Claim OwnershipThe Forgotten War Podcast: Burma Campaign WW2
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Description
The definitive podcast about the Burma Campaign of World War Two. Join historians and authors Dr Robert Lyman MBE & Jack Bowsher as they take you through dripping monsoon and jungles, across parched plains, and over rivers and mountains sharing the incredible and often brutal story of the war against Japan in Southeast Asia.
In Series One (Spring 2025) Rob and Jack did a general broad brush narrative of the campaign.
Series Two began in June 2025 and includes interviews with historians, relatives of veterans, and plenty of narratives by Jack and Rob, all about the retreat in 1942.
Later series will be much of the same, covering anything and everything related to the Burma Campaign - or the China-Burma-India Theatre as it is known in the USA.
Sponsored by The Burma Star Memorial Fund, Sampan Travel, The Kohima Educational Trust, and Guidl.
You can follow the pod on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (X), the handle for all is @forgottenwarpod
You can also email Rob and Jack at forgottenwarpod@gmail.com
By the hosts:
Robert Lyman - Slim Master of War (2003), Japan's Last Bid for Victory (2016), A War of Empires (2021), Victory to Defeat (with General Lord Dannatt, 2023), Korea War Without End (with General Lord Dannatt, 2025), and many more.
Jack Bowsher - Forgotten Armour: Tank Warfare in Burma (2024), Thunder Run: Meiktila 1945 (2025)
Produced and Edited by Robbie Maguire
*Note from the hosts: In some episodes there may be the use of language that is outdated in the modern world. This is only ever said in the show as quotations by individuals who lived at the time when those phrases were in common usage across the world.*
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
42 Episodes
Reverse
This week Jack and Rob are going back to 1942 to cover the air war, having missed it out last series. You may detect that Jack is rather taken by the Flying Tigers ... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We are back! Jack and Rob get right into the detail of the pre-war Indian Army, mostly because they realised they should have done it much earlier! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hear Jack and guest-host Lucy Betteridge-Dyson at IWM Podcast Live Festival doing Burma 1945 in 45 minutes!This was recorded in less than ideal recording conditions, but Robbie has done heroic work to get it as listenable as possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Jack and Rob sit down with Levison Wood and Alex Bescoby about their brilliant new documentary: The Last Burma Star. Catch it on release day Sun 9 November at 9pm on Sky History, or on catch up afterwards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Jack and Rob answer your questions that have built up over the last 20 weeks! At the end Jack and Rob also give a quick run down of the future of the pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Rob and Jack welcome the fascinating David Tanner - author of Burma 1942: Memories of a Retreat, the Diary of Ralph Tanner, KOYLI. David co-wrote the book with his father who was with 2 KOYLI in the retreat in 1942, but also worked in Japan in the 1970s and 80s, where his father visited. This is a fascinating chat reflecting on the retreat from Burma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rob hit gold when he was recently gifted an unpublished memoir/diary by Eric Lambert, who, among other things, played a fascinating role in helping get the Chinese 5 Army out of the Hukawng Valley - the Valley of Death. This week Rob and Jack discuss his chapter on this topic, and the retreat of Chinese 5 Army. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Jack and Rob discuss the human cost of the retreat in 1942 with the wonderful Felicity Goodall, author of Exodus Burma! The British Escape Through the Jungles of Death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1This week Rob and Jack welcome Hannah Watson, author of The Jungle War, to discuss the retreat from Burma and the challenges of presenting the subject in a book aimed at children and adults alike! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Jack and Rob interview historian Philip Davies, author of Lost Warriors, about Major Hugh Seagrim GC and also Ras Pagani. - two of the most courageous men of the Second World War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Jack and Rob finish the narrative of the retreat from Burma, discussing the final retreat across the Chindwin, and into safety in India. The Burma Army's swansong, but fear not dear listener, for there are still some more episodes, interviews, and a Q+A to come! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Rob and Jack were joined by the brilliant journalist and novelist John Sweeney. Aside from his work all over the world and covering all sorts of topics, including Trump and Putin, John also wrote the novel Elephant Novel, set during the retreat from Burma in 1942, and partly inspired by 'Elephant Bill' Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Rob and Jack review the excellent Through the Jungle of Death by Stephen Brookes. A wonderful, if traumatic, book about his families escape on foot out of Burma in 1942. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jack and Rob have a surprise VJ Day Special for listeners - bringing together a panel to discuss what is happening to support the memory, and spread knowledge of, of the Burma Campaign through their various work. Joining the FWP team are Lord Slim representing the Burma Star Memorial Fund, Sylvia May of the Kohima Educational Trust, and Alex Bescoby of Help 4 Forgotten Allies, and his new documentary on Sky History with Levison Wood - The Last Burma Star. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode Rob and Jack do something a little different. They discuss the civilian evacuation of Burma, including a number of eyewitness accounts from a variety of sources. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Jack and Rob welcome Archie Wavell's biographer Victoria Schofield onto the pod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Jack and Rob take review their first book: the truly excellent A Hell a Licking: Retreat from Burma by James Lunt. A staff officer during the retreat, he recalled, the confusion, lack of preparedness, but also courage of the men of 1st Burma Division. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Jack and Rob welcome historian Philip Woods, author of Reporting the Retreat: War Correspondents in Burma - hear some fascinating stories of the brave journalists in Burma in 1942 as the imperial edifice collapsed around them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Joining Jack and Rob this week is Historian Steve Rothwell to talk about the Burma Rifles, and the Burma Army in general. Steve also runs the indiaburmasoldiers.co.uk website, and fantastic resource to begin research into the Burma Campaign. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Rob and Jack look into the Chinese role in the retreat from Burma, and the relationships between the US, China and Britain. They focus on the military side of things, although there will be more on Chinese troops as they evacuated the country in another episode later in the series... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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