During World War II, Operation Dracula was the name given to an airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Indian forces, part of the Burma Campaign. When it was launched, the Japanese had already abandoned the city. Combatants United Kingdom British India Republic of China United States Empire of Japan Indian National Army Burma National Army Commanders Louis Mountbatten(Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Theatre) William Slim(took the Central and Southern Part of Burma) Joseph Stilwell(took the Northen part of Burma) Chiang Kai... Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... The Western Allies were the democracies and their colonial peoples, within the broader coalition of Allies during World War II. The term is generally understood to refer to the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations (from 1939), exiled forces from Occupied Europe (from 1940), the United States, (from 1941), Italy... 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. ... RAF is an three letter acronym for: Royal Air Force -- the Air Force of the United Kingdom (see also Air Ministry) Red Army Faction (Rote Armee Fraktion) -- a German terror organisation Rigas Autobusu Fabrika -- a factory making buses in Riga, Latvia Rapid Action Force in India Računarski Fakultet RAF... Combatants United Kingdom British India Republic of China United States Empire of Japan Indian National Army Burma National Army Commanders Louis Mountbatten(Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Theatre) William Slim(took the Central and Southern Part of Burma) Joseph Stilwell(took the Northen part of Burma) Chiang Kai... 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. ... 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... 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... Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... Combatants United Kingdom British India Republic of China United States Empire of Japan Indian National Army Burma National Army Commanders Louis Mountbatten(Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Theatre) William Slim(took the Central and Southern Part of Burma) Joseph Stilwell(took the Northen part of Burma) Chiang Kai...

Background

Rangoon was the capital and major port of Burma (present day Myanmar). In December 1941, Japan entered World War II by attacking United States territory and the Far Eastern colonial possessions of Britain and the Netherlands. 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...

After occupying Thailand, the Japanese attacked southern Burma in March 1942. The British, Indian and Burmese forces were outmatched and forced to evacuate Rangoon. This made the long-term British defence of Burma impossible, as there were then no proper alternate supply routes overland from India. The British and Chinese forces were compelled to evacuate Burma and withdraw into India.

There was stalemate for a year. By 1944, the Allied forces in India had been reinforced and had expanded their logistic infrastructure, which made it possible to for them to contemplate an attack into Burma. The Japanese attempted to forestall them by an invasion of India, which led to a heavy Japanese defeat at the Battle of Imphal, and other setbacks in Northern Burma. Their losses were to handicap their defence of Burma in the following year. 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...

Allied plans

In July, 1944, the Allied South East Asia Command began making definite plans for the reconquest of Burma. At this time, the Battle of Imphal was still being fought but it was clear that the Japanese would to be forced to retreat with heavy casualties. 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...

One of the strategic options examined by South East Asia Command was an amphibious assault on Rangoon. This originally had the working name, Plan Z. (Plan X referred to the recapture of northern Burma only by the American-led Northern Combat Area Command with the limited objective of the completing the Ledo Road linking China and India; Plan Y referred to an Allied offensive into Central Burma by the British Fourteenth Army.) 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. ... 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. ... 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. ...

Plan Z, which was to be developed into Operation Dracula, had several advantages. The loss of Rangoon would be even more disastrous for the Japanese in 1945 than it had for the British in 1942. Not only was it the principal seaport by which they received supplies and reinforcements, but it lay very close to their other lines of communication with Thailand and Malaya. An advance north or east from Rangoon of only 40 miles to Pegu or across the Sittang River would cut the Burma Railway, their only viable overland link with their forces in these countries. If Rangoon fell, the Japanese would therefore be compelled to withdraw from almost all of Burma, abandoning much of their equipment. 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. ... Categories: Stub ... The Sittang is a river in Myanmar. ... The Bridge over the River Kwai Map of the Burma Railway The Burma Railway, also known also as the Death Railway, the Thailand-Burma Railway and similar names, is a 415 km (258 mi) railway between Bangkok, Thailand and Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar), built by the Empire of Japan during...

Unfortunately, to mount an amphibious assault on the scale required would require resources (landing craft, escorting warships, engineering equipment) which would not be available until the campaign in Europe was concluded. (At the time, the Battle of Normandy was being fought, with its outcome still in doubt in some quarters). Operation Dracula was therefore postponed, and Plan Y (now codenamed Operation Capital) was adopted instead. Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (US 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B... During World War II, Operation Capital, Operation Y, was a broad British offensive launched from Assam, India across the Chindwin River into northeast Burma near Mandalay, launched on 19 November, 1944. ...

