It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Battle of Meiktila. (Discuss)

The concurrent Battle of Meiktila and Battle of Mandalay were decisive battles near the end of the Burma Campaign. Despite logistical difficulties, the Allies were able to deploy large armoured and mechanised forces in Central Burma. These, with undisputed air support, destroyed most of the Japanese forces in Burma. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Battle of Meiktila / Mandalay. ... The Burma Campaign was a campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It was fought primarily between Commonwealth, Chinese and American forces against the Empire of Japan. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The British Fourteenth Army was a multinational force comprising units from Commonwealth countries during World War II. Many of its units were from the Indian Army as well as British units and there were also significant contributions from East African divisions within the British Army. ... Field Marshal Sir William Slim (pictured here as a Major General) Field Marshal William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim (6 August 1897 - 14 December 1970), British military commander and 13th Governor-General of Australia, was born near Bristol, Gloucestershire. ... Hyotaro Kimura (Kimura Hyōtarō, sometimes spelled Kimura Heitaro) was a Japanese army officer who played a major, although comparatively little-known role in Japanese planning and policy before and during World War 2. ... The Burma Campaign was a campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It was fought primarily between Commonwealth, Chinese and American forces against the Empire of Japan. ...

The Situation in 1945

The Japanese situation

Geography of Burma. (Indaw lies north of Mandalay and west of Bhamo. Pakokku is near Chauk. The Gangaw Valley is west of Monywa).

In 1944, the Japanese had sustained several defeats in the mountainous frontiers of Burma. In particular, at the Battle of Imphal and Battle of Kohima, the Japanese Fifteenth Army had suffered disastrous losses, mainly due to disease and starvation. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1400x1892, 890 KB) See also: User:Captain Blood/GMT Example File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1400x1892, 890 KB) See also: User:Captain Blood/GMT Example File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... The Battle of Imphal took place in Manipur district of North East India from April until June 1944. ... The Battle of Kohima was a battle of the Burma Campaign in World War II, fought around the town of Kohima in northeast India from April 4 to June 22, 1944. ...

On September 1, 1944, Lieutenant General Hyotaro Kimura was appointed commander of Japanese Burma Area Army, succeeding Lieutenant General Masakazu Kawabe whose health had broken down. At this stage of the war, Japan was in retreat on all fronts and was concentrating its resources for the defence of the homeland. Kimura had been Vice Minister for War, and had held other posts with responsibility for mobilising Japanese industry for the war effort. It was hoped that he could use the factories and oil wells of Burma to make the Japanese forces there logistically self-sufficient. As Kimura's Chief of Staff, with day to day responsibility for operations, Lieutenant General Shinichi Tanaka was appointed. He had formerly commanded the Japanese 18th Infantry Division in Northern Burma, and had a reputation for inflexible determination. September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Hyotaro Kimura (Kimura Hyōtarō, sometimes spelled Kimura Heitaro) was a Japanese army officer who played a major, although comparatively little-known role in Japanese planning and policy before and during World War 2. ... Masakazu Kawabe (1886 - 1965) was a Japanese officer during World War II. He reached the rank of Chujo (Lieutenant General) and was the Chief of Staff of the Japanese Central Chinese Army until March 1943 when he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Burma Area Army. ...

Japanese losses in Burma in 1944 had been catastrophic. They were made up with drafts of conscripts, many of whom were not of the best physical categories. Most divisions in Burma numbered only 10,000. (Their paper establishment was nearer 25,000). Furthermore, they lacked anti-tank weapons. To face massed Allied armour, they would be forced to deploy their field artillery in the front line, which would affect their ability to give concentrated fire support to the infantry.

