Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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The Burma Campaign Introduction At the end of the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1826, Arakan and Tenasserim regions of coastal Burma were annexed British India. In 1852, after the Second AngloBurmese War, the remainder of Lower Burma was taken by the British. In 1862, British Burma was formed as a chief commissionership of British India. In 1885, after the Third Anglo-Burmese War, Upper Burma was annexed by the British. In 1886, Upper Burma was incorporated into British Burma, which was then elevated to the status of a lieutenant-governorship. Although the Burma in this period of British rule saw tremendous economic growth overall, the growth was arguably detrimental to the better portion of the population of Burma. As Burma was developed into a major rice producer for the British Empire, the influx of Indian workers increased unemployment for the locals, while European land owners slowly expanded their holdings. In terms of treatment of the local peoples, the British systematically uprooted entire villages and transported them to other areas of Burma in an attempt to disrupt the resistance movement. The British did employ some locals, namely the Karen people, which made up of about 25% of the population; the animosity that between the Karen minority and the Burmese majority had already existed prior to the British entry, would be further developed during this time period, and lasting into the modern era. In the 1920s, reforms in British Burma began to give the Burmese people more power in the colonial government, while an university was established to improve the education system. While these reforms somewhat calmed the resistance movement, the very essence of the colonial government itself continued to stir nationalist sentiments. The 1930s saw the development of student groups and political groups dedicated to anti-British causes. In 1937, British Burma was separated from British India, forming a colony of its own; Ba Maw became the first prime minister of the colony. In 1938, Anglo-Burmese tension escalated as strikes and protests which began in the oil fields of central Burma spread across the entire colony, resulting in several deaths as protestors and the police clashed. Ba Maw was succeeded by his political rival U Saw in 1939.

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The pre-war population of Burma was just over 16 million. 10 million of which were Burmese, 4 million were Karen, and the remaining 2 million were of Shan, Kachin, Naga, Mon, Chin, Chinese, and Indian ethnicities. Military responsibility for Burma was unorganized in the late 1930s and into the early 1940s. Until 1937, the defence of British Burma fell under the jurisdiction of the British India. Between 1937 and 1940, various British chiefs of staff oversaw its defences. In 1940, Burma was transferred under the Far Eastern Command based in Singapore. Finally, starting in late 1941 after the outbreak of the Pacific War through early 1942, Burma fell under the command of ABDACOM. The four separate commands, each with its own prerogatives and priorities, caused none of the defence preparation to be carried out in full. In addition, at least according to the British, not all Burmese administrators working for the colonial government were reliable; in one instance, some Burmese officials approached William Slim to request him not to engage the Japanese in the exclusive Sagaing Hills near Mandalay where many of the elite maintained homes; many of the officials also fled without orders, hampering the British evacuation efforts. The Japanese largely secured Burma by May 1942. The British attempted to attack as early as Sep 1942. As the British and Indian troops expected, the most notable animal in Burma was the elephant. At the time the war began there were about 20,000 domesticated elephants and about 6,000 in the wild; when the war ended, about 18,000 of the 20,000 domesticated elements would be killed as the result of combat, exhaustion, or simply slipping and falling into deep ravines while carrying heavy military equipment. Mules were also used very heavily not only in this first military campaign into Burma but throughout the entire length of the war as they were found to be useful in manoeuvring the thick jungles that characterized large portions of Burma. Natural predators such as tigers, leopards, and rhinoceros were noted dangers, but many British, especially the illequipped who hastily retreated from the advancing Japanese in early 1942, cited poisonous snakes as the most dangerous. Many would recall snakes small enough to sneak into backpacks, shoes, and even radio equipment. The weather of Burma was much less a direct threat but it played a more decisive role in war, as the monsoon season, which typically lasted from mid-Mar to mid-Oct, on average produces 200 inches of rainfall in the Arakan area.

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The first campaign into Burma was halted by late 1942 and early 1943. While the British continued to train regular troops in India for a potential second assault in the future, Brigadier Orde Wingate launched two long range penetration raids into Burma; while these operations suffered very high casualty rates while destroying little, they provided the Allies in the region the much-needed morale boost. The second Chindit, the name given to Wingate's irregulars, operation overlapped a great Japanese offensive from Burma into eastern India, which was blunted by stubborn defence by British and Indian troops in the Imphal-Kohima region, and made unsustainable as the monsoon season and the jungles made the supplying a large attacking force difficult. The Allies launched another invasion of British Burma in earnest in 1944, and the city of Mandalay was captured by Mar 1945, leading to a nationalist uprising starting on 27 Mar. The capital, Rangoon, was captured in early May. The Japanese occupation approached the Burmese people as liberators. Japan helped organize a Burmese military in mid-1942, and on 1 Aug 1943 formed a nominally independent State of Burma with Ba Maw at its helm. Right from the start, the Japanese had no intention of giving power to the locals. The Burmese military, for example, was intentionally kept at a size that was large enough to appear powerful, but small enough that, if necessary, would be easily wiped aside by the Japanese troops stationed in Southeast Asia. The Japanese pressed Burmese civilians of various ethnicities into construction projects to build roads and railways; ill-treatment, particularly those projects deep in the jungles, suffered very high fatality rates due to disease and malnutrition. A number of massacres also took place in Burma between 1942 and 1945. After the war, the British colonial administration returned, and it faced stiff resistance from various nationalist groups. In Sep 1946, the police force in Rangoon went on strike to protest against the British, and sympathy strikes soon grew into a general strike all across Burma. Hubert Rance, the British governor since mid-1946, met with Aung San, one of the resistance leaders, and began a process which would ultimately lead to talks of Burmese independence, which was achieved on 4 Jan 1948; before independence was realized, Aung San was assassinated, which was plotted by U Saw. The newly formed Union of Burma chose not join the British Commonwealth due to general anti-British sentiment in the country. In 1962, a coup

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d'état by the Burmese military overthrew the republic; General Ne Win would maintain dictatorial control over the country for more than 20 years.

Summary of phases Burma Road and the Hump Invasion of Burma First Battle of Arakan Operation Longcloth Second Battle of Arakan Operation Thursday Battle of Myitkyina Salween Offensive Battle of Bhamo Third Battle of Arakan Battle of Meiktila-Mandalay Battle of Rangoon

1 Jan 1938 - 10 Nov 1945 14 Dec 1941 - 26 May 1942 21 Dec 1942 - 3 Apr 1943 8 Feb 1943 - 27 Apr 1943 30 Dec 1943 - 6 Apr 1944 5 Mar 1944 - 27 Aug 1944 10 Mar 1944 - 3 Aug 1944 1 Apr 1944 - 27 Jan 1945 14 Nov 1944 - 14 Dec 1944 12 Dec 1944 - 28 Feb 1945 19 Jan 1945 - 29 Mar 1945 25 Apr 1945 - 6 May 1945

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Burma Road and the Hump

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1 Jan 1938 - 10 Nov 1945

The Burma Road and the Hump actually describes three different truck-convoy ground transportation systems and one airborne transportation route. They all served the same purpose, however: to deliver large quantities of British and American supplies into western China in support of the Nationalist Chinese.

The Burma Road The first line of supply used for this purpose was the Burma Road, a truck route from Lashio, Burma (now Myanmar) to Kunming, China. Supplies arrived by ship in Rangoon (now Yangon) in Burma and travelled by rail through Mandalay to Lashio. The trip from Lashio into China was too mountainous for a reliable railroad to be built in time to do China any good so a road was cut over the mountains instead. Burmese and Chinese labourers built the road with little heavy machinery under extremely primitive and deplorable conditions. Construction took place in 1937 and trucks started moving cargo into China in 1938. The road was closed down for two months in 1940 for diplomatic reasons but otherwise ran fairly continuously until the Burmese end was overrun by the Japanese in 1942. Cutting this line of supply was one of the primary reasons Japan decided to enter Burma.

The Kunming-Chunking Road The overall purpose of the supply effort was to deliver goods to Chunking, China (now Chongqing). Chunking was where the supplies were redistributed to final destinations throughout China. The Burma Road was built into Kunming where it linked with another road that led to Chunking. This leg was still in the Himalayan foothills so it also had very mountainous sections. The famous series of tight switchback turns known as "24-turns" was on the Kunming-Chunking Road and not the Burma Road as is often thought. The Kunming-Chunking Road remained operational throughout the war, even as the changing fortunes of war forced the other legs to adjust how supplies were being delivered to Kunming.