When landing craft and other amphibious resources became available in 1945, they were first used in comparatively small-scale operations in the Burmese coastal province of Arakan. It was then intended that they would be used in attacks on the Thai Kra Isthmus and Malaya. Arakan is a state in the North Western part of Myanmar, formerly Burma. ... The Isthmus of Kra The Kra Isthmus is the narrow landbridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. ... 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. ...

Dracula Reinstated

During February and March, 1945, Fourteenth Army under Lieutenant General William Slim fought the major Battle of Central Burma. The Japanese were heavily defeated. Most of their forces were reduced to fractions of their normal strength, and forced to retreat into the Shan States. Slim now ordered his forces to exploit southward, along the Sittang River valley. During April, Indian IV Corps under Lieutenant General Frank Messervy, spearheaded by an armoured brigade, advanced almost 200 miles southward. They were fighting at Pegu, forty miles north of Rangoon, by the end of the month. 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. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Battle of Meiktila. ... 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. ... The Sittang is a river in Myanmar. ... 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. ... General Sir Frank Messervy General Sir Frank Walter Messervy, KCSI, KBE, CB, DSO, (1893 - 1974) was a British officer in both the First and Second World Wars and was the first Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Royal Army (15 August 1947 – 10 February 1948 or Aug 1948?). He became... Categories: Stub ...

Despite these spectacular successes, Slim was uneasy. Although Messervy and several of his commanders considered there was a sporting chance of capturing Rangoon at the beginning of May, Fourteenth Army's supply lines were strained to the limit by the rapid advances. The monsoon season was imminent, and the heavy rains would hamper movement. In particular, it would be make resupply by air very difficult. It was feared that the Japanese would defend Rangoon to the last man, as they had done elsewhere in the Pacific Theatre. (For example, at Manila, which by this stage of the war was of less strategic importance than Rangoon, Japanese forces had defended the city for a month before being eliminated. 100,000 civilians died during the fighting, and the city was left in ruins.) Combatants United States Japan Commanders Robert S. Beightler (37th Infantry Division) Verne D. Mudge (1st Cavalry Division) Oscar W. Griswold (U.S. XIV Corps) Joseph M. Swing (11th Airborne Division) Iwabuchi Sanji (Manila Naval Defense Forces) Strength 35,000 US troops 16,000 Japanese sailors, marines, and Army troops Casualties...

Since his forces would be in a disastrous supply situation if forced to fight house to house in Rangoon, in mid-April Slim asked for Operation Dracula to be reinstated, to take place before the monsoon broke in early May. As a necessary preliminary step, IV Corps was ordered to capture the airfields at Toungoo, so that air cover could be provided for the invasion. The airfields were captured by Indian 5th Infantry Division on April 22. 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. ... 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... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ...

Japanese situation

The principal Japanese headquarters in Burma, Burma Area Army under Lieutenant General Hyotaro Kimura, was situated in Rangoon. There were no fighting formations, but there were large numbers of line of communication troops and naval personnel. 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. ...

As the leading British and Indian troops (Indian 17th Infantry Division, with the bulk of Indian 255th Armoured Brigade) approached Pegu, many of these rear-area troops and some hastily mobilised Japanese civilians were formed into the Japanese 105th Independent Mixed Brigade, under Major General Hideji Matsui. The units of this brigade (also codenamed Kani Force) included anti-aircraft batteries, airfield construction battalions, naval Anchorage Units, the personnel of NCO schools and other odds and ends. This scratch force battled for several days to hold Pegu and block further British advance south. 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). ...

Kimura however, had already decided not to defend Rangoon, but to evacuate the city and withdraw to Moulmein in southern Burma. Many troops left by sea, and nine ships out of a convoy of eleven fell victim to British destroyers. Most of Kimura's HQ and the establishments of Subhash Chandra Bose (commander of the Indian National Army) and Ba Maw (Prime Minister of the nominally independent Burmese government) left by land, covered by the action of Matsui's troops. Kimura himself left by airplane. Mawlamyine (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ; IPA: ; formerly Moulmein) is the capital and largest city in Mon State, Myanmar. ... 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... 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... Ba Maw (February 8, 1893 – May 29, 1977) was a Burmese political leader. ...

Matsui had originally been under the impression that his force was buying time for the defence of Rangoon to be organised. He was furious on learning of the evacuation, but his troops had now been driven into the hills west of Pegu and could neither return to Rangoon before Allied troops reached it nor follow Kimura. (Other Japanese officers also considered the episode a disgrace when they heard of it.)