The Japanese 5th Air Division, deployed in Burma, had been reduced to only a few dozen aircraft. Their 14th Tank Regiment possessed only 20 tanks. Kimura accepted that his forces stood little chance against Allied material superiority in open terrain. He therefore intended that while Twenty-eighth Army defended the Arakan province, and Thirty-third Army continued to prevent the Americans driving a new road from India to China, the Fifteenth Army would withdraw behind the Irrawaddy River. He hoped that the Allies would be overstretched trying to overcome this obstacle. Arakan is a state in the North Western part of Myanmar, formerly Burma. ... The Irrawaddy (newer spelling Ayeyarwaddy) is a river that flows through the centre of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is Myanmars most important commercial waterway. ...

The Allied Situation

The Allied South East Asia Command had begun making plans to recapture Burma as early as June, 1944 (while the Battle of Imphal was still being fought and its result was still in doubt in some quarters). South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II. The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir Archibald Wavell, initially as head of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ...

Three main options were proposed. One option was to capture Northern Burma only, to allow the Burma Road, linking India with China, to be completed. This was rejected, as it could use only a fraction of the available forces and fulfilled only an out-of-date strategic aim. A second option was to capture Rangoon, the capital and main seaport, by a seaborne invasion. This was also rejected, as it would require landing craft and other resources which would not be available until the end of the War in Europe. By default, the plan adopted was for an offensive into Central Burma by the British Fourteenth Army under Lieutenant General William Slim, to recapture Burma from the north. The Burma Road is a road linking Burma (also called Myanmar) with China. ... Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... The British Fourteenth Army was a multinational force comprising units from Commonwealth countries during World War II. Many of its units were from the Indian Army as well as British units and there were also significant contributions from East African divisions within the British Army. ... Field Marshal Sir William Slim (pictured here as a Major General) Field Marshal William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim (6 August 1897 - 14 December 1970), British military commander and 13th Governor-General of Australia, was born near Bristol, Gloucestershire. ...

Most of Slim's divisions were on a mixed Animal and Mechanical Transport establishment, which allowed them to operate in difficult terrain. In anticipation of fighting in the open country of Central Burma, Slim reorganised two of his divisions (Indian 5th Infantry Division and Indian 17th Infantry Division) as partly Motorized infantry and partly Airmobile infantry formations. Indian 5th Infantry Division fought in several theatres of World War II and more than earned its nickname the Ball of Fire. Lord Louis Mountbatten said: When the Division came under my command in South-East Asia towards the end of 1943, it had already had three years hard fighting... The Indian 17th Infantry Division was a formation of the British Indian Army raised during World War II. It had the distinction of being continually in combat during the three-year long Burma Campaign (except for brief periods of refit). ... Motorised infantry is an infantry unit which is transported by trucks or other fast motor vehicles. ... Air assault (or air mobile) is a military term used to describe the movement of friendly assault forces by rotary-wing aircraft to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain. ...

At this stage of the war, few British infantry reinforcements were available. The strength of Fourteenth Army's British formations, and of the British units in its Indian formations was dropping, and as a result Indian and Gurkha units were increasingly to bear the brunt of the actions which followed.

The chief problem which Fourteenth Army would face was logistics. The advancing troops would need to be supplied over crude roads stretching for far greater distances than were ever encountered in Europe. Although expedients such as river transport and temporary all-weather coverings for roads were to be used, transport aircraft were to be vital to supply the forward units. Threats to deprive Fourteenth Army of these were to be a constant concern for Slim during the forthcoming battles.

Intelligence

In the coming campaign, both the Allies and Japanese were to suffer from lack of intelligence about the enemy, and make incorrect assumptions about enemy intentions. The Allies had undisputed air superiority. In addition to aerial reconnaissance, they also received reports from behind enemy lines from V Force and Force 136. On the other hand, they lacked the detailed information available to commanders in Europe through ULTRA radio intercepts, partly because Japanese radio security seems to have been good (until near the end of the battle, when their signal and staff arrangements largely collapsed), and partly because Japanese linguists were lacking at all headquarters levels. V Force was a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering organisation established by the British during the Burma Campaign in World War II. // Establishment and Organisation In April 1942, when the Japanese drove the British Army from Burma and seemed likely to invade India, General Sir Archibald Wavell ordered the creation of... Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organisation, the Special Operations Executive. ... Ultra (sometimes capitalized ULTRA) was the name used by the British for intelligence resulting from decryption of German communications in World War II. The term eventually became the standard designation in both Britain and the United States for all intelligence from high-level cryptanalytic sources. ...

