Kohima: The Furthest Battle: The Story of the Japanese Invasion of India in 1944 and the Battle of Kohima

Kohima -The Furthest Battle is the Definitive book on the Kohima battle. The detailed narrative is in Chronological order and is well supported by excellent detail maps.

Exellent book.Shows what bravery there was on both sides.

First of all, this book has fantastic reviews on amazon.co,uk and that lead me to buy it.I am someone with a general interest in the second world war and was curious about the conflict as it unfolded in Asia. Previous books I've read on this subject would include Nemesis by Max Hasting and Forgotten Wars and Forgotten Armies, both by Christopher Bayly & Tim Harper; and I enjoyed these books tremendously. The reason I mention all this, is that I really didn't find the book very welcoming for someone with a general interest in the conflict; it's more for someone who really, really cares about this particular battle. Of course, I'll be the first to admit that the title is very specific about what the book's about, but it could have taken a greater breadth on the conflict in this front.Again, if you have a driving interest in this battle, I am sure you'll love it.

Very good

An exhaustive study of a little known World War II battle in a somewhat neglected theatre of war.Burma now Myanmar, was far from the the major struggle in Europe which was up close and immediate to millions of people, or the later and far flung Pacific war. in which events seemed, because of the vast distances involved, to move more slowly but of which the Burmese events were a critical part.The Burmese campaigns involving defeat, recovery and eventually victory for the British played out in a backwater of the British Empire where resources were few and secondary to the major events happening elsewhere.Victory, when it came was overshadowed by the surrender in Europe and then that of Japan three months later.But if the Japanese had not been defeated in Burma they would have invaded India with unimaginable results for the Allies.This book is about that attempt to invade India and the culmination of the struggle between the defeated British forces and their enemy at the hilltown of Kohima and the surrounding area on the border between Burma and India. This battle lasted for approximately two weeks .It has been described as the Thermopylae of the British Empire, but fortunately they were the winners.Meticulously researched and brilliantly described with many personal reminiscences this book is an epic of military history.

This is a book that can be recommended to those who wish to know more about the battle of Kohima. It is not, however, a masterpiece nor definitive, since it contains far too many errors, and leans too heavily on previously published works to earn those accolades. This is partly the result of it's dependence on books such as Colvin's `Not Ordinary Men', whose many errors it repeats. While the author also uses a range of new sources, such as the Gracey papers, he also tends towards larger than normal quotations from easily available accounts, such as McCann's.The main selling point of the book is its structure. Leaving aside the weak topping and tailing chapters, the core of the book adopts a purely chronological format; each day is examined location by location and/or unit by unit. This tends to break up the narrative flow of the account, but it is worth it. Kohima was a complicated battle; this structure makes it much easier to understand, and the book is chiefly recommended for that reason.The book is not without it's faults. The emphasis on chronological structure leaves too little space for analysis. I have read clearer accounts of Japanese planning, and the stresses of the British/Indian command are not covered in enough detail. Indeed the reader is never really made aware of the command problems and decision making process on the British side. Nowhere is it explained why 2 British Division took so long to clear Kohima and open the road. There is very little discussion of the suitability and effectiveness of British/Indian training, weapons and tactics. Where the author has ventured opinions they are often wrong; does he really think that Lee/Grant tanks had limited mobility because they were wheeled, rather than tracked!Time and again the author demonstrates his unfamiliarity with the Indian Army (5/27 Mahratta, 9/12 Frontier Rifle Regiment, 4/7 Rajputana Rifles, etc.), but, of course, more familiarity might have resulted in a book called "Kohima The Nearest Battle".Faults that may, or may not, be attributable to the publishers are a very poor system of references, extremely crude maps (plenty of them, though), a poor selection of photographs and the worst index I've seen for a long time.This book was clearly a labour of love for the author and he has done an immense amount of work in putting together a clear and coherent account of this important battle, and as such, despite it's errors, it is recommended.

Edwards book has to be considered a document of history. It is well researched and presented. I thoroughly enjoyed it.A must read for those interested in this theatre of ww2

I am someone with a general interest in the second world war and was curious about the conflict as it unfolded in Asia. Previous books I've read on this subject would include Nemesis by Max Hasting and Forgotten Wars and Forgotten Armies, both by Christopher Bayly & Tim Harper; and I enjoyed these books tremendously. The reason I mention all this, is that I really didn't find the book very welcoming for someone with a general interest in the conflict; it's more for someone who really, really cares about this particular battle. Of course, I'll be the first to admit that the title is very specific about what the book's about, but it could have taken a greater breadth on the conflict in this front.Again, if you have a driving interest in this battle, I am sure you'll love it.