Upcoming Book on the Indian Air Force in WWII

[Edward]

The book is out and listed through U.S. and U.K. book sellers under the alternate title The Forgotten Few; The Indian Air Force's Contribution in the Second World War ($29.99 hardback - 336 pages) as well as digital download ($5.99)

Plenty of dealers & websites have this listed but be sure to use the alternate title in your searches.

Below is an excerpt from an article that was posted today.

"In Conversation: Author K. S. Nair on his book ‘The Forgotten Few: The Indian Air Force in WW-II’ "
by Sayan Chatterjee
Oct 14, 2019

"The Forgotten Few starts by recounting efforts to establish and build the IAF. When there was an official acceptance at high levels of the Raj-era government, of the need for an Indian Air Force. The book accounts the considerable resistance and skepticism at lower levels, which was there then.

The chapters also follow the struggles of the early years, including for credibility with the British. Growth was painfully slow; attrition among Indian personnel was high; and in even two years into World War-II the IAF had painfully was able to build itself up to just one squadron.

Overall there are total 10 chapters in the new book, to which two chapters were dedicatedly focused on 1944 that witnessed the IAF fully committed to large-scale fighting, as part of the massive offensive into Burma. Attacks into Burma are successful at first but are pushed back by fierce Japanese resistance and terrain challenges. Late during the Arakan campaign, the Japanese launch separate offensives themselves, on both the Northern and the Southern ends of the front. IAF squadrons are closely involved in the quick blunting of the Japanese offensive in the South; but the Northern one succeeds at first, and three crack Japanese divisions fight their way to within a stone’s throw of the plains of Assam. The IAF is then called to join the critical battles of Kohima and Imphal, which represent the final turn of the tide in Burma against the Japanese."

https://newsmeter.in/in-conversation...f-the-unsungs/