This week Jack and Rob finish the narrative of the retreat from Burma, discussing the final retreat across the Chindwin, and into safety in India. The Burma Army's swansong, but fear not dear listener, for there are still some more episodes, interviews, and a Q+A to come!

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This week Rob and Jack were joined by the brilliant journalist and novelist John Sweeney. Aside from his work all over the world and covering all sorts of topics, including Trump and Putin, John also wrote the novel Elephant Novel, set during the retreat from Burma in 1942, and partly inspired by 'Elephant Bill' Williams.

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This week Rob and Jack review the excellent Through the Jungle of Death by Stephen Brookes. A wonderful, if traumatic, book about his families escape on foot out of Burma in 1942.

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Jack and Rob have a surprise VJ Day Special for listeners - bringing together a panel to discuss what is happening to support the memory, and spread knowledge of, of the Burma Campaign through their various work. Joining the FWP team are Lord Slim representing the Burma Star Memorial Fund, Sylvia May of the Kohima Educational Trust, and Alex Bescoby of Help 4 Forgotten Allies, and his new documentary on Sky History with Levison Wood - The Last Burma Star.

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In this week's episode Rob and Jack do something a little different. They discuss the civilian evacuation of Burma, including a number of eyewitness accounts from a variety of sources.

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This week Jack and Rob welcome Archie Wavell's biographer Victoria Schofield onto the pod.

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This week Jack and Rob take review their first book: the truly excellent A Hell a Licking: Retreat from Burma by James Lunt. A staff officer during the retreat, he recalled, the confusion, lack of preparedness, but also courage of the men of 1st Burma Division.

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This week Jack and Rob welcome historian Philip Woods, author of Reporting the Retreat: War Correspondents in Burma - hear some fascinating stories of the brave journalists in Burma in 1942 as the imperial edifice collapsed around them.

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Joining Jack and Rob this week is Historian Steve Rothwell to talk about the Burma Rifles, and the Burma Army in general. Steve also runs the indiaburmasoldiers.co.uk website, and fantastic resource to begin research into the Burma Campaign.

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This week Rob and Jack look into the Chinese role in the retreat from Burma, and the relationships between the US, China and Britain. They focus on the military side of things, although there will be more on Chinese troops as they evacuated the country in another episode later in the series...

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