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The Hump The loss of the Burma Road in 1942 necessitated a hasty arrangement to fly the supplies from airfields in the Assam Province of India to Kunming, China. From there, the supplies were still trucked to Chunking. This air route went over the eastern part of the Himalayan Mountains and so the route became known to the pilots as "The Hump." The airlift began as hastily thrown together arrangements but settled down into a very efficient and expansive air-freight operation. The Hump flights started with the venerable Douglas C-47 Skytrain but quickly shifted to give the Curtiss C46 Commando its greatest glory days. The Commando could carry over twice the payload as the C-47, it could handle high altitudes better when fully loaded, and the double cargo doors worked out better for loading and unloading. By the end of the war, the primary airlift aircraft had shifted to the Douglas C-54 Skymaster. Even with the opening of an alternate ground route in early 1945, The Hump remained the principal supply route until after the war ended.

The Ledo Road With the recapture of Myitkyina in northern Burma in 1944, a road from Ledo in Assam, India was opened through Myitkyina and reconnected with the old Burma Road at Mong Yu, Burma at the Chinese border. This reopened access to Kunming by truck in early 1945 and the recapture of Myitkyina also shortened and flattened The Hump air route. In terms of sheer tonnage moved, the new Ledo Road carried only about 10 percent of what was being flown over the Hump so the airlift remained China's primary supply option through to the end of the war and briefly beyond. Even though it carried less tonnage, the value of the Ledo Road was that it was the route used to lay a fuel pipeline from Assam to Kunming. Fuel pumped through this pipeline was fuel that did not have to be trucked or flown to China and was a very valuable addition to the system. "The Ledo Road" was the name of the road from Ledo to the intersection with the old Burma Road.

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The Stillwell Road Shortly after the Ledo Road opened, the road from Ledo through to Kunming, including the section of the former Burma Road, was formally renamed the Stillwell Road after United States Army General Joseph Stillwell, the Allied area commander. Portions of the road still bear that name today.

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Invasion of Burma: 14 Dec 1941 - 26 May 1942 Burma, isolated from the rest of the world with mountainous ranges on her western, northern, and eastern borders, was a British colony with a degree of autonomy. With the pressure from Japan, British armed Burma with some British and Indian troops and obsolete aircraft so that there would be a small buffer between Japan and India, crown jewel of Britain's Asiatic empire. United States also aimed to help Burma as a direct result of Japanese pressure, but the reason was much different than that of the British; the United States looked to maintain Burmese outside Japanese control so that supply lines into China would remain open. The supplies travelled into China via the Burma Road, a treacherous gravel road that connected Kunming, China with Lashio, Burma that opened in 1938. Britain and United States' worries about Burma were not unfounded, as Japan did look to incorporate Burma into her borders. Beyond the wish to cut off China's supply lines, a Japanese-occupied Burma would also provide Japan added security from any potential flanking strikes from the west against the southward expansion that was about to take place.

The Invasion Began 11 Dec 1941 On 11 Dec 1941, only days after Japan's declaration of war against Britain, Japanese aircraft struck airfields at Tavoy, south of Rangoon. On the next day, small units of Japanese troops infiltrated into Burmese borders and engaged in skirmishes against British and Burmese troops. On the same day, a Flying Tigers squadron transferred from China to Rangoon to reinforce against the upcoming invasion. Under the banner of liberating Burma from western imperialism, the Japanese 15th Army of the Southern Expeditionary Army under the command of Shojiro Iida marched across the border in force from Siam. Airfields at Tavoy and Mergui fell quickly, removing the whatever little threat the obsolete British aircraft posed and preventing Allied reinforcements from the air.

Tulsa Incident 16 Dec 1941 As the invasion had gotten underway, the United States recognized that she must assist British troops in the region. Brigadier General John

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Magruder, head of the American Military Mission to China, approached Chinese leader Chiang Kaishek for his permission to transfer ammunition aboard the transport Tulsa, currently docked in Rangoon, to the British troops. The goods were originally destined for the Chinese, but Magruder, arguing on behalf of Washington, expressed that the British troops be given priority or the Burma Road might fall under Japanese control, therefore

making

future

supply

runs

impossible.

Before

Chiang

responded, however, senior American officer in Rangoon Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Twitty advised the government in Rangoon to impound the American ship, while maintaining United States' innocent front. Chiang protested fiercely, noting it as an "illegal confiscation". Chiang's representative in Rangoon, General Yu Feipeng, attempted to negotiate for a compromise, but Chiang's attitude was more drastic. On 25 Dec, Chiang announced that he would allow all lend-lease supplies to go to the British in Burma, but all Chinese troops in Burma would be withdrew back into China, and the British-Chinese alliance was to end. For days, Magruder worked with Chiang, and was finally able to secure Chiang's agreement to share the supplies with the British, but as a compromise, Magruder also had to give in to Chiang's demands that Twitty be removed from his position. This incident, later labelled as the Tulsa Incident, exemplified the difficulties that Chiang's stern personality imposed on the relationship between China, Britain, and the United States.

The Battle of Sittang Bridge 22-31 Jan 1942 In Jan and Feb 1942, the Indian 17th Division under the command of British Major General John Smyth fought a campaign to slow the Japanese advance near the Sittang River. The Japanese 55th Division attacked from Rahaeng, Siam across the Kawkareik Pass on 22 Jan 1942, and over the next nine days pushed the Smyth's troops to the Sittang Bridge, where they were enveloped and crushed. "The Allied defence was a disaster", said military historian Nathan Prefer. "Two understrength Japanese infantry divisions, the 33d and 55th, enjoyed

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victory after victory over Indian, British, and Burmese troops who were undertrained, inadequately prepared for jungle warfare, and completely dependent upon motor transport for all supply."

The Battle of Rangoon Mar 1942 Rangoon was first attacked first by air; the few Royal Air Force and American Flying Tigers aircraft defended its air space effectively initially, but their numbers waned under constant pressure. Japanese troops appeared at Rangoon's doorsteps toward the end of Feb 1942. Magruder gathered all the trucks he could to send as much lend-lease supplies north into China as possible, and whatever could not be shipped out be given to the British, which included 300 Bren guns, 3 million rounds of ammunition, 1,000 machine guns with 180,000 rounds of ammunition, 260 jeeps, 683 trucks, and 100 field telephones. Nevertheless, he was still forced to destroy more than 900 trucks, 5,000 tires, 1,000 blankets and sheets, and more than a ton of miscellaneous items, all to prevent Japanese capture. As Japanese troops approached Rangoon, two Chinese Armies, the 5th and the 6th, marched south from China on 1 Mar 1942 to assist. The Chinese armies totalled six divisions, though half of them were understrength and most men of the 6th Army were undertrained green soldiers. Cooperation between the Chinese and the British were poor, though the Chinese regarded Americans such as General Joseph Stilwell in the Chinese temporary war time capital of Chongqing rather highly. Outside Rangoon, the British 7th Armored Brigade attempted to counterattack the Japanese troops marching from the direction of the Sittang River, but failed. On 6 Mar, Japanese troops reached the city, and the final evacuation order was given by British officers on the next day. Retreating troops demolished the port facilities to prevent Japanese use. Whatever aircraft remained of the RAF and the Flying Tigers relocated to Magwe in the Irrawaddy Valley south of Mandalay.

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Battle of Tachiao 18 Mar 1942 On 8 Mar 1942, the 200th Division of the Chinese 5th Army began arriving in Taungoo, Burma to take over defence positions from the British. At dawn on 18 Mar, about 200 Japanese reconnaissance troops of 143rd Regiment of Japanese 55th Division, on motorcycles, reached a bridge near Pyu and were ambushed by the Chinese; 30 Japanese were killed, and the Chinese captured 20 rifles, 2 light machine guns, and 19 motorcycles. After sundown, expecting a Japanese counterattack, the Chinese fell back to Oktwin a few kilometres to the south. Pyu was captured by the Japanese on the following day.

Battle of Oktwin 20-23 Mar 1942 The Japanese 143rd Regiment and a cavalry formation of the Japanese 55th Division attacked defensive positions north of the Kan River in Burma manned by troops of the Cavalry Regiment of the Chinese 5th Army. The Chinese fell back toward Oktwin. At dawn on 22 Mar, 122nd Regiment of the Japanese 55th Division attacked outposts manned by a battalion of the Chinese 200th Division, but made little progress. After two days of heavy fighting, the Chinese fell back toward Taungoo, Burma after nightfall on 23 Mar.

