Paper Bullets: War, Victory & Propaganda Collectibles of India

Ghosts in the Mail: The Penang Submarines and the 1943 Madras Spy Case

2026-04-12T21:58:00.015-05:00

Every now and then, a piece crosses my desk that makes me drop my loupe and just stare for a minute.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I’m obsessed with the paper trails left behind by the chaotic, shadowy parts of World War II. We talk a lot about how postal history is essentially holding ghosts in your hands. Today, I want to show you exactly what I mean. I have been waiting to write a blog on this postal cover I acquired couple of years back. But, I was missing the piece to introduce it properly. That dream finally came true just yesterday when by chance I happened to find a newspaper on eBay to pair it with rare postal cover from my collection, and together, they tell the story of one of the most disastrous, secretive espionage operations of the war: the 1943 Madras Spy Case.

Let’s start with the context. This original difficult to find (of specific date with this incident) Northern India Edition of The Statesman (dated October 21, 1943) has the headline is the kind of thing you expect in a spy thriller, not a daily paper: "JAP AGENTS FOILED BY VILLAGERS / ARREST AFTER LANDING FROM SUBMARINE."

Fig1: Northern India Edition of The Statesman (dated October 21, 1943)

Here is the backstory: By late 1942, the Japanese military, working with the Indian Independence League (IIL) and the early INA, hatched a plan to drop a "fifth column" of spies onto the western coast of British India. The idea was to infiltrate, sabotage, and spark a rebellion before a planned Japanese invasion.

They sent these guys over in Japanese submarines, dropping them off the Malabar Coast in little rubber dinghies in the dead of night. It was a complete disaster. They were betrayed by double agents, their cover stories were terrible, and vigilant local villagers spotted them almost instantly. The British quietly rounded them up, tried them in secret in camera courts, and hanged several of them. They put a total gag order on the whole mess to prevent panic. In fact, this October 1943 newspaper was the very first time the British let the public know it even happened, spinning it as a massive victory rather than a close call.

But the question has always been: where exactly did these doomed agents come from?

These spies didn't just appear out of nowhere; they were trained at a highly classified espionage school in Penang, Malaya, called the Indian Swaraj Institute (funded by the Japanese Iwakuro Kikan intelligence unit and manned by Indian expatriates and former British-Indian POWs). Before I reveal the postal *(star)* item let's take a short history lesson first.

The Swaraj Institute (Penang)

The primary training ground for these agents was a secret espionage school called the Indian Swaraj Institute (Swaraj meaning "self-rule"). The Japanese requisitioned the premises of the historic Penang Free School to serve as the headquarters for this operation.

The school was funded and overseen by Japanese military intelligence, specifically under the command of Colonel Hideo Iwakuro (head of the Iwakuro Kikan intelligence unit) and supervised locally by Captain Noboru Kaneko.

Many of the Japanese instructors were graduates of the elite Imperial Japanese Army Nakano School, which specialized in covert operations, counterintelligence, and guerrilla warfare. They brought advanced, systematic spy-craft to the Swaraj Institute. If you want to read more about it then I recommend below book.

Fig2: The Shadow Warriors of Nakano, A history of the imperial Japanese Army's elite intelligence school by Stephen C. Mercado

While the Japanese provided the facility and intelligence framework, the manpower and ideological drive came from Indians.

Trainees were a mix of Indian expatriate civilians living in Malaya and former British-Indian soldiers who had been captured as Prisoners of War (POWs) and convinced by INA founders like Mohan Singh to switch sides and fight for Indian independence.
Select Indians who showed exceptional aptitude were made instructors. For example, Kumaran Nair, who had previous paramilitary experience with the British Malabar Special Police before moving to Malaya, served as both a trainee and a key tactical instructor.

The training was intense but highly accelerated. The curriculum blended standard military combat with specialized espionage techniques. Trainees studied the socioeconomic grievances of Indian factory workers and railway employees. Their goal wasn't just to gather intelligence, but to infiltrate industrial hubs, foment strikes, and sabotage British supply chains during the "Quit India" movement.

India Swaraj Institute Scarce Postal Cover

That brings me to the earlier addition to the collection, and honestly, the star of this exhibit. This is another such instance where I found it purely by luck couple of years back. I was searching something related to Indian Independence League on internet and somehow a link to an unknown auction site popped up as result. Just out of curiosity. I clicked on the link and started browsing the lots. In couple of minutes, my heartbeat all of a sudden dropped, I was not able to believe on item that I was staring on my laptop. I found something which was more thrilling and satisfying than acquiring an Indian Independence League cover. But, when I saw auction was already closed then my morale dropped completely. The only hope I had was I saw it was unsold. Perhaps, none had paid attention to it. My heat started beating again. It was another struggle to contact the auctioneer and convince them to sell this unsold lot to me. And luck had it, I finally acquired a piece of history!

Surviving mail from this covert facility is practically non-existent. I know one of my friend also owns such similar cover but perhaps that's it. Anyway, when I finally acquired above newspaper, the whole story just snapped into place.

Fig3: Letter sent with Indian Swaraj Institute marking from 1942

Here are some finer details about the cover shown above:

If you look at the left, that bilingual institutional handstamp is from the spy school itself. It says INDIA SWARAJ INSTITUTE. / PENANG. in English as well in Japanese: 印度靑年錬成所 (Translating to "Indian Youth Training Institute").

If you look closely right above "SWARAJ," there’s a quick manuscript squiggle. That was may be an initial or clearance from an institute officer giving this letter the green light to leave the compound.

When the Japanese invaded Malaya, they grabbed whatever British colonial stamp stocks were lying around. As per standard catalogs for the Japanese Occupation of Malaya, the 'Dai Nippon 2602' overprint on the Perak 8 carmine stamp (with the Sultan of Perak’s portrait) is Great Japan, and 2602 is the imperial year for 1942. It perfectly dates this cover to the crucial early window when the spy school was actually active. There is a faint circular date stamp over the Perak postage stamp. While the katakana for Penang (ペナン) is visible, the exact date is unfortunately too heavily smeared to confirm. If anyone has seen a similar strike and can narrow down the day/month, please let me know.

On the right, we have the classic boxed Japanese occupation censor chop. The top reads ペナン局 ("Penang Bureau"). "10" is the specific censor desk, and that little black square inside the box is the personal hanko (name seal) of the guy who actually read Joga Singh Aujla’s mail.

Fig4: Back side of the Indian Swaraj Institute marking letter from 1942

Flipping it over (Fig4), the sender is listed as Joga Singh Aujla / I. S. I. Penang (I.S.I. stands for Indian Swaraj Institute). Aujla (A common Sikh/Punjabi surname) was likely a cadet—maybe even one of the guys who eventually ended up on a submarine—or an instructor. Remember Sikhs made up a significant portion of the ex-British Indian Army POWs who transitioned into the Indian National Army and the IIL in Malaya so it may be possible that sender was also an ex-POW cum IIL/INA supporter.

He was sending this down the peninsula to a Dr. N.K. Sharma at the General Hospital in Muar, Johore. Indian doctors often stayed at their posts during the occupation, and many were quietly absorbed into the medical wings of the IIL. As an exhibitor, this is what we live for. When you put that yellowed Statesman clipping next to this heavily censored, overprinted Swaraj Institute envelope, you aren't just looking at stamps and ink anymore. You’re looking at the entire lifecycle of a doomed WWII spy ring—from a cadet writing a letter in a secret Penang training camp to the tragic, heavily censored conclusion on the beaches of India.

It is fascinating to see how a single cover ties into such a massive, hidden operation. It makes a great companion piece to the newspaper clipping. I wish some day I can evolve all these into a quality Exhibit covering various special operations (Chindits, Marauders and Espionage).

Let me know in the comments if you guys have ever run across Swaraj Institute covers out in the wild, because I'm definitely hunting for more! Any other such Indian associations marking covers from WW2 period is also welcome!

Not but the least, I think I have seen "India Swaraj Institute" cover example in some philatelic book but I am forgetting the detail. If someone remembers then please point that to me. I will add it here as reference.

Forces Sweetheart - Vera Lynn

2025-08-24T00:15:00.004-05:00

It was since 2023 when I got hold of an British Indian Military Air Letter Card from WW2 period talking about Vera Lynn, I have been searching for stamps issued on her. I was surprised to learn there was no stamps issued on her until recently by United Kingdom. Before I show the MALC, let's talk about Vera Lynn.

Vera Lynn's Wartime Career

Quoting from Wikipedia, Lynn's wartime contribution began when she would sing to people who were using London's tube station platforms as air raid shelters. During the Phoney War, the Daily Express asked British servicemen to name their favorite musical performers: Vera Lynn came out on top and as a result became known as "the Forces' Sweetheart".

Lynn is best known for the popular song "We’ll Meet Again” which was first recorded in 1939. The nostalgic lyrics ("We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day") were very popular during the war and made the song one of its emblematic hits.

Her continuing popularity was ensured by the success of her weekly 30-minute radio program Sincerely Yours, which began airing at 9:30 p.m. on 9 November 1941, with messages to British troops serving abroad. She also visited hospitals to interview new mothers and send personal messages to their husbands overseas. However, in the aftermath of the fall of Singapore in February 1942 the program was taken off air after the broadcast on 22 March 1942 for 18 months out of fear that the sentimental nature of her songs would undermine the "virile" nature of British soldiers. Instead, "more traditionally martial classical music" was promoted. Lynn returned with a regular show called "It's Time for Vera Lynn" on the BBC's Forces program on 31 October 1943.

Fig1: Issued on April 4 1995 by Great Britain, booklet pane for 50th Anniversary of End of Second World War.

While Fig1 does show Great Britain acknowledged her contribution by putting her on back side of booklet pane but it was still not a dedicated stamp that I was looking for. At that time, I just satisfied myself by buying above item while waiting for a proper stamp on her. Finally, Great Britain came out with "Valour and Victory" stamps on May 1, 2025 which also featured Vera Lynn.

Fig2: Issued on May 1 2025 by Great Britain, part of Valour and Victory stamps series

Above (Fig2) commemorative collectible honors ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn’s tireless commitment to British troops and advocacy for military veterans. The Miniature Sheet features four First Class landscape stamps presented alongside a beautiful photograph of Dame Vera taken in October 2009. The stamps capture Dame Vera at various moments in her wartime career, from ENSA performances (details below) and troop visits to her appearance on BBC wartime radio.

Defining Moment

In the latter half of the war years, she joined the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA), the organization set up to provide entertainment for the forces and toured Egypt, India and Burma for five months, giving outdoor concerts for Allied (British/Commonwealth which also included Indian) troops. In March 1944, she went to Shamshernagar airfield in then Bengal to entertain the troops before the Battle of Kohima.

After spending a week near Calcutta, Lynn went to the North-East battlefronts, visited hospitals and autographed a large number of rupee-notes, scraps of paper and photographs of soldiers. She spent over nine weeks in India and performed over 100 shows. The weeks she spent with troops in this relatively forgotten theatre of war remained with her for the rest of her life and she became the most ardent advocate for the remembrance and care of veterans of the 14th Army who fought in Burma.

Fig3: Issued on May 1 2025 by Great Britain, part of Valour and Victory stamps series

I like above version (Fig3) of it as well which is from the booklet. It shows British and Indian troops of the Fourteenth Army advancing on a town in Burma, March 1945. In 1985, she received the Burma Star for entertaining British guerrilla units in Japanese-occupied Burma showing exceptional courage and her contribution to boosting morale of allied soldiers.

Now here comes the real reason of writing this post. I wonder when she was such a Forces Sweetheart then why would someone not see her when she was visiting them! But, this is what I discovered when I got hold of below MALC.

Fig4: British India Military Air Letter Card sent from India to Great Britain containing RAFPOST 5 postmark of 2 June 1944 and RAF censor R17/23 handstamp. It was sent by LAC JP Randall of 28 Squadron RAF on 31st May 1944 (dated inside).

