Behind the Forgotten Front, A WWII Novel

by Barbara Hawkins

It’s 1942 and Harry Flynn leaves behind the love of his life to journey into a world of tigers, elephants, and Himalayan Mountains. Here he must take risks if he is to survive. He enlists to fight in the war, expecting to find the thrill of danger and honor of military service. Instead of a fighting position, Harry is sent to the Forgotten Front in the Indian subcontinent as an ordinary supply officer. There, General Joseph ‘Vinegar Joe’ Stilwell is constructing a ‘road to nowhere’ through Japanese-occupied Burma. The general will do anything to get the road built.
In this exotic world with Naga headhunters, opium smoking kachin tribesmen, and marauders who scorn both life and death,Harry forges unlikely friendships. He’s also forced to obey orders that challenge his principles and is torn between being true to himself or ‘no man at all.’ Not willing to let Uncle Sam needlessly condemn the road crew to death, he rebels.
He tries to sabotage the road’s progress where an all-black construction regiment is losing a man a mile due to disease and crumbling lopes. Then a commanding officer spots his unconventional skills. Immediately he’s transferred to America’s first guerrilla-supported unit: Merrill’s Marauders and later the Mars Task Force. Here, he must entrust his life to others. During a time when boys were forced to come of age on the battlefield, Harry must find what makes his life worth living or die.
The lessons learned in World War II apply to all wars, where men walk away carrying unspeakable memories and lives that 'could have been' haunt those that lived. Behind the Forgotten Front brings them all back to life and shows that history is about facts driven by passions and sometimes the mistakes of real people.

Genres: Historical Fiction, World War II, India

335 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 2014

About the author

Barbara Hawkins has lived a variety of lives: as a botanist--collecting plant specimens from Latin American jungles, engineer--building wetlands, parks, and bridges, finally as an author of historical fiction, science fiction, and international travelogues. Adventure travel is a hobby she's had since before it had a name. Nowadays, if she isn't at home writing, she's traveling somewhere. Visit her at BarbaraHawkins-writer.com.

Reviews

[Melinda]

A brilliant novel, Hawkins deserves recognition of her effort, truly outstanding.

I am a huge history buff, secondly I enjoy well crafted historical fiction. I can honestly state in all of my reading I have not come across a fictional novel offering a narrative on the China-Burma-India Theatre, an often ignored and unknown of WWII. Hawkins impresses with her well researched and excellent presentation of this unnoticed, shunned aspect of the war.

Hawkins paints a vivid setting. The depths of the exotic and sultry jungle, the tropical dangers, oppressive temperatures, the harsh overall surroundings. She also provides the reader with cultural and ethnic differences, traditions and customs. You understand the brutal elements, horiffic conditions soldiers faced without question.

Harry Flynn serves as the main protagonist, he takes your breath away with his inner turmoil. A man conflicted as he searches his soul, evolves and survives. Psychologically, emotionally you feel as if you're standing next to Harry intimately sharing in his experiences. He is affecting, three-dimensional. Hawkins could not expand character development with Harry as well as the other various players featured.

A halting, realistic glimpse into combat, with specific focus of China-Burma-Indian Theatre. Language, intricacies of life as a soldier revealed in a personal voice, a tone reflective of pre/post war, fears, heroics, loss and survival. Haunting, painful, emotional, inspiring. Highly highly recommend. Bravo Barbara Hawkins.

[Doug Coward]

I was deeply moved by this truly memorable novel about a part of WWII that will never be forgotten by those soldiers who by fate were located there. The descriptions of India and Burma were deeply moving having traveled there and seen the beauty and the poverty which Barbara captured so eloquently .The descriptions of the topography and ecology were flawless. The war scenes were painfully emphatic as Barbara described the many gut wrenching battles throughout the novel. Despite being in the forgotten part of WWIi Barbara described the history of the forgotten front in amazing detail , obviously through meticulous research . This is the best war novel I have ever read as well as a beautiful description of the cultures in that forgotten part of the world .
I highly recommend this unforgettable novel
Doug.

[Karunakaran N.]

