Orde Wingate

Orde Wingate. A highly unorthodox and controversial British Army officer, Orde Wingate became a famed practitioner of irregular warfare during the Second World War. He is best remembered for creating and leading the Chindits, long-range penetration groups that operated behind Japanese lines in the Burma Campaign. His aggressive tactics and forceful personality earned him both ardent admirers, including Winston Churchill, and fierce critics within the military establishment.

Early life and military career

Born in Naini Tal, British India, to a devout Plymouth Brethren family, he was educated at Charterhouse School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1923, his early postings included Sudan and Mandatory Palestine. In Palestine, he became a fervent supporter of Zionism and helped organize the Special Night Squads, a joint force of British soldiers and Haganah fighters to counter Arab insurgents. This experience shaped his belief in leading from the front and using locally recruited forces. His service in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War with Gideon Force, aiding Haile Selassie's return to power, further cemented his reputation for daring guerrilla tactics.

Chindits and long-range penetration

Following the Japanese conquest of Burma, Wingate developed the concept of the Chindits, named after the mythical Chinthe guardians of Burmese temples. The first operation, Operation Longcloth in 1943, involved over 3,000 men infiltrating Japanese-occupied Burma to disrupt communications and supply lines along the Burma Railway. Though suffering heavy casualties, the operation was a major propaganda victory for the Allies, proving that Japanese troops could be fought in the jungle. The force was composed of units from the British Indian Army, including the 13th King's Regiment (Liverpool) and Gurkha regiments, and was supplied entirely by Royal Air Force airdrops.

Operation Thursday and death

Wingate's ideas gained the powerful support of Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, leading to a vastly expanded second campaign in 1944, Operation Thursday. This involved flying thousands of Chindits and United States Army Air Forces Air Commando units deep into Burma in Waco CG-4A gliders to establish fortified strongholds behind enemy lines. On 24 March 1944, while flying from Lalaghat to Hailakandi to inspect his positions, his USAAF B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed in the hills near Bishnupur, Manipur, killing Wingate and all nine others aboard, including American journalists. The exact cause of the crash in stormy weather remains uncertain.

Military theories and legacy

Wingate was a prolific and often abrasive theorist of deep penetration warfare, arguing that disrupting an enemy's rear areas was more effective than frontal assaults. His concepts directly influenced later special operations forces, including the Special Air Service. The State of Israel considers him a founding father of the Israel Defense Forces, with his tactics studied at their military academies. However, his legacy is debated; critics argue his campaigns in Burma were costly diversions, while supporters credit him for revitalizing Allied morale in the China Burma India Theater. The Wingate Institute in Israel is named in his honor.

Personal life and character

A complex and driven individual, Wingate was known for his asceticism, intellectual intensity, and frequent insubordination towards superior officers like Archibald Wavell. He married Lorna Moncrieff Patterson in 1935. His eccentric behaviors, which included receiving briefings while naked or eating raw onions, were legendary. Despite his profound religious upbringing, his zealous support for Zionism and his relentless ambition often put him at odds with the military hierarchy. His death was mourned as a significant loss by leaders including Winston Churchill, who called him "a man of genius who might well have become a man of destiny."

Category:British Army personnel of World War II Category:British military personnel of the interwar period Category:1903 births Category:1944 deaths