28 Squadron Royal Air Force (RAF) was located between 29 October 1943-17 June 1944 at Imphal. It was a Tactical reconnaissance squadron, equipped with the Hawker Hurricane aircrafts. The letter was sent at the heart of Battle of Imphal (8 March – 3 July 1944) and Battle of Kohima (4 April – 22 June 1944).

The letter (Fig4) states: "Vera Lynn was here a few days ago but I certainly did not trouble to go and see her and there were only a small number who did, I am glad to say".

Frankly speaking I didn't know about Vera Lynn until I stumbled upon above letter and was amused by the letter content. The lines mentioned above caught my eyes and this is when I googled only to find out about Vera Lynn!

The intent of this post was not to demerit Vera Lynn even though the officer didn't find her visit encouraging enough to go see her. When you search on her you may find articles which states she alone didn't win the war for Great Britain so some may feel embarrassed on why so many stamps have been issued on her by Royal Mail but then you will also find quotes from the history where it was said that "Churchill didn't beat the Nazis. Vera sang them to death."

This is why I like postal letters. Sometimes, a single letter arises so much curiosity that you end up learning various facts of the history. After learning about her, I was desperate to get hold of a stamp in her honor but was frustrated unable to find one. I was holding writing a post waiting for this moment. I am really happy now that we have not one but four stamps issued in her name!

Lastly, while I focus on India and Indian contribution in world wars, I have to acknowledge the fact that while she mostly entertained and increased morale of British troops, she was committed to Fourteenth Army which consisted of the British as well Indian troops. So, in some manner she deserves to be covered as part of Indian connection. Hope some English speaking Indian Soldiers/Officers would have also felt the same way their British counterparts would have while listening to her songs and live performances during the war!

Special Operations (Chindits) in India Burma theater during WWII

2025-07-25T11:28:00.009-05:00

This article was first published in India Study Circle journal (India Post No. 233, Vol. 58 No. 4) in October-December 2024. The second part of special operations (Merrill's Marauders) was published in MPHS Journal as shared in my previous post. Now that I have decided to revive my blog, I thought of sharing that article as well. That will allow readers to get complete picture of allied special operations that were launched to push Japanese out of Burma and prevent invasion of India by Japanese and Indian National Army led by Subhas Chandra Bose.

Behind Japanese Lines: The Allied (British-Indian-African-Commonwealth) Jungle Force (Chindits)

This article is about Special Operations conducted by Allied forces (Great Britain and United States) against Japanese forces during second world war in India-Burma theater. In general, South-East Asia theater is less popular than other war zones of second world war. Allied main focus was naturally Europe, Middle East, Africa and Pacific zones. We hear many stories of special operations and various exploits from those zones. This article tries to highlight one of the similar exploits from South-East Asia theater through postal covers.

Even though, we have various Virk ([1], [2]) and Proud ([3], [4]) catalogues/books available to refer (from FPO usage point of view), some of the fighting units are poorly documented. Sometimes, we see conflicting information among (about usage of Indian/British FPOs by various units) them. I have tried my best to present information as much as possible accurately, but there is possibility of the errors. I would request experts to point out any such mistakes, missing information and provide their valuable feedback.

Every special operation conducted during WW2 had its own purpose and clearly defined objective e.g., sabotage enemy plans or assist main fighting forces to defeat them, sometimes they were also used as a propaganda tool even in case of failure of such operation. In some historian’s view ‘Chindits’ operations were one of them. They were viewed as propaganda tool in the beginning specially their first offensive called ‘Operation Longcloth’ which then set path for second and wider offensive known as ‘Operation Thursday’. We would mostly focus on the latter offensive in this article via British/Indian FPO covers from the said period and modern day (post-Independence) Indian Army Postal Service covers commemorating some of those Indian units which participated in it.

About the Chindits (quick introduction)

The Chindits, officially known as Long Range Penetration Groups (LRP), were special operations units of the British and Indian armies (also consisted of Africans, Americans, Burmese, Chinese and other allied nationalities) which saw action in 1943–1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II.

The British Army Brigadier Orde Charles Wingate formed the Chindits (Long Range Penetration Groups) for raiding operations against the Imperial Japanese Army, attacking Japanese troops, facilities, and lines of communication deep behind Japanese lines. Their operations featured long marches through extremely difficult terrain, undertaken by underfed troops often weakened by diseases such as malaria and dysentery.

Controversy persists over the extremely high casualty-rate and the debatable military value of the achievements of the Chindits. Historians have different views on Chindits operations such as they believed Wingate’s ideas were flawed in many respects. For one thing, the Imperial Japanese Army did not have Western-style supply lines to disrupt and tended to ignore logistics generally. When Special Force launched itself into Burma in March 1944, Wingate’s ideas rapidly proved unworkable. However, Mutaguchi Renya (the commander of the Japanese 15th Army), later stated that ‘Operation Thursday’ had a significant effect on the campaign, saying "The Chindit invasion had a decisive effect on these operations. They drew off the whole of 53rd Division and parts of 15th Division, one regiment of which would have turned the scales at Kohima".

Operation Longcloth as propaganda tool

Even though first Chindit offensive ‘Operation Longcloth’ which took place between February and June 1943 was a military disaster and many officers in the British and Indian army questioned the overall value of the Chindits based on the losses incurred during the first long-range jungle penetration operation (LRP), Wingate viewed it as a psychological triumph.

He sent 61-pages operation report back to London (which was also passed on to Churchill) which viewed the Chindits and their exploits as a success after the long string of Allied disasters in the Far East theatre. Churchill, an ardent proponent of commando operations, was complimentary toward the Chindits and their accomplishments. It was seen as a propaganda tool which proved that Japanese could be beaten, and British/Indian troops could successfully operate in the jungle against experienced Japanese forces.

>Churchill was so much impressed that he asked Wingate to travel with him to The First Quebec Conference, codenamed ‘Quadrant’. It was a highly secret military conference held during WW2 by the governments of the Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. It took place in Quebec City on August 17–24, 1943, at both the Citadelle and the Château Frontenac

Fig 1: Major General Orde Charles Wingate

Concept of Long-Range Penetration (LRP) Operation and birth of ‘Operation Thursday’

At the Quebec Conference in 1943, Wingate explained his ideas to Franklin D Roosevelt, and other leaders. Wingate proposed creating strongholds in enemy territory that would be supplied by air and be as effective against the enemy as conventional troops. He presented ideas of deep penetration operations that could be made possible through improvements in the range of communication devices and airborne supply by long range aircraft.

It was decided that operations against Japan would be intensified in order to exhaust Japanese resources, cut their communications lines, and secure forward bases from which the Japanese mainland could be attacked. Wingate was promoted to Major General and given green signal to plan for second offensive.

The second long-range penetration mission was originally intended as a coordinated effort with a planned regular army offensive against Japanese forces in northern Burma, but events on the ground resulted in cancellation of the army offensive, leaving the long-range penetration groups without a means of transporting into Burma. Upon Wingate's return to India, he found that his mission had also been cancelled for lack of air transport. He took the news bitterly, voicing disappointment to all who would listen, including Allied commanders such as Colonel Philip Cochran of the 1st Air Commando Group (USAAF). Cochran told Wingate that cancelling the long-range mission was unnecessary; only a limited amount of aerial transport would be needed since, in addition to the light planes and C-47 Dakotas Wingate had counted on, Cochran explained that 1st Air Commando had 150 gliders to haul supplies. Thus, a new plan was formed relying on gliders to drop brigades in Burma.

Units of 2^nd Long Range Penetration Offensive (Operation Thursday)

Fig 2: Cover sent from Saugor Infantry School (postmark) to Bombay, India on 22^nd March 1944 (just after Operation Thursday began) with Unit Censor V44 handstamp.

While first Chindit offensive had jungle long range penetration unit created from 77^th Indian Infantry Brigade which were trained at a special camp setup (Fig 2) at Saugor district in central India, for second offensive Wingate was given six brigades (77^th Indian Infantry, 111^th Indian Infantry, 14^th Brigade of British 70^th Division, 16^th Brigade of British 70^th Division, 23^rd Brigade of British 70^th Division and 3^rd West African Brigade of 81^st West African Division).

77^th Indian Infantry Brigade (also known as “EMPHASIS”)

At the heart of this operation was existing 77^th Indian Infantry Brigade (first LRP). They continued to train in jungles of central India until Dec’43 (by [3]) or Feb’44 (by [1]) when finally, they were given order to move towards forward bases of North-East India for the campaign.

Fig 3: Cover sent from FPO 81 to England on 11^th Jan 1944 (before Operation Thursday began) with Unit Censor U1 and Field Censor 113 handstamp.

Indian FPO 81 was used by 77^th Indian Infantry Brigade until March 1944 before they entered Burma. FPO didn’t go with them. Wingate planned that part of 77^th Brigade would land by glider (as per new plan) in Burma and prepare airstrips into which 111^th Brigade and the remainder of 77^th Brigade would be flown by C-47 Dakota aircraft. Two landing sites codenamed "Piccadilly" and "Broadway" were selected. On the evening of 5^th March 1944 as Wingate, Lieutenant General Slim (the commander of Fourteenth Army), Brigadier Michael Calvert (the commander of 77^th Brigade) and Cochran waited at Lalaghat airfield in India for 77^th Brigade to fly into "Piccadilly", an incident occurred.

Fig 4: On Golden Jubilee of 77 Mountain Brigade (Chindits), Indian Army Postal Service issued APS cover commemorating their exploits in 1992.

Fig 5: Operation Thursday Air Launch Map

Wingate had forbidden continuous reconnaissance of the landing sites to avoid compromising the security of the operation, but Cochran ordered a last-minute reconnaissance flight which showed "Piccadilly" to be completely obstructed with logs. There was confusion that the operation had been betrayed, and that the Japanese would have set up ambushes on the other two landing sites. Slim still ordered that the operation was to go ahead. Wingate then ordered that 77^th Brigade would fly into "Chowringhee" (new landing site). Both Cochran and Calvert objected, as "Chowringhee" was on the wrong side of the Irrawaddy and Cochran's pilots were not familiar with the layout. Eventually, "Broadway" was selected instead.

Despite the last-minute drama, the operation was finally flagged off half an hour after the planned time at 18:12. Each C-47 Dakota towed two gliders – all were overloaded to at least 4500 pounds, bouncing and swaying all the way down the airstrip, headed for the Chin Hills in the darkened sky. The original plan called for 40 gliders to go to both Piccadilly and Broadway but finally all 80 would go to Broadway starting the airborne stage of ‘Operation Thursday’. The mission was no longer in the hands of Wingate and his staff; it rested with the pilots of the 1^st Air Commando Group. In all, 35 gliders crash landed on Broadway that night. Fortunately, the Japanese were unaware of the landings.

1^st Air Commando Group of USAAF

Fig 6: Cover sent from US APO 690 Ondal, India to USA on 11^th Feb 1945 with Passed by US Army Examiner 13676 handstamp. It was sent by 6^th Fighter Squadron of 1^st Air Commando Group.

To comply with Roosevelt's proposed air support for British long range penetration operations in Burma (agreed during Quebec conference), the United States Army Air Forces (USAAAF) created the 5318th Air Unit to support the Chindits. In March 1944, they were designated the 1st Air Commando Group by USAAF Commander General Hap Arnold. Arnold chose Colonel John R. Alison and Colonel Philip Cochran as co-commanders of the unit. It provided fighter cover, bomb striking power, and air transport services for the Chindits, fighting behind enemy lines in Burma. Operations included airdrop and landing of troops, food, and equipment; evacuation of casualties; and attacks against enemy airfields and lines of communication.

Their first joint operation with the Chindits—Operation Thursday—was the first invasion of enemy territory solely by air and set the precedent for the glider landings of Operation Overload associated with the Normandy Landings on D-Day. They also used helicopters in combat for the first time, executing the first combat medical evacuations. They pioneered the use of air-to-ground rockets.

