Book cover of Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945

Book description

Field Marshal Viscount Slim (1891-1970) led shattered British forces from Burma to India in one of the lesser-known but more nightmarish retreats of World War II. He then restored his army's fighting capabilities and morale with virtually no support from home and counterattacked. His army's slaughter of Japanese troops ultimately…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Defeat Into Victory as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

“From Defeat into Victory” William Slim
My third read is being enjoyed for the 2nd outing but this time I am reading it in Myanmar, Burma as it was known in 1989.
Slim’s 550-page epic details his experiences leading British and Indian troops in Burma from 1942–1945. Whereas many memoirs by generals focus on themselves, Slim details the campaign overall in minute detail, rarely compliments himself, and lavishes praise on his troops. It is an incredible look into a complete military campaign from the most outstanding soldier Britain produced during the 2nd World War.
Slim generated awesome loyalty amongst his…

This was the book that got me hooked on the Burma Campaign. Bill Slim was the man who engineered and executed the great Allied victory in Burma in 1945. He was an extraordinary man, a great military commander, and an excellent writer. This book, his retelling of the campaign – the longest British campaign of the Second World War – has been described as the best general’s book of the war. I agree. It's beautifully written and is a moving telling of the transition from British defeat in 1942 to profound victory in 1945.

Slim was a very humble man.…

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