The Rescue of British by Chinese at Yenangyaung and Slim's Flawed Account of the Battle

In: Journal of Chinese Military History, Volume 7, Issue 1, p. 77-108

Abstract

Abstract
Chinese and British troops fought shoulder to shoulder against the Japanese at Yenangyaung, Burma, in mid-April 1942. The official military histories of the two nations, however, record the Yenangyaung battle and appraise the Chinese contribution in striking disagreement. To find the truth through reconciling the significant discrepancies in existence for seven decades, materials of various countries have been comparatively studied. The article will present the following conclusions from this forensic inquiry: i) the narrative of the Yenangyaung battle by William Slim, the commanding officer of the British-Chinese joint forces in the battle, is fraught with misrepresentations; and ii) the official British military history errs in denying the Chinese rescue of the British troops.