The Fourteenth Army was one of the most successful British and Commonwealth forces of the Second World War. It was not only the largest of the Commonwealth armies but was also the largest single army in the world with around half a million men under its command. Operating in the most inhospitable terrain, it drove the previously undefeated Japanese Army from the Indian border and out of Burma in an unrelenting offensive. The Fourteenth Army, often referred to as the Forgotten Army, was made up from units that came from all corners of the Commonwealth and was composed of thirteen divisions from East and West Africa as well as Britain and India. After the defeat of the Japanese these divisions compiled a summary of its actions and it is these unique documents that form the basis of this new book. Presented here together then for the first time is the story of war against the Japanese as told by each of the divisions that fought in that bitter conflict the original and authentic accounts untouched by the pens of historians. These accounts can never be supplanted and will be an invaluable source of information for generations to come. It will also help the many millions of relatives of those men that fought with the Fourteenth Army understand the complex campaign of 1943-1945. The Fighting Divisions of the Fourteenth Army is completed with citations for those actions which saw the award of the Victoria Cross and detailed Orders of Battle throughout the Fourteenth Armys existence to make this the most detailed study of its kind. AUTHOR: James Luto’s grandfather served with the Fourteenth Army, but James was only nine when his grandfather died. As he grew up James wanted to know more about the army in which his grandfather served. He was given a booklet on one of the divisions of the Fourteenth Army produced at the end of the war. It inspired him so see if similar booklets existed for the other divisions. This book is the product of that life-long search the combined booklets of every division of the Fourteenth Army collected together for the first time. James, who lives in Partridge Green, West Sussex, is also an avid collector of artefacts and memorabilia relating to the Fourteenth Army.
