HardThrasher
Published 10 Jun 2026In the Arakan, it turned out the third time was the charm, at least for those lucky enough to survive the jungle, malaria and a coastline without maps.
In this episode we return to Burma and the Arakan, where Operation Romulus turned a miserable sideshow into a strategically vital victory. We look at XV Corps’ third attempt to take Akyab, the extraordinary march of the 81st and 82nd West African Divisions, the improvised amphibious landings at Myebon, and the brutal fight for Hill 170, where the Royal Marine Commandos as we know them today, cut their teeth
Featuring Operation Romulus, Pungent, Lightning, Akyab, Myebon, Kangaw, Hill 170, the Black Tarantulas, 3 Commando Brigade, 25th and 26th Indian Divisions, and Japanese 28th Army.
00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:28 – Recap
00:08:15 – Operation Romulus – the Plan to take the Arakan
00:20:57 – The Attacks Begins
00:30:34 – Meanwhile in land
00:43:10 – Op Pungent and the Fight for Meybon
00:50:43 – The Final Assault
00:56:06 – Aftermath
00:57:41 – Epilogue
00:59:13 – Survivor’s Club
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Sources
1. Bowsher & Lyman, The Forgotten War Podcast, Ep. 20, “Phoenix from the Ashes Part 1”, 28 mins.2. Slim, William. Defeat Into Victory (Pan Military Classics Series), p. 478. Pan Macmillan. Kindle Edition.
3. Slim, William, p. 479.
4. Betteridge-Dyson, Lucy. Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan, Burma 1945, pp. 102–103. Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition.
5. Betteridge-Dyson, Lucy, p. 140..
6. Betteridge-Dyson, Lucy, p. 161.
7. IWM, Leese Despatch on Operations in Burma, LBY 78 2867.
8. Cambridge University Archive, GBR/0014/CHIE 1.
9. Lyman, Robert. A War of Empires: Japan, India, Burma & Britain, 1941–45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2021. Location 8679.
10. Betteridge-Dyson, Lucy, p. 247.
11. Betteridge-Dyson, Lucy, p. 266.
12. Betteridge-Dyson, Lucy,p. 268.
13. Commando Veterans Archive, citation for the Victoria Cross: https://www.commandoveterans.org/book…
14. Wikipedia, “Kodandera Subayya Thimayya”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodande…
15. Betteridge-Dyson, Lucy, p. 288.
16. Slim, William, p. 576.
17. TNA, ADM 202/91, 3 SS — later 3 Commando — Brigade RM HQ, 1945.
18. Hyam, Ronald. Empire and Sexuality: The British Experience. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1990, p. 14.
July 11, 2026
Road to Rangoon, Ep. 2 – Jungle Commandos Operation Romulus & Hill 170
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