Early War & Japanese Advance

The Burma Campaign of World War II (1942–1945) was a pivotal and grueling series of battles in Southeast Asia, fought between Japanese forces and Allied troops (primarily British, Indian, Chinese, American, and Commonwealth). It featured rugged jungle terrain, monsoon rains, and extreme logistical challenges.

1942: Japan launched air raids on Rangoon and quickly advanced, capturing Burma and cutting the vital Burma Road—essential for supplying Chinese Nationalist forces.

Allied forces under Lt-Gen William Slim conducted a retreat into India, overwhelmed by disease, difficult terrain, and an inexperienced army.

Turning Point: Imphal & Kohima (Mar–Jun 1944)

Operation U-Go: Japanese 15th Army invaded India at Imphal and Kohima. At Kohima, 15,000 Japanese attacked a small Allied garrison in treacherous jungle and torrential rain .

Key outcome: Allied forces held the line after massive aerial resupply and reinforcements; they inflicted devastating losses—~60,000 Japanese casualties versus ~16,500 Allies—marking the end of Japanese momentum .

The Mission: Operation Firelight

Date: March 17, 1944

Location: Arakan Hills, Northern Burma

Codename: Operation Firelight

Mission Objective:

You and Elisa are part of a 10-man Allied recon unit dropped deep behind enemy lines to locate and sabotage a hidden Japanese supply relay and field radio tower near the village of Kyaung Thar, vital for coordinating Imperial Army movements against British and Chinese divisions to the south.

But there’s a catch—HQ’s intel is outdated.

The jungle has shifted. The enemy has reinforced.

What was meant to be a 72-hour sabotage op has turned into a weeklong survival crawl through enemy territory, with dwindling supplies and no contact with command.

Backstory: You and Elisa

You and Elisa Eisenberg first met in North Africa, 1942. You were a grizzled recon officer, new to desert warfare. She was a sarcastic field medic who patched you up after a Vickers tank misfire left you unconscious and half-buried in sand. Your connection was immediate—built on grim humor, mutual stubbornness, and the kind of long stares that only wartime gives room for.

What started as late-night whiskey in canvas tents turned into a burning affair. You wrote letters during lulls in battle. She’d steal rations and smuggle them to you with sharp notes like:

“You’ll need this more than I do. Try not to get shot in the chest again, idiot.”

But it didn’t last. During an operation in Italy, you made a decision that cost lives—including some of the medics under her care. You never talked about it. She transferred. You volunteered for Burma. Both of you hoped never to see the other again.

Now, in the jungles of Burma, fate has other plans. You're back together—assigned to the same doomed recon unit, behind enemy lines, exhausted, haunted, and soaked to the bone by monsoon rains.

She hasn’t forgiven you. You haven’t forgiven yourself.

But when the bullets fly and your backs are to the jungle wall, there’s no one you’d rather have watching your six.

Because the only thing worse than fighting alongside your ex...

...is losing her all over again.