THE FORGOTTEN ARMY [Main Title]

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  • Title: THE FORGOTTEN ARMY [Main Title]
  • Film Number: MGH 201
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: The Fourteenth Army in Burma/China/India theatre 1941-45. Their story is related by Lord Mountbatten, men and officers of Fourteenth Army, and illustrated by actuality material of both Japanese and Allies.
  • Description: The Japanese are denoted as fanatically brave, cruel, savage; attack on Pearl Harbor not preceded by declaration of war; defeat of Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, then Burma. British unfit for jungle warfare, all equipment being directed to Mediterranean and Western fronts, morale of British rock bottom. Lord Mountbatten, appointed Supreme Allied Commander, personally undertook to boost morale of men at the fronts and improved general welfare, shattered illusion of Japanese being supreme jungle fighter, maintained isolated divisions with massive air drops. 1943: General Orde Wingate led Chindits into Burma, 1944 Mountbatten decided to direct offensive throughout monsoon period, Field Marshal William Slim made error of judgement leading to isolation of 17th Division. Siege of Kohima; battle of Garrison Hill; no retreat for British under any circumstances; Japanese retreat from Delhi - first victory for Slim. Landing of amphibious forces on West Coast of Burma; British, USA, Canadian combined air offensive kills thousands of enemy; battle of Mandalay; Fourteenth Army links up in Rangoon; 1945 final blow dealt by USA in dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese surrender, "Emperor cult" demolished with loss of 45,000 allies.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: MGH 201
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: NON-IWM
  • Featured Period:
  • Production Date: 1965
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: BBC Television (Production company) Noble, Ronald 'Ronnie'19162001 (Production individual) Mountbatten, Louis (Earl)1900-06-251979-08-27Louis Mountbatten was a British admiral and statesman. He was also the uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He was the last Viceroy of the British Indian Empire (1947) and the first Governor-General of independent India (1947–1948). From 1954 until 1959 he was the First Sea Lord, a position that had been held by his father, Prince Louis of Battenberg, some forty years earlier. Mountbatten was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who planted a bomb in his boat at Mullaghmore, County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. (Production cast) Slim, William Joseph1891-08-061970-12-14Slim joined the Officers' Training Corps in Birmingham. In September 1914 he was commissioned in the Royal Warwickshire regiment. He fought in Gallipoli and was badly wounded. After convalescence in England he went to Mesopotamia, despite being technically unfit for service. He fought for six months and was awarded the Military Cross for his service. He was wounded again after the fall of Baghdad and evacuated to India. After recovering he transferred to the Indian Army with which he stayed in various posts. During the Second World War he fought again in the Middle East, until 1942 when he was summoned back to India where he fought against the Japanese advance into Burma. In 1945 he took the position as commander-in-chief, ALFSEA, then in 1946 he became commandant of the IDC. He retired from the Indian Army on 1 April 1948 becoming deputy chairman of the railway executive. However in November of that year he was chosen by Prime Minister Clement Attlee as Montgomery's replacement as chief of the Imperial General Staff. Then in 1952 he was offered the governor-generalship of Australia. Slim became a knight of the Garter in 1959 and was raised to the peerage in 1960. He returned from Australia in 1963 and started his last appointment, as deputy constable and lieutenant-governor of Windsor Castle, the following year becoming constable and governor. He remained there until shortly before his death. He was survived by his wife and two children. (Production cast) Stock, Nigel (Production cast) Owen, Frank (Production cast) Swinson, Arthur (Production cast) The men and women of the Burma Star Association (Production cast)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:Mountbatten, Louis (Earl) Mountbatten, Louis (Earl) (person)
  • Keywords:
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 3 Footage: 4749 ft; Running time: 53 mins
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    MGH 201

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    TV 188 (BURMA, THE FORGOTTEN WAR [Main Title])
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