111^th Indian Infantry Brigade (also known as “LEOPARD”)

Unaware of Wingate given authority to have far more ambitious offensive for his second LRP expedition (during Quebec conference), General Wavell (also the Viceroy of India) ordered the formation of 111^th Indian Infantry Brigade, along the lines of the 77^th Indian Infantry Brigade at the same time when Wingate was on the way to India. Wavell intended that the two brigades would operate in tandem with one engaged on operations while the other trained and prepared for the next operation. However, once back in India, Wingate was allowed to have six brigades to achieve the goal. He was known to have a strong dislike for the Indian Army, its diverse troop formations, and its British officers. He maintained that their training in long-range penetration techniques would take longer and their maintenance by air would be difficult due to the varied dietary requirements of different Gurkha and Indian castes and religions, although he had little choice but to accept 111^th Brigade.

111^th Indian Infantry Brigade was due to flown into Piccadilly on 5/6^th March 1944, but as that landing site was unusable, so it flew into “Chowringhee” and “Broadway” instead. This left the brigade dispersed and ineffective until it was reunited at “White City”. The goal for 111^th Brigade was to move north and build a new stronghold, codenamed ‘Blackpool’ which would block the railway and main road south of Mogaung. Blackpool was close to the Japanese northern front and was immediately attacked by Japanese 53^rd Division with heavy artillery support. Even though a heavy attack against Blackpool was repulsed on 17^th May, a second attack on 24^th May allowed Japanese to capture vital positions. Because the monsoon had broken and heavy rain made movement in the jungle very difficult, neither 77^th Brigade nor 14^th Brigade could help 111^th Brigade. Finally, it had to abandon Blackpool on 25^th May, because the men were exhausted after 17 days of continual combat. They were finally evacuated from Mogaung in the May.

Indian FPO 143 was used by 111^th Infantry Brigade until March 1944 before they flew into Burma. The FPO didn’t carry them. From May’1944 onwards same FPO was reallocated to 109 Infantry Brigade (14^th Infantry Division).

Fig 7: On Golden Jubilee of 3^rd Btn, 4^th Gurkha Rifles which was part of 111^th Indian Infantry Brigade, Indian Army Postal Service issued APS cover commemorating their exploits in 1990. Part of it was also in Morris Force which harassed Japanese forces in the mountain ranges.

Fig 8: On Platinum Jubilee of 3^rd Btn, 4^th Gurkha Rifles which was part of 111^th Indian Infantry Brigade, Indian Army Postal Service issued APS cover commemorating their exploits in 2015. The postmark shows Chindits logo as well.

16^th Infantry Brigade of British 70^th Division (also known as “ENTERPRISE”)

When Wingate returned to India from Quebec conference with authority to implement far more ambitious plans for the second expedition, which required that the force be greatly expanded to a strength of six brigades, he was offered British 70^th Division. infantries were required, three brigades (the 14^th, 16^th and 23^rd) were added to the Chindits by breaking up the experienced British 70^th Division, much against the wishes of General Slim and other commanders, who wished to use the division in a conventional role.

British 70^th Division was a very experienced unit seen action in the Middle East and Africa. Following the Japanese occupation of Malaya, and the consequent threat to India, British 70^th Division was withdrawn from the Middle East at the end of Feb 1942 and sent to India. 16^th Brigade of British 70^th Division, was temporarily detached for service in Ceylon, arriving there on 15^th Mar 1942. On 1^st Feb 1943, the brigade moved to India to join 70^th Division. British FPO 40 accompanied 16^th Brigade to Ceylon and Ceylonese stamps were used while they operated there.

Fig 9: Cover sent from Ceylon to England using British FPO 40 in March 1942 (after they just arrived from Middle East) with Passed By Censor 90 handstamp.

The plan for 16^th Brigade was different as they were supposed to march to its operational area from Ledo while 77^th and 111^th Brigades were getting airlifted later. The 16^th Brigade began its 350-mile (565-km) overland advance on 5^th February 1944 starting ‘Operation Thursday’ officially, avoiding the Japanese by crossing extremely difficult terrain.

It took them close to 4 weeks (5^th March 1944) to reach Chindwin River crossing point. It was at the same time (6^th March 1944) when Japanese launched Operation ‘U-Go’, an invasion of eastern India. It would take them another tough two weeks march south to reach their first objective, a stronghold named “Aberdeen” (20^th March 1944). It existed only on paper and in the mind.

Wingate intended that “Aberdeen” should rise from the ground on the labor and toil of 16^th Brigade after their long march. From there they moved towards Indaw. He hoped that the three brigades could then co-operate in the capture of the communications nexus at Indaw, together with its airfield, so that a division could be flown in to hold the area as a base for the Chindit columns roving the Japanese rear areas and wreaking havoc. Though, 16^th Brigade failed to occupy Indaw and were withdrawn to India by May 1944.

14^th Infantry Brigade of British 70^th Division (also known as “JAVELIN”)

Initially, 14^th Brigade was supposed to be held in reserve along with 23^rd Brigade and 3^rd West African Brigade. But, when Japanese threat at Imphal and Kohima started developing, General Slim thought of diverting 14^th Brigade just like he did with 23^rd Brigade to help Indian XXXIII Corps. There were tense moments for Wingate as he was furious losing out another of his brigade. Finally, Slim let Wingate keep 14th Brigade for Burma offensive.

The 14^th Infantry Brigade was airlifted to ‘Aberdeen’ on 23/24 March 1944 (same time when Wingate died in plane crash). While 16^th Brigade thought 14^th Brigade would help it capture ‘Indaw’ which was south to Aberdeen, 14^th Brigade instead moved north towards ‘Blackpool’ and was involved in heavy fighting in the area with the Japanese. It helped 111^th Brigade capture Blackpool in May before eventually it was withdrawn to India in August 1944.

Fig 10: Cover sent within India using British FPO 199 on 23^rd August 1944 (after 14^th Infantry Brigade was withdrawn to India) with Field Censor 35 and Unit Censor S 471 handstamp.

As per [4], BFPO 199 was used by 14^th Brigade. It states that as a Special Forces P.O. it was used from Dec’43-May’44 period. Though, there is some conflicting information on it. Because, as per same catalogue it also states BFPO 37 was allotted to 14^th Brigade. While, as per [2] [Ch. 22 The Assam Front, Page 247], it says BFPO 199 was allotted to 23^rd Brigade. So, it can’t be ascertained if BFPO 199 was used by 14^th Brigade even though it was used by one of the units of Special Forces. For now, I am sticking to Proud where it shows 14^th Brigade against BFPO 199.

23^rd Infantry Brigade of British 70^th Division

It never joined the Chindits in the field, was instead sent to support XXXIII Indian Corps to quell Japanese attackers (Operation “U-Go” on 6^th March 1944) in the Dimapur and Kohima area. But their training as LRP came handy and in fact it was one of the reasons why Japanese 31^st division had to retreat when they ran out of supply during the siege of Kohima.

Fig 11: Above diagram shows 23^rd Infantry Brigade action against Japanese 31^st division from April-July 1944

Japanese 31^st Division had begun the operation with only three weeks supply of food. Once these supplies were exhausted, the Japanese had to exist on meagre captured stocks and what they could forage in increasingly hostile Naga villages. The British 23^rd Infantry Brigade, which had been operating behind the Japanese division, cut the Japanese supply lines and prevented them foraging in the Naga Hills to the east of Kohima. Lack of food supply from Japanese Fifteenth Army HQ finally caused Japanese 31^st division to withdraw.

Fig 12: Cover sent to Bombay, India using British FPO 30 on 5^th July 1944 (just after Battle of Kohima was over by 22^nd June 1944 and 23^rd Infantry Brigade was on pursuit of retreating Japanese forces towards Ukhrul and Imphal until end of July) with Field Censor 33 and Unit Censor G 573 handstamp.

As per [4], British FPO 30 was used by 23^rd Infantry Brigade in India. While [2] [Ch. 22 The Assam Front, Page 247], says BFPO 199 was allotted to 23^rd Brigade though it doesn’t provide any further information on it. Similarly, since [1] also doesn’t show BFPO 199 usage by 23^rd Brigade so I am assuming Proud is correct to state BFPO 30 usage for 23^rd Infantry Brigade.

3^rd West African Brigade of 81^st West African Division (also known as “THUNDER”)

The 3^rd (West African) Brigade was to be used as garrison troops for the strongholds. One battalion was flown into Broadway and made its way on foot to Aberdeen. The other two battalions were flown directly into Aberdeen on 23^rd March 1944. The brigade returned to India by August 1944. The brigade was disbanded on 30^th November 1944. It then reformed with same units in India on 1^st March 1945 coming under command of 81^st West Africa Division on 20^th March 1945.

All West African Units in Burma (during Chindits operation and afterwards as part of larger Burma campaign) used British FPOs. As per [1]British FPO 670, 696-699 were used by 81^st West African Division including their time (Dec 1943 - March 1945) in Burma so perhaps one of those FPOs were used by 3^rd West African Brigade as well. I will allow experts to weigh in and share their thoughts.

Fig 13: “On Active Service” cover sent with in India using British FPO 698 by 81^st West African Division along with Unit Censor G 139 handstamp in March 1945. This is just an example of 81^st West African Division usage in absence of any definitive cover usage by 3^rd West African Brigade.

Other units

Finally, there were Morris Force which harassed Japanese forces in the mountain ridges skirting the Bhamo-Myitkyina Road and then there was DAH Force a small 74 men team which had Kachins of 2^nd Burma Rifles as well Chinese from Hong Kong volunteers. DAH was a diversified team with British, Americans, Indians, Kachins and Chinese in it. Besides them there were other units supporting Chindits operations, but I am skipping them to concentrate only on the main ones.

Fig 14: Cover sent to Bombay, India using British FPO 145 on 7^th Jun 1943 (before the second Chindits offensive) with Unit Censor E 101 handstamp.

As per Proud and Virk, in general BFPO 30/37/40/145/199 were used by British 70^th Division Special Forces (meant for LRP) at different point in time. So, I am showing usage of BFPO 145 though there is no clear information in either [1] or [3] which British Infantry Brigade was using it.

Fig 15: On Silver Jubilee of 4^th Btn, 9^th Gurkha Rifles which was part of Morris Force, Indian Army Postal Service issued APS cover commemorating their exploits in 1987. Since the battalion was re-raised in 1961 that’s why it says Silver jubilee although 9^th Gorkha Rifles regiment was originally formed by the British in the 1817. On this occasion a special postmark showing Chindits symbol was also issued.

Fig 16: On Diamond Jubilee of 4^th Btn, 9^th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army Postal Service issued APS cover commemorating their exploits in 2021. Note that it shows 1961 as starting year as stated earlier.

Conclusion

While Wingate and allies were unaware of timing of Japanese plans of invasion of India, at the same time, Operation Thursday timing just coincided with it and did cause damage to Japanese offensive. As shared earlier in the introduction section while historians have different views on overall effect of the special operations and seen in various Brigade brief history above, the operations may not have achieved its original goal as it had to face strong Japanese Army, it did have huge psychological effect on the Japanese Army as they created havoc by disrupting food supply and communication lines. Chindits used to appear all sudden from dense forest of Burma, attack Japanese columns and used to hide again in the forest well supported by Nisei and Kachins. They created fear in Japanese minds.

Acknowledgement

Some of the background information including maps have been sourced from Wikipedia. Various FPO usage has been referred from British and Indian Army Postal Services Catalogues/Books by Proud and Virk as mentioned below.

References:

[1] History of Indian Army Postal Services – D. S. Virk

[2] Indian Army Post Offices in the Second World War – D. S. Virk

[3] History of the Indian Army Postal Service Volume III - Proud

[4] British Army Postal Service Vol III – Proud

I also expect there may be errors on selecting or describing postal history of the FPO covers. Please feel free to correct me and share any relevant FPO covers that one may have (either for exhibit or sale) directly at my email-id jbareria@gmail.com. And do read the second part of the article showcasing American Special Operations which were launched at the same time in my earlier post.

