Orde Wingate
Orde Wingate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 26 February 1903 |
| Died | 24 March 1944 (aged 41) |
Burial place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Service years | 1921–1944 |
Rank | Major-general |
| Service number | 27013 |
| Unit | Royal Artillery |
| Commands | Chindits (1942–1944) Gideon Force (1940–1941) |
Conflicts | 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine Second World War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order & Two Bars Mentioned in despatches (2)"No. 35120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 March 1941. p. 1872. MacGregor Medal |
Major-General Orde Charles Wingate, DSO & Two Bars (26 February 1903 – 24 March 1944) was a senior British Army officer.
He was a supporter of unconventional military thinking and surprise tactics. He was also a fervent Christian Zionist. In Mandatory Palestine, he set up a joint British–Jewish counter-insurgency unit called the Special Night Squads. Under the patronage of the area commander Archibald Wavell, Wingate was given increasing latitude to put his ideas into practice during the Second World War. He created units in Abyssinia and Burma.
Wingate attracted British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's attention with a self-reliant aggressive philosophy of war and was given resources to stage a large-scale operation. He became known for the Chindit deep-penetration missions in Japanese-held territory during the Burma Campaign of the Second World War.The last Chindit campaign may have determined the outcome of the Battle of Kohima, although the offensive into India by the Japanese may have occurred because Wingate's first operation had demonstrated the possibility of moving through the jungle. In practice, both Japanese and British forces suffered severe supply problems and malnutrition.
Wingate died in an aircraft accident in March 1944 along with eight others.