Battle of Taungoo 24-30 Mar 1942 Taungoo, an important crossroads city in central Burma, housed the headquarters of Major General Dai Anlan's Chinese 200th Division. The city was attacked by the Japanese 112th Regiment on 24 Mar, quickly surrounding the city on three sides. At 0800 hours on 25 Mar, the main offensive was launched on the city, attempting to push the Chinese defence toward the Sittang River. The Chinese held on to their positions, forcing the Japanese to engage in brutal house-to-house fighting, which took away the Japanese firepower superiority. A counteroffensive launched by the Chinese at 2200 hours, however, failed to regain lost territory. On the next day, the Japanese also failed to penetrate Chinese lines, and later in the day the Chinese, too, repeated the previous day's

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performance with a failed counterattack which suffered heavy casualties. On 27 and 28 Mar, Japanese aircraft and artillery bombarded the Chinese positions to pave way for an attack by the newly arrived Reconnaissance Regiment of the Japanese 56th Division. On the following day, the Japanese penetrated into the northwestern section of the city in the morning, and by noon the headquarters of the Chinese 200th Division was seriously threatened. In the afternoon, Dai gave the order to retreat after nightfall. The Chinese 200th Division established a new defensive position at Yedashe to the north, joined by the New 22nd Division. Japanese troops would attack this new position on 5 Apr and overcome it by 8 Apr.

Battle of Yenangyaung 11-19 Apr 1942 On 11 Apr, Japanese 33rd Division attacked the Indian 48th Brigade at the oil fields at Yenangyaung, using captured British tanks to support the assault. The situation at first waved back and forth, then General William Slim's two divisions who arrived in response became cut off, leading to British General Harold Alexander requesting American Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell in China for reinforcements to the Yenangyaung region. On 16 Apr, nearly 7,000 British troops were encircled by equal number of Japanese troops. General Sun Liren arrived with the 113th Regiment of the Chinese 38th Division, 1,121-strong, on 17 Apr. Sun arrived without artillery or tank support, but that deficiency was quickly augmented by the acquisition of Brigadier Anstice's British 7th Armored Brigade. The Chinese attacked southward, while Major General Bruce Scott led the British 1st Burma Division against Pin Chaung. On 19 Apr, the Chinese 38th Division took control of Twingon outside of Yenangyaung, then moved into Yenangyaung itself, but even with the arrival of the 1st Burma Division at Yenangyaung the position could not be defended. The Allied forces withdrew 40 miles to the north. Although Yenangyaung still fell under Japanese control at the end, nearly 7,000 British troops were saved from capture or destruction.

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The British Withdraw 7 Mar-26 May 1942 General Alexander and Slim led the remaining forces north through the jungles toward Mandalay, slowing down the Japanese as much as they could. Supply became a critical issue after the fall of Rangoon and its port facilities. In Tokyo, it was decided that Burma was to be rid of all Allied troops. An additional regiment was assigned as reinforcement to the Japanese 33rd Division to bring it up to full strength. Soon after, two additional infantry divisions, the 18th and 56th, arrived in the theatre, further bolstering Japanese numbers. The reinforcements arrived to the area undetected by Allied intelligence. Fresh Japanese troops moved north in three separate columns, one through the Irrawaddy Valley, another along the Rangoon-Mandalay Road in the Sittang Valley, and the third marched from Taunggyi in the east for Lashio. Chinese troops attempted to delay Japanese advances but failed; most of them fell back across the Chinese border almost immediately. Alexander and Slim successfully retreated across the Indian border on 26 May 1942. Along the way, they destroyed precious oilfields so that they could not be used by the Japanese. As the British crossed into India, Japanese forces captured the entire country of Burma, including the important airfields in Myitkyina near the Chinese border.

Comfort Women Some time during the conquest of Burma, the Japanese set up a comfort women system similar to the systems seen in Korea and China. When the combined American and Chinese forces later retook Myitkyina in Aug 1944, 3,200 women were known to be retreating with the retreating Japanese forces. 2,800 of the women were Koreans who were forced to be relocated from their home country to serve the Japanese troops as prostitutes, but there were also many Burmese women who volunteered in the belief that the Japanese were there to liberate their country from western imperialism. Some Chinese women were seen in the ranks as well. The goal of such a system was to prevent the Japanese soldiers

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from raping Burmese women, and to prevent the spreading of venereal diseases.

Conclusion of the Campaign "I claim we got a hell of a beating", recalled Stilwell. "We got run out of Burma and it is embarrassing as hell." With Burma under Japanese control, the blockade on China was complete, but that was but a symptom of the real underlying issue: the conflicting goals of the three Allied nations involved in Burma. To Britain, Burma was nothing but a buffer between Japanese troops and India. To China, Burma was a sideshow of the Second Sino-Japanese War, though important in that it provided an important supply line. To the United States, Burma was the key to keep China fighting in order to tie down the countless number of Japanese soldiers in China so that they could not be re-deployed in the South Pacific. Meanwhile, caught between the politics of the three Allied nations and the Japanese invader, the Burmese people found that none of the warring powers willing to listen to their sentiments.

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First Battle of Arakan: 21 Dec 1942 - 3 Apr 1943 On 21 Dec 1942, British and Commonwealth forces launched a small assault against the Arakan region in western Burma, aiming to capture the Mayu peninsula and Akyab Island's airfield, but the campaign was a failure. The Indian 14th Division was halted at the base of the peninsula early on in the campaign, and repeated assaults proved useless against the fortified Japanese defenders. On 3 Apr 1943 Japanese reinforcements struck the Indian 14th Division, forcing them to abandon their heavy equipment and retreat back across the Indian border.

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Operation Longcloth: 8 Feb 1943 - 27 Apr 1943 In late 1942, Archibald Wavell intended in launching a multi-pronged invasion from India into Burma, one of which involved Orde Wingate's brigade of irregulars. Named "Chindits", which resulted from Wingate's mistake while pronouncing "Chinthe" (Burmese for tiger), these men were trained in jungle warfare deep inside enemy territory. The invasion into Arakan Peninsula, Burma was launched on 21 Dec 1942, and by Feb 1943, meeting no success, Wavell was thinking about cancelling the invasion. Wingate, however, was able to convince Wavell to continue with the plans to deploy his Chindits. Wingate's force was ordered to cross into Burma on the following day, which crossed the India-Burma border at Tonhe on 13 Feb, followed by the crossing of the Chindwin River on the following day. Divided into two groups, Northern Group and Southern Group, each with multiple columns, they destroyed railroads, bridges, and other infrastructure important to the Japanese war effort. To establish the deception that the force was much larger than it was, ie. forming the impression that it was a full invasion rather than a raid, large scale daylight air drops were conducted, while tactical bombers struck key Japanese defence installations across the area. In late Mar, as the force had ventured to the limit of air support, and with the increasing risk that the Japanese would deploy forces behind them to block movements back toward India, Wingate, who personally led Operation Longcloth, called off the operation. The return trip to India was uncoordinated, and most columns had to break up into small elements in order to do so. Of the 3,000 men of the 77th Brigade that embarked on Operation Longcloth, only 2,182 returned; 450 of those lost were killed in action, while the rest were listed as missing in action or captured. Of the two forces, the Southern Group suffered the most, with only 260 of its original 1,000 returning to India. Of the 2,182 returned, only 600 of them were in good condition to continue to serve; the remainder were invalided out. Many critics of this operation noted that far too many men were sacrificed on this mission for achieving so little. Wingate, however, argued that the morale boost achieved by this operation could not be easily measured.

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Second Battle of Arakan: 30 Dec 1943 - 6 Apr 1944 The Anglo-Indian XV Corps under Lieutenant General Philip Christison launched a renewed offensive at the Mayu Peninsula in the Arakan region of Burma in late 1943. The small port city of Maungdaw was captured on 9 Jan 1944. The Japanese 55th Division, under Lieutenant General Hanaya Tadashi, dispatched units of the Sakurai Force in small groups on 5 Feb, penetrating positions held by Indian 7th Division without being detected. On the following day, the Japanese crossed the Kalapanzin River and attacked the forward headquarters of the Indian 7th Division in surprise, forcing the divisional staff to destroy of the orders and signal equipment before fleeing. The Japanese then advanced toward the Indian 7th Division's administrative area at Sinzweya, Burma. In the subsequent Battle of the Admin Box, the Japanese failed to dislodge the Anglo-Indian defensive point, and eventually the offensive was beaten off as the Japanese supplies dwindled; 3,106 Japanese were killed and 2,229 were wounded in this failed offensive. In the second week of Mar 1944, men of the 161st Infantry Brigade of the Indian 5th Division captured the village of Razabil. In late Mar, the Anglo-Indian offensive resumed. On 6 Apr, Indian troops captured the critical Point 551 hill that dominated the surrounding regions, but overall the offensive had waned at this point, and the Anglo-Indians paused to regroup. William Slim's focus on the central regions of Burma meant that the Allies would not gain another opportunity to gain the remainder of the Arakan region for months to come.

