Victory in Europe Day, on 8 May 1945, marked the end of the Second World War in Europe. But many thousands of Armed Forces personnel were still engaged in bitter fighting in the Far East. Legend has it that many families could not celebrate. They felt forgotten and abandoned.
Nick Hewitt from the National Museum of the Royal Navy said, “From the Naval perspective, the commitment to the far east is vast. It’s a huge commitment by hundreds of thousands of ships and people. Underestimation of the enemy is even less forgivable. The Royal Navy had helped Japanese develop their fleet.” The Japanese were fairly consistently helped by british so british knew them well. He also discussed the pre-war defence planning and debate which included issues in bad assessment on the part of the British and over investment on ships even when fleets were reduced down to merely two ships. For the Royal Navy in particular, Hewitt feels that there were fairly catastrophic losses in the Mediterannean, causing a cycle of things going badly. He called it a “strong consequence of under estimation”. “Japanese Navy being deterred by two ships was a ridiculous concept,” he added.
Dr Peter Johnston from the National Army Museum said, “Fundamental to history in the far east, there are three main reasons why we need to commemorate this victory.” Firstly, he said that it was an “incredible turn around, since it had driven out most of colonial possessions”. Secondly, it needs to be commemorated due to the “scale and duration of this campaign” and lastly, “to make up for the people and fighters - the soldiers who achieved that victory 14 different ethnicities”.
He also added that, “British had severely underestimated the enemy” while they had minimal equipment. “The Japanese were great at maneuvering,” Peter highlighted.
“India was being threatened by Japanese invasion which the British hadn’t faced in a hundred years,” he said. Peter also shared that what we see in the state in 1944 is a success of 18 months, purely because of training.
Dr Harry Rafael from the Royal Air Force Museum said, “It’s a shame that history is neglected.” He elaborated that the plots in Burma and the fighter pilots were “exceptionally talented” in air power. The British were “less equipped and the army had less fleets”. Rafael calls it an “under appreciation of how good the Japanese were”. He also stated that the number of aircrafts that the RAF had, led to heavy losses. For a fleet of 12000 members in the Navy, there were about 19000 tonnes of supply.
Dr George Hay from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) explained that the armies that actually fought in South East Asia faced hardship. “They were fighting a brutal war in that terrain where the imprisonment was horrendous. Despite the relief that people felt, they didn’t get the recognition they deserved.”
Shrabani Basu also shared the story of the RAF’s rule of the terrain, the famous “Battle of the Tennis Court” where there was no water. “The army survived on a pint a day - per soldier,” she said and the terrain was so such that the chopper supplies would go to the other side sometimes.
VJ Day digital exhibition explores the diversity of the Fourteenth Army
The National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, is hosting a free online exhibition of brand new illustrations as part of the site’s programme of activity commemorating the 75th anniversary of VJ Day. Created by Kremena Dimitrova, the colourful artworks of ‘Visualising History: Remembering the Forgotten Army’ tell the story of the diverse communities who comprised the Fourteenth Army, serving together in one of the fiercest theatres of the Second World War, and the lasting legacy that they have had on today’s society and culture. It contains elements inspired by a recent series of digital workshops with young exploring the key themes of the exhibition.
A million people from Britain and across the Commonwealth served in the Fourteenth Army, one of the most diverse forces in history, battling adverse environments and the fearsome Japanese Imperial Army. The stories of those who served, along with thousands who were captured and faced harrowing conditions as Prisoners of War, are often forgotten, with focus given to the conflict in Europe.
The exhibition is free to view on the Arboretum’s website until 30 September:http://www.thenma.org.uk/whats-here/exhibitions/visualising-history-remembering-the-forgotten-army/