On the other hand, the Japanese were almost blind. They had very few aircraft with which to fly air reconnaissance missions, and they would receive little information from the Burmese population which was becoming disillusioned and restive under Japanese military control. Some formations had set up their own intelligence organisations; for example, Twenty-Eighth Army had created the Hikari Kikan, whose agents lived deep under cover in the frontier regions of Burma. Unfortunately, these agents could not acquire or report information quickly enough to be tactically useful in a fast-moving mechanised battle.

Opening movements

As the monsoon season ended in late 1944, Fourteenth Army had established two bridgeheads across the Chindwin River. Slim assumed from past Japanese actions, that the Japanese would fight in the Shwebo Plain, as far forward as possible between the Chindwin and Irrawaddy Rivers. On November 29, Indian 19th Infantry Division launched Indian IV Corps's attack from the northern bridgehead at Sittaung, and on December 4, Indian 20th Infantry Division under Indian XXXIII Corps attacked out of the southern bridgehead at Kalewa. The Chindwin River is a river in Myanmar and the major tributary of the Irrawaddy River. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Indian 19th Infantry Division was raised during World War II, and played a prominent part in the final part of the Burma Campaign. ... The Indian IV Corps was part of Fourteenth Army during World War II. It operated on the central part of the front, covering the Assam of India and opposite the upper Chindwin in Burma. ... December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Indian XXXIII Corps was part of Fourteenth Army during World War II. It was added to the order of battle of Fourteenth Army during the crisis of spring 1944. ...

Both divisions made rapid progress, with little opposition. 19th Division in particular, under Major General "Pete" Rees was approaching the vital rail centre of Indaw, 80 miles east of Sittaung, after only five days. It was at this point that Slim realised that his earlier assumption that the Japanese would fight forward of the Irrawaddy was incorrect. As only one of IV Corps's divisions had so far been committed, he was able to make major changes to his original plan. 19th Division was transferred to XXXIII Corps, which was to continue to attack towards Mandalay. The remainder of IV Corps, strengthened by Fourteenth Army's reserve divisions, was to advance down the Gangaw Valley west of the Chindwin, cross the Irrawaddy near Pakokku and seize the vital logistic and communication centre of Meiktila by a rapid armoured thrust. Mandalay (Burmese: ) is the second largest city in Myanmar (formerly Burma) with a population of 927,000 (2005 census), agglomeration 2,5 million. ... MEIKTILA is in Mandalay division of Myanmar; population (1901) 252,305, and is located at 20°53N, 95°53 E. It is situated on the banks of magnificent Lake Meiktila, an ancient irrigation and drinking water reservoir, and at the junction of the Bagan-Taunggyi and Yangon-Mandalay roads. ...

Movements in January

To allow the main body of their divisions to retreat across the Irrawaddy, the Japanese had left rearguards in several towns in the Shwebo Plain. 19th Division and British 2nd Infantry Division cleared Shwebo, while 20th Division had a hard battle to take Monywa on the Chindwin. The Japanese rearguards were largely destroyed. The British 2nd Infantry Division fought in Burma against the Japanese during World War II. See British 2nd Division (World War I) for the divisions World War I history. ... Monywa (Burmese: ) is a city in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 136 km north-west of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River. ...

Meanwhile, IV Corps began its advance down the Gangaw Valley. Its leading formation, Indian 7th Infantry Division, was screened by the East African 28 Infantry Brigade and the Lushai Brigade. Where these lightly equipped units met Japanese resistance at Pauk, the town was heavily bombed by Allied aircraft to soften up the defenders.

The route required upgrading in several places to allow heavy equipment to pass. At one point, the trail of vehicles stretched from Pauk to Kohima, 350 miles to the north by road.

