For a Greater Realm: The Royal Thai Army at War 1940-1945 Volume 1

The only country to escape colonialism in Southeast Asia, Thailand on the eve of the Second World War was a kingdom deep in the throes of militarism, led by a charismatic strongman obsessed with questions of national greatness and dreams of empire. In 1940 the Thais took advantage of France’s metropolitan defeat to fulfil revanchist yearnings by demanding the return of ‘lost provinces’ in Laos and Cambodia that had been ceded to Indochina half a century earlier. What followed was a border war with Vichy that culminated in Japanese mediation and the territories’ return.

Drawing upon a wide range of hitherto untapped sources, For a Greater Realm is the first full account of Thai ground combat operations in the Second World War to be available to an international readership.

This first of two volumes covers the border war with Vichy France of 1940–41, detailing the forces employed by both sides including the Royal Thai Army’s orders of battle up to mid-1941, as well as a detailed overview of Thai uniforms up until 1945.

For a Greater Realm: The Royal Thai Army at War 1940–1945, Volume 1: The Franco-Thai War 1940–1941 provides a detailed military history of the little known Franco-Thai War and includes over 200 original photographs along with specially commissioned maps and colour artworks of the vehicles employed in the border war and the uniforms of the Royal Thai Army. This work provides a valuable resource for historians, enthusiasts, modellers and wargamers alike.