Burma Campaign
Part of Pacific War (World War II)
Geography of Burma
Date January 1942 - July 1945 Location Burma Result Allied victory
Combatants
United Kingdom British India Republic of China United States	Empire of Japan Indian National Army Burma National Army Thailand For the Harry Turtledove alternate history series novel, see Pacific War (Harry Turtledove). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... 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. ... Location Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Imperial-India-Blue-Ensign. ... The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... The Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) succeeded the Qing Dynasty in 1912, ending 2,000 years of imperial rule. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_-_variant. ... Anthem Kimi ga Yo Imperial Reign Slogan: Fukoku Kyohei Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Military (a. ... Image File history File links AzadHindFlag. ... The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was the army of the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (The Provisional Government of Free India ) which fought along with the Japanese 15th Army during the Japanese Campaign in Burma, and in the Battle of Imphal, during the Second... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... 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. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Thailand. ...
Commanders
Louis Mountbatten William Slim Chiang Kai-Shek Joseph Stilwell Aung San(From 1944)	Masakazu Kawabe Hyotaro Kimura Renya Mutaguchi Subhash Chandra Bose Aung San(until 1944)
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties
Unknown	C.144,000 Japenese Army killed

The Burma Campaign was a campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It was fought primarily between British Empire, Chinese, and American forces against the Empire of Japan and its auxiliary, the Indian National Army. British Empire forces (often simply referred to as "British") were drawn from the United Kingdom, British India (which included present-day Pakistan and Bangla Desh), east and west Africa and elsewhere. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (June 25, 1900 – August 27, 1979) was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... 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. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... Chiang Kai-shek (Chinese: 蔣介石 or 蔣中正, October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Joseph Warren Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946) was a United States Army four-star general best-known for his service in China. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Aung San General Aung San (Bogyoke Aung San in Burmese) (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ; IPA: ); February 13, 1915 – July 19, 1947) was Burmas national hero, revolutionary, nationalist, general, and politician. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_-_variant. ... 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. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_-_variant. ... 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. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_-_variant. ... (1888-1966) Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi Commanded the 18th Division in south China and in the World War II Campaigns in Malaya, Philippines and Burma. ... Image File history File links AzadHindFlag. ... Subhash Chandra Bose, (Bangla: নেতাজী সুভাষ চন্দ্র বসু ( सुभाष चदंर वसु ) Shubhash Chôndro Boshu) (January 23, 1897 – presumably August 18, 1945 [although this is disputed]note), also known as Netaji, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian Independence Movement against the British Raj and was a prominent supporter of the Axis dictatorships as... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Aung San General Aung San (Bogyoke Aung San in Burmese) (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ; IPA: ); February 13, 1915 – July 19, 1947) was Burmas national hero, revolutionary, nationalist, general, and politician. ... The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army Special Force that served in Burma and India from 1942 until 1945 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained... The Battle of the Admin Box took place on the Southern Front of the Burma Campaign from February 5 to February 23, 1944 in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II In Arakan the Japanese 55th Division infiltrated Allied lines to attack Indian 7th Infantry Division from the... Combatants British Fourteenth Army Indian IV Corps Japanese 15th Division Japanese 33rd Division Japanese 31st Division Commanders Louis Mountbatten Geoffrey Scoones Renya Mutaguchi Masakasu Kawabe Strength 4 Infantry Divisions 1 Armoured Brigade 1 Parachute Brigade 3 Infamtry about 100,000 Japanese Army Casualties 17,500 53,879 The Battle of... 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. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Battle of Meiktila. ... Combatants Indian XV Corps Japan Commanders Sir Philip Christison Strength 1 infantry division 1 airborne battalion RAF 1 infantry division Casualties 24 (from friendly fire) Unknow During World War II, Operation Dracula was the name given to an airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Indian forces, part... The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ... Combatants British Army, Indian Army, Australian Army, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Arthur Percival Tomoyuki Yamashita Strength 140,000 70,000 Casualties 5,000 killed, 50,000 prisoners of war no more than 34,000 The Battle of Malaya was a conflict between a Commonwealth army... The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ... It has been suggested that Japanese Raids into Indian Ocean be merged into this article or section. ... The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (8,293 sq km on 139 islands), are a group of islands situated in the Bay of Bengal at about 780 miles from Kolkata, 740 miles from Chennai and 120 miles from Cape Nargis in Burma. ... Combatants United Kingdom Empire of Japan Commanders Arthur John Power Manley Laurence Power Shigeru Fukudome Shintaro Hashimoto† Kaju Sugiura† Strength 5 destroyers 1 cruiser 1 destroyer Casualties 1 destroyer damaged, 2 killed[1] 1 cruiser sunk, 1 destroyer damaged, 927 killed[2] The Battle of the Malacca Strait, sometimes called... For the Harry Turtledove alternate history series novel, see Pacific War (Harry Turtledove). ... The Pacific Ocean theater was one of four major theaters of the Pacific War, between 1941 and 1945. ... The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ... The South West Pacific was one of two theatres of World War II in the Pacific region, between 1942 and 1945. ... Combatants Soviet Union Peoples Republic of Mongolia Japan Manchukuo Mengjiang Commanders Aleksandr Vasilevsky Otsuzo Yamada Strength Soviet Union 1,577,225 men, 26,137 artillery, 1,852 sup. ... The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Anthem Kimi ga Yo Imperial Reign Slogan: Fukoku Kyohei Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Military (a. ... The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was the army of the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (The Provisional Government of Free India ) which fought along with the Japanese 15th Army during the Japanese Campaign in Burma, and in the Battle of Imphal, during the Second...

Until the fall of Singapore and the Japanese incursions in 1942, Burma had been regarded as a military "backwater", unlikely to be subjected to Japanese threat ^[1]. This was despite the importance of its natural resources (eg oil and rice) and the opportunity to threaten the allied supply route to China.

A notable feature of the campaign was the use of air transport to move troops and to supply them. Large numbers of American transport aircraft were in the region to deliver materiel to China and, at times, these were diverted to sustain allied offences in Burma, thus heavily tipping the regional logistical advantage to the allies' (principally the 14th Army) favour. Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ...

Initial Japanese successes

See the South-East Asian Theatre and the Pacific War for a details on the initial Japanese successes including the fall of Hong Kong, the Battle of Malaya and the fall of Singapore. For the Harry Turtledove alternate history series novel, see Pacific War (Harry Turtledove). ... Combatants British Army Canadian Army British Indian Army Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Mark Aitchison Young Christopher Michael Maltby Sakai Takashi Strength 15,000 troops 50,000 troops Casualties 4,500 killed 8,500 POWs 705 killed 1,534 wounded The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign... Combatants British Army, Indian Army, Australian Army, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Arthur Percival Tomoyuki Yamashita Strength 140,000 70,000 Casualties 5,000 killed, 50,000 prisoners of war no more than 34,000 The Battle of Malaya was a conflict between a Commonwealth army... The Battle of Singapore was a battle of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II, from January 30, 1942 – February 15, 1942. ...

Japanese capture of Rangoon

In Burma, the Japanese attacked in the middle of January 1942. Their initial attack was at Victoria Point which was expected and not contested. The second attack was a small probing raid directed at a police station in southern Tenasserim. The raid was repulsed. The Japanese then launched large overland attacks aimed at airfields at Tavoy and Mergui in the southern province of Tenasserim, which were difficult to defend and reinforce. Burma Army HQ had been ordered to hold these outposts based on the value of the airfields in the defence of Malaya. The Japanese forced their way over the steep and jungle-covered Tenasserim Range, and attacked Tavoy on January 18. The defenders, a mixed force comprising the 6th Burma Rifles and the 3rd Burma Rifles, were overwhelmed and forced to evacuate the town in disorder. Mergui was evacuated before it was attacked. Victoria Point is a Bayside Suburb 31km East of Brisbane, with a ferry service to Coochiemudlo island. ... Tanintharyi, better known by the old name Tenasserim, is a division of Myanmar, covering the long narrow southern part of the country on the Kra Isthmus. ... Dawei (formerly known as Tavoy), southeastern Myanmar, capital of Tanintharyi Division, is a port at the head of the Dawei River estuary, 30 m. ... Mergui or Myeik is a city in Taninthayi Division in Myanmar (Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on a peninsula in the Andaman Sea. ... Tanintharyi, better known by the old name Tenasserim, is a division of Myanmar, covering the long narrow southern part of the country on the Kra Isthmus. ... Box Log Falls, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia Jungle usually refers to a dense forest in a hot climate, such as a tropical rainforest. ...

Rangoon was the major port in Burma, and with it, the Allies had many advantages of supply. It had at first been defended from air attacks relatively successfully, with the small RAF forces reinforced by a squadron of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers. But the majority of the airfields were between Rangoon and the Japanese advance so, as the Japanese gained use of the airfields in Tenasserim, the amount of warning the Rangoon airfields could get of attack decreased, and they became more and more untenable. Yangon (Burmese: , population 5,000,000(nearly) (2007 census), formerly Rangoon, is the largest city and former capital of Myanmar (previously known as Burma). ... The “Flying Tigers” (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Japanese: フライング・タイガース) was the nickname of the American Volunteer Group, a group of USAAF, USN and USMC pilots recruited under a secret Presidential sanction by Claire Chennault, that formed a fighter group with three squadrons that trained in China and defended the Burma...

