The OSS in Burma: Jungle War against the Japanese

by Troy J. Sacquety

Overview

"One could not choose a worse place for fighting the Japanese," said Winston Churchill of North Burma, deeming it "the most forbidding fighting country imaginable." But it was here that the fledgling Office of Strategic Services conducted its most successful combat operations of World War II. Troy Sacquety takes readers into Burma's steaming jungles in the first book to fully cover the exploits and contributions of the OSS's Detachment 101 against the Japanese Imperial Army.

Functioning independently of both the U.S. Army and OSS headquarters—and with no operational or organizational model to follow—Detachment 101 was given enormous latitude in terms of developing its mission and methods. It grew from an inexperienced and poorly supported group of 21 agents training on the job in a lethal environment to a powerful force encompassing 10,000 guerrillas (spread across as many as 8 battalions), 60 long-range agents, and 400 short-range agents. By April 1945, it remained the only American ground force in North Burma while simultaneously conducting daring amphibious operations that contributed to the liberation of Rangoon.

With unrivaled access to OSS archives, Sacquety vividly recounts the 101's story with a depth of detail that makes the disease-plagued and monsoon-drenched Burmese theater come unnervingly alive. He describes the organizational evolution of Detachment 101 and shows how the unit's flexibility allowed it to evolve to meet the changing battlefield environment. He depicts the Detachment's two sharply contrasting field commanders: headstrong Colonel Carl Eifler, who pushed the unit beyond its capabilities, and the more measured Colonel William Peers, who molded it into a model special operations force. He also highlights the heroic Kachin tribesmen, fierce fighters defending their tribal homeland and instrumental in acclimating the Americans to terrain, weather, and cultures in ways that were vital to the success of the Detachment's operations.

While veterans' memoirs have discussed OSS activities in Burma, this is the first book to describe in detail how it achieved its success—portraying an operational unit that can be seen as a prototype for today's Special Forces. Featuring dozens of illustrations, The OSS in Burma rescues from oblivion the daring exploits of a key intelligence and military unit in Japan's defeat in World War II and tells a gripping story that will satisfy scholars and buffs alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700619092
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	04/18/2013
Series:	Modern War Studies
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Troy J. Sacquety is a historian with the United States Army Special Operations Command. He previously worked for the CIA and has been the historian for the OSS Detachment 101 Association for many years.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Commonly Used Acronyms

Introduction

1. Before the Storm

-The Fall of Burma

2. Laying the Groundwork: 1941-January 1943

-Creating the Detachment out of an Undefined Problem

-Deconfliction

-OSS and SOE

-Finding a Location

-Detachment 101 Sets Up the Jungle School

-Communications

-Moving toward the First Operations

3. Long-Range Penetration Operations

-A Group

-B Group

-W Group

-BALLS, BALL’s #1, and REX

-The Evaluations

4. Short-Range Penetrations Meet Success

-The First Short-Range Effort, Operation FORWARD

-L Group

-KNOTHEAD

5. Rethinking Operations: The Detachment Evolves, February 1943-January 1944

-The Detachment Reevaluates Its Personnel Situation

-Finances

-Communications and Coding

-Developing Liaison

-Supplies Remain a Problem

-New Additions to Detachment 101

6. Peers Takes Over: Detachment 101 Comes of Age, January-May 1944

-Existing Force Structure

-New OSS Branches Arrive

7. Detachment 101 and the Campaign for Myitkyiana: February-August 1944

-Postscript

8. Peers Continues His Reforms: June - August 1944

-Existing Force Structure

-New OSS Branches Arrive

9. Reorganizing after Myitkyina: September - December 1944

-Existing Force Structure

-A New Organization... of Sorts

10. The Last OSS Branches Arrive: January - March 1945

-Existing Force Structure

-New Branches Arrive

11. The Shan States: August 1944-March 1945

-The Push after Myitkyina

12. The Arakan Field Unit: February - June 1945

-The Arakan Field Unit (AFU)

-Rangoon

13. The Last Months: April-July 1945

-Field Operations

-The Detachment

-Detachment 101 Disbands

Conclusion

Postscript: The Lasting Relationships of Detachment 101

A Note on Sources

Notes

References

Index

Editorial Reviews

"This outstanding book provides long overdue recognition to this underappreciated and little-known aspect of World War II and the OSS."—OSS Society Journal

"The OSS in Burma is an outstanding contribution to the history of special operations, the China-Burma-India Theater, and the Second World War."—Army History

"The definitive account of Detachment 101."—The Journal of Military History

“Sacquety’s vivid and fascinating tale depicts Detachment 101’s evolution from an idiosyncratic, dysfunctional outfit conducting small-scale sabotage to a disciplined and effective clandestine organization running major guerrilla operations behind Japanese lines.”—Edward J. Drea, author of Japan’s Imperial Army: Its Rise and Fall, 1853–1945

“An excellent account that finally gives this overlooked yet important chapter of the Pacific War the recognition it deserves.”—Dixee Bartholomew-Feis, author of The OSS and Ho Chi Minh: Unexpected Allies in the War against Japan

“Sacquety’s wide-ranging research, insightful analysis, and entertaining writing make for a great read.”—Brian McAllister Linn, author The Philippine War, 1899–1902

From the Publisher