Crossing the Irrawaddy

19th Division slipped units across a narrow stretch of the Irrawaddy, 40 miles north of Mandalay, as early as January 14. The crossings downstream would require more preparation. The assault boats, ferries and other equipment for the task were in short supply in Fourteenth Army, and much of this equipment was worn out, having seen service in other theatres. January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Slim planned for 20th Division of XXXIII Corps and 7th Division of IV Corps to cross simultaneously, so as to further mask his ultimate intentions. 20th Division crossed 20 miles west of Mandalay on February 13. It successfully established small bridgeheads, but these were counter-attacked nightly for almost two weeks. Orbiting patrols of fighter-bombers knocked out several Japanese tanks and guns. Eventually 20th Division expanded its footholds into a single firmly-held bridgehead. February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

7th Division's crossing was made on a wider front. Both the main attack at Nyaungu and a secondary crossing at Pagan (the former capital, and the site of many Buddhist temples) were initially disastrous. Eventually, support from tanks firing across the river and massed artillery forced the defenders at Nyaungu to give way. At Pagan, the garrison proved to be a unit of the Indian National Army, which soon surrendered itself and helped the attackers (1/11th Sikhs) to cross. Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... The flag used by Indian National Army during World War II. The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was an auxiliary force to the Imperial Japanese Army in its southern mainland campaign during the Second World War. ...

Starting on February 19, Indian 255 Armoured Brigade and the motorised infantry of 17th Division began crossing into 7th Division's bridgehead. To further distract Japanese attention from this area, British 2nd Division began crossing the Irrawaddy only 10 miles west of Mandalay on February 23. This crossing also threatened to be a disaster due to leaky boats and faulty engines, but one brigade crossed successfully and the other brigades crossed into its bridgehead. February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Japanese order of battle

At this point, the Japanese were hastily reinforcing their Central Front with units from the northern front (where the American-led Northern Combat Area Command had largely ceased its operations) and with reserve units from Southern Burma. Their full order of battle was: The Northern Combat Area Command or NCAC was a mainly Sino-American formation that held the northern end of the Allied front in Burma during World War II. For much of its existence it was commanded by the acerbic General Joseph Stilwell. ...

Burma Area Army (lieutenant General Hyotaro Kimura)

2nd Division (incredibly, this division was being withdrawn from Burma to Thailand)

49th Division (moving to Central Burma)

14th Tank Regiment

4th Artillery Regiment

Fifteenth Army (Lieutenant General Shihachi Katamura)

15th Division (north of Mandalay)

31st Division (west of Mandalay)

33rd Division (Myingyan)

53rd Division (south of Mandalay)

Twenty-eighth Army (Lieutenant General Shozo Sakurai)

54th Division (Arakan)

55th Division (Arakan and Southern Burma)

72nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Lower Irrawaddy Valley)

Thirty-third Army (Lieutenant General Masaki Honda)

18th Division (moving to Central Burma)

56th Division (Shan States)

24th Independent Mixed Brigade (withdrawing to Moulmein)

Mawlamyine (formerly Moulmein) is the capital and largest city in Mon State, Myanmar. ...

Allied order of battle

Opposed to them was:

Fourteenth Army (Lieutenant General William Slim)

Indian 5th Division (motorised/airmobile) (in reserve, joining IV Corps)

IV Corps (Lieutenant General Frank Messervy)

Indian 7th Division

Indian 17th Division (motorised/airmobile)

East African 28th Infantry Brigade

Lushai Brigade (being withdrawn)

Indian 255th Armoured Brigade (Sherman tanks)

XXXIII Corps (Lieutenant General Montagu Stopford)

British 2nd Division (motorised)

Indian 19th Division

Indian 20th Division

Indian 268th Infantry Brigade (motorised)

Indian 254th Armoured Brigade (Grant and Stuart tanks)

General Sir Frank Messervy General Sir Frank Walter Messervy was the first Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Royal Army (15 August 1947–10 February 1948 or Aug 1948?).He became a Lieutenant General in 1945; General 1947; GOCINC Northern Command, India 1946-1947. ...