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Operation Thursday: 5 Mar 1944 - 27 Aug 1944 In late Jan 1944, Orde Wingate convinced William Slim to authorize a second operation behind Japanese lines in Burma utilizing irregulars that Wingate named the Chindits, though Slim provided Wingate far fewer men than what Wingate had initially wanted. The operation launched on 5 Mar 1944. The original plans called for the transport by glider of troops to three landing zones codenamed Piccadilly, Broadway, and Chowringhee, but Piccadilly was found to be occupied by Japanese troops by a pre-operation reconnaissance flight; the Japanese were actually military lumberjacks who were there purely by coincidence, but it had aroused much suspicion in Wingate toward Slim and the Chinese. The operation carried on nevertheless, with troops arriving at Broadway in the night of 5 Mar and at Chowringhee on the next day. 600 further sorties in the following week brought in more men, by which time about 9,000 Chindits (supported by over 1,000 animals) were present in Burma. The Chowringhee site was abandoned at this time, while Broadway was reinforced to form a field garrison. Two new field bases, codenamed Aberdeen and White City, were subsequently established north of Indaw and at Mawlu, respectively. By 18 Mar, the Chindits were on the offensive, attacking Kenu that day and Indaw on 21 Mar. On 27 Mar, the Japanese launched an attack on Broadway, which was repulsed by the start of Apr 1944. On 21 Mar, Wingate decided to move his headquarters from Imphal to Sylhet in India, which caused some interruption in communications during the attack on Indaw. Just as that difficulty was being resolved, Wingate died when the aircraft which he was travelling aboard crashed in an accident. Walter Lentaigne was named Wingate successor by Slim despite opposition by Chindit field commanders, for that Lentaigne had long doubted Wingate. With the arrival of Lentaigne came many changes, including the abandonment of Broadway and White City, the establishment of a new forward base to be codenamed Blackpool, and the scaling back of supplies for Operation Thursday in favour of traditional operations near the Indian-Burmese border where the Battle of Imphal-Kohima was raging. On 17 May, while Lentaigne remained the chief of Chindit operations, Slim passed operational control over to Joseph Stilwell, who gave Chindits objectives which supported the AmericanChinese operations in northern Burma. The Blackpool base faced Japanese artillery

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and infantry attacks almost immediately, and on 24 May penetrated Chindit defence lines and forced the Chindits to abandon Blackpool on the following day. Between Jun and Jul, the Chindits in Burma sustained heavy casualties, and slowly they were pulled out of Burma. The last Chindit left Burma on 27 Aug 1944.

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Battle of Myitkyina: 10 Mar 1944 - 3 Aug 1944 In Mar 1944, Colonel Charles Hunter of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), more popularly known as the Merrill's Marauders, led a combined force consisted of the 150th Chinese Regiment, the First Marauder Regiment, the 3rd Company Animal Transport Regiment, and part of the 22nd Division artillery against the village of Lazu, 35 miles from Myitkyina, Burma. They arrived at Lazu on 10 Mar, and immediately started to make plans to assault Myitkyina. Hunter was notified that his force, known as H Force, was to be the leading assault group, while Colonel Kinnison was to protect his east flank and Colonel McGee's M Force was to protect the west flank. On 3 Apr 1944, American General Joseph Stilwell met with his British counterparts to learn their strategic objectives. British leaders Louis Mountbatten and General William Slim affirmed Stilwell that he should not worry about the possibility of a British withdrawal in Burma in order to better defend against the Japanese expedition into India, for that they were confident of the eventual victory at Imphal and Kohima. In a surprising move, Slim turned over the command of the guerrilla Chindits over to Stilwell to better coordinate the combined efforts of the Chindits and Merrill's Marauders. It was a move that Major General Orde Wingate, the former commander of the Chindits, probably would not have approved had he not have perished on 24 Mar in an air crash. In hindsight this move reflected the lack of communications between the top leaders Mountbatten and Stilwell. While Mountbatten's intentions were to give Stilwell the responsibilities of conducting a disruptive campaign and leave the actual liberation of Burma operation to the British troops, it also showed that Stilwell's campaign to take Myitkyina was not communicated to Mountbatten. When queried by Prime Minister Winston Churchill about the recent American movement against the city, Mountbatten could only respond by saying he only incidentally heard about this plan, and noted he would write Stilwell to inform the American general that the British were not prepared to reinforce Myitkyina to hold the city after a successful American campaign while a majority of British troops were held up at Imphal and Kohima. It was rather unclear why Mountbatten appeared to be uninformed of this move in Stilwell's campaign, especially when considerable numbers of British personnel were involved in the actual operation.

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Late Apr 1944, Chiang Kaishek held up his end of the bargain with SEAC and launched an attack with 40,000 men from Yunnan under the command of General Huang Weili. Within the next few days, the number grew to 72,000, overpowering the Japanese forces in northern Burma. On 17 May 1944, Merrill's Marauders led the way for a Chinese-American combined force and attacked Myitkyina; however, lack of coordination between Merrill's Marauders and the stronger regulars behind them gave the Japanese an opportunity to reinforce the town, making the attack on Myitkyina a long campaign. While Myitkyina was besieged, the Japanese troops under the command of Mutaguchi on the extended campaign at Imphal and Kohima in India began to withdraw back into India. As the Japanese withdrew, British Lieutenant General Geoffrey Scoones gave chase and destroyed many demoralized Japanese units. Attacks from various directions outflanked the Japanese 15th Division, and territory west of the Chindwin River near the Burma-India border was regained. The siege at Imphal and Kohima were declared broken early in Jul 1944 with the largest defeat in Japanese thus far in the war. 55,000 casualties were suffered by the Japanese forces, with the majority to non-combat causes of starvation, exhaustion, and disease. In comparison, the Allied troops suffered 17,500 casualties. Mutaguchi was relieved of his command after this defeat, succeeded by Hyotaro Kimura. At Myitkyina, flawed American intelligence seriously underestimated the number of Japanese soldiers at Myitkyina. At peak time during the battle the Japanese forces totalled about 4,600 men, but the American estimate was a quarter of that quantity. The Japanese, similarly, could not estimate the number of the attackers, though they made the opposite mistake of grossly overestimating the size of the Allied forces. The result was a flawed campaign from both sides. While the Americans took on risks by making rapid moves against an enemy that was stronger than they had estimated, the Japanese fought unnecessarily conservatively and had forgone many opportunities of counteroffensives for believing that the Allied forces were much larger. In May, the 14th Evacuation Hospital was moved forward to the general area with the primary duty of caring for the sick and wounded Marauders. The hospital staff recorded that

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many of them were seriously ill and they were so tired, dirty, and hungry that they looked more dead than alive. They suffered from exhaustion, malnutrition, typhus, malaria, amoebic dysentery, jungle sores, and many other diseases resulting from months of hardship in the tropical jungle. The harsh conditions the Marauders fought in were made worse by their constant fighting in the jungles without adequate rest and recuperation. Colonel Hunter made a report of complaint to General Stilwell noting that his men had been overworked even at the face of a lack of promotion and decoration (except for Purple Hearts for those wounded). Even promises that they would not be used as spearheads for Chinese troops were broken, as shown by the current campaign at Myitkyina. Nevertheless, the Marauders stayed in the campaign, and fought on valiantly. On 3 Jun 1944 the 42nd and the 150th Chinese Regiments made an attack on the town, only to be pushed back by the Japanese after heavy casualties. Though starting to have a sense that the Japanese garrison was stronger than expected, the Allied command still believed that the town was only defended by fewer than 1,000 Japanese troops. Over the next month, a battle of attrition wore down both sides, with exhaustion and disease claiming a significant portion of casualties. The first signs that the Japanese were starting to lose the battle of attrition appeared in the last week of July when Kachin rangers operating in Detachment 101 found Japanese field hospital patients being floated on rafts downstream by hospital staff, in hope that they would be received by Japanese garrisons down the river. Even the natives were reporting that the Japanese were starting to hire them to make rafts and build booby traps. Rumours were also being spread by means of captured Japanese prisoners of war that a small number of key officers at Myitkyina had committed ritual suicide. The suspicions of a upcoming victory began to actually materialize only a couple of days later, on 26 Jul, when the American 3rd Battalion of the Marauders made a significant gain by capturing the northern air field at Myitkyina. Over the next week, Japanese resistance was noticeably weaker. On or about 1 Aug, General Mizukami committed suicide after seeing the main part of his army safely withdrawing from the area. Before he did so, however, he ordered for those wounded that could not be evacuated efficiently to stay behind as rear guard and hold the town as long as they could.

