political organization called the Anti Fascist Organization (AFO) under the overall leadership of Thakin Soe. While Force 136 was willing to work with any Burmese group, regardless of its politics, it was not willing to work with anyone in the Indian National Army forces in Burma regardless of their intentions. Burman can be: See also: Berman People: Joe Burman (b. ... Aung San General Aung San (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ); February 13, 1915 – July 19, 1947) was a Burmese revolutionary, nationalist, general, and politician. ... The Burma National Army served as the armed forces of the Burmese government created by the Japanese during World War II and fought in the Burma Campaign. ... The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was the army of the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (The Provisional Government of Free India ) which fought along with the Japanese 15th Army during the Japanese Campaign in Burma, and in the Battle of Imphal, during the Second...

There were then a series of uprisings in Burma against the Japanese coordinated by Force 136. The first involved the Arakan Defense Army turning on the Japanese in Arakan. The second involved an uprising by BNA units in northern Burma. The final uprising occurred when the entire BNA changed sides.

Force 136 coordinated and supported the BNA's decision to change sides on March 27, 1945. The forces of the AFO, including the BNA, were renamed the Patriotic Burmese Forces. They played a part in the final campaign to recapture Rangoon, and eliminate Japanese resistance in Central Burma. The BNA's armed strength at the time of their defection was around 11,000. The overall Patriotic Burmese Forces, beyond that number, included large numbers of communists and other irregulars with loyality to particular groups. The group also included those Karens who had served in the BNA and Karen resistance groups in the Irrawaddy Delta. March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ...

In arranging the acceptance of Aung San and his forces as Allied combatants, Force 136 was in direct conflict with the more staid Civil Affairs Service Officers at South East Asia Command's headquarters (who feared the postwar implications of handing out large amounts of weapons to irregular forces and of promoting the political career of Aung San or communist leaders). The AFO at the time of the uprising represented itself as the provisional government of Burma. It was eventually through negotiations with South East Asia Command convinced to drop this claim, in return for recognition as a political movement. 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...

Field Operations

Force 136 was also active in more conventional military-style operations behind Japanese lines. Such an operation could comprise a group of up to 40 infantry with officers and a Radio Operator, infiltrating Japanese lines on intelligence and discretionary search and destroy missions. Such missions, which could last several weeks (supplied by Douglas Dakota) kept close wireless contact with operational bases in India, using high-grade ciphers (changed daily) and hermetically-sealed wireless/morse sets. Douglas DC-3 VH-AES at Avalon in 2003. ...

Every day (Japanese permitting) at pre–arranged times, the Radio Operator (with escorts) climbed to a high vantage point (usually necessitating a gruelling climb to the top of some slippery, high, jungle-clad ridge), and sent the latest intelligence information and the group’s supply requests etc, and received further orders in return. The Radio Operator was central to a mission’s success and his capture or death would spell disaster for the mission. To avoid capture and use under duress by the Japanese, every SOE operative was issued a cyanide pill.

One such Radio Operator was James Gow of Argyll, Scotland (originally Royal Corps of Signals), who recounted his first mission in his book “From Rhunahaorine to Rangoon”. In the summer of 1944, the Japanese push toward India had been stopped at the Battle of Kohima. In the aftermath of the battle, Japanese forces split up and retreated deep into the jungle. As part of the initiative to find out if they were reforming for a further push, he was sent from Dimapur with a 40-strong group of Gurkhas, to locate groups of Japanese forces, identify their strengths and their organised status. Argyll, archaically Argyle (Airthir-Ghaidheal in Gaelic, translated as [the] East Gael, or [the] East Irish), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a traditional county of Scotland. ... Motto: (Eng: No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by... The Royal Corps of Signals (sometimes referred to incorrectly as the Royal Signal Corps and often known simply as the Royal Signals, R Signals or R Sigs) is one of the arms (combat support corps) of the British Army. ... 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. ... Dimapur is Indian state of Nagalands largest city. ...

Discretionary attacks on isolated Japanese groups were permitted (no prisoners to be taken), as was destruction of supply dumps. One particular Gurkha officer under whom James Gow operated was Major William Lindon-Travers, later to become Bill Travers, the well-known actor of Born Free fame. William Lindon-Travers (January 3, 1922 – March 29, 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and an animal rights activist. ... Born Free is a book written by Joy Adamson in the 1960s about an orphaned Kenya. ...

Other

Force 136 played only a minor part in attempts to organise resistance in French Indo-China. Indo-China was not originally part of the South-East Asian theatre, and therefore not SOE's responsibility. There were also American reservations over restoring the French colonial regime after the war, and the complexities of the relationships between the Vichy-leaning officials in Indo-China, and the rival Giraudist and de Gaullist resistance movements made liaison very difficult. SOE had few links with the indigenous Viet Minh movement. Indochina, or French Indochina, was a federation of French colonies and protectorates in south-east Asia, part of the French colonial empire. ... The Viet Minh (abbreviated from Việt Nam ộc Lập ồng Minh Hội, League for the Independence of Vietnam) was formed by Ho Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Hai Than in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France. ...

