Wingate, Orde Charles (1903-1944), was an officer in the British Army during World War II (1939-1945). A major general , Wingate organized the Chindits, a guerrilla fighting force also known as Wingate’s Raiders . The Chindits—mainly British, Burmese, and Nepalese ( Gurkha ) troops—fought behind Japanese lines in Burma (now Myanmar ). The Chindits were an early example of special forces , highly trained military units that work in small groups.
Wingate was born on Feb. 26, 1903, in Naini Tal, India . He studied at Charterhouse School in Surrey , England . In 1921, he entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. In 1923, he became an officer in the Royal Artillery . From 1928 to 1933, Wingate led bands of Sudanese troops against poachers and slave traders in Sudan . While there, he also led an expedition to explore part of the Libyan Desert . From 1936 to 1939, Wingate organized resistance to Arab attacks on Jewish settlements in Palestine (now mostly Israel ). Early in 1941, he led the British force that helped Emperor Haile Selassie drive Italian occupation forces out of Ethiopia .
In July 1941, while suffering from malaria , Wingate survived a suicide attempt. Fully recovered, he joined British forces fighting Japanese troops in Burma early in 1942. In 1943, Wingate tried out on a small scale his idea that a force could be supplied entirely from the air and operate in small groups coordinated by radio. His Chindits—named for the Chinthe, a mythical Burmese lion—operated as a “long-range penetration force.” They raided Japanese forces in Burma and disrupted Japanese communications and transport.
Promoted to major general, Wingate organized a much larger Chindit campaign with strong Allied support. Just weeks into the new campaign, on March 24, 1944, Wingate was killed in a plane crash while flying between Chindit airfields. The Chindits continued fighting without Wingate, but suffered heavy losses under new leadership and organization. The Chindits were withdrawn from Burma in late August 1944.
