World War 2 Burma Diaries.com  

WELCOME to my website! This venue has been initiated for the purpose of serious story telling of all manner of topics related to the World War II in Burma (Myanma, pronounced: m'yumma).

In creating this site I hope to attract persons with stories of the War which they or their families may have experienced in the years 1941 to 1945 --give or take some years pre or post war inclusive. In doing so I believe that much of what we experienced will be preserved and shared with posterity. While it is true that many of our loved ones who went through the War years have passed on to their eternal refuge with the Almighty, I cannot but believe that their personal, very unique experiences, as well present day readers, need to be shared with others seeking a historical documentation of such matters.
I also hope to accomplish a networking of stories of persons long separated by time and place by sharing their experiences with the readership, and to re-connect with friends.

OWNERSHIP:
Ownership of stories/articles submitted for publication by authors, including their copyright of the story/article, is retained by the author claimants and not WorldWar2BurmaDiaries.com.
This web site or assigness may,at its own time and discretion, copyright the anthology only (i.e. the collection of the stories we have published, but not the individual submissions) but the name(s) of the author claimants will be retained.
The piece must be vouched for by their author(s) to be their own creation, to be unpublished, whether previously copyrighted by them or not. 

STORY LINE and CONTENT:

Stories should have the story line of persons and circumstances relative to World War II in Burma.
Stories found in diaries written then, or those which must be remembered and enshrined in the memories of many civilians (American, Anglo-Burmese, Anglo-Indian, Burmese, Chinese, English, Gurkha, Indian, Japanese, Kachin, Karen, Malay, Shan, Thai, as well as others, are most welcomed by this site.
Any such stories which are related by persons in the Allied or Japanese armed services in the Burma war theater, or their relatives and friends, are likewise welcome.

There are very many areas to explore, each one possibly having, even at this late date, knowledgeable persons who have information to share and discuss via these pages. For instance I would be very interested if light could be thrown on some events I experienced as a young lad in wartime Burma:

1) The initial bombing and capture of Rangoon.
2) The escape of refugees to India by ship.
3) The escape by rail to northern Burma; the last Hospital train to leave Rangoon.
4) The Japanese bombing and scorching of Mandalay, April 3, 1942.
5)The escape on the Irrawaddy by river steamers and paddle boats such as the Shwe Hintha, April 13-23,1942.
6) The Japanese bombing and strafing of the Myitkyina airstrip on May 6,1942.
7) The trek through the Hukawng Valley and other jungle and mountainous trails to India and China.
8) The Kempetai in Maymyo.
9) The American 101 Group in the Maymyo area.
10) Gurkha Kempetai interpreter Gur Bahadur in
Maymyo.
10) Subhas Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army.
11) POW construction of the bridge over the River Kwai (more correctly:Menam-Kwenoi).

Likewise, those who remembered the victorious return of the Allied Forces in 1944 and 1945.

"The time is fast coming when the eye witnesses to World War II will be gone, and historians left with their documents and nothing more." (James D. Hornfischer in the story of the USS Houston:
"Ship of Ghosts" Introduction/p.3. Bantam Books Div. Random House,Sept.2007).
More than these, the human side of never-to-be-forgotten stories (and yarns!) will be especially looked for by me.
And who knows? may be we knew each other then!
So, tell me a gripping story for the interest, enlightenment and knowledge of myself and our readers.

You have my attention now-- 
       won't you tell me a story? 

   I welcome correspondence/feedback from you.
Contact me at: josephvalu@worldwar2burmadiaries.com (email changed: February 6, 2014)

Joseph Valu, editor