Behind the Forgotten Front: A WWII Novel by Barbara Hawkins... A fictional plot of WWII on the lesser known part of the war, the CBI (China-Burma-India) theatre as it is called, the blending of fictional characters to the happenings of the war takes the reader to the 1940's. The construction of the road (Stilwell road) in Burma, fighting the Japanese in the difficult terrain and one man who sees all the highs and lows of this war form a solid plot. Wonderful read...

[Mary Vogelsong]

The topic of the CBI Theater is really of more interest to me than this book. I read it for the historical perspective because that is where my dad served. Most of his time was spent on a bulldozer. He and one other guy would run it 24 hours a day, one operating the controls while the other tried to nap on the hood. My dad wouldn't talk much about his war experiences, but he never ate rice again in his life.

[Diane]

This book was informative - about a theatre of war that we seldom hear about. America’s first guerrilla-supported unit: Merrill’s Marauders and later the Mars Task Force. But the main character's thoughts and actions were often confusing/unclear. While I enjoyed the facts of the war, I had to round down to two stars from three.

[Mark Herbkersman]

I loved the insights this book gave into the war in the jungles and the building of the roads. There are human elements that will open your eyes. They are things that we don't normally read about but were a realistic part of the way it was.

[Adam Mahler]

Amazing and tragic

I love these stories. It's always interesting to see what we know from history through the eyes of someone there.

[billy]

Profanity!!!

Just a few pages into the book and the profanity started. Some writers just don't have the vocabulary to write without it.

[Annette]

Source: ebook provided for free from Barbara Hawkins in exchange for a review.
Rating: 5 stars for excellent.
Summary:
It’s 1942 and Harry Flynn enlists to fight in the war expecting to find the thrill of danger and honor of military service. He leaves behind the love of his life to journey into a world of tigers, elephants and Himalayan Mountains. Instead of a fighting position, Harry is sent to the Forgotten Front in the Indian subcontinent as an ordinary supply officer. There, General Joseph ‘Vinegar Joe’ Stilwell is constructing a ‘road to nowhere’ through Japanese-occupied Burma. The general will do anything to get the road built.
In this exotic world with Naga headhunters, opium-smoking Kachin tribesmen, and marauders who scorn both life and death, Harry forges unlikely friendships. He’s forced to obey orders that challenge his principles and is torn between being true to himself or ‘no man at all.’ Eventually, not willing to let Uncle Sam needlessly condemn the road crew to death, he rebels.
He tries to sabotage the road’s progress where an Afro-American construction regiment is losing a man a mile due to disease and crumbling mountain slopes. Then a commanding officer spots his unconventional skills. Immediately he’s transferred to America’s first guerrilla-supported unit: Merrill’s Marauders and later the Mars Task Force. Here, he must entrust his life to others. During a time when boys were forced to come of age on the battlefield, Harry must find what makes his life worth living or die.
The lessons learned in World War II apply to all wars, where men walk away carrying unspeakable memories and lives that ‘could have been’ haunt those that lived. Behind the Forgotten Front brings them all back to life and shows that history is about facts driven by passions and sometimes the mistakes of real people.

My Thoughts:
The war in the Pacific during World War II is of strong interest to me. I've read several books on the European Front during WWII, but only a few on the Pacific Front. Behind The Forgotten Front is the first book I've read in regards to the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II. In reading about World War II from all angles of the war, it becomes clear that the entire vast world was at war.

My reasons for giving Behind The Forgotten Front 5 stars for excellent.
The voice in the novel is Harry Flynn. He has a special girl back at home named Ruthie. The portrayal of Harry is realistic. Every part of his humanity is expressed in the story. From his thoughts and feelings, to his physical maladies. He is in essence the American GI. An All-American, saucy, independent, "no one is going to take me down" kind of guy. His special girl back at home is the source of his dreams and hopes. She is his escape during the dark days of war.
It's been remarked by other reviewers that the language is too strong, coarse. The reality of war is that men and women are not using their best and proper language. This is not important. Food, water, dry socks, and ammunition is essential. In order to give reality to the people who took part in combat, realistic language matters.
The environment of vegetation, animals, geography of the land, and the people who live in this area of Asia was engrossing.
There are several battle scenes realistically depicted. They are graphic and adrenaline pumping. I believe this is one of the hardest things to write. Only a person who has been in combat understands what it is like. Hawkins captured as real as can be accomplished in a battle scene.
Lastly, Hawkins towards the end of the story begins to sort through the affects of war on the men. What kind of civilian men will they be like? Will their families recognize them? These are questions all men and women wrestle with after they come home from war.

