When the Japanese launched their late 1943 Arakan offensive they infiltrated Allied lines to attack the 7th Indian Infantry Division from the rear, overrunning the divisional HQ. Marine Raiders gathered in front of a Japanese dugout on Cape Totkina on Bougainville, Solomon Islands.Īfter the first Chindits expedition, thanks to the training the regular forces were receiving and the example of the Chindits and new divisional tactics, the regular units of the Fourteenth Army started to get the measure of both the jungle and the enemy. The ability to sustain the bases that relied totally on air power in the coming decades would prove a template for many similar operations. When the Japanese closed on a base and got within artillery range the base could be abandoned and then set up in another remote location.
This in turn forced the Japanese 18th Division to pull front-line troops from the battle against X Force which was advancing through Northern Burma to protect the men building the Ledo Road. In February 1944 Operation Thursday was launched, and air transport support supplied 1st Air to allow the Chindits to set up air supplied bases deep behind enemy lines from which aggressive combat patrols could be sent out to interdict Japanese supply lines and disrupt rear echelon forces. The availability of air transport revolutionized Wingate's operational choices. On the back of the propaganda success, Orde Wingate, the eccentric commander of the Chindits, was given the resources to increase his command to divisional size and the USAAF supplied the 1st Air Commando Group to support his operations. The operation was not a military success, but was a propaganda boost for the Allies, because it showed that Allied forces could successfully move and fight in jungle terrain well away from roads. They went in on foot using mules to carry supplies. The Chindits were a special force of 3,500 which in February 1942 launched a deep penetration raid, (code-named Operation Longcloth) into Japanese occupied Burma. For example, the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) constructed and maintained an extensive defensive forest in present-day Hebei. In ancient China, the Chinese Empire planted forests on its strategic borderland to thwart nomadic attacks. For example, in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest between the Romans and the Germanic tribes in 9 CE, the Germans used the forest to ambush the Romans. Throughout world history, forests have played significant roles in many of the most historic battles. 1.5.1 Conflicts in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.1.4.3 Brazilian military government guerrilla.1.4.1 British experience in the Malayan Emergency.
Successful jungle fighting emphasises effective small unit tactics and leadership. Likewise the terrain can make it difficult to deploy armoured forces, or any other kind of forces on any large scale. Jungle environments can also be inherently unhealthy, with various tropical diseases that have to be prevented or treated by medical services. The problems of transport make engineering resources important as they are needed to improve roads, build bridges and airfields, and improve water supplies. Jungle terrain, often without good roads, can be inaccessible to vehicles and so makes logistical supply and transport difficult, which in turn places a premium on air mobility. Dense vegetation can limit lines of sight and arcs of fire, but can also provide ample opportunity for camouflage and plenty of material with which to build fortifications. The jungle has a variety of effects on military operations. It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for both sides in many conflicts, including World War II and the Vietnam War. Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain.
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