It was published in the United States as Defeat into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942–1945 by David McKay of New York in 1961.

In the original 1956 edition,[1] Slim divided his work chronologically into six "books" entitled: This structure, examining the Allied victory in terms of the resurrection of the British and Indian Armies' fighting prowess, has proved influential in the historiography of the Burma campaign.

In a review in Military Affairs, Frank Trager describes it as "extraordinary" and making "a most valuable contribution to our understanding",[2] and thought it instructive in the light of contemporary American involvement in Vietnam.

Louis Morton, writing in The Journal of Modern History, considered it a work of "wisdom, modesty, grace, and deep understanding", and "an outstanding example of the best of British military memoirs".

"[4] Defeat into Victory was also a considerable commercial success, with the first edition of 20,000 selling out almost immediately, being quickly followed by a second run.