Merrill’s Marauders Campaign in India Burma theater during WWII

2025-07-24T18:16:00.054-05:00

It's almost 11 years since I wrote a blog. I was asked by many well wishers and friends to continue writing, sharing items from my collection. But, I have been lazy (also occupied in personal and professional life). Finally, I decided may be it's time I should break the ice. The article below has been published in Military Postal History Society (MPHS) July'25 edition (Vol 63 No 3). My friend Apratim has also generously published it on his website. I would like to encourage readers to reach out to me with your valuable feedback on it (story, philatelic and ephemera items shown etc.). Also, please browse through Apratim's great website to dive on various aspect of India's freedom struggle and pre-independence history through philately.

I must say it was by chance that I stumbled upon Merrill's Maraduers story. The more I researched the more I got addicted to this special operation. I browsed many websites, US military history archives and read various books on them to understand deeply enspiring, motivating and daring campaign which has almost been forgotten in the pages of the history. I hope you all will like it. Let's not waste any more time. So, here it is ...

Behind Japanese Lines: The American Jungle Force (Merrill's Marauders)

This article is about Special Operations conducted by Allied forces (primarily United States, Chinese and British) against Japanese forces during second world war in India-Burma theater. This operation was launched almost at the same time when Chindits started their ‘Operation Thursday’, and it was complimentary allied effort to recapture Burma.

American strategy in the China Burma India (CBI) theater was built around keeping China in the war. American war supplies kept the Chinese fighting. Since the Japanese controlled the Burma Road and the Chinese coast, the USAAF established an aerial resupply route from Assam, India to Kunming, China through Himalayan Mountain passes nicknamed “The Hump.” But it was hazardous and costly. Adverse weather and collisions with cloud-cloaked mountains caused almost daily aircraft losses. The U.S. needed an alternate solution. The obvious answer was to build another road that circumvented the Japanese-controlled Burma Road.

In December 1942, U.S. Army engineers began construction on the Ledo Road from upper Assam in India. It would cut across north Burma to Lashio, south of Myitkyina, to meet the original Burma Road. It was a daring effort. The plans for the Ledo Road included the laying of pipelines, designed to relieve the road and air traffic of carrying fuel from Assam to China. But a ground campaign was necessary to secure the route of the Ledo Road through north Burma. That’s where Merrill’s Marauders special operations came into the picture.

The end goal of this operation was Myitkyina’s capture. General Stillwell’s idea was by securing its airfield Japanese fighter threat to the “Hump” resupply line would be eliminated and the USAAF pilots could fly a shorter and safer route over lower terrain into China. The new lower altitude air route would reduce gasoline consumption and permit heavier cargos. The city of Myitkyina could serve as a major supply depot along the Ledo Road route.

Fig 1: Merrill’s Marauders area of operations Feb-May 1944 and Ledo Road construction on the same route.

About the Merrill’s Marauders or Galahad

At the Quebec Conference in 1943, Allied leaders decided to form a U.S. long range penetration (LRP) unit that would attack Japanese troops in Burma. The new U.S. force was directly inspired by, and partially modeled on British General Orde Wingate's Chindits Long Range Penetration Force. A call for volunteers attracted around 3,000 men. They came from Caribbean Defence Command (already jungle trained), South Pacific Command and Southwest Pacific Command (all already battle tested jungle troops. The unit was officially designated as 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) with the code name Galahad.

General Stilwell was worried that 5307^th Unit might also be placed under South East Asia Command (SEAC) under British influence as it was LRP unit similar to Chindits meant for special operations in Burma against Japanese. But he was determined to keep exclusive U.S. combat troops available in the theater out of British command. He was able to persuade Admiral Lord Mountbatten, the supreme Allied commander of the South East Asia Command (SEAC), that they should serve under the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC) which was controlled by him.

Fig 2: Brigadier General Frank Merrill

Stilwell appointed Brigadier General Frank Merrill (Fig 2 & Fig 3) to command the new LRP unit. Merrill had served earlier as Military Attaché in Tokyo where he had studied the Japanese language in 1938. After that he joined General Douglas MacArthur's staff in the Philippines in 1941 as a military intelligence officer. Merrill was on a mission in Rangoon, Burma, at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack and remained in Burma after the Japanese invasion. So, he was considered just the right man for the job which needed combination of Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Combat capabilities in Jungle terrain of Burma with familiarity of the Japanese.

Fig 3: A scarce cover sent by Brig. General Merrill with his signature at bottom left corner to a Boy Scout troop on Sep 4, 1944, Washington DC just one month after Merrill’s Marauders were disbanded in August 1944.

Initially, the plan was to get troops trained under Wingate command along with Chindits but later the 5307th (Fig 4) trained at Deogarh, India from the end of November 1943 to the end of January 1944. All officers and men received instruction in scouting and patrolling, stream crossings, weapons, navigation, demolitions, camouflage, small-unit attacks on entrenchments, evacuation of wounded personnel, and the then-novel technique of supply by airdrop. Special emphasis was placed on "jungle lane" marksmanship at pop-up and moving targets using small arms. In December the 5307th conducted a weeklong maneuver in coordination with Chindit forces.

Fig 4: Soldier's Free Mail from A.P.O. 884 Agra, India by Bronze Star awardee Emil H. Eichhorn of H.B. Prov. Unit 5307 (Merrill's Marauders) to New York with Passed by US Army Examiner Censor marking. The cover is dated Dec 14^th, 1943, when they were under training at Deogarh coordinating with Chindits and just before Merrill’s Marauders started their expedition to Burma in February 1944. Emil would become part of 2^nd Battalion (Blue Combat Team).

Several American war correspondents had come to Deogarh to hear about the unit and its training; the reporters sat around trying to think of an appealing nickname for the 5307th that would capture the interest of the American public. Time correspondent James R. Shepley came up with "Merrill's Marauders" after viewing the 5307th's performance on the firing ranges and that name stuck. Afterwards,the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), which was a LRP special operations jungle warfare unit became Merrill’s Marauders which saw action between Feb-Aug 1944 during the Burma Campaign of WWII.

Communications

Communications was most crucial element in this whole campaign. Since the battalions were to be always on the move and most of the time behind enemy lines, it was necessary to carry long and short-range radios providing constant communication with headquarter for orders, supply arrangements, and air cooperation, and within the unit itself for control of the columns. While they were equipped with long-range PRC-I (for communication to the base station at Dinjan), SCR 284 radios (for 20-mile range) and later with SCR 300 (Walkie-Talkie), operating and maintaining them in the terrain was found to be very challenging. This is where 96^th Signal Battalion personnel, few assigned with Merrill’s Marauders battalions to manage communication systems and remaining to support them from Dinjan and various other locations came handy.

Fig 5: Letter sent from 96^th Signal Battalion with APO 487 (Dinjan, India) with passed by US Army Examiner censor marking on Aug 21, 1944 (just after battle of Myitkyina was over) to USA.

The 96th Signal Battalion (Fig 5) was called upon to construct, maintain and operate an intricate signal communications system in the jungle of Burma. It involved managing around-the-clock telephone, teletype, radio, and messenger service connecting and coordinating HQ, Chinese Y-Forces, Merrill’s Marauder’s units and British Fourteenth Army. The entire battalion saw prolonged service with combat units serving side by side with Merrill's Marauders along the Ledo Road from Ledo to Myitkyina, under intense enemy shell fire overcoming various technical challenges in radio communication.

Campaign

On the advice of Wingate, the unit was divided into two self-contained combat teams per battalion. In February 1944, in an offensive designed to disrupt Japanese offensive operations, three battalions in six combat teams (coded Red, White, Blue, Khaki, Green, and Orange) marched into Burma. On 24 February, the force began a 1,000-mile march over the Patkai range and into the Burmese jungle behind Japanese lines. A total of 2,750 Marauders entered Burma; the remaining 247 men remained in India as headquarters and support personnel. This was different than Chindits operation where they were airdropped behind enemy lines in Burma.

Since it was highly mobile force operating behind the enemy's forward defensive positions, there was need to find a solution of regular supply to the force. It was not feasible to maintain regular land supply lines given Ledo Road was still work in progress and then it would have greatly reduced tactical mobility and would have made secrecy impossible, contradicting the express purposes of the operation. Air dropping of food and munitions, though still in an experimental stage of development, had been satisfactory for Chindit's 1^st expedition of 1943 and was adopted for the LRP missions of the Marauders.

Fig 6: Letter sent from APO 487 Dinjan, India by 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron to APO 81 Camp San Luis Obispo, California dated Nov 21, 1943, with US Army Examiner Censor marking.

At the beginning of the Marauders' operation the 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron (Fig 6) and later the 1st Troop Carrier Squadron (Fig 7) carried the supplies from the Dinjan base to forward drop areas. They dropped by parachute engineering equipment, ammunition, medical supplies, food, clothing and grain flying in all kinds of weather.

Fig 7: Letter sent from APO 467 Sookerating, Assam, India by 1st Troop Carrier Squadron using concession airmail to USA dated Dec 13, 1944.

While in Burma, the Marauders were usually outnumbered by Japanese troops from the 18th Division, but always inflicted many more casualties than they suffered. Led by Kachin scouts, and using mobility and surprise, the Marauders harassed supply and communication lines, shot up patrols, and assaulted Japanese rear areas. The Japanese were continually surprised by the heavy, accurate volume of fire they received when attacking Marauder positions. In March they severed Japanese supply lines in the Hukawng Valley.

In April, the Marauders were ordered by Stilwell to take up a blocking position at Nhpum Ga and hold it against Japanese attacks, a conventional defensive action for which the unit had not been equipped. At times surrounded, the Marauders coordinated their own battalions in mutual support to break the siege after a series of fierce assaults by Japanese forces. At Nhpum Ga, the Marauders killed 400 Japanese soldiers, while suffering 57 killed in action, 302 wounded, and 379 incapacitated due to illness and exhaustion. A concurrent outbreak of amoebic dysentery further reduced their effective strength.

Fig 8 (Rare item): Letter sent by Lt. William Lepore's (1 Bn, White Combat Team) mother from Everett, MA, US to him in India dated May 8, 1944. Initially addressed to APO 884 (Agra which was serving the 5307^th before they were dispatched to Burma), redirected to APO 883 (Malir, Karachi) where no record was found and then finally to APO 886 (Karachi) where it was checked in 181st General Hospital also. There was no record of him found anywhere. Finally, it was found that he had died in China (June 6, 1944). Perhaps, he got injured during the campaign and was airlifted to China along with injured Chinese X-forces. He was awarded Silver Medal.

On May 17, 1944, after a grueling 100-kilometre march over the 6,600 ft Kumon Mountain range to Myitkyina, approximately 1,300 remaining Marauders, along with elements of the 42nd and 150th Chinese Infantry Regiments of the X Force, attacked the unsuspecting Japanese at the Myitkyina airfield. The airfield assault on May 17, 1944 was a complete success; however, the town of Myitkyina could not immediately be taken with the forces on hand.

Fig 9: Letter sent by Pvt. Julius Michini who was part of 236^th Engr. Battalion on July 27^th, 1944, from one the hospitals established along the Ledo Road after he was wounded in the battle and airlifted. He writes about losing most of his personal belongings and a good friend in the battle.

Stillwell called upon the 209^th and 236^th Engineer Combat Battalion (Fig 9) to the front lines (who were already working on the Ledo Road behind Marauders). Men who had been used to driving trucks and operating heavy equipment were suddenly picking up a rifle and heading into battle. They fought along with reinforced poorly trained Chinese army and Marauders, bearing the brunt of the Japanese forces, defending against infantry attacks as well as artillery and mortar fire. There were 56 killed and 142 wounded persons from the 236^th battalion alone. The battalion (and 209^th) received Presidential Unit Citation for their valiant effort in the battle.