On January 22, 1942 the Japanese 55th Division began the main attack westward from Rahaeng in Thailand across the Kawkareik Pass. The Indian 17th Division guarding this approach was hastily formed and badly trained, and retreated westward. Moulmein at the mouth of the Salween River was garrisoned by a brigade-sized unit. It was ordered that Moulmein be held in spite of it being a terrible position. The brigade holding the town was squeezed into a progressively tighter perimeter. It eventually retreated over the Salween River by ferry on January 31 after abandoning a large amount of supplies and equipment. Part of the force was left behind in Moulmein and had to swim the river. January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Tak (Thai: ) is one of the northern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... 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). ... Mawlamyine (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ; IPA: ; formerly Moulmein) is the capital and largest city in Mon State, Myanmar. ... Salween River Delta, October 1994 The Salween River (also spelled Salwin) rises in Tibet, after which it flows through Yunnan, where it is known as the Nujiang river (Chinese: 怒江; Pinyin: Nù Jiāng), although either name can be used for the whole river. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Indian 17th Division attempted to hold a variety of fallback lines, but there were simply not enough troops to hold any sort of line. The Division gradually fell back toward the Sittang River in general disorder. At the river, a variety of incidents such as a vehicle breaking through the bridge deck led to continuous delays in getting the division over the river. There were also allegedly incidents of accidental attacks by the RAF on the retreating troops. The slow pace of the retreat allowed the Japanese to start harassment operations which slowed the retreat still further. Japanese parties eventually infiltrated through and around the British troops to the Bridge itself. The defence of the Bridge was poorly organized and the small Japanese parties eventually threatened to capture it. Eventually, in a decision that would forever after be controversial, the commander of the division blew the bridge on February 22 with most of the division left on the other side. The men on the other side made their way across as best they could either swimming or in improvised rafts. But what reached the other side of the river was essentially a wrecked force which had lost all its equipment. The Sittang is a river in Myanmar. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Though the Sittang River was in theory a strong defensive position, the allied forces were simply no longer numerically strong enough to prevent the Japanese from infiltrating through their lines. As soon as a defensive line was created, small Japanese parties would be found setting up roadblocks behind it resulting in further retreats. Attacks by forces including the British 7th Armoured Brigade might be locally successful, but could not stop the overall Japanese advance. On March 7, the military evacuated Rangoon after implementing what they described as a "scorched earth" plan for denial. The port was destroyed and the oil terminal was blown up. As the British departed, the city was on fire. Its garrison broke through a Japanese roadblock on their line of retreat northward due to an error on the part of the Japanese commander. (Otherwise, the Japanese might have captured General Harold Alexander and much of the rest of Burma Army.) The 7th Armoured Brigade is a unit of the British Army. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (67th in leap years). ... Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (December 10, 1891 - June 16, 1969) was a British military commander and Field Marshal, notably during World War II as the commander of the 15th Army Group. ...

Japanese advance to the Indian frontier

After the fall of Rangoon, the Allies decided to make a stand in the north of the country (Upper Burma). It was hoped that the Chinese forces which had entered the country in large numbers could stabilize a front running through central Burma. Supplies were generally not an issue. Much war material had been evacuated from Rangoon including material originally meant for shipment to China, rice was plentiful and the oilfields in central Burma were still intact. 1st Route Expeditionary Forces - Lo Cho-ying (Late February 1942) [1] Commander – Lieut. ...

The Allies hoped that the Japanese advance would slow; instead, it gained speed. The Japanese reinforced their two divisions in Burma with two more transferred from Malaya after the fall of Singapore. They also brought in large numbers of captured British trucks and other vehicles, which allowed them to move supplies rapidly, and also use Motorized infantry columns, particularly against the Chinese forces. The Japanese were also aided, or at least the Allies were harassed, by the rapidly expanding Burma Independence Army. The Allies were also to be hampered by large numbers of refugees (mostly Indian civilians) and the progressive breakdown of the civil government in the areas they held. Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... Motorised infantry is an infantry unit which is transported by trucks or other fast motor vehicles. ... 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. ...

Burma Army's headquarters arrangements had been thrown into disarray. It was eventually decided to form "Burcorps" or 1st Burma Corps as an operational command. "Burcorps" and its leadership proved no more effective than the previous leadership in Burma. It was gradually pushed northward towards Mandalay. 1st Burma Division was encircled and trapped in the blazing oilfields at Yenangyaung, and although it was rescued by counterattacks, it lost almost all its equipment and its cohesion. Meanwhile, the Chinese armies were shattered by strong Japanese attacks. With the effective collapse of the entire defensive line, there was little choice left other than an overland retreat to India. Yenangyaung is a city in Magway Division, Myanmar, on the Irrawaddy River. ... The Battle of Yenangyaung was fought in Burma, now Myanmar during World War II. The Battle The battle for the Yenangyaung oil fields started on 11th April and continued for a week and one of the most desperate actions was against 48th Indian Brigade at Kokkogwa. ... Combatants Japan, Imperial Japanese Army United Kingdom, China, National Revolutionary Army Commanders Lo Cho-ying, Joseph Stilwell Shojiro Iida Strength  ?  ? Casualties  ?  ? Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road (Mid March - Early June 1942) was the name of the Chinese intervention to aid their British allies in the 1942 Burma Campaign. ...

The retreat was conducted in horrible circumstances. Starving refugees, disorganised stragglers, and the sick and wounded clogged the primitive roads and tracks leading to India. Most of Burma Corps's remaining equipment was lost at Kalewa, although the troops escaped a Japanese attempt to trap them east of the Chindwin River. The Corps managed to make it most of the way to Imphal, in Manipur in India before the Monsoon broke in May 1942. There, they found themselves living out in the open during the peak of the Monsoon in extremely unhealthy circumstances. The army authorities in India were very slow to respond to the needs of the men. Kalewa is a town at the confluence of the Chindwin River and the Myittha River in northwest Myanmar. ... The Chindwin River is a river in Myanmar and the major tributary of the Irrawaddy River. ... Imphal is the capital of Manipur, India. ... Manipur   (Bengali: মণিপুর,Now in Meitei mayek) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...

The Chinese troops committed by Chiang Kai-shek (the Fifth, Sixth and Sixty-sixth Armies, each with the strength of a division but not necessarly a British level of equipment) also retreated. Some fell back across the River Salween into the Chinese province of Yunnan. Others were cut off and made their way in a completely disorganized manner to India where they were put under the command of the American General Joseph Stilwell. After recuperating they were re-equipped and retrained by American instructors.   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally south of the clouds) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the far southwestern corner of the country. ... X-Force was a Marvel Comics superhero team, one of many spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. ... Joseph Warren Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946) was a United States Army four-star general best-known for his service in China. ...

Thai Army enters Burma

In accordance with the Thai military alliance with Japan that was signed on December 21, 1941, the leading elements of the Thai Phayap Army crossed the border into the Shan States on May 10, 1942. At one time in the past the area had been part of the Ayutthaya kingdom. The boundary between the Japanese and Thai operations was generally the Salween. However, that area south of the Shan States known as Karenni States, the homeland of the Karens, was specifically retained under Japanese control. December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Shan State is a state located in Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, the majority ethnic group in the Shan State. ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (131st in leap years). ... The kingdom of Ayutthaya was a Thai kingdom that existed from the 1350 to 1767. ... The Karenni States is the name formerly given to the three states of Kantarawadi (3161 square miles, pop (1931) 30,677), Kyebogyi (790 square miles, pop (1931) 14,282) and Bawlake (568 square miles, pop (1931) 13,802), located south of the Federated Shan States and east of British Burma. ...

Three Thai infantry and one cavalry division, spearheaded by armoured reconnaissance groups and supported ably by the air force, started their advance on May 10, and engaged the retreating Chinese 93rd Division. Kengtung, the main objective, was captured on May 27. Renewed offensives in June and November drove the Chinese back into Yunnan. The Royal Thai Air Force (Thai: กองทัพอากาศไทย, Kong Thab Akat Thai) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. ... Kengtong, also spelled as Cheingtung and Kengtung is a city in Myanmar. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ...

At the end of the war, the Shan States were abandoned and reoccupied by the Chinese.

Allied setbacks, 1942 - 1943

Operations in Burma over the remainder of 1942 and in 1943 were a study of military frustration for the Allies. Britain could only maintain three active campaigns, and immediate offensives in both the Middle East and Far East proved impossible through lack of resources. The Middle East was accorded priority, being closer to home and in accordance with the "Germany First" policy in London and Washington.

The Allied buildup was also hampered by the disordered state of Eastern India at the time. There were violent "Quit India" protests in Bengal and Bihar, which required large numbers of British troops to suppress. There was also a disastrous famine in Bengal, which may ultimately have led to 3 million deaths through starvation, disease and exposure. Although the immediate cause was a typhoon which devastated large areas in mid-1942, the loss of rice normally imported from Burma and Allied demands for exported rice in other theatres reduced the reserves of food available for relief, while the dislocation caused by sporadic Japanese bombing, and corruption and inefficiency in the government of Bengal prevented any proper distribution of aid, or other drastic measures being taken. , Bihar (Hindi: बिहार, Urdu: بہار, IPA: ,  ) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ... The Bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided Bengal (now independent Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal) in 1943. ...

In such conditions of chaos, it was difficult to improve the inadequate lines of communication to the front line in Assam, or make use of local industries for the war effort.

First Arakan campaign

Nevertheless, two operations were mounted during the 1942-1943 dry season. The first was a small scale offensive into the Arakan region of Burma. The Arakan is a coastal strip along the Bay of Bengal, crossed by numerous rivers. The First Arakan offensive aimed to reoccupy the Mayu peninsula and Akyab Island, which had an important airfield. Beginning on December 21, 1942, Indian 14th Infantry Division advanced to Donbaik, only a few miles from the end of the peninsula. Here they were halted by a small Japanese force which occupied nearly impregnable bunkers. Indian and British troops made repeated frontal assaults without armoured support, and were thrown back with heavy casualties. Rakhine State (formerly Arakan) is a state of Myanmar. ... Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... The Indian 14th Infantry Division was raised during World War II. The division was raised on June 1, 1941, at Quetta in Baluchistan. ...

