The Magic War

This book describes the battle for North Burma during World War II, which was fought by soldiers of many nationalities against the Japanese. It was also a campaign by the Kachin tribesmen for their own liberation. Commanding them were such men as "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell, Sir William Slim, Orde Wingate, Phil Cochrane and "Mad Mike" Calvert, officers who applied new methods to waging war on some of the worst terrain in the world. The Kachins, who had known almost nothing about modern technology, dubbed it a "Magic War," as they encountered planes, gliders, huge airdrops and other mechanical wonders.