Dracula launched

Before the order was given to reinstate Dracula, South East Asia command had been preparing to attack Phuket Island (the operation was codenamed Operation Roger). The naval and air elements for Dracula were therefore already in place. Indian XV Corps, under Lieutenant General Sir Philip Christison was to control the ground forces. Indian 26th Infantry Division under Major General Henry Chambers and other forces sailed in six convoys from Akyab and Ramree islands between April 27 and April 30. Phuket (Thai: ; formerly known as Tha-Laang or Talang) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... 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. ... The Indian 26th Infantry Division, part of the British Indian Army, was raised during World War II, and fought in the Burma Campaign. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ...

The Naval covering force consisted of two battleships (one French), three cruisers (one Dutch) and six destroyers. Another flotilla of five destroyers was responsible for the destruction of the main Japanese evacuation convoy. 224 Group of the Royal Air Force, under Air Vice Marshal the Earl of Bandon, covered the landings from the airfields around Toungoo and Ramree. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Air Chief Marshal Percy Ronald Gardner Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon GBE CB CVO DSO RAF (30 August 1904 – February 8, 1979) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the mid-20th century. ...

On May 1, 1945, twelve squadrons of B-24 Liberators heavily bombed known Japanese defences south of Rangoon. An Air Force observation post, a small detachment from Force 136 and a Gurkha composite parachute battalion landed at Elephant Point at the mouth of the Rangoon River in the middle of the morning. They eliminated some small Japanese parties, either left as rearguards or perhaps forgotten in the confusion of the evacuation. They themselves suffered thirty casualties from inaccurate Allied bombing. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber that was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and still holds the record as the most produced allied aircraft. ... Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organisation, the Special Operations Executive. ... Gurkha, also spelt as Gorkha, are people from Nepal who take their name from the eighth century Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath. ... The Yangon River (also known as Rangoon River or Hlaing River) is an estuary that runs from Yangon to the Andaman Sea. ...

Once Elephant Point was secured, minesweepers cleared a passage up the river, and landing craft began coming ashore in the early hours of the morning of May 2. Meanwhile, an Allied reconnaissance aircraft flying over the city of Rangoon saw no sign of the Japanese, and also noticed a message painted on the roof of the jail by released British prisoners of war. It is reported to have read, Japs gone. Extract digit, Royal Air Force slang for "Get your finger out" or "Hurry up". Boldly, the crew of the plane landed on Mingaladon Airfield, but crashed. They walked to the jail, where they found 1,000 former prisoners of war who informed them of the Japanese evacuation, then went to the docks, commandeered a sampan and sailed down the river to meet the landing craft. May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Departure hall of Yangon International Airport Yangon International Airport (Burmese: ) is primary international airport of Myanmar and is located in Mingaladon Township, Yangon. ... A sampan carrying passengers to the outlying islands off the Sai Kung Peninsula in Hong Kong Sampan on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), China A sampan (舢舨) is a relatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat from twelve to fifteen feet long. ...

Aftermath

The troops of Indian 26th Division began occupying the city without opposition the next day. When the Japanese and Ba Maw's officials left, widespread looting and lawlessness had broken out and continued for several days. The British were joyfully welcomed, perhaps not universally as liberators, but certainly as they could restore order and bring in food and other assistance.

Units of the 26th Division moved out along the main roads to link up with Fourteenth Army. On May 6, at Hlegu twenty-eight miles (forty-five km) north-east of Rangoon, they met the leading troops of 17th Division, pushing their way through floods southwards from Pegu. May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (127th in leap years). ... Hlegu is a city 28 miles (45 km) northeast of Rangoon, and home of the Hlegu Education College. ...

Matsui's Kani Force joined the remnants of the Japanese Twenty-eighth Army in the Pegu Yomas. During July, they tried to break out eastwards to join the other Japanese armies east of the Sittang. They suffered the heaviest casualties of any formation in this costly operation. The naval personnel in the force broke out separately from the main body and were effectively wiped out, only a handful surviving.

Sources

• Louis Allen, Burma: the Longest War 1941-45, J.M. Dent and Sons, 1986, ISBN 0-460-02474-4
• Jon Latimer, Burma: The Forgotten War, John Murray, 2004, ISBN 978-0719565762
• William Slim, Defeat into Victory, Cassell, 1956