Meanwhile, Japanese reinforcements arrived from Central Burma. Crossing rivers and mountain ranges which the Allies had declared to be impassable, they hit 14th Division's exposed left flank on April 3, 1943 and overran several units. It was eventually decided to hold a defensive line south of the town of Buthidaung. But the units were unable to hold the line and were forced to abandon much equipment and fall back almost to the Indian frontier. British General Noel Irwin, being in overall command, was dismissed in part as a result of this disaster. April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

First Chindit expedition

The second action was much more controversial; that of the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade, better known as the Chindits. Under the command of Major General Orde Wingate, the Chindits marched deep behind enemy lines with an initial aim of cutting the main north-south railway in Burma. The operation had originally been conceived as part of a much larger coordinated offensive, which had to be aborted due to lack of supplies and shipping. Almost all of the original reasons for mounting the Chindit operation were then invalid. Nevertheless, it was mounted anyway. The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 3rd Indian Infantry Division) were a British jungle Special Forces unit that served in Burma from 1943 until 1945 as part of the Fourteenth Army during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long... The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army Special Force that served in Burma and India from 1942 until 1945 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained... Orde Charles Wingate Major General Orde Charles Wingate, DSO (February 26, 1903 – March 24, 1944), was a British major general and creator of two special military units during World War II. // Orde Wingate was born 23 February 1903 in Naini Tal, India to a military family. ...

Some 3,000 men entered Burma in many columns. They did cause damage to the communications of the Japanese in northern Burma cutting the railway for possibly two weeks. However, they suffered heavy casualties; 818 killed, wounded or missing, 27% of the original force. Those that did return were wracked with disease and quite often in dreadful physical condition. Though the operational results can be questioned, the Chindits proved that British and Indian soldiers could live, move and fight as effectively as the Japanese in the jungle, and this aspect of the campaign was used to great propaganda effect, countering the impression created after the battles of early 1942 that the Japanese could not be beaten in the jungle. It was also said by the Japanese commanders after the war that the Japanese in Burma decided to take the offensive, rather than adopt a purely defensive stance, as a direct result of the Chindit operation.

Turning point

Rival plans

Allied plans

In August 1943 the Allies decided to create South East Asia Command (SEAC) a new combined command responsible for the South-East Asian Theatre. With the decision came a new sense of purpose and in November, when SEAC took over responsibility for Burma, the British Fourteenth Army was ready to take the offensive. This substantial turnaround in the 14th Army's effectiveness has been credited to its commander, William Slim. He enforced the use of anti-malarial drugs (at times 80% of its manpower had affected by malaria) as part of an emphasis on individual health, established realistic jungle warfare training, rebuilt the army's self-respect by winning easy victories and developed local military infrastructure^[2]. 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... 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. ...

The Allied supply lines were improving; by October 1944 capacity on the North-East Indian Railways had been raised to 4,400 tons a day from 600 tons a day at the start of the war. By 1944 the RAF had gained Air superiority and this allowed the Allies to employ new tactics, relying upon air supply of troops. The efficient running of the Northeast Indian Railways during World War II became critical to the success of the Allied war effort in the South-East Asian Theatre. ...

SEAC had to accommodate several rival plans. Initially, the new Commander-in-Chief favoured amphibious landings. The first of these was to be on the Andaman Islands (Operation "Pigstick"). However, the landing craft initially assigned were recalled to Europe in preparation for the Normandy Landings. Even a limited amphibious move in support of a renewed offensive in the Arakan was abandoned. The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ...

Orde Wingate had gained approval for a greatly expanded Chindit force, rather against the wishes of Slim and others who felt that this was too great a drain on resources. Wingate had originally planned to capture an enemy airfield (at Indaw), which would then be garrisoned by a line infantry division. This second part of the plan for Special Force was later dropped. Indaw(Sagaing, Burma) is a town in northern Myanmar. ...

Chiang Kai-shek had agreed to mount an offensive from the Yunnan. When the Andaman Island landings were cancelled, he claimed this was a breach of faith and cancelled the Yunnan offensive, although he later reinstated it.

The Allied plans for 1944 were reduced to: an offensive by Stilwell's Chinese troops from India; the Chindit operation in support of Stilwell; a renewed overland attack in the Arakan; and a rather ill-defined offensive across the Chindwin River from Imphal in support of the other operations. The Chindwin River is a river in Myanmar and the major tributary of the Irrawaddy River. ...

Japanese plans

About the same time that SEAC was established, the Japanese also created Burma Area Army, which took under command the 15th Army and 28th Army. Burma Area Army was a Japanese army organized 18 March 1943 to unify the command of the 15th and 28th Armies in Burma. ...

By chance or design, the new commander of 15th Army, Renya Mutaguchi, had played a major part in many recent Japanese triumphs. He was keen to mount an offensive against India. Burma Area Army originally quashed this idea, but found that Southern Expeditionary Army HQ in Singapore was keen on it. When the staff at Southern Expeditionary Army were persuaded of the inherent dangers, they in turn found that Imperial Army HQ in Tokyo was in favour of Mutaguchi's plan. (1888-1966) Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi Commanded the 18th Division in south China and in the World War II Campaigns in Malaya, Philippines and Burma. ...

To the Japanese, an unanswerable argument in favour of some sort of offensive strategy was that, merely to passively defend against the various Allied threats, they would need to reinforce Burma with as many divisions as they would need to mount the offensive. With misgivings at various headquarters (including those of some of the divisions which were to take part in the offensive), Operation U-G0, the attack on Imphal, was sanctioned.

Northern front 1943/44

Stilwell planned an attack on the North front to drive the Japanese out of the area, so that he could build the Ledo Road and get supplies overland to the National Chinese Army of Chiang Kai-Shek. The Chindits, now in divisional strength and designated Indian 3rd Infantry Division, were tasked with assisting Stilwell by disrupting the Japanese lines of supply to the northern front. The Ledo Road was built during World War II so that the Western Allies could continue to supply the Chinese after the Japanese cut the Burma Road. ... Chiang Kai-shek (Chinese: 蔣介石 or 蔣中正, October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. ... The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 3rd Indian Infantry Division) were a British jungle Special Forces unit that served in Burma from 1943 until 1945 as part of the Fourteenth Army during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long...

In October 1943 the Chinese 38th Division (led by Sun Li-jen) under Stilwell's command began the attack with an advance from Ledo towards Shinbwiyang, the intention being to carry the offensive on through to Myitkyina and Mogaung. As the forces under NCAC advanced so the Ledo Road advanced behind them. Whenever Chinese Divisions ran into Japanese strong points, Merrill's Marauders were used to outflank Japanese positions by going through the jungle. A technique which had served the Japanese so well earlier in the war before the Allies had learnt the arts of jungle warfare was now being used against them. At Walawbum, for example, if the Chinese 38th Division had been a little swifter and linked up with the Marauders it could have encircled the Japanese 18th Division. General Sun Li-jen Sun Li-jen (Traditional Chinese: 孫立人; Hanyu Pinyin: Sūn Lìrén) (November 19, 1899–November 19, 1990) was a Kuomintang general, best known for his leadership in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. ... Ledo may refer to Ledo Pizza, a restaurant chain extending from Pennsylvania to Florida. ... Myitkyina is a city, and the capital of Kachin State in Myanmar, located 919miles from Yangon, or 487 miles from Mandalay. ... Mogaung is a town in northeast Kachin State in Myanmar. ... Merrill’s Marauders officially 5307th Composite Unit (provisional) was a US commando unit in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II who fought in the Burma Campaign. ... Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain. ... IJA 18th Division ) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. ...

Second Chindit Expedition

In Operation Thursday the Chindits were to support Stilwell's advance by interdicting Japanese supply lines in the region of Indaw. On February 5, 1944, Bernard Fergusson's 16th Brigade left Ledo for Burma. They successfully avoided the Japanese and penetrated the Japanese rear areas. In early March three other brigades were flown into landing zones behind Japanese lines by the USAAF 1st Air Commando Group. Over the next two and a half months the Chindits were involved in many very heavy contacts with the Japanese. The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army Special Force that served in Burma and India from 1942 until 1945 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained... Indaw(Sagaing, Burma) is a town in northern Myanmar. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Bernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae, KT, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE (6 May 1911 – 28 November 1980) was a Brigadier in the British Army, military historian and Governor-General of New Zealand. ... The British 16th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation based in Palestine at the beginning of the Second World War as part of the British 8th Infantry Division. ... The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the U.S. Army during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... The United States 1st Air Commando Group operated in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II as part of the U.S. Tenth Air Force in support of the British Fourteenth Army in the Burma Campaign. ...

On March 24, Wingate, the commander of the Chindits, was killed in an aircrash. His replacement was Brigadier Joe Lentaigne. On May 17 command of the Chindits passed from the Slim's Fourteenth Army to Stilwell's NCAC. The Chindits now moved from the Japanese rear areas to new bases closer to Stilwell's front, and were given additional tasks for which they were not equipped. Calvert's 77th Brigade captured Mogaung, but at the cost of 50 percent casualties. By the end of the campaign the Chindits had lost 1,396 killed and 2,434 wounded. Over half had to be hospitalised with a special diet afterwards. March 24 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Major General Walter David Alexander Lentaigne (1899-1955) British Indian Army - often known as Joe Lentaigne. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (138th in leap years). ... Michael Calvert, DSO and bar, was one of the most successful British soldiers of World War 2. ...