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On 3 Aug 1944, Myitkyina was finally captured, restoring use of the key airfields there. At its conclusion, the Allied command totalled its casualties, and the number ran high. 972 Chinese were killed and 3,184 were wounded; after adding the 188 sick who were evacuated earlier, the Chinese suffered a total of 4,344 casualties. The Americans suffered 272 killed, 955 wounded, and 980 evacuated for sickness; the American casualties totalled 2,207. The Japanese suffered 790 killed, 1,180 wounded, and 187 captured; Colonel Maruyama was able to escape. The capture of Mogaung by the Chindits on 26 Jun in Operation Thursday and the capture of Myitkyina on 3 Aug meant that the Japanese were now driven out of northern Burma. American engineers were immediately sent in to build a new road through the Hukawng and Mogaung valleys through Kamaing to Myitkyina, and plans were start to be put together to repair the road from Myitkyina to Bhamo to the south, where the Allies hoped to pick up the Burma Road. After a short time to regroup, Allied forces pushed south again. Japanese strategy in Burma from this point forward changed drastically toward the defensive, abandoning the notion of maintaining a northern flank to threaten China's supply situation. The Japanese forces in Burma saw a change in personnel as well. After the failures of 1944, Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi was relieved, replaced by Lieutenant General Shibachi Katamura, formerly of the Japanese 54th Infantry Division. The Burma Area Army saw a new commander in Lieutenant General Kimura Hyotaro, formerly of the Ordnance Administration Headquarters in Tokyo.

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Salween Offensive: 1 Apr 1944 - 27 Jan 1945 After the Chinese-American-Kachin Allied force captured Myitkyina, Burma, Chiang Kaishek finally gave his approval for launching an offensive in Yunnan Province, China. 72,000 Chinese soldiers organized in 12 divisions under the command of General Wei Lihuang attacked the under-strength Japanese 56th Infantry Division, which had little more than 11,000 men, north and east of the Salween River. In late May, the Japanese garrison at Tengchung was wiped out. On 10 Jun, Chinese troops captured Lungling, which was in a strategic location for the eventual reopening of the Burma Road, but a Japanese counterattack recaptured the town a week later. The 56th Division held on against the 300-kilometer front until late Jun 1944 before withdrawing forward positions. Lungling was again captured by the Chinese by end of Aug 1944. The Japanese were then reinforced by a division and mounted a counterattack to halt the Chinese advance. In Nov 1944, the Chinese renewed their attacks, taking Mangshih on 20 Nov, Mengka on 24 Nov, Chefang on 1 Dec, and Wanting on 20 Jan 1945. The Chinese pushed across the Burmese border on 22 Jan.

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Battle of Bhamo: 14 Nov 1944 - 14 Dec 1944 The market town of Bhamo, located on the navigable Ayeyarwady River, had been built up by the Japanese as a defensive fortress since the beginning of 1944. The area was divided into three fortress areas that stood at high grounds. Starting in Nov 1944 elements of the 38th Division launched attacks at the fortress with various degrees of success, wearing down the 1,200 defenders. By Dec, the 114th Regiment of the Chinese 38th Division was able to eliminate Japanese bunkers one by one, but their successes brought alarm to the Japanese command, who reinforced Bhamo by sending Colonel Yamazaki's 3,000-strong force. Yamazaki's men, however, were blocked by the 90th Infantry Regiment of the Chinese 30th Division. Without proper reinforcements, Bhamo fell to Chinese control on 14 Dec, placing the Chinese in Burma only fifty air miles from their fellow Chinese soldiers in Yunnan, China. It also meant that the Allies were starting to see the last of the road blocks preventing the Allies from fully utilizing the Burma Road.

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Third Battle of Arakan: 12 Dec 1944 - 28 Feb 1945 In late 1942, the Allies attempted to attack the Arakan region of Burma; this offensive was beaten back with heavy casualties. The second attempt to invade the same region would not be until Dec 1944, and the advances were much swifter for the Anglo-Indian troops. The coastal city of Akyab was captured by 2 Jan, and the village of Kangaw followed on 2 Feb, though achieved with much sacrifice in lives. On 21 Jan 1945, Anglo-Indian forces landed on Ramree island just off the Burmese coast with intention of occupying and establishing airbases on those islands. The invasion was preceded by a bombardment by the battleship Queen Elizabeth and the light cruiser Phoebe, while carrier Ameer's aircraft spotted for them; B-24 Liberator and B-47 Thunderbolt aircraft from the No. 224 Group RAF also participated in the pre-invasion attacks. One hour later, the Indian 71st Brigaded landed unopposed. On 22 Jan, the British 4th Infantry Brigade landed to reinforce the beachhead, followed by the 26th and 36th Brigades. On 26 Jan, Royal Marine forces landed on Cheduba and found it unoccupied. While the Japanese did not challenge the landing at Ramree Island, a defence is depth was planned to fight the invaders on this 2,300-square kilometre island in the Bay of Bengal. As the weight of four British and Commonwealth brigades pressured the first line of defence, 900 Japanese troops fell back to the second line of defence, as planned. To do so, the group must cross a 16-kilometer-wide swamp. The lack of food and water, tropical diseases, poisonous insects, and crocodiles wore away Japanese ranks over the next several days. When the British and Commonwealth troops finally flanked the swamp several days later, they found and captured only 20 Japanese soldiers. Legend told that a big portion of the Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles, and the story was made popular by the Guinness Book of Records which noted the event as "The Greatest Disaster Suffered from Animals". This event was greatly disputed, however, as it was unclear how many were lost to disease or starvation instead of crocodile attacks. There were also claims that a group of Japanese soldiers, about 500 in size, escaped the island undetected, therefore noting that the scale of crocodile attacks must be much smaller. Finally, scientists generally regarded it impossible for Ramree Island to host such a large population of crocodiles to kill so many Japanese troops, as the island's ecology simply did not allow it.

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With the major Japanese bases secured by the end of Feb 1945, the Anglo-Indian XV Corps released some of its units. Although the Arakan region in Burma was considered conquered by the Allies, Japanese resistance at An and Taungup in the area would continue for some time longer.

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Battle of Meiktila-Mandalay: 19 Jan 1945 - 29 Mar 1945 In Nov and Dec 1944, William Slim's British 14th Army secured two bridgeheads across the Chindwin River in Burma. Slim imagined that the Japanese would expect the Anglo-Indian troops to march for the historic city of Mandalay next, thus he devised a plan to attack Meiktila instead. Located 150 kilometres to the south, Meiktila represented a main stop on the supply route for food and ammunition for Japanese troops in central and northern Burma, thus by capturing Meiktila, Slim believed that he would be able to isolate the entire northern Burma with ease for a quick victory. To hide the fact that he wished to capture Meiktila before Mandalay, a number of deceptions were planned, including the transfer of several units from the Indian 4th Corps (the unit charged to take Meiktila) to the Indian 33rd Corps to make the Japanese think that the 4th Corps was not on the move further to the south, the use of irregular troops in front of the 4th Corps because the British had usually only used irregulars in Japanese rear areas rather than main battlegrounds prior to this time, and the establishment of a fake 4th Corps headquarters complete with a signals staff to transmit dummy radio traffic. By mid-Jan 1945, Anglo-Indian troops had reached the region where the Chindwin River joined the Irrawady River. As the Indian 33rd Corps feinted toward Mandalay, the Indian 4th Corps began its secret march in the Gangaw Valley along the Myittha River toward Meiktila on 19 Jan with Indian 7th Division at the spearhead. The Japanese mounted counterattacks almost nightly against the entire Allied front, not realizing Meiktila was the main objective and not able to make significant advances against any of the Anglo-Indian offensives. On 23 Feb 1945, the British 2nd Division crossed the Irrawady RIver 10 miles west of Mandalay. Allied air superiority during this phase of the campaign in Burma played a decisive role, knocking out field guns and the few remaining Japanese tanks. The few Japanese aircraft remaining in the region could offer only little resistance. On 29 Feb 1945, the attack on the Meiktila region began by the troops of Major General David Cowan's Indian 17th Division, quickly taking the airfield 20 miles west at Thabutkon. The Indian 99th Brigade and fuel supplies were called in by air immediately. Meiktila was defended for the most part by men of the 168th Regiment of the Japanese 49th Division, with additional manpower from various support units such as communications personnel; the Japanese totalled about 4,000. On 1 Mar,

