Chindits

Chindits
A Chindit column crosses a river in Burma; men suffering from dysentery often went naked.
Active	1942–1945
Country	British India
Branch	Army of India
Type	Special forces
Role	Asymmetric warfare
Size	9,000 to 12,000
Garrison/HQ	Jhansi, India
Engagements	Burma Campaign of World War II
Decorations	Four members awarded the Victoria Cross
Commanders
Notable commanders	Orde Wingate, "Joe" Lentaigne

The Chindits were a British India 'Special Force' that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II. They were formed to put into effect Orde Wingate's newly developed guerrilla warfare tactic of long-range penetration. The Chindits were trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines. Their operations were marked by prolonged marches through extremely difficult terrain by underfed troops weakened by diseases such as malaria and dysentery. There is controversy over the extremely high casualty rate and the debatable military value of the achievements of the Chindits.

The Chindits were the creation of the British Army Brigadier Orde Charles Wingate, then serving under General Archibald Wavell, the Commander-in- Chief of India Command. The name was suggested by Captain Aung Thin (DSO) of the Burma Army. Chindit is a corrupted form of the Burmese mythical beast Chinthé or Chinthay, statues of which guarded Buddhist temples.

In the East African Campaign of 1940–41, Wingate had begun to explore the ideas that he later used with the Chindits, when he created and commanded a mixed group of regular Sudanese and Ethiopian units together with Abyssinian partisans. Known as Gideon Force, they disrupted Italian supply lines and provided intelligence to British forces. As Commander-in-Chief of the Middle East Command in 1940, Wavell had given permission for Gideon Force for political reasons, because he had thought Wingate's idea to be militarily too unorthodox.

After the disbandment of Gideon Force, Wavell requested Wingate for service in Burma in 1942, where it was intended that he raise irregular forces to operate behind the Japanese lines, in a manner similar to Gideon Force. Wingate arrived in Burma in March 1942, barely two months before the final Allied collapse and the Japanese conquest of Burma. Rather than organise irregular forces, Wingate spent his time touring the country and developing his theory of long-range penetration on paper. During the final stages of the British retreat from Burma, Wingate had himself specially flown back to India while the rest of the army walked out. Once in Delhi, he presented his proposals to Wavell.