The Forgotten VCs: The Victoria Crosses of the War in the Far East during WW2

Soldiers of the British Fourteenth Army in Burma often thought of themselves as “The forgotten army”, and in terms of the publicity it received compared to other theatres of the Second World War, their complaint might have been justified.Whether in Burma, Malaya or New Guinea, the soldiers of the Co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reference reviews 2018-06, Vol.32 (5), p.28-29
Main Author: Fraser, K.C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed forces
Military personnel
Nonfiction
World War II
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Soldiers of the British Fourteenth Army in Burma often thought of themselves as “The forgotten army”, and in terms of the publicity it received compared to other theatres of the Second World War, their complaint might have been justified.Whether in Burma, Malaya or New Guinea, the soldiers of the Commonwealth faced not only the inherent dangers of war in general but also the extreme difficulties posed by a terrain dominated by mountains and jungles, the ravages of tropical diseases and the knowledge that prisoners could expect no mercy from the Japanese.More than half of the awards were posthumous, a fact which makes it clear that the degree of bravery required to win the V.C. was practically suicidal: actually so, in the case of the grievously wounded Fijian corporal who deliberately exposed himself to lethal enemy fire, so as to save his comrades from the perils they would have faced in trying to rescue him.
ISSN:0950-4125
1758-7697
DOI:10.1108/RR-03-2018-0045