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Meiktila itself came under attack, and Cowan soon realized that the Japanese were well-entrenched in the city; snipers, mutually-reinforcing bunkers, machine gun nests, and anti-tank gun positions were practically everywhere. After hard fighting, Anglo-Indian troops captured the city by 3 Mar, and by 5 Mar all Japanese resistance in the region were eliminated. The Allies captured 47 Japanese prisoners; a majority of the remainder were killed or committed suicide. The Japanese were not ready to give up on Meiktila, however. The Japanese 18th and 49th Divisions, along with composite units, mounted an attack at a strength of 12,000 men. The 15,000-strong Indian 17th Division first attempted to attack out of the newly occupied town to clear out Japanese concentrations, but soon was pressured to fall back. The first attack on Meiktila by the Japanese failed with heavy losses, however. Lieutenant General Eitaro Naka changed his strategy on 13 Mar by attacking the airfields nearby to deprive the defending forces of their supplies. By 15 Mar, aircraft landing had to done so under fire. Cowan called off the supply runs on 18 Mar. Toward the end of Mar 1945, with the attacking Japanese units not in good communications with each other, the siege of Meiktila gradually fell apart. Elsewhere, British and Indian troops reached Mandalay Hill on 7 Mar 1945. With Meiktila already captured by the Allies, Mandalay would wither without adequate supplies, but Slim wanted a victory at this historically important city. Major General Seiei Yamamoto, the defending general at Mandalay, was as determined to hold the city for its propaganda value as much as Slim wanted to take it. On 8 Mar, 4/4th Gurkha Rifles of Indian 19th Division began to advance on Mandalay Hill, which was not bombarded due to the presence of many temples and pagodas. Fighting from subterranean tunnels, the Japanese held on for several days before falling back. The city itself was next. At Fort Dufferin, the thick walls held up against Allied artillery shelling and aerial bombardment, and the deep moat thwarted the attacking infantry. As the casualty numbers mounted, British generals drew up a commando raid through the sewers to penetrate the fortress defences, but the plan would not be executed as the Japanese unexpectedly surrendered Fort Dufferin, thus Mandalay, on 20 Mar. The defeat of the Japanese forces at Meiktila and Mandalay was decisive, with the Japanese suffering heavy casualties and losing valuable heavy equipment

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necessary to carry on the war. Politically, the defeat also dealt the Japanese great damage. The fall of Mandalay, a cultural centre of Burma, turned Burmese national opinion against the Japanese, while losing the river and road network north of Meiktila meant that the Japanese forces in northern Burma were now effectively cut off from the sources of supply generally flowing in from the Rangoon area. The number of attacks by Burmese guerrilla on Japanese troops surged after the Battle of Meiktila-Mandalay. Shortly, even the Burmese regulars of the Japanesesponsored puppet republic would turn their guns on the Japanese.

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Battle of Rangoon: 25 Apr 1945 - 6 May 1945 As the Japanese defences crumbled in central Burma, two separate forces raced for the glory of capturing Rangoon, the capital of the British colony. At Ceylon, Allied Supreme Commander Louis Mountbatten backed his Operation Dracula plan, which called for an amphibious assault on Rangoon. Meanwhile, General William Slim urged his troops to advance rapidly from central Burma as the final phase of his Operation Extended Capital plan. Slim's advance largely consisted of two Indian mechanized infantry divisions, the 5th and the 17th, both of which moved so fast that, on several occasions, they caught Japanese defenders unprepared. On 21 Apr 1945, Mountbatten announced that Operation Dracula was to be executed on 2 May, thus concretely setting a goal for Slim. Slim's offensive captured Toungoo, Penwegu, Daiku, and Allanmyo successively in the final week of Apr, while they also accepted the surrender of the 3,000-strong Japanese-sponsored 1st Division of the Indian National Army at Pyu, Burma on 23 Apr. On 27 Apr, British transports with Lieutenant General Philip Christison's Indian XV Corps aboard departed from Akyab and Ramree Islands in Arakan in western Burma, while the powerful British East Indies Fleet sailed from Trincomalee, Ceylon, setting Operation Dracula in motion. On the next day, 28 Apr, Slim's Operation Extended Capital met strong Japanese resistance at Pegu, which was designed by Japanese Major General Hideji Matsui to be the final stronghold north of Rangoon. The troops of Indian 17th Division captured Pegu, but they failed to secure it immediately. On 1 May, paratroopers of the Indian 50th Parachute Regiment dropped in the Rangoon region. Knowing that the bulk of the remaining Japanese forces in the Rangoon region had been wiped out at Pegu, Slim carelessly ordered his American pilot Captain Robert Fullerton to fly him and a small staff over Rangoon airspace so that he could claim to be the victor of the race. Japanese anti-aircraft fire peppered the aircraft, forcing them to turn back; Fullerton was wounded by shrapnel in the leg, and the injuries were so extensive that the leg would ultimately be amputated. On 2 May, as the Indian 17th Division began to cover the final 41 miles to reach Rangoon, Operation Dracula landed Major General Henry Chambers' Indian 26th Division, which would capture the city on the next day with minimal resistance. Mountbatten's Operation Dracula had beaten Slim's Operation Extended Capital in the race for the Burmese capital.

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As early as 23 Apr 1945, the Japanese leadership in Burma had already known that Rangoon could not be held. Lieutenant General Hyotaro Kimura, despite orders to hold his ground from his superiors in Tokyo, ordered the evacuation of Rangoon to Moulmein across the Gulf of Martaban; this caused much confusion as he failed to provide the necessary details to keep his subordinates calm. Major General Matsui, defending Pegu, was furious at Kimura, who failed to communicate the evacuation order to the Pegu garrison until it was too late for Matsui to fall back. On 6 May, the Battle of Rangoon officially ended as the Indian 26th Division made contact with the Indian 17th Division near Hlegu. The Allied offensive in Burma was generally regarded as over at this point, although fighting would continue as AngloIndian troops, British aircraft, and American aircraft continued to harass the Japanese troops attempting to escape Burma into neighbouring Thailand. Meanwhile, many Anglo-Indian units saw their role converting to police duty, at least in May and Jun 1945, to contain the widespread looting and vigilantism that took place in Rangoon after the Japanese evacuated.

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Timeline Line

Section

Date

001

Invasion of Burma

12 Dec 1941

Churchill placed the defence of Burma under Wavell's command, promising four fighter and six bomber squadrons and matérial reinforcements, together with the 18th Division and what remained of 17th Indian Division (since two of its Brigades had been diverted to Singapore). On the same day, the 3rd Squadron of the American Volunteer Group was transferred to Rangoon, Burma.

Event

002

Invasion of Burma

14 Dec 1941

A battalion from the Japanese 143rd Infantry Regiment occupied Victoria Point, Burma on the Kra River near the Thai-Burmese border.

003

Invasion of Burma

22 Dec 1941

The Japanese 55th Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Takeuchi Yutaka, assembled at Bangkok, Thailand and was issued orders for it to cross the Thai-Burma frontier and capture Moulmein, which happened to be held by the Headquarters of 17th Indian Division.

004

Invasion of Burma

23 Dec 1941

005

Invasion of Burma

28 Dec 1941

54 Japanese bombers escorted by 24 fighters attacked Rangoon, Burma in the late morning, killing 1,250; of those who became wounded as the result of this raid, 600 died. Lieutenant-General Thomas Hutton assumed command of Burma army. A competent and efficient Staff Officer (he had been responsible for the great expansion of the Indian army), he had not actually commanded troops for twenty years. Across the border in Thailand, Japanese Colonel Keiji Suzuki announced the disbandment of the Minami Kikan (Burmese armed pro-Japanese nationalists) organization, which would be replaced by the formation of a Burma Independence Army (BIA), to accompany the Invasion force.

006

Invasion of Burma

29 Dec 1941

Japanese bombers struck Rangoon, Burma, destroying the railway station and dock facilities.

007

Invasion of Burma

14 Jan 1942

Japanese forces advanced into Burma.

008

Invasion of Burma

16 Jan 1942

The first clash between Japanese and British forces within Burma occurred when a column of the 3rd Battalion of the Japanese 112th Infantry Regiment was engaged by the British 6th Burma Rifles (plus two companies of the 3rd Burma Rifles and elements of the Kohine battalion BFF) at the town of Tavoy (population 30,000 and strategically important as it was the start of a metal road to Rangoon). By the 18th the Japanese had taken the town, having lost 23 dead and 40 wounded, but the morale of the defenders had been badly damaged and the Japanese column was able to move on to Mergui without serious opposition.

009

Invasion of Burma

19 Jan 1942

Japanese troops captured the airfield at Tavoy (now Dawei), Burma.

