Introduction

Wingate and Long Range Penetration

Wingate organised and specially trained the Chindits in commando methods, preparing them for jungle fighting, sabotage, and air supply dropping.

The Chindits would infiltrate deep behind the Japanese lines in Northern Burma. For many months they lived in and fought the enemy in the jungles of occupied Burma, hundreds of miles behind the Japanese forward positions.

The Chindits were organised into columns with a strength of about 340. Each column was strong enough to defend itself and capable of mounting surprise attacks on enemy targets, yet small enough for concealment and for mobility to evade and slip through enemy nets. Columns would combine to strike larger targets and then disappear back into the jungle.

1st Expedition

2nd Expedition

Wingate had wanted an airborne invasion, to assist this United States provided an air task force to be known as 1st Air Commando. Equipped with bomber, fighter, transport, glider and light aircraft they provided the Chindits with direct air support and evacuated their casualties. The fly-in of the bulk of the force, code name Operation Thursday, was by the RAF and 1st Air Commando. Gliders were used to land advance parties who then constructed airstrips for the transport planes. It was the second-largest airborne invasion of World War II.

Once inside Burma, well-defended strongholds were established from which columns operated, air supply drop zones established and nearby airstrips were built for evacuating casualties. Floater columns patrolled outside the perimeter of the stronghold to counter-attack the flanks and rear of any enemies approaching or attacking the stronghold.

Tragically their leader, General Wingate, was killed in a plane crash a few weeks after the launch of Operation Thursday. Towards the end of their operations, the Chindits came under new command and the plans for them were changed. They were used for tasks that they were not trained for or equipped for and were kept in the field much longer then Wingate had planned. Casualties were high.