[Skjam!]

Like many red-blooded American men after Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Harry Flynn joined the Army to fight the enemy directly. But the Army has a lot of jobs to fill, and his excellent handwriting gets Harry posted as a supply officer in a backwater post in India. The Japanese have taken Burma (now Myanmar), cutting China off from supply by the other Allies. Therefore, a road must be built from India through Burma to China. Or at least that’s what the brass think should be done. Harry is unconvinced–this road seems to be killing more Americans than the Japanese ever did.

The CBI theater of World War Two is relatively obscure in American media compared to the European struggle against the Nazis or the Pacific campaign. So this historical novel was a good change of pace, shedding light on an area I am unfamiliar with.

In the early part of this story, Lt. Flynn is cynical about his superiors, bored with his humdrum duties, and willing to take dangerous steps to fight against what he sees as a doomed strategy. About a third of the way through, Harry is reassigned as the supply officer for Merrill’s Marauders, a combat unit sent well into enemy lines to take out certain targets that will make it easier to build and use the road. Then he sees plenty of action!

Probably the best parts of the novel are the descriptions of things that happened in real life, taken from the author’s research (there’s a reading list in the back.) I’m a sucker for the gritty details of long marches and miserable weather.

Harry is not a particularly likable person, though he gets over his period-authentic racism pretty quickly. (He’s smart enough to realize it’s a bad idea to antagonize the “Negro” troops, while a designated bad guy isn’t.) He does some things that put people in unnecessary danger, and probably kills at least one innocent bystander when a sabotage plan goes awry. Some flashbacks establish where he got his sour attitude from, but don’t justify his actions.

There’s some salty language (perhaps not enough given the setting) and discussion of the factors that lead some women into prostitution. Lots of violence, of course, with vivid description of the smells.

One character is built up as important in the first part of the novel, then vanishes with a “whatever happened to?” at the end; many other characters have on-page deaths.

The Kindle version I downloaded has a number of spellchecker typos, most commonly “lightening” for “lightning”–it’s an older copy so these might have been fixed by now.

Recommended for readers who want to know a bit more about a relatively obscure part of WWII, and aren’t up for reading straight-up military history (because that can get pretty dry.)

[Laurie]

This is intense, historical fiction on the battles in the Indian subcontinent during World War II. The story centers on Harry Flynn, a young American who wants to fight for his country. However, instead of being sent to where the "action" is in the South Pacific, or, the European theater, he has orders to work as a supply officer in a part of the world few in America have ever heard about. In the early part of his deployment, he is involved in building a road through Burma to China. The idea was to avoid flying over the Himalayas (aka The Hump) to deliver supplies to allies in China. Harry becomes disillusioned with road construction as he learns that General Joseph Stilwell is obsessed with the project. Stilwell holds a grudge against the Japanese after they succeeded in beating his forces in Burma earlier in the war. This obsession is at the expense of who men die as they attempt to build a road on loose, Himalayan mountain slopes in the tropical forest with a climate of monsoon rains, humidity and suffocating heat. Harry is noticed by one of the officers for his tough attitude and leadership skills (although little does anyone know he has been working to sabotage the road in an effort to get Stilwell to give it up). Harry is sent with a commando unit to fight the Japanese that hold territory in the path of the road. As a soldier that desired to be in the fight, Harry gets his wish but the death and gore he finds change him forever. After three long years, Harry's girl back home will not recognize the man she once knew who returns to her. War is hell.
Hawkins has done terrific research on the history of the conflict in Burma. Battles are described in great detail with US Government maps to guide the reader over the terrain. There are also bibliographic references.
The characters in the story are well done. The environment is like a character itself as the misery of jungle conditions is palpable in the descriptions of the jungle climate. Hawkins traveled to India and Burma to experience many of the novel's scenes. The soldiers' misery is intensely personal, too, as the men deal with dysentary, malaria, mental illness, battle injuries and death.
It is very interesting, too, that Hawkin's story grew from the real life experiences of her father, Richard Hawkins. Although he did not talk much about his war time experiences while he lived, Barbara Hawkins has his diary. Also, her mother, Ruthie Hawkins, is the basis for Harry Flynn's girl back home.