010

Invasion of Burma

20 Jan 1942

The Japanese advance guard crossed the border into Burma heading for Moulmein. Kawkareik was defended by 16th Indian Brigade under Brigadier J. K. "Jonah" Jones, but was widely dispersed covering the tracks leading to the border 38 miles away. The Japanese first encountered the 1st/7th Gurkha Rifles (who had only arrived on the previous day) near Myawadi. The Gurkhas were quickly outflanked and forced to withdraw. Within forty-eight hours the rest of 16th Infantry Brigade were forced to follow.

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011

Invasion of Burma

23 Jan 1942

The Japanese commenced a determined effort to establish air superiority over Rangoon, Burma. By 29 Jan seventeen Japanese aircraft had been shot down for the loss of two American Volunteer Group and ten Royal Air Force machines, forcing the Japanese temporarily to concede.

012

Invasion of Burma

24 Jan 1942

013

Invasion of Burma

25 Jan 1942

Japanese aircraft attacked Rangoon, Burma for the second day in a row. From the Thai-Burmese border, Japanese troops marched in multiple columns toward Moulmein, Burma, looking to capture the nearby airfield. Japanese aircraft attacked Rangoon, Burma for the third day in a row. Meanwhile, Archibald Wavell ordered that the airfield at Moulmein, Burma to be defended, which was being threatened by troops of the Japanese 55th infantry Division.

014

Invasion of Burma

26 Jan 1942

015

Invasion of Burma

30 Jan 1942

Japanese 55th Infantry Division captured the airfield at Moulmein, Burma.

016

Invasion of Burma

31 Jan 1942

Japanese 55th Infantry Division captured the town of Moulmein, Burma one day after the nearby airfield was captured; Burmese 2nd Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Roger Ekin) retreated across the Salween River during the night after having lost 617 men (mostly missing); Archibald Wavell however, unaware of the true situation, was appalled and angry to hear of the ease with which the Japanese had driven Burmese 2nd Infantry Brigade from the town. On the same day, Slim issued a report summarizing the air situation in Burma, noting the Allies had 35 aircraft in the area to defend against about 150 Japanese aircraft; while a few more Allied aircraft were en route for Burma, by mid-Mar 1942 there would be 400 operational Japanese aircraft in this theatre of war.

017

Invasion of Burma

03 Feb 1942

Burmese 2nd Infantry Brigade and a part of the Indian 17th Division withdrew from Martaban, Burma toward the Bilin River.

018

Invasion of Burma

06 Feb 1942

Wavell, still angry at the loss of Moulmein, Burma, ordered 2nd Burma Brigade to "take back all you have lost". It was too late-the Japanese were already bringing more troops (33rd "White Tigers" Division and the Headquarters of 15th Army) across the frontier. Lieutenant-General Hutton insisted on abandoning Moulmein and taking up new positions on the Salween which would be reinforced by the newly committed 46th Indian Brigade who had been brought down from the Shah States.

019

Invasion of Burma

07 Feb 1942

The Japanese infiltrated across the Salween River in Burma cutting the defenders of Martaban River, 3/7th Gurkhas with a company of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry under command, from the 46th Indian Brigade headquarters base at Thaton. The Gurkha's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel H. A. Stevenson, knowing that his position was now untenable led a bayonet charge to clear the road block. The subsequent retreat from Martaban (over difficult terrain with no food) of more than 50 miles in two days was a terrible ordeal and a foretaste of things to come.

020

Invasion of Burma

10 Feb 1942

Japanese troops crossed the Salween River in Burma.

Japanese aircraft attacked Rangoon, Burma for the fourth day in a row.

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021

Invasion of Burma

11 Feb 1942

Having crossed the Salween River at Kuzeik, Burma during the night the Japanese II/215th Infantry regiment engaged the raw and inexperienced 7/10th Baluch who were deployed in a semi-circle with their backs to the river without barbed wire or artillery support. After dark the Japanese launched their attack on the Indian positions and after four hours of bitter hand to hand fighting began to get the upper hand. By dawn organized resistance had effectively ceased. The heroic 7/10th Buluch had suffered 289 killed; with the few survivors making off in small parties.

022

Invasion of Burma

13 Feb 1942

In Burma, the British Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant-General Hutton requested Archibald Wavell to appoint a corps commander to take charge of operations and a liaison team to work with the Chinese. He received no reply as Wavell was incapacitated after suffering a fall.

023

Invasion of Burma

14 Feb 1942

Indian 17th Infantry Division was ordered to defend against the Japanese advance toward Rangoon, Burma at the Bilin River.

024

Invasion of Burma

15 Feb 1942

Japanese troops penetrated Indian 17th Infantry Division positions on the Bilin River north of Rangoon, Burma.

025

Invasion of Burma

17 Feb 1942

Japanese troops crossed the Bilin River north of Rangoon, Burma and began to encircle the Indian 17th Infantry Division.

026

Invasion of Burma

18 Feb 1942

After three days of confused fighting along the Bilin in Burma, Major General "Jackie" Smyth learned that he was threatened with being outflanked to the south by the Japanese 143rd Regiment. He committed his last reserves, 4/12th Frontier Force Regiment who fought a stiff action on 16th Indian Brigade's left but ultimately failed to dislodge the Japanese.

027

Invasion of Burma

19 Feb 1942

Mandalay, Burma came under aerial attack for the first time. Meanwhile, the Japanese 143rd Regiment, having crossed the Bilin Estuary arrived at Taungzon, effectively bypassing the British and Indian positions along the Bilin River; Lieutenant General Hutton had no option but to permit a withdrawal to the Sittang.

028

Invasion of Burma

20 Feb 1942

The Japanese attacked the positions of 16th and 46th Indian Brigades at Kyaikto, Burma, delaying the retreat from the Balin to the Sittang Bridge for forty-eight hours, and causing total confusion among the withdrawing columns. To make matters worse the Indians came under friendly air attack from RAF and AVG aircraft. In addition most of the Divisional Headquarters' radio equipment was lost in the confusion. In Rangoon, Hutton's implementation of the second part of the evacuate Europeans caused wide-spread panic with much looting by drunken natives, and the emptying of the cities goals of lunatics and criminals.

029

Invasion of Burma

21 Feb 1942

The 2nd Burma Frontier Force, who had been placed north of the Kyaikto track to warn against outflanking, were heavily engaged by the Japanese 215th Regiment and forced to withdraw north-west, crossing the Sittang River by country boats, and proceeding to Pegu. No report of this contact ever reached the divisional commander "Jackie" Smyth who was still hearing rumours of a threatened parachute landing to the west. To the south, British 7th Armored Brigade arrived at Rangoon by sea from Egypt.

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030

Invasion of Burma

22 Feb 1942

During the early hours, the Sittang Bridge in Burma became blocked when a lorry got stuck across the carriageway. With the Japanese closing in on Pagoda and Buddha Hills overlooking the important crossing, the British divisional commander "Jackie" Smyth had to accept that the bridge must be destroyed, even though a large part of his force was still on the east bank. Lieutenant-General Hutton was informed that he was to be replaced but was to remain in Burma as Alexander's Chief of Staff, a most awkward position which he endured until he was replaced at his own request by Major-General John Winter before returning to India in early April.

031

Invasion of Burma

23 Feb 1942

The Sittang railway bridge in Burma was blown up to prevent its capture by the Japanese, even though most of General Smyth's command was still on the east bank. Smyth salvaged from the catastrophe 3,484 infantry, 1,420 rifles, 56 Bren guns and 62 Thompson submachine guns. Nearly 5,000 men, 6,000 weapons and everything else was lost. Despite many men making it back across the river without their weapons, 17th Indian was now a spent force. It would take the Japanese a fortnight to bring up bridging equipment which permitted the Europeans in Rangoon to make their escape from the doomed city.

032

Invasion of Burma

28 Feb 1942

General Archibald Wavell, who believed Rangoon, Burma must be held, relieved Thomas Hutton for planning an evacuation.

033

Invasion of Burma

02 Mar 1942

034

Invasion of Burma

03 Mar 1942

Japanese 33rd and 55th Infantry Divisions crossed Sittang River at Kunzeik and Donzayit, Burma, forcing the British 2nd Battalion Royal Tank Regiment to fall back 20 miles as the Japanese troops captured the village of Waw. Japanese troops forced Indian 17th Infantry Division out of Payagyi, Burma.

035

Invasion of Burma

04 Mar 1942

036

Invasion of Burma

06 Mar 1942

037

Invasion of Burma

07 Mar 1942

£11,000,000 worth of oil installations of Burmah Oil Company in southern Burma near Rangoon were destroyed as British retreated from the city, preventing Japanese capture; this destruction would result in 20 years of High Court litigation after the war. Also destroyed were 972 unassembled Lend-Lease trucks and 5,000 tires. From Rangoon, 800 civilians departed aboard transports for Calcutta, India. The Anglo-Indian troops in the Rangoon region were held up by a Japanese roadblock at Taukkyan, which was assaulted repeatedly without success.

