Jack Bowsher - Thunder Run

Congratulations!

Happy Publication day to me! 🥳
Jungle Commandos is out now! @ospreypublishing.bsky.social

Congratulations to friend of the show @lmbd1418.bsky.social on the release of her book Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan Burma 1945. As Rob says: ‘a brilliant debut’
Catch Lucy guest hosting FWP with @historybowsh.bsky.social at IWM Podcast Live on Sat 1 Nov 🔗👇
www.iwm.org.uk/events/podca...

Ralph Tanner's unit, 2KOYLI, began the Burma campaign with 550men(pic 2+3 in Maymyo before invasion).Only 70 walked out into India as a cohesive unit. In our latest episode,David Tanner explores the story behind the staggering losses&bonds that helped some survive-pic 1 2KOYLI CO collecting firewood

Before the horrors of Burma, Ralph Tanner (centre left) was a Commando and novelist Evelyn Waugh's batman. Waugh wrote he showed "the greatest coolness in danger". In our new episode, his son David charts his incredible journey from the retreat from Crete to Burma. #EvelynWaugh #WW2 #Commando

David Tanner shares his father's memories of the Burma retreat—stealing food in desperation, taking boots from a dead man, and the constant fear of being caught. A truly visceral account (pic 1 left Maj David Martin, KIA 7/5/42, who David is named after) #Burma1942 #WW2 #Survival

The last parade of series 2 is next week - a Q&A. Jack and Rob are recording on Tuesday evening (UK time) so now is your last chance to submit your questions. Comment below or email us at forgottenwarpod@gmail.com

David’s time in Japan in the 70s and 80s had me awestruck - really quite unexpected moments, especially when his father visited him and came face to face with his former enemy. Listen on your podcast app now!

OUT NOW! "Reflection on the Retreat" w/ David Tanner. We delve into the personal diary of his father, Ralph, a soldier in the 1942 Burma retreat. Hear firsthand about the chaos, the desperation & brutal reality of the long walk out (pic 1 crossing Pin Chaung, Yenangyaung, 2 centre, 3 other officers)

Lambert’s mission was a success. After leading the Chinese 5th Army to safety,he was summoned to Chongqing. There, this unsung hero of the retreat was personally awarded the equivalent of the Distinguished Service Order by Chiang Kai-shek. Pic here in Kohima in the 90s w/ 1 of his former secretaries

Desperation led to chaos. Lambert had to manage starving, ill-disciplined troops who were looting villages and even fighting each other. He prevented an on-the-spot execution and negotiated with local headmen to avert further conflict. #ForgottenWar #WW2History

Cheers mate! There are more coming too …

Latest research material for my Burma wargaming project. Two corkers from @historybowsh.bsky.social. If you’re not listening to the @forgottenwarpod.bsky.social give it a go immediately.

This series has been a blast, but we will return in Jan for series 3 - but before that remember we have a Q+A to end series 2. Submit them now by replying to this post or emailing us on forgottenwarpod@gmail.com

Air supply in a monsoon was revolutionary in 1942. Lambert’s (pic here in later life) rescue relied on airdrops of rice, bully beef, and even cash. But it wasn't easy: supplies were lost in the jungle, and one bundle of 5,000 rupees bounced off a cliff! #ForgottenWar #MilitaryLogistics #RAF

There’s a strong Gabe from the office vibe about Lambert 👀 although Lambert is much more organised and effective!

There’s a strong Gabe from the office vibe about Lambert 👀 although Lambert is much more organised and effective!

Through the family we did manage to get some pictures of Eric Lambert - including from some IWM footage in his bunker at Jotsoma, near Kohima, during the fighting there in 1944. Here at FWP towers, we genuinely think he deserves a greater place in the history of the war.

The jungle was a relentless enemy. Lambert’s party faced starvation, monsoon rains, and illness, with Lambert himself battling a 103° fever. And the leeches? A Chinese colonel's "main interest in life seems to be leeches which are putting the wind up him". #ForgottenWar

Our final episode of the series will be a Q & A - let us know your questions about the Burma Campaign (1942 or later) either by replying to this post, or emailing us at forgottenwarpod@gmail.com

He was one man against the jungle. In 1942, Eric Lambert led a small party into the treacherous Hukawng Valley to find the 25,000 lost men of the Chinese 5th Army. His mission: establish a supply route and guide them to safety in India. #ForgottenWar #WW2 #Heroism

Eric Lambert is possibly one of the forgottenist forgotten characters of the forgotten war - until now! Catch our episode on his work getting the 5 Chinese Army out of Burma in 1942 - although we haven’t got a picture of him ..!

NEW EPISODE LIVE! Eric Lambert, the man tasked with saving the 'lost' Chinese 5th Army during the 1942 Burma retreat. From his unpublished diaries, we trace his incredible journey through monsoon jungles to rescue thousands from starvation. #ForgottenWar #WW2History

Tomorrow, we uncover the story of a forgotten hero of 1942: Eric Lambert. An Irish police officer in Assam, he volunteered for a seemingly impossible mission: to find and save a lost Chinese army deep in the monsoon-soaked jungles of Burma. #ForgottenWar #WW2 #BurmaCampaign

The war didn't end in 1945 for those who survived. Felicity Goodall notes her father, a decorated veteran, suffered from PTSD and would scream at night about being chased by the Japanese. This trauma could resurface decades later, triggered by emotional events in later life #PTSD #Veterans #history

Thunder Run: Meiktila 1945 — Chiselbury Publishing The greatest combined arms manoeuvre battle of WW2

Have you tried my publisher @chiselbury.bsky.social website? You could check how much shipping is through there: www.chiselbury.co.uk/bookstore/p/...

Thank you Chris!

How did people cope with the unimaginable? Fred Tizard, an Irrawaddy flotilla captain, was the inspiration for Felicity Goodall’s book. For him, the ritual of writing in his diary replaced his evening whiskey & was the thing that kept him sane on the brutal journey #MentalHealth #WW2Diaries

Thanks to everyone who logged into my Kohima Educational Trust talk this evening, with Sylvia and Rob about Thunder Run Meiktila 1945. I had a brilliant time, & there were some great questions at the end. You can get the book at most of the normal places or here www.chiselbury.co.uk/bookstore/p/...

Last chance to sign up for this free webinar at 8pm tonight 👇