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Old 04-30-2014, 08:47 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Gringo View Post
The Brits fought a backwater action in Burma for several years. It was pretty much a draw, but kept several divisions of Japanese troops busy.
Correct, but they were operating out of India, not the Pacific.
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Old 04-30-2014, 09:01 AM
 
Location: Aloverton
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bideshi View Post
Other than surrendering Singapore, what other notable action did the UK take part in in the Pacific?
Well, there's the part where Australia ordered its troops home, Churchill wanted to borrow them on the way and assumed he could, and the Australians said 'bugger off,' making it clear to the British (especially after Singapore, one of the bigger fiascoes in British history) that Australia would have to lean to the US for significant defensive help.

No doubt someone will be along shortly to explain why Singapore was actually a British victory, and proof of something or other great.
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Old 04-30-2014, 09:35 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by j_k_k View Post
No doubt someone will be along shortly to explain why Singapore was actually a British victory, and proof of something or other great.
I wouldn't bet against it...5...4...3...2...
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Old 04-30-2014, 09:58 AM
 
Location: London
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bideshi View Post
Other than surrendering Singapore, what other notable action did the UK take part in in the Pacific?
Wiping out 85,000 Japanese who tried to invade India at Kohima and Imphal alone and then systematically "exterminating" the Japanese as they moved south through the Burma jungles. The US never engaged such masses of Japanese troops as they island hopped.

The British Far East carrier fleet played a role in the final moment of Japan having armoured carriers that kamikazes bounced off. British troops were preparing to invade the main island and Tokyo in operation Olympic, but the A-Bomb was dropped of which the British designed (MAUD Committee). I could go on and on. But this is the sort of thing Hollywood films do not cover.

To say Burma was a backwater shows gross ignorance of WW2.
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Old 04-30-2014, 10:03 AM
 
Location: London
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Quote:
Originally Posted by j_k_k View Post
Well, there's the part where Australia ordered its troops home, Churchill wanted to borrow them on the way and assumed he could, and the Australians said 'bugger off,' making it clear to the British (especially after Singapore, one of the bigger fiascoes in British history) that Australia would have to lean to the US for significant defensive help.

No doubt someone will be along shortly to explain why Singapore was actually a British victory, and proof of something or other great.
Australian troops were in the desert but wanted to return home. Churchill did not want that as the US were protecting Australia and the troops were already there. Japan was low priority to the Germans. Germany First. The appalling performance of Australian troops allowed the Japanese to get onto Singapore island.
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Old 04-30-2014, 10:22 AM
 
Location: Texas
38,859 posts, read 25,422,751 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John-UK View Post
Wiping out 85,000 Japanese who tried to invade India at Kohima and Imphal alone and then systematically "exterminating" the Japanese as they moved south through the Burma jungles. The US never engaged such masses of Japanese troops as they island hopped.

The British Far East carrier fleet played a role in the final moment of Japan having armoured carriers that kamikazes bounced off. British troops were preparing to invade the main island and Tokyo in operation Olympic, but the A-Bomb was dropped of which the British designed (MAUD Committee). I could go on and on. But this is the sort of thing Hollywood films do not cover.

To say Burma was a backwater shows gross ignorance of WW2.
To say it was anything other than a remote sideshow is to openly admit nationalistic bias.
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Old 04-30-2014, 03:25 PM
 
Location: London
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Gringo View Post
To say it was anything other than a remote sideshow is to openly admit nationalistic bias.
Anyone who thought it was draw need history lessons - or detuning. The Brits beat the Japs at their own game in the jungles.

I repeat: To say Burma was a backwater shows gross ignorance of WW2. The side show was the island hopping. The Brits went to where they had large numbers of troops. Japan's fate was already sealed. The view of the UK and US was that Japan would be dealt with easily when ready, which happened. Once it was clear Germany was to be defeated the full force of UK and US forces turned on Japan. Just after Normandy the RN turned over to preparing to sail to the Far East. They end would be a matter of months Most Japanese troops were taken out of action by the British and Soviets.

Last edited by John-UK; 04-30-2014 at 03:39 PM..
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Old 04-30-2014, 11:44 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John-UK View Post
Anyone who thought it was draw need history lessons - or detuning. The Brits beat the Japs at their own game in the jungles.
It would be much more correct to say the Nepali Gurkhas beat the Japs at their own game.
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Old 05-01-2014, 04:07 AM
 
Location: London
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bideshi View Post
It would be much more correct to say the Nepali Gurkhas beat the Japs at their own game.
The Chindits, which was an amalgamation of men from British regiments. 13th Liverpool Kings were heavily involved. Not just Gurkas, who in numbers were few. They would go right behind the Japanese lines in the Jungle and fight them from behind - very effectively.

The same form of warfare was used in Viet Nam from 1945-46 and Malaya until 1961. The expertise the US wanted when got involved in Viet Nam, which the British refused.
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Old 05-01-2014, 07:00 AM
 
Location: Pérouges
586 posts, read 828,349 times
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While the Sten may have been quite widely used I don't think i'd say it was the most effective. To be that it would need to be more efficient at it's intended task than any other, it isn't.

I think it's difficult to narrow it down to one but my inclination (as an infantryman) would be towards these three:

PPSh-41
Thompson (magazine, not drum)
MP 40

I've stripped, cleaned and fired them all (also the Sten) and I wouldn't select it to use over any of my aforementioned three.
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