Weakened by hunger, the 5307th continued fighting through the height of the monsoon season, worsening the situation; it also transpired that the area around Myitkyina had the largest reported incidence of scrub typhus, which some Marauders contracted after sleeping on infected areas of untreated ground, earth or grass. Racked with bloody dysentery and fevers, sleeping in the mud, Marauders alternately assaulted, then defended in a seesaw series of brutal conventional infantry engagements with Japanese forces. The town finally fell to the Allies on August 3, 1944 due to combined efforts of various units involved.

In their final mission against the Japanese base at Myitkyina, the Marauders suffered 272 killed, 955 wounded, and 980 evacuated for illness and disease; some men later died from cerebral malaria, amoebic dysentery, and/or scrub typhus. By the time the town of Myitkyina was taken, only about 200 surviving members of the original Marauders were present. On August 10, 1944, a week after the town's fall to U.S. and Chinese forces, the 5307th was disbanded with a final total of only 130 combat-effective officers and men (out of the original 2,997).

Fig 10: Letter sent from APO 218 Myitkyina, Burma by 151st Medical Battalion using concession airmail to USA dated Mar 31, 1945.

Marauders suffered overall 424 battle related casualties and 1970 disease related casualties. They were evacuated by 71^st Liasion Squadron from the combat zone after they had been treated by medical corpsmen or surgical teams. Medical battalion detachments marched in the columns, established aid stations during battle, collected and gave emergency treatment to casualties, and cared for the sick. Air clearing stations (ACS) were essential links in the chain of evacuation. The ACS could be opened or closed on short notice, or it could become the nucleus of a major evacuation center. The 151st Medical Battalion (Fig 10), which became one of the main ground evacuation units manned the roadside hospitals or in the rear field of the battle. After initial treatment, most of them were transported to the 20^th General Hospital, the 14^th Evacuation Hospital (Fig 11), or the 111^th Station Hospital in the Ledo area.

Fig 11: Vmail sent by a female nurse working for 14^th Evacuation Hospital dated June 11, 1943 using APO 689 (Ledo, India). Located at Ledo Road, Mile 19.

Since the hospitals were overwhelmed with high number of patients as the battle of Myitkyina extended, there was need to increase the beds. During June 1944, the 69th General Hospital and the 28th, 32d, 34th, 35th, 50th, and 53d Portable Surgical Hospitals arrived in Ledo. The 69th general hospital (Fig 12) was established at Margherita, several miles from the 20th General Hospital, and the portable surgical hospitals were flown over the “Hump" to support the Y-Force operating in the Salween River area.

Fig 12: Vmail sent by a sergeant from 69^th General Hospital on Nov 16, 1944 which was located at Margherita (near Ledo).

In slightly more than five months of combat behind Japanese lines in Burma, the Marauders, who supported the X Force, advanced roughly thousands of miles through some of the harshest jungle terrain in the world, fought in five major engagements (Walawbum, Shaduzup, Inkangahtawng, Nhpum Ga, and Myitkyina) and engaged in combat with the Japanese Army on thirty-two occasions. Battling Japanese soldiers, hunger, and disease, they had traversed more jungle on their long-range patrols than any other U.S. Army unit of the war.

OSS and Kachins

While the main unit of the campaign was the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), the article won’t be complete if we don’t mention the contribution of Detachment 101 of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Kachins. It was the only ground organization involved in all parts of the campaign. During the long fight, Detachment 101 came of age to become an indispensable asset for the Allied effort. The unit evolved from an intelligence collection and sabotage force to an effective guerrilla element.

Fig 13: Letter sent by Rodney B. Yould, SP1C (P) USNR, APO 629 Chabua, HQ, Detachment 101 to USA; dated May 13, 1944 during the Marauder’s campaign.

Detachment 101 (Fig 13) was the first overseas unit created under the Special Operations (SO) branch of the Coordinator of Information (COI), the predecessor to the OSS. Its agents reported on enemy order of battle, the political situation in Burma, and the weather. The advantage with Det. 101 was their agents had infiltrated Burma in 1942 itself. So not only the agents became familiar with the region, but also, they recruited indigenous agents, the Kachins.

The Kachins were fierce warriors, and experts in guerrilla hit-and-run tactics and jungle craft. They were natural hunters. Best of all, they were pro-Allied and liked Americans. Every time they got a chance to knock off a [Japanese] patrol they did it because it was a psychological play. The Kachins sped up the Marauder advance by providing so much intelligence on Japanese troop movements that it reduced the need to send out advance reconnaissance patrols. Each of the three Marauder battalions had two dedicated Kachin guides. They are credited with saving two-thirds of Merrill’s forces during the siege of Nphum Ga.They led the Marauders unseen to the Myitkyina Airfield on May 16, 1944.

Fig 14: Front and last page from the vintage cartoon story called “The Secret Warriors: OSS in Burma” published by True Comics in 1946 showcasing assistance and exploits of OSS Detachment 101 and Kachins during Merrill’s Marauders Burma Campaign.

Detachment 101 was the only American or British ground force that participated in the Myitkyina Campaign to remain intact afterwards. The Marauders and the Chindits had been rendered ineffective, mostly by disease. The remaining Marauders still on their feet became the cadre of the 475th Infantry Regiment, one of two in the 5332nd Brigade (Provisional), known as the MARS Task Force. The Chindits never returned to the field and were disbanded in February 1945. The war was over for them, but not for Detachment 101.

The OSS guerrilla units continued to intercept Japanese elements fleeing south, preventing them from regrouping, refitting, and being able to stand against the Allied drive after the monsoon stopped. In August 1944, the Detachment added several hundred more Japanese killed to their accomplishments. The reality was that the OSS guerrillas were the only Allied element maintaining contact with the Japanese south of Myitkyina until October 15, 1944, when NCAC resumed its offensive. The OSS had proved itself to be an extremely capable “wild card” maneuver force.

By the time of its deactivation on July 12, 1945, Detachment 101 had scored impressive results. According to official statistics, with a loss of some 22 Americans, Detachment 101 killed 5,428 Japanese and rescued 574 Allied personnel.

Fig 15: Merrill's Marauders Bronze Medal Collector's edition issued by US Mint

The men of Merrill's Marauders enjoyed the rare distinction of having each soldier awarded the Bronze Star. Their campaign was hailed as one of the most successful Guerrilla offensives in most harsh condition against the Japanese. Warner Bros. decided to make a war film “Objective, Burma!” starring Errol Flynn (Fig 16), which was loosely based on the six-month raid by Merrill’s Marauders in the Burma campaign in 1945 itself immediately after the raid.

Fig 16: “Objective Burma” an American war movie original lobby card of 1945 showing actor Errol Flynn inspecting troops.

The movie also contains a large amount of actual combat footage filmed by U.S. Army Signal Corps cameramen in the China-Burma-India theatre as well as New Guinea. It was the studio's sixth most popular film of the year and one of the most popular movies of 1945 in France.

There was also the controversy because it was said that movie was inspired by a book about an attempted British invasion of Burma called Merrill's Marauders and it was decided to change the troops from being British to American. However, Merrill's Marauders was an American unit. The movie was withdrawn from release in the United Kingdom after it infuriated the British public. Prime Minister Winston Churchill protested the Americanization of the huge and almost entirely British, Indian and Commonwealth conflict ('1 million men'). It got a second release in the United Kingdom in 1952, when it was shown with an accompanying apology. The movie was also banned in Singapore although it was seen in Burma and India.

It was clear that each allied country had their pride in special operations conducted by Chindits and Marauders. Together, not only they stopped Japanese advances to India but also laid ground for Japanese defeat in South East Asia by reclaiming Burma.

References:

[1] Merrill’s Marauders February – May 1944, Center of Military History United States Army Washington, D.C., 1990 (https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/marauders/marauders-fw.htm)

[2] A Special Forces Model OSS Detachment 101 in the Mytkyina Campaign (https://arsof-history.org/articles/v4n1_myitkyina_part_1_page_1.html#fall)

WW2 German Leaflet - Khushi Ka Paigam

2014-04-26T07:25:00.000-05:00

After a long long time, I managed to get time to write on blog again. I just hope to find time between my busy personal and professional life to pursue my blogging.

It's a while since I shared any WW2 propaganda leaflet. So today's topic will be one of rare German WW2 propaganda leaflet against allies (Indian forces). This leaflet is variant of what I shared some time back (Subhas Chandra Bose).

This is one of German leaflet numbered 131/8 44 depicting Netaji (leader) Subhas Chandra Bose in front. It bears an autographed photograph of Bose in Indian National Army uniform. The front side of leaflet is exactly same as what was shown in previous leaflet that I had shared (Subhas Chandra Bose).

Though the back side of leaflet is a bit different the content of leaflet is same. It's just that this leaflet has propaganda only in Hindi while earlier one used Roman script and Urdu.

The back of the leaflet reads in Hindi:

Good News!

Most of you may be familiar with the face shown. If not, then listen. The photo belongs to Subhas Chandra Bose who is known as the Hind (National) leader, and is famous by his name all over the world. This man is ever ready to lay down his life for his country and for you. And now he is fighting for freedom of India.

Along with Hind (National) Leader,

Japanese and German government has promised that Indian prisoners of war will be treated in friendly manner. They will not be subjected to any punishment or torture. At this moment, thousands of Indian prisoners of war are spending their life comfortably in camps. They have been in regular touch with their family by post.

British propaganda

that Germans don't imprison but kill is absolutely rubbish and false.

Of course the propaganda was meant to persuade Indians part of British (allied) forces to switch side and lay down their arms to Germans/Japanese. The same people were later recruited in Indian National Army to fight against British (allied) forces in South East Asia.

Words that express friendship - WW2 Anti-Japanese Poster

2012-10-06T12:51:00.001-05:00

It's very long time after which I am posting some article. Life has been busy-busy ;-) I had a pleasant trip back home (India) and just returned refreshed (new items bought over the trip)!

Below is one rare WW2 Anti-Japanese poster issued by National War Front in India. The poster is in Gujarati language.

The English translation of text is as follows:

First line : Mitratabharya bol mean "Words that express friendship"
Second line : "Dusht Karmo" mean "Evil deeds"

Last line : "Japanio saame rashtriya yudh morcho ubho karo" means "(Lets)Start a national war campaign against the Japanese"

It basically warns Indian public of what Japanese speak versus do. A very interesting and colorful poster. It also has a numbering S.53 at right bottom. I am not sure what that coding means. The poster is also of unusually large size measuring 19.5 x 29 inch.

I am sure you will like the poster. Let me know if anyone has any more information on background of this poster.

For India's Defence Services - WW2 Label

2012-07-22T09:51:00.005-05:00

Today's post is on three different WW2 victory label issued during 1939-45. They were issued in denomination of 1 anna. All the labels had text "For India's Defence Services" in English. They were issued in Red, Green and Blue color.

Shown above is red color mint label (block of 4) which has small V in blue color on top of Indian map. The label also had text in Hindi. The back side of label has a blue colored seal with text in Hindi translated as "Central India War Fund", Thanks!

The one shown above is used example of red label where they were commonly used in judicial papers along with revenue stamps. This one is used with Maihar state stamp. The back side of paper also has small V seal/postmark in blue color.

The Green colored variety is almost same as Red colored one. The only difference being it has text in Urdu than in Hindi. It doesn't have any V sign on Indian map.

The last one in this series is blue colored label with red colored V symbol on it. The one I have is an used example with Dhar state revenue stamp on judicial paper.