Yunnan Front

The Chinese forces on the Yunnan front mounted an attack starting in the second half of April, with nearly 40,000 troops crossing the Salween River on a 200 mile (300 km) front. Within a few days some twelve Chinese Divisions of 72,000 men, under the command of General Wei Lihuang, were attacking the Japanese 56th Division. The Japanese forces in the North were now fighting on two fronts: the Allies from the North West and the Nationalist Chinese from the North East. Salween River Delta, October 1994 The Salween River (also spelled Salwin) rises in Tibet, after which it flows through Yunnan, where it is known as the Nujiang river (Chinese: 怒江; Pinyin: Nù Jiāng), although either name can be used for the whole river. ... Wei Li-haung (1897-1955) was a Chinese general who served the Nationalist government throughout the Chinese Civil War and Second Sino-Japanese War as one of Chinas most successful military commanders. ...

The Chinese Yunnan offensive was hampered by the monsoon rains and lack of air support, but succeeded in annihilating the garrison of Tengchung at the end of May. After overcoming determined Japanese resistance (in which the Japanese were helped when Chinese plans and codes fell into their hands by chance), the Chinese captured Lungling at the end of August. At this point, the Japanese moved reinforcements (amounting to a further division in strength) to Yunnan and counter-attacked, temporarily halting the Chinese advance.

Siege of Myitkyina

While the Japanese offensive on the Central Front was being waged, Stilwell's forces continued to make gains. On May 17, 1944, Merrill's forces captured the airfield at Myitkyina. If the Ledo Chinese troops who had been flown in that afternoon had attacked the town immediately they could have overwhelmed the small garrison, but they did not and the opportunity was lost as the Japanese rapidly reinforced the town. The resulting prolonged siege cost the allies many men, particularly amongst the Chindits who were forced to remain in the field to disrupt Japanese relief attempts far longer than had been planned. However, because of the deteriorating situation on the other fronts, the Japanese never looked like regaining the initiative on the Northern Fronts. May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Myitkyina is a city, and the capital of Kachin State in Myanmar, located 919miles from Yangon, or 487 miles from Mandalay. ...

The long siege also resulted in heavy Japanese losses. When the airfield was captured, the Japanese in the town at first intended to fight a delaying action, aided by the monsoon rains. On July 10, Major General Genzo Mizukami, who had been sent with reinforcements and placed in charge of the garrison, was ordered personally to "Defend Myitkyina to the death". After several Chinese attacks were repelled, further resistance appeared hopeless by the end of July. Mizukami evacuated the survivors of the garrison before fulfilling the letter of his orders by taking his own life inside the defended perimeter. Myitkyina was finally captured on August 3. July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ...

The capture of Myitkyina marked the end of the initial phase of Stilwell's campaign. It was the largest seizure of enemy-held territory to date in the Burma campaign and was primarily due to the Ledo Chinese divisions led by Stilwell. The airfield at Myitkyina became a vital link in the air route over the Hump. The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew from India to China to resupply the Flying Tigers and the Chinese Government of Chiang Kai-shek. ...

Southern front 1943/44

In Arakan, Indian XV Corps, now commanded by Lieutenant General Philip Christison, renewed the advance on the Mayu peninsula. Ranges of steep hills channeled the advance into three attacks; Indian 5th Infantry Division along the coast, Indian 7th Infantry Division along the Kalapanzin River and West African 81st Division along the Kaladan River. The Indian XV Corps was a part of the Fourteenth Army during World War II. It was responsible for the southern part of the Armys front in the Arakan region. ... General Sir Alexander Frank Philip Christison (November 17, 1893 - December 21, 1993) was a major British military figure of the Second World War. ... 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 7th Indian Infantry Division was a war formed division created during World War II . ... The 81st (West Africa) Division was formed under British control during World War II. It took part in the Burma Campaign. ...

5th Division captured the small port of Maungdaw on January 9, 1944. The Corps then prepared to capture two railway tunnels linking Maungdaw with the Kalapanzin valley. However, the Japanese struck first. A strong force from the Japanese 55th Division infiltrated Allied lines to attack the 7th Division from the rear, overrunning the Indian Divisional HQ. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Unlike previous occasions on which this had happened, the Allied forces stood firm against the attack, and were supplied from the air. In the Battle of the Admin Box from February 5 to February 23 1944, the Japanese concentrated on XV Corps' Administrative Area, defended mainly by service troops, but they were unable to deal with tanks supporting the defenders. Meanwhile, troops from 5th Division broke through the Ngakyedauk Pass to relieve the defenders of the box. The Battle of the Admin Box took place on the Southern Front of the Burma Campaign from February 5 to February 23, 1944 in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II In Arakan the Japanese 55th Division infiltrated Allied lines to attack Indian 7th Infantry Division from the... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Although battle casualties were approximately equal, the overall result was a heavy Japanese defeat. Their infiltration and encirclement tactics had failed to panic Allied troops, and as the Japanese were unable to capture enemy supplies, they themselves starved.

Over the next few weeks, XV Corps offensive wound down as the Allies concentrated on the Central Front. After capturing the railway tunnels, XV Corps halted during the monsoon.

Central front 1943/44

Indian IV Corps, under Lieutenant-General Geoffrey Scoones, had pushed forward two divisions to the Chindwin River; Indian 17th Infantry Division to Tiddim and the Indian 20th Infantry Division to Tamu. Indian 23rd Infantry Division (which was 5000 men under establishment due to sickness) was in reserve at Imphal. There were indications that a major Japanese offensive was building. Slim and Scoones planned to withdraw and force the Japanese to fight with their logistics stretched beyond the limit. However, they misjudged the date on which the Japanese were to attack, and the strength they would use against some objectives. Sir Geoffrey Allen Percival Scoones, KCB, KBE, CSI, DSO, MC, (1893 - 1975) was a general in the British Army during the Second World War . ... The Indian 20th Infantry Division was formed in India, and took part in the Burma Campaign during World War II. In the immediate aftermath of the War, the bulk of the division reoccupied French Indo-China. ... The Indian 23rd Infantry Division was raised during World War II. // The division was raised on January 1, 1942, at Jhansi in India. ...

The Japanese 15th Army (33rd Division, 15th Division and "Yamamoto Force"), under Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi, planned to cut off and destroy the forward divisions of IV Corps, before capturing Imphal. The 31st Division would meanwhile isolate Imphal by capturing Kohima. Mutaguchi intended to exploit this victory by capturing the strategic city of Dimapur, in the Brahmaputra River valley. If this could be achieved, his army would be through the mountainous border region and the whole of North East India would be open to attack. Units of the Indian National Army were to take part in the offensive and raise rebellion in India. The capture of the Dimapur railhead would also sever the land communications to the airbases used to supply the Chinese over the Hump and cut off supplies to General Stilwell's forces fighting on the Northern Front. IJA Thirty Third Division ) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. ... The IJA Fifteenth Division ) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). ... Imphal is the capital of Manipur, India. ... IJA Thirty First Division ) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. ... 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. ... Dimapur is a town and a town area committee in Dimapur District in the state of Nagaland, India. ... Brahmaputra A dugout with pilot in Chitwan. ... The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was the army of the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (The Provisional Government of Free India ) which fought along with the Japanese 15th Army during the Japanese Campaign in Burma, and in the Battle of Imphal, during the Second... The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew from India to China to resupply the Flying Tigers and the Chinese Government of Chiang Kai-shek. ...

Imphal and Kohima Campaign

The Japanese launched their troops across the Chindwin River on March 8. Scoones only gave his forward divisions orders to withdraw to Imphal on March 13. The Indian 20th Division withdrew without difficulty; the Indian 17th Division was cut off by the Japanese 33rd Division. From March 18 to March 25, thanks to air re-supply by the now highly experienced RAF and U.S Troop Carrier Command crews in their C-47 Dakotas, and assistance from the Indian 23rd Division, the 17th was able to fight its way back through four Japanese road blocks. The two divisions reached the Imphal plain on April 4. Meanwhile, Imphal had been left vulnerable to the Japanese 15th Division. The only force left covering the base, Indian 50th Parachute Brigade, was roughly handled at Sangshak by a regiment from the Japanese 31st Division on its way to Kohima. However, the diversionary attack launched by Japanese 55th division on The Southern Front, had already run out of steam. In late March Slim was able to move the battle-hardened "Ball of Fire" Indian 5th Division, including all their artillery, jeeps, mules and other materiel, by air from Arakan to the Central Front. The move was completed in only eleven days. Two brigades went to Imphal, the other (the Indian 161st Infantry Brigade) went to Dimapur from where it sent a detachment to Kohima. Image File history File links Kohima. ... Image File history File links Kohima. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... Douglas DC-3 VH-AES at Avalon in 2003. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ...

While the Allied forces in Imphal were cut off and besieged, the Japanese 31st Division, consisting of 20,000 men under Lieutenant-General Kotoku Sato, were able to advance up the Imphal–Dimapur road. It was at this point that the Japanese plan started to unravel. Instead of isolating the small garrison at Kohima and pressing on with his main force to Dimapur, Sato chose to concentrate on capturing the hill station. The Japanese records indicate that Sato (and Mutaguchi's other divisional commanders) had severe misgivings about 15th Army's plan. In particular, they thought the logistic gambles were reckless, and were unwilling to drive on objectives they thought unattainable. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kalimpong town as viewed from a distant hill. ...

