Reknowned for originating Chindit guerilla warfare raiding during World War II in Burma, the maverick Orde Wingate (1903-44) served across Africa and the Middle East before finding fame in southeast Asia. He started out by attending Charterhouse public school and then the Woolwich military academy. He joined the Royal Artillery in 1923, became a fine horseman, and went on to learn Arabic. He then served in the Sudan (1928-33), Palestine (1936-39), Ethiopia (1941) and eventually Burma (1942-44), where he rose to fame by creating the Chindits. Wingate is an extremely important figure in...

In just 10 weeks from 8 December 1941 to mid February 1942, British and Imperial forces were utterly defeated by the numerically inferior Japanese under General Yamashita.British units fought hard on the Malayan mainland but the Japanese showed greater mobility, cunning and tactical superiority. Morale was badly affected by the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse to Japanese aircraft on 19 December as they sought out enemy shipping. Panic set in as military and civilians withdrew south to Singapore. Thought to be an impregnable fortress, its defenses against land attacks were shockingly...