[Teddy]

Have you ever heard of "the Road to nowhere"? I have but I didn't know what it referred to. After reading 'Behind the Forgotten Front', I now know where the reference came from. I also learned more about the part of WWII that took place in India, the part of the war the has been mostly forgotten.

I was drawn to this book because it covers part of WWII that has received little attention. Harry Flynn is excited to be going to serve his country in WWII. He is looking forward to the thrill and honor of it. However, he is sent to the Himalayan Mountains to be a supply officer. Far from what he sees as the glamour of a fighting soldier. There most men considered expendable (African American and Chinese) are building a "road to nowhere". The goal is to have a road built to Japanese occupied Burma. However, with such a long monsoon season, it like one step forward three steps back. Mudslides occur often and many men have died.
Later, Harry does get to fight but find out that it is not glamorous at all.

The first part of this book, I found a bit slow going but it didn't take me too long before I could start turning the pages at a good clip. Many WWII stories are highly romanticised but Barbara Hawkins did not do that. For that, I am grateful! War is not romantic, especially to the soldiers living and dying through it. Yes, it is war, there is blood and guts and people loose limbs or worse. I don't believe it should not be sugar coated.

It is apparent the Barbara Hawkins spent a lot of time researching the lesser know war in Burma. She also does a great job shaping the characters and plot. If you enjoy historical fiction and WWII fiction that isn't romanticised, you should read 'Behind the Forgotten Front'!

[Rachel Brune]

The story of Merrill's Marauders is known to a few WWII history buffs, but the author brings it to vivid life in this action-packed, well-researched historical fiction novel. The main character is uniquely flawed, not always likeable, but always consistent and moving ahead where history takes him. I enjoyed seeng where the events took him, and how they affected him.

The only complaint I had was the fact that the book was written in present tense, a choice that I personally found incredibly distracting; however, once I got into the book, I was able to lose myself in the narrative and just enjoy the story.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in both historical fiction and the history of the China-Burma-India front in WWII.

[Pedro Puech]

Those who like to read WWII novels will be delighted with this one. It tells the story of a boy who was eager to get to the front and to get into action, but learns the reality of the war on his way. It is not about heroes, but rather about people (soldiers may be good men, even if they´re not brave).
What makes Hawkins´ book unique is not only the plot, but her style. She writes in the first person and in the present tense, not in the past as usual in historical fiction. The reader feels as if hearing a real-time narrative; her vivid descriptions of the action and of the atmosphere in the front generate a unique reading experience.

[Chad]

I really enjoyed this well written piece of historical fiction. I had a tough time putting this book down and could not wait to get back to it. Ms. Hawkins has done a wonderful job in bringing the WWII fight in the Asian jungles back to life. As I read I could feel the wet, dark jungle surrounding me and her extremely descriptive events of the battle encounters had me tasting dirt and feeling the mortars exploding around me. Wow, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who has even a remote interest in World War II and the events that occurred in the jungles of Burma and India.

[Mary]

This is a very good historical novel. Set in India during WWII, this book follows Harry Flynn after he enlists. Harry is the supply officer for the men who are working on the 'road to nowhere'. Watching men die from malaria and mud slides, Harry decides that the work on the road needs to be stopped. He tries to sabotage the road but before he is successful, he is sent to the front lines to join in the fighting. This book details the struggles of war and what our military personnel deal with.

[RACHEL]

“Behind the Forgotten Front” takes readers to south central Asia during WWII, the forgotten front. Following the evolution of the protagonist and his journey through Burma we meet the men on the front lines and catch glimpses of the leaders who fly in from time to time. A perspective novel of a complicate theater of war,

My copy was a gift from Goodreads First Reads,

[Mike Vandeman]

"Where young men walked away carrying unspeakable memories about the lives that could have been"

It's a gritty and moving true war story about the effort to stop the Japanese in Burma, told from the point of view of her father - a true page-turner.

[Vikas Datta]

Quite good in resurrecting a forgotten part of the battlefield...

[Rick Yori]

Rather poorly written. I slogged through it only because my father served in the CBI theater during the war, and I remember him talking about some of the places and people mentioned in the book.

[Alison]

kindle 309 (historic)