The Battle of Kohima started on April 5 when the Japanese 31st Division started the siege. In the initial phase of the battle the Japanese tried to dislodge the defenders from their hill top redoubts. Fighting was very heavy around the District Commissioner's tennis court. This phase of the battle is often referred to as the Battle of the Tennis Court and is particularly significant as it was the turning point of the Burma Campaign. On April 18 the Indian 161 Brigade relieved the defenders, but the battle of Kohima was not over as the Japanese dug in and defended the positions they had captured. 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. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort. ... The Battle of the Tennis Court was the turning point in the India from April 4 – June 22, 1944. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ...

A new formation HQ, the Indian XXXIII Corps under Lieutenant-General Montagu Stopford, now took over operations on this front. The British 2nd Infantry Division began a counter-offensive and by May 15, they had prised the Japanese off Kohima Ridge itself, although the Japanese still held dominating positions north and south of the main road to Imphal. More Allied troops were arriving at Kohima; the Indian 7th Division followed 5th Division from the Arakan; a motor infantry brigade reinforced 2nd Division; a brigade diverted from the Chindit operation cut Japanese 31st Division's supply lines. XXXIII Corps renewed its offensive in the middle of May. 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. ... General Sir Montagu George North Stopford, GCB, KBE, DSO, MC, (16 November 1892 - 1971) was a British lieutenant general during World War II and Commander-in-Charge of the Southeast Asia Command from June to November, 1946. ... The British 2nd Infantry Division has seen much service including fighting in Burma against the Japanese during World War II. See British 2nd Division (World War I) for the divisions World War I history. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (136th in leap years). ...

The Battle of Imphal went badly for the Japanese during the month of April, as their attacks from several directions on the Imphal plain failed to break the Allied defensive ring. Slim and Scoones now began a counter-offensive against the Japanese 15th Division north of Imphal. Progress was slow. The monsoon had broken, and this made movement very difficult. Also, IV Corps was suffering some shortages. Although rations and reinforcements were delivered to Imphal by air, artillery ammunition was by now rationed. However, the Japanese were at the end of their endurance and with the monsoon season beginning, conditions would quickly become far worse. Neither 31st Division nor 15th Division had received adequate supplies since the offensive began, and their troops lacked proper food. During the rains, disease and other health related problems quickly multiplied among the Japanese as well. Lieutenant-General Sato had notified Mutaguchi that his division would withdraw from Kohima at the end of May if it were not supplied. Nevertheless, Sato did indeed begin to retreat, although an independent detachment from his division continued to fight delaying actions along the Imphal Road. Meanwhile, the units of 15th Division were wandering away from their positions to forage for supplies. Its commander, Lieutenant-General Masafumi Yamauchi (who was mortally ill) was dismissed but this could not affect matters. The leading troops of IV Corps and XXXIII Corps met at Milestone 109 on the Dimapur-Imphal road on June 22, and the siege of Imphal was raised. Combatants British Fourteenth Army Indian IV Corps Japanese 15th Division Japanese 33rd Division Japanese 31st Division Commanders Louis Mountbatten Geoffrey Scoones Renya Mutaguchi Masakasu Kawabe Strength 4 Infantry Divisions 1 Armoured Brigade 1 Parachute Brigade 3 Infamtry about 100,000 Japanese Army Casualties 17,500 53,879 The Battle of... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 192 days remaining. ...

Mutaguchi (and Kawabe) continued to order renewed attacks. 33rd Division (under a new forceful commander, Lieutenant-General Nobuo Tanaka), and Yamamoto Force made repeated efforts south of Imphal, but by the end of June they had suffered so many casualties both from battle and general sickness that they were unable to make any progress. The Imphal operation was finally broken off early in July, and the Japanese retreated painfully to the Chindwin River.

It was the largest defeat to that date in Japanese history. They had suffered 55,000 casualties, including 13,500 dead. Most of these losses were the result of disease, malnutrition and exhaustion. The Allies suffered 17,500 casualties. Mataguchi was relieved of his command and left Burma for Singapore in disgrace. Sato refused to commit Seppuku (hara-kiri) when handed a sword by Colonel Shumei Kinoshita, insisting that the defeat had not been his doing.^[3] He was examined by doctors who stated that his mental health was such that he could not be court-martialled. (This was probably under pressure from Kawabe and Terauchi, who did not wish a public scandal). “hara-kiri” redirects here. ...

From August to November, Fourteenth Army pursued the Japanese to the Chindwin River, and mopped up numbers of stragglers. Slim and his Corps commanders (Scoones, Christison and Stopford) were knighted by Wavell (the Viceroy of India) in a ceremony at Imphal in December.

British 1944-1945 offensives

The British launched a series of offensive operations back into Burma during late 1944 and the first half of 1945. Command of the British formations on the front was rearranged in November 1944. 11th Army Group was replaced with Allied Land Forces South East Asia and NCAC and XV Corps were placed directly under ALFSEA. The British 11th Army Group was the main British Army force in Southeast Asia. ...

The Japanese also made major changes in their command. The most important was the replacement of General Kawabe at Burma Area Army by Hyotaro Kimura. Kimura threw Allied plans into confusion by refusing to fight at the Chindwin River. Recognising that most of his formations were weak and short of equipment, he withdrew 15th Army behind the Irrawaddy River (Operation BAN). 28th Army was to continue to defend the Arakan and lower Irrawaddy valley (Operation KAN), while 33rd Army would attempt to prevent the completion of the new road link between India and China by defending Bhamo and Lashio, and mounting guerilla raids (Operation DAN). 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 Ayeyarwady River or Irrawaddy River (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ) is a river that flows through Burma (Myanmar). ...

Southern Front 1944/45

In Arakan, as the monsoon ended, XV Corps resumed its advance on Akyab Island for the third year in succession. This time the Japanese were numerically far weaker, and had already lost the most favourable defensive positions. The Indian 25th Infantry Division advanced on Foul Point and Rathedaung at the end of the Mayu Peninsula, while the West African 81st Division and West African 82nd Division converged on Myohaung at the mouth of the Kaladan River. The Japanese evacuated Akyab Island on December 31, 1944. It was occupied by XV Corps without resistance two days later. The 82nd (West Africa) Division was formed under British control during World War II. It took part in the later stages of the Burma Campaign. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

The West African 82nd Division now attacked south along the coastal plain, while amphibious landings were made further south to capture the Japanese in a pincer movement. The first landings were made by a brigade of commandos, first ashore was No.42 Commando on the south-eastern face of the Myebon Peninsula on January 12, 1945. Over the next few days the commandos and a brigade of the Indian 25th Division cleared the peninsula and in doing so denied the Japanese the use of the many waterways along the Arakan coast. January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

On January 22 No 3 Commando Brigade landed on the beaches at Daingbon Chaung led this time by No. 1 Commando. Having secured the beaches they moved inland and became involved in very heavy fighting with the Japanese. The following night a brigade of the 25th Division was landed in support. The fighting around the beachhead involved hand-to-hand fighting as the Japanese realising the danger threw all their available troops into the fight. It was not until the 29th that the allied forces managed to turn the tide of the battle and take the village of Kangaw. Meanwhile the forces on the Myebon Peninsula linked up with the 82nd Division fighting its way overland towards Kangaw. Caught between the 82nd and the forces already in Kangaw, the Japanese were forced to scatter leaving behind thousands of dead and most of their heavy equipment. January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Following these actions, XV Corps operations were curtailed to release transport aircraft to support Fourteenth Army. With the coastal area secured the Allies were free to build sea-supplied airbases on the two offshore islands, Ramree Island and Cheduba. Cheduba, the smaller of the two islands, had no Japanese garrison, but the clearing of the small but typically tenacious Japanese garrison on Ramree took about six weeks (see Battle of Ramree Island). ^{[4] [5]} Ramree Island is an island off the coast of Myanmar (Burma). ... Cheduba Island is an island belonging to the Asian country Myanmar. ... The Battle of Ramree Island was fought for six weeks during January and February 1945, as part of the British Fourteenth Army 1944/45 offensive on the Southern Front of the Burma Campaign during World War II. Ramree Island lies off the Burma coast and was captured along with the...

Northern Front 1944/45

NCAC's operations were limited from late 1944 onwards by the need for Chinese troops on the main front in China. In spite of these limitations, General Sultan was still able to resume his advance against the Japanese 33rd Army. On his right, the British 36th Infantry Division, brought in to replace the Chindits, made contact with the Indian 19th Infantry Division near Indaw on December 10, 1944, and Fourteenth Army and NCAC now had a continuous front. Meanwhile, three Chinese divisions and a US Force known as the "Mars Brigade" (which had replaced Merrill's Marauders) advanced slowly from Myitkyina to Bhamo. The Japanese resisted for several weeks, but Bhamo fell on December 15. The British 36th Infantry Division was a Second World War British Army formation was created from the Indian Army 36th Infantry Division during the campaign in Burma. ... The Indian 19th Infantry Division was raised during World War II, and played a prominent part in the final part of the Burma Campaign. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sultan's forces made contact with Chiang's Yunnan armies on January 21, 1945, and the Ledo road could finally be completed, although it was not yet secure. The Ledo road by this point in the war was also of uncertain value, as it would not be completed soon enough to change the overall military situation in China. Chiang, to the annoyance of the British and Americans, ordered Sultan to halt his advance at Lashio, which was captured on March 7. As usual, the British and Americans refused to understand that Chiang had to balance the needs of China as a whole against fighting the Japanese in a British colony. January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (67th in leap years). ...