Capture of Meiktila

17th Indian Division under Major General David Cowan, with 255th Armoured Brigade, sallied from the Nyaungu bridgehead on February 20, and by February 24 were at Taungtha, halfway to Meiktila. February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Ironically, on this date, a Japanese high-level staff meeting was taking place in Meiktila, to discuss the possibility of a counter-attack north of the Irrawaddy. The Japanese command was undoubtedly surprised by the Allied attack. An agitated officer on Mount Popa signalled that 2000 vehicles were moving on Meiktila. Staff at 15th Army or Burma Area Army assumed this to be a mistake and deleted one of the zeroes, thinking that the attack was merely a raid. Burma Area Army had also ignored an earlier air reconnaissance report of a vast column of vehicles moving down the Gangaw Valley.

On February 26, the Japanese became aware of the true size of the threat, and began preparing Meiktila for defence. The defenders were the bulk of Japanese 168 Regiment from the 49th Division, and anti-aircraft and line of communication troops, totalling about 4000. While they attempted to dig in, 17th Division captured an airstrip 20 miles west at Thabutkon. The airmobile Indian 99th Brigade were flown in, and petrol dropped for the armoured brigade. February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Three days later, on March 1, the division attacked Meiktila from all sides. Cowan had the Corps commander (Lieutenant General Frank Messervy) and General Slim watching anxiously over his shoulder, both worried that the Japanese might hold out for weeks. In the event, in spite of desperate resistance, the town fell in less than four days. Lack of anti-tank weapons gravely handicapped the defenders. In an attempt to improvise anti-tank defences, some Japanese soldiers crouched in trenches, clutching 250 Kg aircraft bombs. When an enemy tank loomed over the trench, they were to strike the detonator. Most were shot by an officer of 255 Brigade and Indian soldiers. March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... General Sir Frank Messervy General Sir Frank Walter Messervy was the first Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Royal Army (15 August 1947–10 February 1948 or Aug 1948?).He became a Lieutenant General in 1945; General 1947; GOCINC Northern Command, India 1946-1947. ...

Japanese siege of Meiktila

The Japanese troops hastening to reinforce Meiktila were dismayed to find that they now had to recapture the town. The Japanese forces engaged were:

49th Division

106 Infantry Regiment

168 Infantry Regiment (remnants only)

49 Artillery Regiment

18th Division

55 Infantry Regiment

56 Infantry Regiment

18 Mountain Artillery Regiment

214 Infantry Regiment (attached from 33rd Division)

119 Infantry Regiment (attached from 53rd Division)

"Naganuma Artillery Group" (attached)

4 Infantry Regiment (from 2nd Infantry Division)

"Mori Special Force" (a battalion-sized long-range raiding force)

Many of the Japanese regiments, especially those under 18th Division, were already weak after heavy combat in the preceding weeks. They totalled perhaps 12,000 men with 70 guns. The divisions had no contact with each other, and lacked information on the enemy and even proper maps. In Meiktila, 17th Division mustered 15,000 men, about 100 tanks and 70 guns, and were to be further reinforced during the battle.

Even as the Japanese forces arrived, columns of motorised Indian infantry and tanks sallied out of Meiktila and attacked concentrations of Japanese troops, while attempting to clear a land route back to Nyaungu. There was hard fighting for several villages and other strongpoints. The attempt to clear the roads failed, and 17th Division withdrew into Meiktila.

The Japanese 18th Division's first attacks from the north and west failed, with heavy losses. Its commander, Lieutenant General Eitaro Naka, now attacked the airfields east of the town from March 12 onwards. Cowan's division relied on supply through these. Indian 9 Infantry Brigade flew into the airfields from March 15. The landings were made under fire, but only two aircraft were destroyed, with 22 casualties. The Japanese fought their way steadily closer to the airfields and from March 18, Cowan suspended air landings (although casualties could still be evacuated in light aircraft) and supplies were parachuted to his division. March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ...