The Mhow Mercury - WW2 STC (B) India Publication

2012-06-24T16:04:00.006-05:00

It’s long since I shared any WW2 publication. Frankly speaking, it is more difficult to gather any information on literature items specially if they were local to some unit in some country. Today’s item is one of such thing. It’s called “Mhow Mercury” a WW2 paper covering the social activities of the S.T.C. (Signal Training Center), Mhow, India. Before we even hit upon Mhow, let’s dive into history of Signals!

~~~~~~~~~~~~Royal Signals~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all started with formation of Royal Signals (India) or Corp of Signals (now known as Indian Army Corp of Signals)on the 15 February 1911 as a separate entity under Lt Col S H Powell in India. Lt Col SH Powell,Royal Engineers, was the founder and first head of the Indian Signal Service which later became the Indian Signal Corps.Till then, the Sappers part of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers established in 1777, where in charge of passing battlefield messages. The Corp of Signals celebrated its centenary in 2011.

Corps of Signals (India) was itself part of Royal Corp of Signals just like all the similar establishment of British Commonwealth. Until World War 1, the Royal Engineer Signal Service provided communications. During that time the Dispatch Rider (DR) came into prominence and wireless 'sets' were introduced into service. Wireless communications were provided in France and Flanders and also in the campaigns in Salonika, Palestine and Mesopotamia.

It was not until 1918, when the first official agreement to form a separate Signal Corps was made, but due to various policy delays the formation of the 'Corps' was delayed until 1920. A Royal Warrant was signed by the Secretary of State for War, the Right Honourable Winston S Churchill, who gave the sovereign's approval for the formation on the 28th June 1920 of a 'Corps of Signals'. Six weeks later His Majesty the King conferred the title 'Royal Corps of Signals'. During the 1920s and 1930s the Corps increased its strength and had personnel serving in overseas stations such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ceylon, Egypt, Jamaica and many other 'out - posts of the Empire'. The largest portion of the Corps was overseas and one third was concentrated in India.

Throughout World War 2 members of the Corps served in every theatre of war and at the end it had a serving strength of 8,518 officers and 142,472 soldiers. During the war 4,362 members of Royal Signals gave their lives.

/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ Mhow Training Center /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

\/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/

As part of Corps of Signals establishment, two Training Centers were created in India: one in Jabalpur and the second in Bangalore. On partition, the assets of the Centre at Bangalore were transferred to Pakistan. We will focus upon the Jabalpur and surrounding training centers.

Mhow (cantonment) town was founded in 1818 by John Malcolm as a result of the Treaty of Mandsaur between the British and the Holkars who ruled Indore. John Malcolm's forces had defeated the Holkars at the Battle of Mahidpur in 1818. It was after this battle that the capital of the Holkars shifted from the town of Maheshwar on the banks of the Narmada to Indore.

Mhow gained in military status early in the 20th century as part of the reforms brought about by General Kitchener. With his wide experience of warfare in Egypt, the Sudan and Africa, he saw that the existing broad spread of military units over the country might usefully serve local troubles but had no merit for military action against an invader. He rightly foresaw that there were potential enemies in the north, Russia amongst them, who might take advantage of the situation if improvements were not made. He therefore set about grouping fighting units into Brigades and Divisions. Mhow became a Divisional Headquarters and formation training became part of the routine of life. Mhow was the headquarters of the 5th (Mhow) Division of the Southern Command during the British Raj.

There is total lack of unanimity on how Mhow got its name. There are many theories about this, but there is no confirmation about which theory is true.

Many people believe that MHOW stands for Military Headquarters Of War. There is no proof for this as it is said that the village near Mhow has been called Mhow Gaon since time immemorial. Thus the Cantonment which came up in 1818 came to be known as Mhow Cantt.

The Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) tree which grows in profusion in the forests around Mhow has also been mentioned as a possible source for the name of this town.

It was a town of modest size in open undulating country with the advantage of an altitude of 1824 feet. It therefore provided a climate that was never oppressive. The countryside was open, neither forested nor lacking trees. All in all it was a good choice for training establishments.

It led to creation of The British Signal Training Centre, STC(B) for short which undertook the revision training of soldier tradesmen after their long sea voyage from England and also ran courses for new specialties or upgrading. The Officer Cadet Wing, which was part of it, received its input from Officer Cadet Training Centres in England as well as those at Dehra Dun, Bangalore and Mhow itself in India. These had given basic officer training for all future officers.

The Cadets then moved on to specialist training appropriate to the branch of the Army that they intended to join. It was a great advantage for both nations that the British and Indian components of our courses should meet and make friends with each other during the four month duration of their Signals training.

From 1933-40, Indian commissioned officers were trained at the Signal Training Centre (STC) Jabalpur and Army Signal School, Poona. Besides this, specialist training was imparted at the Telecommunications School, Agra and Communication Security School (Cipher) at Mhow.

But after creation of the Signals Officers Training School, as part of the STC (British) Mhow, trained cadets commissioned into the Royal Signals as well as the commissioned officers of the Indian Signal Corps during 1940-46. All these institutions, except the Army Signal School, Poona, were amalgamated at Mhow on October 1, 1946 to form the Indian Signal Corps School. After independence, it was renamed the School of Signals on June 25, 1948.

The school was organised to train Young Officers (No 1 Squadron), Tech Training (No 2 Squadron) and Cipher Training (No 3 Squadron). However, in 1947 the squadrons were renamed Coys. By early 1949, the establishment was revised again and the school re-designated the School of Signals.

On October 1, 1967, the School of Signals was re-designated "Military College of Telecommunications Engineering" (MCTE) in keeping with the advanced technical training being imparted in the Institution, and the Wings were renamed Faculties.

The Mhow Mercury

Mhow Training Center came into focus after the Japanese invasions in Burma and North East India. Before that Indian Divisions, largely British-officered, were moved to the Mediterranean area and played an important part in that area including, in the Italian campaign. After the rapid expansion of Mhow Training Center, a recreational paper was planned which gave birth to “The Mhow Mercury”.

It had overall only 36 issues starting first issue on 27th July 1944 and final issue on 29th March 1945. The majority of the issues were 6pp, some were 4pp, and one was 2pp and the final issue 10pp. It was printed at the Imperial Printing Press, Mhow initially and then at the Rasalpura Electric Press, Mhow (Vol. 2, No. 4 onwards).

Here is what editorial section of first edition has to say:

No fanfare of Trumpets; no Red Carpets; no Garlands of Orchids as the first edition of the new Mercury goes to press. The aim of this publication is to give you the up-to-date news on events in this station, far removed from the horrors and grim machinations of war. This is YOUR paper, and it is to you that we look for criticism. But don’t keep your comments to yourselves. Let us have them. Write your suggestions or criticisms on a piece of paper, add your name and number, and hand it in to your Wing office.

May be you have an idea which will benefit the social activities of the S.T.C. Let us have it, and if it’s good, we’ll use it. Remember it’s YOUR paper and we want you to help in its publication.

Have you a bona fide grievance? Do you wonder why the Thrift shop only opens on Friday? Are you worried about your stoppages, your food, your Income Tax? Drop us a line and we’ll give you an explanation. One thing more, be brief for we’re short of space.

Maybe you have a short story or an article on ‘Dhobis’ tucked away in your Kit Bag. Send it in maybe you’ll hit the headlines.

Our Live Letter Box and Poet’s Corner are your features. Keep them going, chaps.

The weekly publication of this paper depends on YOU. So, with apologies to Winston Churchill we say, Give us the scripts, and we’ll continue the job.

Here is what editorial section of last edition has to say:

Sir James Grigg’s recent statement that general demobilization would not come into effect until Japan in beaten, has shattered the hopes of those, like myself, who were optimistic of early release when Germany is beaten. If the Govt. makes this decision general throughout the world, and rule out all possibility of ‘string pulling’, this news is not as depressing as it first seems.

After the downfall of the Third Reich, two million more men will be available for the Far East theatre of operations, and the Govt. will then have little excuse for not bringing repatriation down to 3 years of even less.

The British press has long been telling its readers of the bitter winter conditions our troops are suffering on the Western front. We realize, and appreciate, the hardships suffered by them and we hope for an early victory, in order that they can come east to enjoy the splendor and warmth of an eastern summer.

A famous London newspaper reported that a welcome was given to troops home from Burma, who had for three and a half years been sweltering in a temperature of 80 degrees (Celsius). If proof were needed that the 14th Army has been forgotten, then you have it here. The newspaper concerned would do well to study temperatures in Burma before again making such a faux pas.

As the German army crumbles and their cities are systematically razed to the ground by Round-the-Clock bombing by allied air forces, a child of seven wrote to Air Chief Marshal Harris, thanking him for bombing Germany off the map. The reason which prompted her to write this letter of thanks was, she said, because the removal of Germany from the earth’s surface would make her Geography lessons easier.

Be of good cheer, the road which the allies have travelled since Sept. 1939 has been hard and long. The end is in sight, and before 1945 has petered out, great events will have taken place and sanity will once more come into its own.

As this final issue comes off the press, Mercury says farewell to the S.T.C. To those contributors who have helped us in the past, to Aunt Sally and Passionate Percy who responded to our appeal for regular contributors, we say thank you. Continued lack of interest in this paper justifies the decision by the A.O. and Editor to close it down. Alternative arrangements will be made to advertise the Unit entertainment and Cinema programmes within the Unit.

The Mhow Mercury Editions:

No. 1, 27th July 1944

No. 2, 3rd August 1944

No. 3, 10th August 1944

No. 4, 17th August 1944

No. 5, 25th August 1944

No. 6, 31st August 1944

No. 7, 7th September 1944

No. 8, 14th September 1944

No. 9, 21st September 1944

Vol. 1, No. 10, 28th September 1944

Vol. 1, No. 11, 5th October 1944

Vol. 1, No. 12, 12th October 1944

Vol. 1, No. 13, 19th October 1944

Vol. 1, No. 14, 26th October 1944

Vol. 1, No. 15, 2nd November 1944

Vol. 1, No. 16, 9th November 1944

Vol. 1, No. 17, 16th November 1944

Vol. 1, No. 18, 23rd November 1944

Vol. 1, No. 19, 30th November 1944

Vol. 1, No. 20, 7th December 1944

Vol. 1, No. 21, 14th December 1944

Vol. 1, No. 24, 4th January 1945

Vol. 1, No. 25, 11th January 1945

Vol. 2, No. 1, 18th January 1945

Vol. 2, No. 2, 25th January 1945

Vol. 2, No. 3, 1st February 1945

Vol. 2, No. 4, 8th February 1945

Vol. 2, No. 5, 15th February 1945

Vol. 2, No. 6, 22nd February 1945

Vol. 2, No. 7, 1st March 1945

Vol. 2, No. 8, 8th March 1945

Vol. 2, No. 9, 15th March 1945

Vol. 2, No. 10, 22nd March 1945

Vol. 2, No. 11, 29th March 1945

Unfortunately, I have Vol. 1, No. 22, 21st December 1944 and Vol. 1, No. 23, 28th December 1944 edition missing in my collection.

Before I end this long post, I would like to suggest my readers to have a look on:

From Semaphore to Satellite, The memoirs of Major General David Horsfield, Royal Signals

Indian Military Air Letter Card (MALC) - WWII

2012-06-10T20:47:00.005-05:00

This is continuation of my old post Taj Mahal Military Air Letter Card. I had shown the airletter which was printed in S.S.P. Ltd. or Sree Saraswaty Press at Calcutta, India. The variety was known with coding S.S.P. Ltd. - G1623 - 15-9-44 - 3 lacs. Shown below is mint example of that type.

Today, I will be showing one more variety of same type.

Shown above is front side of what is called ICG 44, Sub-Type 1. Coded THE CALCUTTA PHOTOTYPE COMPANY as per catalogue "Indian Military Air Letter Cards 1942-47" by late O.R.J. Lee. The one I have is mint sample.

Mourning India - WW2 Nazi Propaganda Postcard against British India

2012-06-03T15:05:00.004-05:00

Today's post is in continuation to my earlier Propaganda War Postcard post. You have seen couple of propaganda postcards from UK now see this alleged Swiss product, probably printed by the German Propaganda Ministry.