By now, the Japanese lines of communication to the Northern front were about to be cut by Fourteenth Army, and they abandoned this front. From April 1, NCAC's operations stopped, and its units returned to China. 36th Division was withdrawn to India. A US-led guerrilla force, OSS Detachment 101, took over those responsibilities of NCAC which had associated with the American forces. On the British side, civil affairs and other units (such as CAS(B)) stepped in to take over the other responsibilities of NCAC. Northern Burma was partitioned into Line-of-Communication areas by the military authorities. April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... THIS ALL SUCKS!!!!!! Detachment 101 of the Office of Strategic Services operated in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. On January 17, 1946, it was awarded a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation by Dwight Eisenhower, who wrote, The courage and fighting spirit displayed by its officers and men...

Central Front 1944/45

Fourteenth Army made the main thrust into central Burma. It had IV Corps and XXXIII Corps under its command, with six infantry divisions, two armoured brigades and three independent infantry brigades. Logistics were the primary problem the advance faced. A carefully designed system involving large amounts of supply by air was introduced as well endless construction projects designed to improve the land route from India into Burma.

When it was realised that the Japanese had fallen back behind the Irrawaddy River, the plan was modified. Initially both corps had been attacking into the Shwebo Plain between the Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers. Now, only XXXIII Corps would continue this attack, while IV Corps changed its axis of advance to the Gangaw Valley west of the Chindwin, aiming to cross the Irrawaddy close to Pakokku and then capture the main Japanese line of communication centre of Meiktila. Diversionary measures (such as dummy radio traffic) would persuade the Japanese that both corps were aimed at Mandalay. Pakokku (Burmese: ) is a town in the Magway Division in Myanmar. ... 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. ... Mandalay (Burmese: ) is the second largest city in Myanmar (formerly Burma) with a population of 927,000 (2005 census), agglomeration 2,5 million. ...

The plan was completely successful. Allied air superiority and the thin Japanese presence on the ground meant that the Japanese were unaware of the strength of the force moving on Pakokku. During January and February, XXXIII Corps seized crossings over the Irrawaddy River near Mandalay. There was heavy fighting, which attracted Japanese reserves and fixed their attention. Late in February, Indian 7th Division, leading IV Corps, seized crossings at Nyaungu, near Pakokku. Indian 17th Division and 255th Indian Armoured brigade followed them across and struck for Meiktila.

Central Burma in the dry season is an open plain with sandy soil. The Indian 17th Division (which was now mechanized) and the armoured brigade could move rapidly and unhindered in this open terrain, apparently taking the staffs at the various Japanese headquarters by surprise with this blitzkrieg manoevre. They struck Meiktila on March 1, and captured it in four days, despite resistance to the last man. In an often-recounted incident, some Japanese soldiers crouched in trenches with aircraft bombs, with orders to detonate them when an enemy tank loomed over the trench. Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs), or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ...

The Japanese tried first to relieve the garrison at Meiktila, and then to recapture the town and destroy Indian 17th Division. Although a total of eight Japanese regiments were eventually involved, they were mostly weak in numbers and drawn from five separate divisions, so their efforts were not coordinated. 33rd Army HQ was assigned to take command in this vital sector, but was unable to establish proper control. The Indian 17th Division had been reinforced by two infantry brigades landed by air. British tanks and infantry continually sallied out of Meiktila to break up Japanese concentrations. By the end of the month the Japanese had suffered heavy casualties and lost most of their artillery, their chief anti-tank weapon. They broke off the attack and retreated to Pyawbwe.

While the Japanese were distracted by events at Meiktila, XXXIII Corps had renewed its attack on Mandalay. It fell to Indian 19th Division on March 20, though the Japanese held the former citadel which the British called Fort Dufferin for another week. The battle was extremely costly in that much of the historically and culturally significant portions of Mandalay, including the old royal palace were burned to the ground. A great deal was lost by the Japanese choice to make a last stand in the city itself. With the fall of Mandalay (and of Maymyo to its east), communications to the Japanese front in the north of Burma were cut, and the road link between India and China could finally be completed though far too late to matter much. The Japanese 15th Army was reduced to small detachments and parties of stragglers making their way east into the Shan States. March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in leap years). ...

Race for Rangoon

Though the Allied force had advanced successfully into central Burma, from a supply point of view the capture of the port of Rangoon before the monsoon was seen as critically important. The overland route from India, while it was able to sustain the dry-season offensive, would not be able to fully meet the needs of the large army force and (as importantly) the food needs of the civilian population in the areas captured.

In the spring of 1945, the other factor in the race for Rangoon was the years of planning by the liaison organisation, Force 136, which resulted in a national uprising within Burma and the defection of the entire Burma National Army to the allied side. In addition to the allied advance, the Japanese now faced open rebellion behind their lines. Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organisation, the Special Operations Executive. ... 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. ...

XXXIII Corps mounted Fourteenth Army's secondary drive down the Irrawaddy River valley, against stiff resistance from the Japanese 28th Army. IV Corps made the main attack, down the "Railway Valley", which was also followed by the Sittang River. They began by striking at the delaying position held by the remnants of Japanese 33rd Army at Pyawbwe. The Indian 17th Division and 255th Armoured Brigade were initially halted by a strong defensive position behind a dry chaung, but a flanking move by tanks and mechanized infantry struck the Japanese from the rear and shattered them. The Sittang is a river in Myanmar. ...

From this point, the advance down the main road to Rangoon faced little organized opposition. At Pyinmana, the town and the bridge were seized before the Japanese could organise their defence. Japanese 33rd Army HQ was attacked here, and although Lieutenant-General Honda and his staff escaped, they could no longer control the remnants of their formations. Pyinmana (Burmese: ; population: 100,000 (2006 estimate)) is a logging town and sugar cane refinery center in Mandalay Division of Myanmar. ...

The Japanese 15th Army had reorganised in the Shan States and were reinforced by 56th Division. They were ordered to move to Toungoo to block the road to Rangoon, but a general uprising by Karen forces who had been organised and equipped by Force 136, delayed them long enough for the Indian 5th Division, now leading IV Corps, to reach the town first. Taungoo (Toungoo) is a city in the Bago Division of Myanmar, located 220 km from Yangon, towards the northern end of the division, with mountain ranges to both east and west. ... The Karen (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ) called by Burman , also known in Thailand as the Kariang (Thai: ) or Yang. ...

The Indian 17th Division took over the lead of the advance, and met Japanese rearguards north of Pegu, 40 miles (64 km) north of Rangoon, on April 25. Kimura had formed the various service troops, naval personnel and even Japanese civilians in Rangoon into the Japanese 105 Independent Mixed Brigade. This scratch formation used buried aircraft bombs, anti-aircraft guns and suicide attacks with pole charges to delay the British advance. They held the British off until April 30 and covered the evacuation of the Rangoon area. Categories: Stub ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (116th in leap years). ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ...

Operation Dracula

The original conception of the plan to re-take Burma had seen XV Corps making an amphibious assault on Rangoon well before Fourteenth Army reached the capital, in order to ease supply problems. Lack of resources meant that Operation Dracula did not take place in its original form. Combatants Indian XV Corps Japan Commanders Sir Philip Christison Strength 1 infantry division 1 airborne battalion RAF 1 infantry division Casualties 24 (from friendly fire) Unknow During World War II, Operation Dracula was the name given to an airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Indian forces, part...

Slim feared that the Japanese would defend Rangoon to the last man through the monsoon, which would put Fouteenth Army in a disastrous supply situation. His lines of communication by land were impossibly long, and the troops relied on supplies ferried by aircraft to airfields close behind the leading troops. Heavy rain would make these airfields unusable, and curtail flying. He therefore asked for Dracula to be re-mounted at short notice.

However, Kimura had ordered Rangoon to be evacuated, starting on April 22. Many troops were evacuated by sea, although British submarines claimed several ships. Kimura's own HQ left by land. The Japanese 105 Independent Mixed Brigade, by holding Pegu, covered this evacuation. April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ...

On May 1, a Gurkha parachute battalion was dropped on Elephant Point, and cleared Japanese rearguards (or perhaps merely parties left behind and forgotten) from the mouth of the Rangoon River. The Indian 26th Infantry Division landed the next day and took over Rangoon, which had seen an orgy of looting and lawlessness similar to the last days of the British in the city in 1942. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... The Yangon River (also known as Rangoon River or Hlaing River) is an estuary that runs from Yangon to the Andaman Sea. ... The Indian 26th Infantry Division, part of the British Indian Army, was raised during World War II, and fought in the Burma Campaign. ...

The leading troops of the Indian 17th and 26th divisions met at Hlegu, 28 miles (45 km) north of Rangoon, on May 6. May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (127th in leap years). ...

Final operations

Following the capture of Rangoon, there were still Japanese forces to take care of in Burma, but it was effectively a large mopping up operation. A new army headquarters ,that of Twelfth Army was created from XXXIII Corps HQ to take control of the formations which were to remain in Burma. It took IV Corps under command. The British Twelfth Army was formed on May 28, Burma from the Fourteenth Army, which was being withdrawn to plan for Operation Zipper, the planned invasion of Malaya by amphibious assualt, which was due to take place in August 1945. ...

The Japanese 28th Army, after withdrawing from Arakan and resisting XXXIII Corps in the Irrawaddy valley, had retreated into the Pegu Yomas, a range of low jungle-covered hills between the Irrawaddy and Sittang rivers. They planned to break out and rejoin Burma Area Army. To cover this breakout, Kimura ordered Honda's 33rd Army to mount a diversionary offensive across the Sittang, although the entire army could muster the strength of barely a regiment. On July 3, Honda's troops attacked British positions in the "Sittang Bend". On July 10, after a battle for country which was almost entirely under chest-high water, both the Japanese and the Indian 89 Brigade withdrew. July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 174 days remaining. ...