Meanwhile, on March 12, Kimura had ordered Lieutenant General Masaki Honda, commanding Thirty-third Army, to take command of the battle. Honda's HQ staff arrived, but without their signal units, they could not coordinate the divisions properly. Attacks continued to be disjointed. The Japanese were using their artillery in the front line with their infantry, which accounted for several British tanks, but also resulted in the loss of many guns. At one point they attempted to use a captured British tank, but this was destroyed.

While Meiktila was besieged, the other unit of IV Corps, 7th Indian Division, was engaged in several battles to maintain its own bridgehead, capture the important river port of Myingyan, and assist East African 28 Brigade against counter-attacks on the west bank of the Irrawaddy. Towards the end of March, the leading motorised brigade of Indian 5th Division reinforced them, and began clearing the land route to Meiktila. Myingyan is a city and district in the Mandalay Division of central Myanmar, previously, it was a district in the Meiktila Division of Upper Burma. ...

Fall of Mandalay

During late January, 19th Indian Division had cleared the west bank of the Irrawaddy. The Japanese 15th Division opposed to them was very weak and thinly spread, and General Rees launched an attack southwards from its bridgeheads in mid-February. By March 7, his leading units could see Mandalay Hill, crowned by its many pagodas and temples. March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ...

Lieutenant General Seiei Yamamoto, commanding the Japanese division, was opposed to defending the city, but received uncompromising orders from higher headquarters to defend Mandalay to the death. Kimura at Burma Area Army was concerned about the loss of prestige should the city be abandoned. Also, there were still large supply dumps south of the city, which could not be moved.

A Gurkha battalion (4/4th Gurkha Rifles), commanded by an officer who had served in Mandalay before the war, stormed Mandalay Hill on the night of March 8. Several Japanese held out in tunnels and bunkers underneath the pagodas, and were slowly eliminated over the next few days, although most of the buildings survived substantially intact. March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ...

Fighting their way further into the city, Rees's division was stopped by the thick walls of Fort Dufferin (as the ancient citadel was named), surrounded by a moat. Medium artillery and bombers failed to make much impression on the walls, and an assault via a railway tunnel was driven back. 19th Division prepared to make another assault via the sewers on March 21, but before it could be made, the Japanese abandoned the fort, also via the sewers. King Thibaw's teak palace, inside the fort, had burned down during the siege, only one of many historic buildings destroyed. March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ...

Elsewhere on XXXIII Corps's front, Indian 20th Division launched an attack southwards from its bridgehead. The Japanese 33rd and 31st Divisions, weakened by casualties and detachments to the battle at Meiktila, were thrown into disorder. Armoured and motorised columns of 20th Division reached almost as far south as the Meiktila fighting, before turning back north against the rear of the Japanese facing the bridgeheads. The British 2nd Division attacked Mandalay from the west. By the end of March, Japanese Fifteenth Army had been reduced to uncoordinated remnants trying to move eastwards to regroup in the Shan States.

End of the battle

On March 28, Lieutenant General Shinichi Tanaka, Chief of Staff of Burma Area Army, conferred with Lieutenant General Honda at Thirty-third Army HQ. Honda's staff told him that the army had suffered 5,000 casualties, and had only 20 artillery pieces left. Tanaka accepted the responsibility of ordering Honda's army to break off the siege of Meiktila. March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in leap years). ...

It was already too late. The Japanese armies in Central Burma had lost most of their equipment, and their cohesion. They would be unable to stop Fourteenth Army exploiting to within striking distance of Rangoon. Furthermore, with the loss of Mandalay, the Burmese population turned finally against the Japanese. Uprisings by guerilla forces and a revolt by the Japanese-sponsored Burma National Army would contribute to the eventual Japanese defeat. The Burma National Army served as the armed forces of the Burmese government created by the Japanese during World War II and fought in the Burma Campaign. ...

Bibliography

• Louis Allen, Burma: The longest War, Dent Publishing, 1984, ISBN 0-460-02474-4
• Sir William Slim, Defeat Into Victory, (1956)