In his earlier career, British General Orde Wingate had organized Jewish settlers in Palestine into an armed force that later became the Israeli army and restored the Emperor of Ethiopia to his throne after years of Italian occupation.Not content to rest on his laurels, Wingate went to Burma in 1943 and effectively re-wrote military history. Drawing on troops locally available, Wingate turned English and Scottish line regiments and Gurkha riflemen led by skeptical British Indian officers into the elite "Chindit" force . Landing by parachute and glider behind Japanese lines, Wingate's "Chindit" commandos pioneered long-range reconnaissance and techniques of air support that have since become standard in military operations, particularly in Southeast Asia.At Wingate's side until his tragic death was his young subordinate Michael Calvert. Going on to become the first post-war commander of the Special Air Service, Calvert and the SAS took Wingate's doctrines and innovations around the world.One of the classic narratives of World War II, this is the unforgettable story of Orde Wingate, the "Chindit" air commandos, and the birth of modern unconventional warfare.
In his earlier career, British General Orde Wingate had organized Jewish settlers in Palestine into an armed force that later became the Israeli army and restored the Emperor of Ethiopia to his throne after years of Italian occupation.Not content to rest on his laurels, Wingate went to Burma in 1943 and effectively re-wrote military history. Drawing on troops locally available, Wingate turned English and Scottish line regiments and Gurkha riflemen led by skeptical British Indian officers into the elite "Chindit" force . Landing by parachute and glider behind Japanese lines, Wingate's "Chindit" commandos pioneered long-range reconnaissance and techniques of air support that have since become standard in military operations, particularly in Southeast Asia.At Wingate's side until his tragic death was his young subordinate Michael Calvert. Going on to become the first post-war commander of the Special Air Service, Calvert and the SAS took Wingate's doctrines and innovations around the world.One of the classic narratives of World War II, this is the unforgettable story of Orde Wingate, the "Chindit" air commandos, and the birth of modern unconventional warfare.