Honda had attacked too early. Sakurai's 28th Army was not ready to start the breakout until July 17. The breakout was a disaster. The British had captured the Japanese plans from an officer killed making a final reconnaissance, and had placed ambushes or artillery concentrations on the routes they were to use. Hundreds of men drowned trying to cross the swollen Sittang on improvised bamboo floats and rafts. Burmese guerillas and bandits killed stragglers east of the river. The breakout cost the Japanese nearly 10,000 men, half the strength of 28th Army. British and Indian casualties were barely a handful. July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

It has sometimes been argued that this slaughter so close to the end of the war was unnecessary. However, nobody in South East Asia Command was aware of the existence of the atomic weapons which would shortly force Japan to surrender unconditionally.

Fourteenth Army (now under Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey) and XV Corps had returned to India to plan the next stage of the campaign to re-take south east Asia. A new corps, the Indian XXXIV Corps, under Lieutenant-General Ouvry Roberts was raised and assigned to Fourteenth Army for further operations. Lieutenant-General Dempsey Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey GBE KCB DSO MC (15th December 1896 - 5th June 1969) was commander of the British Second Army during the D-Day landings in World War II. After graduating from Sandhurst Military Academy in 1915 Dempsey joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment. ... The Indian XXXIV Corps did not see any action during World War II. It was formed towards the end of the war to be part of the Fourteenth Army in Operation Zipper, the invasion of Malaya. ...

This was to be an amphibious assault on the western side of Malaya codenamed Operation Zipper. The dropping of the atomic bombs forestalled Zipper, but the operation was undertaken post-war as the quickest way of getting occupation troops into Malaya. During World War II, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture of either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Burma as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore. ...

American contribution

The RAF were aided by a number of USAAF units from the Tenth and Fourteenth air forces. The American Volunteer Group (AVG) known as "Flying Tigers" were in the theatre before the war and the unit formed the core of the Fourteenth Air Force. Two other notable formations were the No. 490 Bomb Squadron USAAF nicknamed the "Burma Bridge Busters", (part of the 341 Bomb Group USAAF which also included the 11th, 22nd and 491st Bomb Squadrons) and 1st Air Commando Group which was created to support the Chindits. When the Chindits operation ended the 1st Air Commando Group, renamed the 1st Air Commando Force, stayed to support other units of the British Fourteenth Army. The USAAF Tenth Air Force was created for air combat operations in China-Burma-India (CBI) theater during World War II. In the years since World War II, the Tenth Air Force has served the air defense and reserve training programs. ... The United States Fourteenth Air Force, also 14th Air Force (14 AF), is a Numbered Air Force (NAF) of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). ... For the airline, see Flying Tiger Line. ...

The strategic need to keep open the supply routes to China dictated the Burma campaign. After the loss of the Burma Road, the British wanted to supply China via the Hump until they could recapture it. The American General Joseph Stilwell thought it better to build a new road through north Burma to the Burma Road close to the Chinese border. He prevailed and this influenced the conduct of the campaign. So that the Ledo Road could be built, he attacked the Japanese northern front with Merrill's Marauders, the Chindits and Chinese troops along the route of the new road. They cleared north Burma after heavy jungle fighting and the prolonged siege of Myitkyina.

The Allies increased the tonnage carried by the Northeast Indian Railways to three times their peacetime level. This was only made possible with the use of specialised American railroad units using American and Canadian locomotives.

For more details see the articles on Northern Combat Area Command and the China Burma India Theater. China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the name used by the United States Army for its forces in China, Burma, India during World War II. Well-known US units in this theater included the Flying Tigers, transport and bomber units flying the Hump, the engineers who built Ledo Road, and...

RAF

Battle Honour: BURMA 1944-1945

Qualification: For operations during the 14th Army's advance from Imphal to Rangoon, the coastal amphibious assaults, and the Battle of Pegu Yomas, August 1944 to August 1945.

Command structure

Allied command

Initially command problems beset the Burma campaign. Burma was swapped from command to command during the pre-war period and the early months of the war. It was never expected that the Japanese would invade Burma.

• 1937 Burma was politically separated from India and fully responsible for its own military forces.
• 1939 with the outbreak of war Burma forces were placed under British Chiefs of Staff, but financed out of Burmese taxes and locally administered.
• 1940 The Prime Minister and Cabinet decided on a policy of providing direct military assistance to China through Burma. Chinese troops would be trained in Burma as irregulars, war material would be sent into China through Burma and covert American Air units (the AVG) would be moved into China through Burma. The British authorities gave no consideration to adding to the defence of Burma based on these policies.
• November 1940 operational control was transferred to the recently formed Far East Command in Singapore, while administrative responsibility was divided between the Burma Government and the War Office in London, which now contributed to the defence budget of Burma.
• December 12, 1941, when a Japanese attack was seen to be imminent Burma was handed back to India Command under the command of Commander-in-Chief (CinC) in India General Sir Archibald Wavell .
• From January 1, 1941 Burma was operationally controlled by ABDACOM and administered from Delhi. The Supreme Commander of ABDACOM General Wavell (who had transferred from CinC, India), moved his command to Java on January 15, 1942.
• On February 25, 1942 Wavell resigned as supreme commander of ABDACOM, handing control of the ABDA Area to local commanders. He also recommended the establishment of two Allied commands to replace ABDACOM: a south west Pacific command, and one based in India. In anticipation of this, Wavell had handed control of Burma to the India Command. On resigning from ABDACOM Wavell reassumed his previous position, as Commander-in-Chief, India.

The British commander in Burma, Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Hutton was removed from command shortly before Rangoon fell in March 1942. He was replaced by Sir Harold Alexander. Hutton became Alexander's chief of staff. The Burma 1st Division and Indian 17th Infantry Division at first had to be controlled directly by Burma Army headquarters, as there was no corps HQ. After the fall of Rangoon, Burma Corps Headquarters was created under Lieutenant General William Slim to control the forces that remained in Burma. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Far East Command was a British military command which had 2 distinct periods. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The British India Command the name given to the general staff of the India. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell (May 5, 1883 - May 24, 1950) was a British Field Marshal and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during World War II. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only to be defeated by the German army. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, code name ABDACOM, was a short-lived, unified command for all Allied forces in South East Asia, during the Pacific War. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... The list was taken from only one source [1]. Some checking had been done but the dates and the links to names need further work. ... Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Jacomb Hutton (1890–1981) 1890 born; educated at Rossall and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich 1909 commissioned into the Army as 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Artillery World War I 1914–1918 service on the Western Front 1915 promoted Captain 1918 prompted Brevet Major 1918 General Staff... Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (December 10, 1891 - June 16, 1969) was a British military commander and Field Marshal, notably during World War II as the commander of the 15th Army Group. ... 39th Indian Division (originally the 1st Burma Division) became a Training Division in 1943 after its recovery into India from Burma. ... 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). ... 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. ...

Cooperation with the Chinese proved difficult for several reasons. The American Liaison (Stilwell) was ill-tempered and lacked respect for either the British^[6] or the Chinese. Chiang Kai-Shek, the leader of Nationalist China, was more interested in fighting the Japanese in China than in attempting to save a disorganized British force in Burma. The Chinese Army also suffered from severe command problems, with important orders having to come directly from Chiang himself if they were to be obeyed. From the Chinese perspective, the Americans and the British were trying to take over command of the Chinese armies to use them for their own purposes. These problems were never completely satisfactorily resolved. They were partially resolved by the Americans in the aftermath of the 1942 campaign re-equipping, re-training and taking over the leadership of the Chinese forces that had made their way to India. Chiang Kai-shek (Chinese: 蔣介石 or 蔣中正, October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. ...

When the retreat from Burma ended in May 1942, Burma Corps was wound up. Operations had entered Eastern Army's area. Eastern Army was primarily an administrative rather than field command, and had perhaps too many responsibilities in addition to control of operations. Eastern Army commanded IV Corps in Assam and XV Corps in the Arakan. Both corps also had extensive rear area and internal security commitments, distracting them from the immediate front. An organisation known as V Force provided a screen of locally-raised guerillas and levies in front of the defensive positions. 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. ... The Indian XV Corps was a part of the Fourteenth Army during World War II. It was responsible for the southern part of the Armys front in the Arakan region. ... 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...

On June 20, 1943 Wavell became Viceroy of India and was succeeded as CinC India by General Sir Claude Auchinleck. In August 1943, the Allies formed a new South East Asia Command (SEAC) to take over strategic responsibilities for the theatre. The reorganisation of the theatre command took about two months. On October 4, 1943 Winston Churchill appointed Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten Supreme Commander of this new command. The American General Joseph Stilwell was Deputy Supreme Commander, among his many other appointments. On November 15 Auchinleck formally handed over responsibility for the conduct of operations against the Japanese in the theatre to Mountbatten. June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The Governor-General of India (or Governor-General and Viceroy of India) was the head of the British administration in India. ... Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE (June 21, 1884 - March 23, 1981), nicknamed The Auk, was a British army commander during World War II. // Born in Aldershot, he grew up in impoverished circumstances, but was able through hard work and scholarships to graduate from... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... 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... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was an English statesman, soldier and author. ... Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (June 25, 1900 – August 27, 1979) was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ... Joseph Warren Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946) was a United States Army four-star general best-known for his service in China. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 46 days remaining. ...

With the creation of SEAC, Eastern Army was split into two. Under GHQ India, Eastern Command took over responsibility for the rear areas of Bihar, Orissa and most of Bengal. The Fourteenth Army under Slim took over responsibility for operations against the Japanese. , Bihar (Hindi: बिहार, Urdu: بہار, IPA: ,  ) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ... , Orissa   (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଶା), is a state situated on the east coast of India. ... Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গ Bôngo, বাংলা Bangla, বঙ্গদেশ Bôngodesh or বাংলাদেশ Bangladesh), is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. ... 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. ...