It depicts an Indian woman standing near a tombstone. It implies that the Indians are against the British and may soon rise us against their colonial rulers.

India in Mourning

Years of lost opportunities.

Here lies the hope of settling the Indian question!

An interesting propaganda from Axis side!

Bikaner Cash Coupon - WW2

2012-05-06T16:09:00.004-05:00

Today's post is on another princely state cash coupon issued during WWII. Bikaner was a 17-Gun salute princely state of British India and now part of Indian state of Rajasthan. It bordered on the north and west by Bahawalpur; on the southwest by Jaiselmer; on the south by Jodhpur; on the southeast by the Shekawati district of Jaipur; on the east by oharu and Hissar; and on the north east by Ferozpore. It was part of Rajputana (Western Rajputana States Agency). It acceded to India in 1949.

The state was ruled by Lt.-Gen. HH Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Narendra Shiromani Maharajah Sri Sadul Singhji Bahadur G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., C.V.O., 22nd Maharaja of Bikaner 1943/1950 during WW2 period after demise of his father Maj.-Gen.HH Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Narendra Siromani Maharaja Sri Sir Ganga Singhji Bahadur.

Ganga Singh who ruled from 1887 to 1943, was the best-known of the Rajasthan princes and was a favourite of the British Governors-General. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, served as a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, represented India at the Imperial Conferences during the First World War and the British Empire at the Versailles Peace Conference.

Sadul Singh accompanied his father on important Imperial and International conferences including the peace treaty at Versailles in 1919 and the League of Nations Session. Since second World War was still going on with full vigour when he succeeded to the Gaddi, following his father's tradition he offered his sword and personal services in the cause, and expressed his desire for an opportunity to proceed on active service. He also repeated the offer in his letter dated 25'h July 1943 after becoming the Maharaja. The offer being accepted this time, the Maharaja, accompanied by his second son, Maharaja Kumar Amar Singh, left Bikaner on 26 October 1943, and visited the Sadul Light Infantry stationed in Persia, the 49 (Bikaner) G.P.T. Company stationed in Iraq as well as certain other units of other States Forces and Imperial and Allied troops including the 4th Indian Division and the 3 Indian and Armoured Division. He returned to India in November, 1943 and on his way to Bikaner visited the Ganga Risal which was then stationed in Sind.

In November 1944 Maharaja proceeded to the Assam-Burma war theatre where the Bikaner Bijey Battery was engaged in active operations against the Japanese and returned to Bikaner in December 1944. While passing through Calcutta on his return home, the Maharaja received a tumultuous reception by a lac or more people of Bikaner settled in Calcutta in pursuit of business. The Maharaja and his staff were the recipients of the 1939-45 Star, Burma Star, Defence Medal and the War Medal.

Shown above is three of cash coupons issued by Bikaner estate during WWII. All the cash coupons mention Govt. of Bikaner in front and Sadar Treasury with Chief Treasury's signature on the reverse.

First one (on left) was issued with denomination of 1 anna. It shows a windy circular print-drawing which was later used for 10 paisa coin by Govt of India. It has been recorded as number 6.2 in Indian Paper Money Catalogue by Kishore Jhunjhunwalla.

The one at center was issued with denomination of 1 paisa. It shows a circular print-drawing with Govt. of Bikaner symbol. It has been recorded as number 6.1 in Indian Paper Money Catalogue by Kishore Jhunjhunwalla.

Other one (on right) was issued with denomination of 2 annas. It shows square print-drawing. It has been recorded as number 6.3 in Indian Paper Money Catalogue by Kishore Jhunjhunwalla.

The catalogue mentions another cash coupon which is missing in my collection. It was issued with denomination of 4 Annas and recorded as 6.4.

German WW2 Propaganda Leaflet against Indian Soldiers - Free Excursion to London

2012-04-22T20:59:00.000-05:00

After a long time here is a German WW2 propaganda leaflet against Indian soldiers as part of Allied forces for my readers to savor! As usual this one is not in very good condition but then you can't expect more from a leaflet. It survived all odds of war for us to enjoy and admire it.

I am directly copying text from Herbert Friedman's article, which states:

This German leaflet (161/9 44 "Free Excursion to London") depicts three Indian troops looking at three scantily-dressed dancing girls. The propaganda text is very interesting. The Germans claim that after the war the British intend to give any Indians who had been held prisoner, a tour of London. They then suggest that rather than being killed on the battlefield, wouldn't it be better to allow yourself to be taken prisoner so that you can take part in the free tour.

The text is:

Tour of London! Free!

All India Radio Delhi has said in its evening news bulletin of 25 September 1944 that the British government has decided recently that those prisoners of war who would be in Germany would be sent to London after the war. Beautiful girls having magical eyes are waiting even from now itself for those Indians who had jumped into the flames of war for the victory of England but fortunately did not meet the death. After this pleasure trip (of London) they will be sent home.

But What Will Become of You Who Are Still on Battlefields?

Be victims of the chilly winds of the Alps

Be frozen in the freezing cold of Italy

Face the adversary, platoons and weapons

And finally, be targets of bullets!

Go to permanent sleep with the desire to go home!

If the war is going to end soon as the British propaganda says, then is it justified for you to lose your life in the terminal stage?

One stone two birds!

Protect your life! Tour of London via Germany!

And then home!

The back depicts the same three Indian soldiers enjoying a cruise on a ship named "London." The text is the same as on the front.

"DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS" - Indian Airmail WWII

2012-04-15T15:50:00.008-05:00

Today's post is continuation of my previous post "Don't Believe In Rumour". It is another propaganda airmail letter created by Indian Airmail Society.

Shown above is one of the famous airmail letter issued by Indian Airmail Society during WWII. The concept of such letter was from Stephen Smith, secretary of Indian Airmail Society and a known pioneer of Rocket Mail during those times.

The letter was carried through a airplane piloted by J. *ton (I am terribly sorry but I couldn't read the letters properly. If any of my reader can decode then please let me know). The letter carries his signature close to large shaped 'V'. The letter carries a red colored special cancellation cachets: "BY AIR" and a black colored "CC-Calcutta" on front side.

The letter has cancellation of Dum Dum (a place in Calcutta) of November 21, 1941, 9:15 a.m. It has been backstamped with slogan "Buy Defence Savings Certificates" dated November 21, 1941, 5:30 p.m. at Park Street (again Calcutta).

This cover has also been signed by Stephen Smith on the reverse side.

The letter carries a very large V in red color with text in center and "DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS" in bigger font on the left side. The text on left hand side reads:

WAVEL CHASED BENITO OUT.

The message reminds Axis forces of massive Italian defeat in Africa by General Wavell forces in February 1941.

It continues with more text:

THE MISSING LINK.
OFT IN THE STILLY NIGHT,
IN EAST AFRICA,
I USED TO HEAR,
THAT JACKAL CRY.
HAS ANYONE HERE
SEEN MUSSOLONI,
OH WHERE IS HE.
-----------
ASK WAVEL HIS
EPSOM SALTS
ARE MISSING
-----------
INDIAN
AIRMAIL
SOCIETY

It sarcastically mentions EPSOM SALTS which originated from Epsom, Surrey, England.

Support to Blind People - WW2 Pamphlet (India)

2012-04-08T17:50:00.007-05:00

Today's post is on one of the advertisement pamphlet issued by Government of India during WW2 to assist blind soldiers. I don't have much historical background on it i.e. in which year it was issued or was it really a government agency publication/distribution or some private party. My guess is it was indeed some governmental organization publishing but the pamphlet doesn't give any concrete proof.

Since the text of the pamphlet is in Hindi hence I have translated them in English for consumption of my readers.

Support to Blind people

Government of India has accepted the proposal to educate Blind soldiers in Lahore's Blind School and Bombay's Victoria Memorial School.

The blind soldiers will be able to learn variety of useful craftsmanship in these schools. They will be able to develop skills which will help them spend their time working. If they wish then they can earn extra money besides their pension.

Relevant skills and quality will be:

Education Related

Read, write and be able to do calculations using specially designed books.

Craftsmanship Related

Making wooden basket, weaving clothes and placing bent tree sticks to form chairs.

These schools will teach education and craftsmanship related skills. Blind soldiers will be given following perks while they get trained in these schools:
a) Free Food and Shelter
b) 6 Rupees monthly allowance besides their pension or any income they would have earned through their skills.
c) Blind soldier and if needed his assistance will be paid for return rail transportation charges from his house or barrack where he is under treatment to school.

The duration of training will be around 9 months.

Whoever (blind soldier) would like to get admission in these schools shall place his request to his district collector.

----------------------------
Delhi Printing Works, Delhi

WW2 India Airgraph - Taj Mahal Illustration

2012-04-07T09:53:00.003-05:00

For last couple of months, I have been reluctantly trying to build collection on WW2 India related Airgraphs. One of the reason has been high cost of these materials and not having proper catalogue to compare and find out how many such varieties are in existence. Every time, I see such Airgraph not in my collection, I am inclined to buy them but at last moment I have withdrawn because of high cost. So far, I have tried to buy only those which I think design wise are really gem and worth to be in my collection. Most likely, prices of these varieties will keep on going northwards only.

I am presenting two such Airgraphs today from my collection which have Taj Mahal as theme. Shown below is first such variety, sent by A Roper of 7th Battalion, Worcester Regiment, India Command in 1943 to Mrs. D. Adams, London. The Airgraph has censor DHC6.

The Airgraph has message in English:

My thoughts of you are fondest and this Xmas wish sincere is made of all the happiness that I wish you through the year.

- From your loving brother.

The Airgraph has printed design of multiple Taj Mahal starting from left side and moving towards right side. As it moves from left to right the size decreases. It then also has on right hand side a vertical black block on which two roses are depicted with text:

1943 - 1944

Greetings FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A Victorious New Year

Shown above is another variety sent by Major J Roberts of GHQ (I) SIGNALS, India Command to J. A. R. Dryden, Edinburgh, Scotland in 1944.

It shows a soldier on left hand side smiling with India and Taj Mahal in center. The print also has on the left hand side temples/mosques and church on right hand side with a ship sailing from left side to right side. Basically, it conveys wishes and letters moving from India to England (home).

It has a message:

"Christmas Greetings to all at Home"

which sums up all the illustration.

I was automatically drawn towards both the illustration and ended by buying them at high price :-) I guess, I will continue to do so as long as I see good illustration on Airgraph. See this for example (this is in my wish list for long time). Though, I don't think I can ever build an impressive collection as Alan Berman did.

As a reference you can see original form of 2nd Airgraph shown above here.

Patriotic Labels of British India aganist Japan in WWII - Part 2

2012-04-01T17:29:00.006-05:00

This is in continuation of my previous post where I showed patriotic & propaganda labels of British India against Japan during WW2. The labels I shared in earlier post were not documented in "Patriotic & Propaganda of the British Commonwealth Catalogue -By Clive Edwards".

But the one shown below is :-) I happen to find one such usage of label that too on postal cover!

This one is documented in catalogue as 1/497. It has Japanese flag with dagger in centre in red and black color with purple background. The label is of size 22x38 mm with perforation of 13.5 and no face values as depicted above. The text reads "Anything you say may reach Japan".

The front side of the envelope is also shown above which indicates that the letter was sent from Bombay to Guwahati on 18th Nov 1944.

Below one is another prized letter in my collection where you can see a large scale label on same format as shown above. This one has text "The Japs Put Our 'Idle Talk' to Work". The label also has Japanese flag with dagger in centre in red and black color with yellow background.

I had seen normal labels but didn't know such patriotic economy label was also in existence which is not recorded any where.

If anyone has any such sample or labels for sell then please contact me. I will definitely be interested.

WW2 Kapurthala State War Purpose Fund Raffle

2012-03-04T11:49:00.006-06:00