Except for the island of Sumatra, the Dutch East Indies were also outside South East Asia Command's area of responsibility. In 1943, an invasion of Sumatra, codenamed Operation Culverin was tentatively planned. SOE mounted some reconnaissances of northern Sumatra (in the present-day province of Aceh). In the event, the plan was cancelled, and nothing came of SOE's small-scale efforts in Sumatra. Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands, Borneo and New Guinea, are partially in Indonesia). ... Motto: Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Old Javanese: Unity in Diversity) National ideology: Pancasila Anthem: Indonesia Raya Capital (largest city) Jakarta Indonesian Government Republic  - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono  - Vice President Jusuf Kalla Independence former Netherlands colony   - Declared 17 August 1945   - Recognized 27 December 1949  Area  - Total 1,904,569 km² (16th) 735... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Operation Culverin was a planned operation in World War II, in which Allied troops would recapture the northern tip of Sumatra (the present day province of Aceh) from the Japanese. ... Aceh (IPA pronunciation: , pronounced approximately Ah-Cèh, but with [e], not [ei] at the end) is a special territory (daerah istimewa) of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. ...

Another combined Allied intelligence organisation, Special Operations Australia (SOA), which had the British codename Force 137, operated out of Australia against Japanese targets in Singapore, the other islands of the Dutch East Indies, and Borneo. It included Z Special Unit, which carried out a successful attack on shipping in Singapore Harbour, known as Operation Jaywick. Special Operations Australia (SOA) was an Australian intelligence and special operations agency of World War II. General Thomas Blamey authorised the formation of SOA in March 1942, SOA was originally organised and run by British Major G. Egerton Mott. ... The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, (Dutch: Nederlands-Indië) was the name of the colonies set up by the Dutch East India Company, which came under administration of the Netherlands during the 19th century (see Indonesia). ... Borneo (left) and Sulawesi. ... Z Special Unit, usually known as Z Force was a joint Australian, New Zealand and British commando unit, which saw action against the Empire of Japan during World War II. // Formation and training Special Operations Australia (SOA), a military intelligence unit, was established in March 1942, at the suggestion of... Operation Jaywick was one of the most daring and celebrated special operations undertaken in World War II. In September 1943, eleven Australian and four British army and navy personnel raided Japanese shipping in Singapore harbour, sinking seven ships and, against great odds, made it back to Australia. ...

Communications

Until mid-1944, Force 136's operations were hampered by the great distances involved; for example, from Ceylon to Malaya and back required a flight of 2,800 miles (4,480 km). Such distances also made it difficult to use small clandestine craft to deliver supplies or personnel by sea (although such craft were used to supply the MPAJA in Perak late in the war). The Royal Navy made few submarines available to Force 136. Eventually, converted B-24 Liberator aircraft were made available to parachute agents and stores. State motto: no State motto Capital Ipoh Royal Capital Kuala Kangsar Sultan Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Chief Minister Dato Seri Diraja Tajol Rosli bin Mohd Ghazali Area 21,006 km² Population  - Est. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... A B-24 Liberator photographed from above while in flight The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American bomber that was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and was used by most of the Allied air forces during the war. ...

In Burma, where the distances involved were not so great, C-47 Dakota transport aircraft could be used. Lysander liaison aircraft or even helicopters could also be used over shorter distances. Douglas DC-3 VH-AES at Avalon in 2003. ... The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft of World War II. It achieved fame through its ability to operate from short stretches of unprepared airstrip and its clandestine missions to plant or retrieve agents behind enemy lines, particularly in Nazi-occupied France. ...

See also

• British Army Aid Group
• OSS Detachment 101
• The Free Thai Movement
• The Burma National Army

The British Army Aid Group (Chinese: 英軍服務團) was a para-military organisation for British and allied forces in Southern China during the Second World War. ... THIS ALL SUCKS!!!!!! Detachment 101 of the Office of Strategic Services operated in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. On January 17, 1946, it was awarded a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation by Dwight Eisenhower, who wrote, The courage and fighting spirit displayed by its officers and men... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Burma National Army served as the armed forces of the Burmese government created by the Japanese during World War II and fought in the Burma Campaign. ...

Sources

• SOE, M. R. D. Foot, BBC Publications, 1984, ISBN 0-563-20193-2
• Jungle Fighter, John Hedley DSO, Tom Donovan Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-871085-34-9
• The Jungle is neutral, Freddie Spencer Chapman, Lyon Press, ISBN 1-59228-107-9
• Burma: the longest War, Louis Allen, J.M. Dent and sons, ISBN 0-460-02474-4
• Sabotage and Subversion: SOE and OSS at War, Ian Dear, Cassell, ISBN 0-304-35202-0
• Mission Scapula Special Operations Executive in the far east , Arthur Christie, ISBN 0-9547010-0-3
• Forgotten Armies, Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-029331-0

Michael Richard Daniell Foot (born 1919) is a British historian. ... Frederick Spencer Chapman was born in London on May 10, 1907. ...

External links

• Far East entry
• Burma Star entry
• Mission Scapula entry