Forgotten Victory Burma 1945: the Allied reconquest of the Burmese jungle
Featured in Issue 109 of World at War magazine by Decision Games, Forgotten Victory: Burma 1945 is an operational wargame designed by Javier Romero. The game simulates General Slim's British 14th Army offensive, supported by American and Chinese forces, against the Imperial Japanese Army entrenched in Burma from late 1944 through spring 1945. Players clash across an unforgiving theater of war where weather and terrain dictate operational maneuver. The title features:
- A large full-color operational hex map of the Burma theater at twenty-five miles per hex.
- A sheet of 228 die-cut cardboard counters representing divisions, brigades, and air wings.
- The complete historical magazine containing comprehensive articles on the 1944 defense of St. Vith and the 1943 German retreat to the Dnepr.
Forgotten Victory Burma 1945: jungle logistics and aerial resupply
Operational success in the Burmese theater requires mastering severe logistical challenges:
- Supply lines and air transport: Lacking roads through thick jungle, the Allies must deploy air transports to supply spearheads and drop reinforcements behind enemy lines.
- River-crossing assaults: Advancing south necessitates dangerous assault crossings over major barriers like the Irrawaddy River against fortified Japanese defenses.
- The monsoon deadline: Players engage in a tense race against time to capture Rangoon before the monsoon arrives, turning terrain to mud and grounding air operations.
Forgotten Victory Burma 1945: victory conditions and campaign conclusion
The outcome of the campaign depends on Allied operational tempo versus determined Imperial Japanese resistance:
- Liberating key centers: The Allied player wins by capturing vital airfields, opening the road to Mandalay, and liberating Rangoon before the weather breaks.
- Attrition and delays: The Japanese player earns victory points by stubbornly holding jungle chokepoints, severing supply conduits, and inflicting heavy losses on the offensive. World at War 109 is a premier title for wargamers fascinated by the Pacific War and demanding logistical simulations.
