Hello, AHF members
In August last year AHF carried a press release from my publisher about my story BLACK SUN, RED MOON: A NOVEL OF JAVA ('War novel inspired by newspaper articles'). I'd like to ad that Part Two, MERDEKA RISING has been published. Now that the story has been out for a while and has been reviewed (favorably!) a few times (including the influential ArRSe — 'British Army Rumour Service') I'll be happy to answer questions about my research on this topic and, no doubt, errors in the story. Also, any information that AHF members might have about the topic (and the fighting in Java in 1945-46 in particular) will be gratefully received. I had no idea that the film THE RAILWAY MAN would be released this year, so the contrast between the Japanese as enemy up to 1945 and 'ally' from August 1945 to 1947 (in Java and Sumatra at least) is stark indeed. (Eric Lomax was one of a number of former British and Japanese servicemen who answered an ad I placed in the Burma Star Association journal relating to my PhD research.)
As for errors in BSRM and MR, I am aware that the Indian Army did not use the Bren gun but used the Vickers-Berthier. On this I claim 'writer's licence', as a hyphenated proper noun just doesn't lend itself to 'page-turner fiction'. But my head is above the parapet, so by all means let rip...
I'll check in on AHF weekly (my website feedback also).
Rory
Japanese forces under British command, 1945-47
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- CHARPOY CHINDIT
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Re: Japanese forces under British command, 1945-47
The Indian Army did indeed use the Bren gun in WWII.
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Re: Japanese forces under British command, 1945-47
That's good to know — I'm sleeping better already!
(It occurred to me that there would be a lot of 'swapping' going on. The 1st Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, attached to 23rd Indian Div, would no doubt have arrived in India with Brens.)
Rory
(It occurred to me that there would be a lot of 'swapping' going on. The 1st Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, attached to 23rd Indian Div, would no doubt have arrived in India with Brens.)
Rory
- CHARPOY CHINDIT
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Re: Japanese forces under British command, 1945-47
The VB was introduced by the Indian Army in the 30's, but was progressively replaced by the Bren gun. Some units certainly had the VB in Malaya and Burma 1941-42 and in the Arakan 1943, but I have not come across their use after that. Swapping wasn't that easy either since, although the ammunition was the same, the magazines weren't interchangeable.
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Re: Japanese forces under British command, 1945-47
Now that you mention it, I recall reading somewhere about VB magazines being unloaded in the field and then reloaded into Bren magazines.