It's indeed a long time since I have posted an article on blog. Past couple of months have been extremely busy for me relocating from India to USA on official assignment. Now that I am settling down and able to balance between personal and professional life, I hope to be regular.

I saw that I hadn't posted any war fund tickets/raffles in past couple of posts so I would like to start with a war fund ticket. Actually, I had run out of my collection of such tickets and was waiting for some items to appear. Finally, I am able to find some more of such tickets recently so I hope to continue this thread.

This particular ticket seems to another of such series.

Above photo is one of the war fund lottery ticket issued in the aid of "His Excellency The Viceroy's War Purpose Fund" by princely state of Kapurthala during WWII. The war fund ticket is named after then ruler: Maharaja of Kaurthala Jagatjit Singh Bahadur.

Kapurthala was 13 gun salute princely state in British Empire. In 1930, Kapurthala became part of the Punjab States Agency and acceded to Union of India in 1947.

The event organised to raise fund was for Rajpipla Cup, a polo tournament held in Bombay on 22nd Feb, 1941.

Refund Claim - War Postcard India/Burma

2011-10-23T08:05:00.005-05:00

This is one of WW2 India post card but used by Burma by affixing Burma postage stamps and striking out Simla by Rangoon.

Shown above is front side of postcard which has printed text:

"ON HIS MAJESTY'S SERVICE POST CARD"

with 1 Anna Burma Service stamp affixed. It is addressed to some Mr. Chettiar in Ramnad District of South India. Note the interesting address "South India" rather than mentioning Madras Presidency state in which Ramnad District was located.

It then also mentions dispatcher address as: Finance & Revenue Department, Govt. of Burma, Rangoon. (Postcard has Simla printed which has been stroked out by Rangoon.)

On the reverse side it has mostly text printed:

GOVERNMENT OF BURMA
FINANCE & REVENUE DEPARTMENT
RANGOON (again SIMLA stroked out)

--O--

No. C2482 Dated the 4th Jan 1946.

MEMORANDUM.

Subject:- Claim for compensation for loss of property due to the war in Burma.

The claim sent with his letters dated the 3rd August 1945 has been received and registered as No. C2482.

2. The Government of Burma are unable to admit any legal liability in respect to the claim. It has, however been registered for consideration in due course (striking out after the war).

It then has signature of V. Venkateswarao as Secretary of Finance & Revenue Department.

It has to be noted that during WW2 the exiled colonial Burma Government had headquarter in Simla after Japan deceived them. Burmese Government had assisted Japanese Army in winning initial War in Burma as they thought it was way to independent Burma in similar lines to Subhas Chandra Bose who got influenced by Japan during WW2. It is said that though Colonel Suzuki had right intention to let Burma ruled by Burmese but Japan's Government never had such intention.

It is also said that after war was over in Burma (allied won), British Government started punishing most of Tamil Indians who were at that time one of the most influential community in Burma as traders and businessmen. The reason was most of Tamil people had sided with Subhas Chandra Bose and Indian Independence League during WW2. There was very generous donation given by Tamil Indians to INA/IIL. Hence after the war, British Government not only rejected most of compensation claims of Indians but also confiscated INA Bank and donated money of public. There has been many known legal cases where people have fought over decades trying to get their money from British Government of India and now Indian Government. In today's term, that money must have been millions/billions but none has ever got their money back. Above letter is an example of untold history of India during WW2.

Japanese (IIL/INA) WW2 Propaganda Leaflet Against Allied (British) Forces

2011-10-07T22:40:00.006-05:00

It's long time since I shared some colorful leaflet ;-) So here it is. I hope it will catch your attention.

This is one of the Japanese leaflet dropped on British India. Even though it doesn't mention but it was issued with help from IIL (Indian Independence League) or INA (Indian National Army).

The colorful leaflet shows an Indian soldier kicking a British Soldier (holding a Union Jack) out of India.

The leaflet shows Japanese fighter planes chasing and hitting British planes. It also shows British navy ships bombed and getting sunk in Indian ocean. It shows Japanese flag in south east Asia symbolizing Japanese victory in Asia.

Then on left hand side, it shows German fighter planes bombing Great Britain/Europe (burning). The bombing causes Churchill panicking.

At bottom left, it also shows Italian submarines sinking British naval forces in African waters.

There is a text in Hindi and Bangla at top for Indian people:

This is the opportunity. Get up and move forward by initiating fight for independence!

WW2 India (CBI) Greetings Card

2011-10-05T21:50:00.005-05:00

Today's post is on a greeting card sent by a US soldier from India to Erie, Pennsylvania, US. The card was sent on 8th Dec, 1943 wishing the recipient for Christmas and New Year. The card passed through US Censor as the envelope bears marking for that.

Shown below is front side of the greeting card where it depicts an Eagle with large CBI patch with text in Hindi and English around it. It also mentions INDIA on top of Eagle.

The text reads:

Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Victorious 1944

The card shows a poem on left side while a ship sailing through high Sea on right side inside of card.

The poem reads:

Though I task beneath a blazing sun,
With sterner duty still to be done,
My thoughts at this festive time will stray,
Back to my dear ones far away,
And I send this wish with its age-old ring,
That Christmas to us all may bring,
LOVE, REMEMBRANCE, JOY and PEACE.

Right side text reads:

Greetings and best wishes from over the SEAS

It is hard to say but perhaps the soldier was posted in US Navy in India during WW2.

Mangrol Cash Coupon - WW2

2011-10-05T08:27:00.003-05:00

Today's post is on another princely state cash coupon issued during WWII. Mangrol was an 'mediatized' taluka, within Junagadh state, Kathiawar, merged in Saurashtra and is now part of modern state of Gujarat in India. It is a sea port located in the southwest coast of Kathiawar peninsula.

I tried digging on it but couldn't make out how many gun salutation state was granted. There is very less information available on this princely state forget about trying to find out state's contribution on WWI and WWII.

Above one is the only cash coupon issued by Mangrol State/Taluk with denomination of 1 Anna. It has been recorded as number 23.3 in Indian Paper Money Catalogue by Kishore Jhunjhunwalla.

It has text printed in Gujarati. Front side contains a number given to each such coupon/ticket with text "Mangrol State" and denomination 1 Anna. It also mentions that is is General Stamp.

On the reverse there is Mangrol seal printed with text 1 Anna. You can see the emblem has a ship signifying the seaport town had.

The one I have shown is without Shaikh Abdul Jani I's sign. But Indian Paper Money Catalogue shows cash coupon with Shaikh's signature. My guess is that they were either from printers or part of treasury stocks which were not utilized as the condition suggest they were not used. Anyway, if someone has above coupons with Shaikh's signature then please let me know. I will be interested in buying at least one of them for my collection.

After Indian Independence, when Indian Army was called in 1949 then rulers of Mangrol ran away to Pakistan along with rulers of Junagadh. This is how it acceded to India.

Sind War Stamp - WW2 India

2011-09-10T23:41:00.005-05:00

Today's post is continuation of earlier post where I showed "Bombay War Gift's Fund" label. These war fund labels are of similar pattern of Bombay War Gift's Fund.

The one shown on top is titled "Help To Defend Your Country" with Sind War Gifts Fund. It shows an anti-aircraft gun in square on left side of stamp with text (English and Urdu) on right side. The stamp was issued in bright purple color with denomination of half Anna. It was of size 42.5x26 mm. The label has been quoted in "Patriotic & Propaganda of the British Commonwealth" catalogue by Clive Edwards as 1/558.

The one at bottom was another variety of same type. This one is titled "Help To Defend Your Country" with Sind War Stamp text. The other difference being it has a large V. It also shows an anti-aircraft gun in square on left side of stamp. It was issued in dull purple color with denomination of half Anna. It is said that it was used from 4th July, 1942 to 21st August, 1942. The label has been quoted in "Patriotic & Propaganda of the British Commonwealth" catalogue by Clive Edwards as 1/559.

The war stamps were issued to raise public funds for anti-aircraft guns for defense of India.

Santa Riding Bullock Cart - WW2 V-mail from India

2011-09-09T11:34:00.003-05:00

It's long time since I shared an Airgraph/V-mail. So, I decided to share one of V-mail from my collection for today's quick post.

This one is V-mail sent from APO 465 to Toledo, Ohio, USA. The V-mail mentions year as 1944 and has a text "Merry Christmas from INDIA 1944".

It shows Santa riding a bullock cart (laden with gifts) commonly used during those times as popular transportation option in India. The V-mail was passed though censor as evident in photo shown above.

Anti-Nazi Propaganda Postcard - U.K. (India) WW2

2011-08-20T10:00:00.005-05:00

Today's post is in continuation to my earlier Propaganda War Postcard post. This one shown below is also part of same series of such postcards published by UK where they showed how all allies nations (read commonwealth nations) came together and contributed in the war.

This item is not specifically meant for India but in general covers all the commonwealth nations. Since it depicts an Indian Sikh Soldier as part of contingent hence I decided to cover it here. In fact, the (contingent) photograph shown in this postcard is taken from a very famous WW2 poster which I am still trying to get for my collection.

This postcard was published with J.S., initials printed on front side of postcard in lower left corner. Back side mentions the numbering SI-2093. This seems to be of different series as this is not India specific. The postcard is of approx 4" x 6" sized having caption "Mas que abalo para Hitler!".

As I mentioned earlier, all such postcards were printed in Portugal and distributed in Lisbon by the British Embassy during WW2. Portugal was neutral ground for Allies and Axis to do propaganda against each other. United Kingdom issued series of anti-Nazi propaganda postcards distributed by their embassy in Lisbon, Portugal.

The main text is in Portuguese which when translated in English reads (section wise since the postcard has three section):

Top portion shows a text extract of radio broadcast of 30th September 1939 where Hitler is sarcastically quoted saying -

"It seems that different parts of the British Empire are putting their own independence above their loyalty to England."

Basically, this is to show that Hitler was trying to break the commonwealth strength by giving such statements.

Then middle section shows soldiers of British Commonwealth Countries joining and fighting together under British flag. The poster extract has a message:

"The huge war effort of the Empire and Commonwealth, iron, sea and air, is an epic of united resistance to Nazi aggression."

Finally the bottom section quotes Hitler again from an German article published on 13th December, 1940 where Hitler ruefully acknowledges:

"Germany fully recognizes the energy and power of resistance of Great Britain and Empire loyalty to the Motherland."

This postcard served two purpose:
- discouraging people supporting axis powers that commonwealth nations are strengthening their position in war and they are united as always. Any malicious propaganda can't break the unity.
- conveying message to people living in commonwealth countries not to get misled by German propaganda. They have been proven wrong. Let's continue to fight together until end of war.

Finally, above shows back side of this postcard.

The Grand Raffle Jhalawar - Princely State War Fund Ticket

2011-08-13T23:05:00.003-05:00

It's long time since I posted an article on war fund tickets. Actually, I had run out of my stock on War Fund Tickets (shown everything here). I was desperately looking for more varieties when I stumbled upon some of these and naturally bought it ;-)

I am showing one of these here in today's post. It is written completely in Hindi so I will as usual translate for my readers. I have not seen this one appearing in any auction sites/dealer earlier so I assume this one must be difficult to get.

Shown above is "The Grand Raffle Jhalawar (for War in Europe)". This war fund ticket was issued by princely state of Jhalawar. It mentions in Hindi:

Ticket No. 2191

Whatever will be saved from this raffle will be sent to help war in Europe.

The Grand Raffle Jhalawar (For Help in War in Europe)
Brijnagar (Rajputana)

Ticket 8 Anna Each

Date of opening -----------------------------------
Date of closing ------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 5 rupees, you can get booklet of 11 tickets

First Prize 500/- rupees

It them mentions various other prizes.

On the reverse, it mentions rules. (The most important one is translated.)

1. Whatever money will be collected, out of which 3500/- rupees will be set aside for distribution of various prizes and rest of the money will be sent to Europe for help in war.

It mentions then the secretary of "The Grand Raffle Jhalawar State for Help in War in Europe", Captain Sobhagmal Surana, B. A.