⚔"Operation Blowpipe" by J.P. Cross

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ladang orang asli (indigenous people’s) settlement

nasi lemak rice cooked in coconut milk, with fried crispy

anchovies, peanuts and cucumber

orang asli indigenous people of Malaysia

parang chopper, knife

ringgit Malayan dollar

sampitan blowpipe

Tuan official, ‘sir’

Nepali (Gurkhali)

Belayat England

Cheena Chinese, normally a man

daku ‘dacoit’, used for Communist guerrillas

dushman enemy

inding pinding independence

ita aija come here

keta lad

gora fair-skinned, word for British troops

hajur term of respect, inert conversational response (literally ‘presence’)

hunchha is, okay

sal a tree, Shorea robusta

sarkar government, officialdom

ustad ‘teacher’, word used in some Gurkha units to an NCO

Note: the ‘-bahadur’ at the end of names is often shorted to ‘-é’ when talking, so, instead of Kulbahadur, it is Kulé etc

Temiar

Blau blowpipe

senoi bar halaaq shaman

Map 1 - Malaysia

map 1 of Malaysia

Map 2 - Detail of the intersection of Kedah, Perak and Thailand

map 2 Detail of the intersection of Kedah, Perak and Thailand

Map 3 - Detail of Negri Sembilan

map 3 Detail of Negri Sembilan

Map 4 - Detail of Sungei Perak and its tributaries

map 4 Detail of Sungei Perak and its tributaries

About the Author

Lt. Col. JP Cross is a retired British officer who served with Gurkha units for nearly forty years. He has been an Indian frontier soldier, jungle fighter, policeman, military attaché, Gurkha recruitment officer and a linguist researcher, and he is the author of twenty books. He has fought in Burma, Indo-China, Malaya and Borneo and served in India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Laos and Nepal where he now lives. Well into his nineties, he still walks four hours daily.

Operation Blowpipe is the seventh in a series of historical military novels set in Southeast Asia including Operation Black Rose, Operation Janus, Operation Red Tidings, Operation Blind Spot, Operation Stealth and Operation Four Rings. The first four books may be read in any order; the final two are sequential. The series features Gurkha military units, and the author draws on real events he witnessed and real people he fought alongside in various theatres of war in Southeast Asia and India.

Also by JP Cross

Fiction

The Throne of Stone

⚔"Operation Blowpipe" by J.P. Cross

Overview:

Plot: The book is likely set against the backdrop of military operations, focusing on a covert or specialized mission known as "Operation Blowpipe." This operation might involve jungle warfare, intelligence gathering, or counter-insurgency tactics, potentially in a region like Borneo, Malaya, or another part of Southeast Asia where J.P. Cross had firsthand experience.

Setting: The novel or memoir would be set in a tropical, jungle environment, where terrain and climate play a crucial role in shaping the mission and the soldiers’ experience. The story could be based in the dense rainforests of Borneo or Malaya, where Cross served during conflicts like the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.

Themes:

Jungle warfare: The book is likely to delve deeply into the tactics, hardships, and strategies involved in conducting military operations in the jungle, where survival skills and adaptability are key.
Camaraderie and leadership: Like many military memoirs, this book may focus on the bonds between soldiers, the challenges of leadership, and the psychological toll of war.
Counter-insurgency: The story might explore the complexities of fighting insurgents in remote, hostile environments, requiring not just physical endurance but also cultural understanding and psychological warfare.

Characters:

Protagonist: If the book is autobiographical, the protagonist would be a version of J.P. Cross himself, a seasoned military officer with deep knowledge of jungle warfare. His experience and tactical skills would be central to the mission's success.

Supporting soldiers: Fellow soldiers, either British or local forces, might play crucial roles in the operation, highlighting the teamwork and unity required in such harsh conditions.

Local populations or insurgents: The book might also depict interactions with local populations, both friendly and hostile, as well as the insurgents the operation is targeting.

Style:

⚔"Operation Blowpipe" by J.P. Cross