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Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount
Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount (b 6 Aug. 1891, d. 14 Dec. 1970). British field marshal Born in Bristol, and educated at King Edward's School (Birmingham). He worked for an engineering company before enlisting in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment at the outbreak of World War I. He served at Gallipoli and was commissioned. Slim joined the Indian army in 1919, where he served until World War II. He commanded Indian troops in successful campaigns against Vichy French forces in Syria in 1941, and went to Burma in 1942 to fight the Japanese forces which were approaching the Indian frontier. In October 1943, he took command of the newly formed 14th Army. He resisted Japan's Imphal offensive in March 1944, and after victory at Kohima, moved down the Irrawaddy River, subsequently recapturing Rangoon and most of Burma in 1944–5. A formidable character who could speak a variety of Indian languages, his crushing defeat of the Japanese ensured his reputation. He was later Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1948–52), and governor-general of Australia (1953–60).
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-SlimWilliamJoseph1stVscnt.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-SlimWilliamJoseph1stVscnt.html |
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Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim
Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim (1891–1970). Soldier. Born in Bristol and brought up in Birmingham, Slim joined the army in 1914, emerging twice wounded from the war with the rank of major. He spent most of the inter-war years with the army in India and in 1940 was sent with a brigade to Eritrea to fight the Italians. In 1942 he was given a command in Burma and in October 1943 took over the 14th Army. The following year he won a great victory in repelling a major Japanese offensive and was able to launch a counter-attack to recover Burma, with a brilliant diversionary movement towards Mandalay. After the war he served as chief of the imperial general staff from 1948 and was governor-general of Australia 1953–60. He was given the Garter in 1959 and a viscountcy in 1960. Slim was a fighting general, bluff and pugnacious, ‘the finest general the Second World War produced’ according to Mountbatten, and known to his men as ‘Uncle Bill’.
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JOHN CANNON. "Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-SlimWilliam1stViscountSlm.html JOHN CANNON. "Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-SlimWilliam1stViscountSlm.html |
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William Joseph Slim Slim, 1st Viscount
William Joseph Slim Slim, 1st Viscount 1891–1970, British field marshal. He saw service in several campaigns, notably Gallipoli and Mesopotamia, in World War I. After the war he joined the Indian army, rising in rank to brigadier in 1940. He commanded (1940) British forces in Sudan and led (1941) a division in Iran and Iraq. He went (1942) to Myanmar as corps commander and led (1943–45) the 14th British Army in the reconquest of that country from the Japanese. He served as chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1948 to 1952 and was made field marshal in 1949. He served as governor-general of Australia from 1953 to 1960, when he was created viscount.
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"William Joseph Slim Slim, 1st Viscount." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "William Joseph Slim Slim, 1st Viscount." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Slim-Wil.html "William Joseph Slim Slim, 1st Viscount." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Slim-Wil.html |
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Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim
Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim (1891–1970). Soldier. Born in Bristol and brought up in Birmingham, Slim joined the army in 1914, emerging with the rank of major. He spent most of the inter‐war years with the army in India and in 1940 was sent with a brigade to Eritrea to fight the Italians. In 1942 he was given a command in Burma and in October 1943 took over the 14th Army. The following year he won a great victory in repelling a major Japanese offensive and was able to launch acounter‐attack to recover Burma. After the war he served as chief of the imperial general staff from 1948 and was governor‐general of Australia 1953–60.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-SlimWilliam1stViscountSlm.html JOHN CANNON. "Slim, William, 1st Viscount Slim." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-SlimWilliam1stViscountSlm.html |
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Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount
Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount (1891–1970) British field-marshal. He commanded an Indian division in the 1941 conquest of the VICHY French territory of Syria. In early 1942 he joined the BURMA CAMPAIGN, and in 1943 took command of the 14th Army. After the victory at Kohima he pushed down the Irrawaddy River to recapture Rangoon and most of Burma. After the war he became Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1948–52) and Governor-General of Australia (1953–60).
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Cite this article
"Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-SlimWilliamJoseph1stVscnt.html "Slim, William Joseph, 1st Viscount." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-SlimWilliamJoseph1stVscnt.html |
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