SEAC's land forces HQ was 11th Army Group under General Sir George Giffard. It controlled Fourteenth Army and the Ceylon Army, but Stilwell refused to place the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC) under Giffard, using a variety of pretexts. At a meeting to sort out the chain of command for the three fronts in Burma, he astonished everyone by saying "I am prepared to come under General Slim's operational control until I get to Kamaing". This compromise worked because Slim was able to handle Stilwell. It was essential that there was one operational commander for the three fronts, North, Central and Southern, so that the intended attacks in late 1944 could be coordinated to prevent the Japanese concentrating large numbers of reserves for a counter attack on any one front. The British 11th Army Group was the main British Army force in Southeast Asia. ... General Sir George Giffard GCB, DSO (1886 - 1964) was a British military officer, who had a distinguished career in command of African troops in World War I, and who rose to command an Army Group in South East Asia in World War II. // Early Career After attending Rugby School and... British Army in Ceylon was known as the Ceylon Army during World War II in the South-East Asian Theatre under the command of South East Asia Command (SEAC) and formed part of the British 11th Army Group. ... 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. ...

11th Army Group remained in existence until November 12, 1944 when it was redesignated Allied Land Forces South East Asia (ALFSEA), still under SEAC. Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese succeeded Giffard in command. 11th Army Group was redesignated because it was felt that an inter-Allied command was better than the purely British headquarters that 11th Army Group was. The change was made just after Stilwell was recalled to the U.S.. Lieutenant General Daniel Sultan became commander of the U.S. Forces, India-Burma Theater (USFIBT) and commander of NCAC, and this change placed his command under ALFSEA. November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The British 11th Army Group was the main British Army force in Southeast Asia. ... Oliver Leese (right) with Sir Henry Maitland Wilson. ... General Daniel Isom Sultan, (December 9, 1885 – January 14, 1947) was born Oxford, Mississippi and died in Washington, D.C., while on active duty. ...

Japanese command

Note that in Japanese terminology, an "Army" was equivalent to a British or American "Corps". An "Area Army" was equivalent to an Allied "Army".

The chief command for the Japanese in South East Asia was the Southern Expeditionary Army, under Field Marshal Hisaichi Terauchi. This HQ was equivalent to an Allied theatre command. Southern Expeditionary army was responsible for operations as far afield as New Guinea, the Philippines and Burma The Southern Expeditionary Army Group was part of the Japanese military during the World War II era. ... Count Terauchi Hisaichi (寺内 寿一) (1879 - June or November 1945) was the field marshal in command of Japans Southern Expeditionary Army Group during the World War II era. ...

The initial invasion of Burma was conducted by 15th Army, under Lieutenant-General Shojiro Iida. (1888-1980) Japanese Lieutenant-General, commanded the Guard Division and 1st Army and 25th Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War and 15th Army in the successful begining of the Burma Campaign in World War II. Military Career 1932 - 1934 Instructor at the Infantry School 1934 - 1935 Commanding Officer 4th...

In late 1943, a new HQ, "Burma Area Army" was created, under General Masakazu Kawabe. It absorbed 15th Army, now under Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi and responsible for the Central front, and the newly created 28th Army under Lieutenant-General Shoso Sakurai which controlled the Southern front. Burma Area Army was a Japanese army organized 18 March 1943 to unify the command of the 15th and 28th Armies in Burma. ... 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. ... (1888-1966) Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi Commanded the 18th Division in south China and in the World War II Campaigns in Malaya, Philippines and Burma. ...

In April 1944, another Army, 33rd Army, was created under Lieutenant-General Masaki Honda, to control the Northern front.

After the failure of the Imphal offensive in late 1944, there were several changes in command. At Burma Area Army, Kawabe was replaced by the former Vice War Minister, Hyotaro Kimura. Kimura was a shrewd strategist, but perhaps more of a logistics expert than fighting soldier, so Lieutenant-General Shinichi Tanaka was made his Chief of Staff. (In Japanese formations, the Chief of Staff had a more prominent role in the day-to-day control of operations than in Allied formations). 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. ...

At the same time, Mutaguchi was removed from command of 15th Army and replaced by Lieutenant-General Shihachi Katamura. Many divisional commanders and Staff Officers also were sacked, removed or transferred.

See also

• Aung San a Burmese revolutionary who sided with the Japanese.
• The Burmese National Army was originally organized by the Minami Kikan as the Burmese Independence Army in December of 1941, where it then served as an auxiliary of the Japanese Army.
• Indian National Army an Indian army, largely recruited from POWs, who fought with the Japanese.
• Second Sino-Japanese War

Aung San General Aung San (Bogyoke Aung San in Burmese) (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ; IPA: ); February 13, 1915 – July 19, 1947) was Burmas national hero, revolutionary, nationalist, general, and politician. ... The Burma National Army was originally organized by the Minami Kikan as the Burmese Independence Army in December of 1941 , where it then served as an auxiliary of the Imperial Japanese Army. ... The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was the army of the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (The Provisional Government of Free India ) which fought along with the Japanese 15th Army during the Japanese Campaign in Burma, and in the Battle of Imphal, during the Second... Combatants Republic of China Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Xue Yue, Mao Zedong, Peng Dehuai Fumimaro Konoe, Hideki Tojo, Matsui Iwane, Jiro Minami, Kesago Nakajima, Toshizo Nishio, Yasuji Okamura, Umezu Yoshijiro Strength 5,600,000 4,100,000 (including 900...

References

• Field Marshal William Slim Defeat Into Victory

Further reading

• Jon Latimer Burma: The Forgotten War
• Louis Allen Burma: The Longest War
• Ian Lyall Grant & Kazuo Tamayama Burma 1942: The Japanese Invasion
• Tim Carew The Longest Retreat
• Donovan Webster The Burma Road : The Epic Story of the China-Burma-India Theater in World War II
• Brigadier Sir John Smyth Before the Dawn
• Mike Calvert Fighting Mad
• Lieutenant General Shojiro Ida From the Battlefields
• Ikuhiko Hata Road to the Pacific War
• Hideo Fujino Singapore and Burma
• Harumi Ochi Struggle in Burma
• Sadayoshi Shigematsu Fighting Around Burma
• Saiichi Sugita Burma Operations
• Michael Hickey The Unforgettable Army
• J.L. Hodsun War in the Sun
• E. Bruce Reynolds Thailand and Japan's Southern Advance
• Edward M. Young Aerial Nationalism: A History of Aviation in Thailand
• Don Moser and editors of Time-Life Books World War II: China-Burma-India',1978, Library of Congress no 77-93742
• Charles J. Rolo Wingate's Raiders
• Terence Dillon Rangoon to Kohima
• Sir Robert Thompson Make for the Hills has content related to the 1944 Chindit campaign
• Christopher Bayly & Tim Harper Forgotten Armies

Sir Robert Grainger Ker Thompson (1916–1992) KBE, CMG, DSO, MC, was a British soldier and counter-insurgency expert. ...

External links

• Burma Star Association
• national-army-museum.ac.uk History of the British Army: Far East, 1941-45
• Imperial War Museum LondonBurma Summary
• Royal Engineers Museum Engineers in the Burma Campaigns
• Royal Engineers Museum Engineers with the Chindits
• Canadian War Museum: Newspaper Articles on the Burma Campaigns, 1941-1945
• US Center of Military History (USCMH): Burma 1942
• USCMH Centeral Burma 29 January - 15 July 1945
• USCMH India-Burma 2 April 1942-28 January 1945
• BBC Article on the Burma Campaign
• World War II animated campaign maps
• List of Regimental Battle Honours in the Burma Campaign (1942 - 1945) - Also some useful links
• Operations in Eastern Theatre, Based on India(pdf) from March 1942 to December 31 1942 despatch by Field Marshal The Viscount Wavell London Gazette
• Operations in the Indo-Burma Theatre Based on India from 21 June 1943 to 15 November 1943 (pdf) despatch by Field Marshal Sir Claude E. Auchinleck, War Office, The London Gazette 27 April 1948
• Operations in Burma(pdf) from 12 November 1944 to 15 August 1945 despatch by Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese London Gazette
• Sino-Japanese Air War 1937-45, see 1941 and 1942
• Burma Campaign, Orbat for 1942 campaign, Japan, Commonwealth, Chinese, USA
• A Forgotten Invasion: Thailand in Shan State, 1941-45
• Thailand's Northern Campaign in the Shan States 1942-45

December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The London Gazette , front page from Monday 3 - 10 September 1666, reporting on the Great Fire of London. ... The London Gazette , front page from Monday 3 - 10 September 1666, reporting on the Great Fire of London. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ...

Footnotes

See Wikipedia:Footnote3

1. ^ Jackson, Ashley (2006). The British Empire and the Second World War. London: Hambledon Continuum, pp. 387 - 388. ISBN 978-1-85285-517-8. 
2. ^ Keegan (ed), John; Duncan Anderson (1991). Churchill's Generals. London: Cassell Military, pp 243-255. ISBN 0-304-36712-5. 
3. ^ World War II: China-Burma-India, Bibliography, page 157
4. ^ Defeat Into Victory References pages 461,642
5. ^ combined operation: No 5 commando
6. ^ Keegan (ed), John; Brian Holden Reid, John W Gordon (1991). Churchill's Generals. London: Cassell Military, pp. 111 & 287. ISBN 0-304-36712-5.