038

Invasion of Burma

08 Mar 1942

200th Division of the Chinese 5th Army arrived at Taungoo, Burma to assist the British defence.

In Burma, Japanese troops enveloped Chinese troops at Toungoo while British 7th Queen's Own Hussars regiment clashed with Japanese troops at Pegu. Anglo-Indian and Japanese troops clashed at various roadblocks near Rangoon, Burma.

039

Invasion of Burma

09 Mar 1942

Japanese troops entered undefended Rangoon, Burma, abandoned by British troops two days prior.

040

Invasion of Burma

10 Mar 1942

Japanese 55th Infantry Division began pursuing the retreating British troops from Rangoon, Burma.

041

Invasion of Burma

15 Mar 1942

Harold Alexander admitted to Joseph Stilwell that the British had only 4,000 well-equipped fighting men in Burma.

042

Invasion of Burma

18 Mar 1942

Chinese troops ambushed 200 Japanese reconnaissance troops near Pyu in Battle of Tachiao, killing 30. Meanwhile, aircraft of the 1st American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers" bombed the Japanese airfield at Moulmein, claiming 16 Japanese aircraft destroyed on the ground. Of the Burmese coast, troops from India reinforced the garrison on Akyab Island.

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043

Invasion of Burma

19 Mar 1942

Japanese troops captured Pyu, Burma.

044

Invasion of Burma

20 Mar 1942

045

Invasion of Burma

21 Mar 1942

Japanese 143rd Regiment and a cavalry formation of the Japanese 55th Division attacked troops the Cavalry Regiment of the Chinese 5th Army north of the Kan River in Burma. 151 Japanese bombers attacked the British airfield at Magwe in northern Burma, the operating base of the Chinese Air Force 1st American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers"; 15 Sino-American aircraft were destroyed at the cost of 2 Japanese aircraft. Meanwhile, at Oktwin, forward elements of Japanese 55th Division engaged Chinese troops.

046

Invasion of Burma

22 Mar 1942

American and British airmen abandoned the airfield in Magwe in northern Burma. To the southeast, at dawn, troops of the 600th Regiment of the Chinese 200th ambushed troops of the 122nd Regiment of the Japanese 55th Division near Oktwin, Burma.

047

Invasion of Burma

23 Mar 1942

Chinese troops held the Japanese attacks in check near Oktwin, Burma, but withdrew toward Taungoo after sundown.

048

Invasion of Burma

24 Mar 1942

Japanese 112th Regiment attacked Taungoo, Burma, overcoming the disorganized Chinese outer defences. Meanwhile, Japanese 143rd Regiment flanked the Chinese defences and captured the airfield and rail station 6 miles north of the city. Taungoo would be surrounded on three sides by the end of the day.

049

Invasion of Burma

25 Mar 1942

050

Invasion of Burma

26 Mar 1942

The main Japanese offensive against Taungoo, Burma began at 0800 hours, striking northern, western, and southern sides of the city nearly simultaneously. Fierce house-to-house fighting would continue through the night. Chinese and Japanese troops continued to engage in house-to-house fighting in Taungoo, Burma, with heavy losses on both sides.

051

Invasion of Burma

27 Mar 1942

Japanese aircraft and artillery bombarded Chinese positions at Taungoo, Burma.

052

Invasion of Burma

28 Mar 1942

A fresh regiment of the Japanese 56th Division attacked Chinese-defended city of Taungoo, Burma.

053

Invasion of Burma

29 Mar 1942

Japanese penetrated the Chinese defences at Taungoo, Burma and threatened to trap the Chinese 200th Division in the city. General Dai Anlan issued the order to retreat from the city after sundown, falling back northward. During the withdraw, the Chinese failed to destroy the bridge over the Sittang River. To the west, Japanese captured a main road near Shwedaung, disrupting the Allied withdraw; an Anglo-Indian attack from the south failed to break the roadblock.

054

Invasion of Burma

30 Mar 1942

Japanese 55th Division attacked Taungoo, Burma at dawn, capturing it without resistance as the Chinese 200th Division had evacuated the city overnight. To the west, British 7th Armoured Brigade broke through the Japanese roadblock at Shwedaung, but suffered tank destroyed on the nearby bridge over the Irrawaddy River, blocking traffic. Shortly after, Japanese-sponsored Burma National Army attacked the British troops while the British attempted to manoeuvre around the disabled tank, killing 350 with as many losses.

055

Invasion of Burma

02 Apr 1942

Japanese troops drove Indian 17th Division out of Prome, Burma.

056

Invasion of Burma

03 Apr 1942

Six B-17 bombers of the US 10th Air Force based in Asansol, India attacked Rangoon, Burma, setting three warehouses on fire; one aircraft was lost in this attack.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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057

Invasion of Burma

04 Apr 1942

Japanese aircraft bombed areas of Mandalay, Burma, killing more than 2,000, most of whom were civilians.

058

Invasion of Burma

05 Apr 1942

Japanese and Chinese troops clashed at Yedashe in central Burma.

059

Invasion of Burma

06 Apr 1942

Japanese troops captured Mandalay, Burma. Off Akyab on the western coast of Burma, Japanese aircraft sank Indian sloop HMIS Indus.

060

Invasion of Burma

08 Apr 1942

Japanese troops overran Chinese 200th Division and New 22nd Division defensive positions at Yedashe, Burma.

061

Invasion of Burma

10 Apr 1942

Japanese and Chinese troops clashed at Szuwa River, Burma.

062

Invasion of Burma

11 Apr 1942

063

Invasion of Burma

12 Apr 1942

In Burma, British troops formed a new defensive line, Minhia-Taungdwingyi-Pyinmana, on the Irrawaddy River. After dark, the Japanese reached this line, launching a first attack on the Indian 48th Brigade at Kokkogwa. Japanese attacks on Minhia, Thadodan, and Alebo on the Minhia-Taungdwingyi-Pyinmana defensive line in Burma were stopped by Anglo-Indian troops including the British 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. British tankers reported seeing captured British tanks pressed into Japanese service.

064

Invasion of Burma

13 Apr 1942

Japanese troops continued to assault the Minhia-Taungdwingyi-Pyinmana defensive line along the Irrawaddy River in Burma without success. To the northwest, troops of Japanese 56th Infantry Division captured Mauchi from troops of Chinese 6th Army and the nearby tungsten mines.

065

Invasion of Burma

15 Apr 1942

As Japanese troops began to push through the British Minhia-Taungdwingyi-Pyinmana defensive line along the Irrawaddy River in Burma and approached the oil-producing region of Yenangyaung, William Slim gave the order to destroy 1,000,000 gallons of crude oil to prevent Japanese capture while the British 7th Armoured Division pushed through Japanese road blocks to prepare men on the line to fall back.

066

Invasion of Burma

16 Apr 1942

Japanese troops decisively defeated the 1st Burma Division near Yenangyaung, Burma.

067

Invasion of Burma

17 Apr 1942

William Slim launched a failed counterattack with the Indian 17th Division near Yenangyaung, Burma; he had wanted the counterattack to open up Japanese lines, to meet with troops of the 113th Regiment of Chinese 38th Division fighting to relieve Yenangyaung, and to allow the remnants of the 1st Burma Division to return to the main Allied lines. To the east, Japanese 56th Infantry Division and Chinese troops clashed at Bawlake and Pyinmana, Burma.

068

Invasion of Burma

18 Apr 1942

Although the 113th Regiment of the Chinese 38th Division under General Sun Liren and the British 7th Armoured Brigade had reached near Yenangyaung, Burma, they could not prevent the Japanese troops from capturing the city; the final elements of British troops fleeing out of the city destroyed the power station to prevent Japanese use.

069

Invasion of Burma

19 Apr 1942

The 113th Regiment of the Chinese 38th Division under General Sun Liren captured Twingon, Burma then repulsed a Japanese counterattack that saw heavy casualties on both sides. To the east, Japanese 55th Infantry Division captured Pyinmana.

070

Invasion of Burma

20 Apr 1942

Japanese troops captured Taunggyi, Burma, capital of the southern Shan States, along with its large gasoline store. In central Burma, troops of the Japanese 56th Division pushed Chinese troops out of Loikaw, while troops of the Japanese 18th Division clashed with Chinese troops at Kyidaunggan.

071

Invasion of Burma

21 Apr 1942

Japanese 18th Division captured Kyidaunggan, Burma from Chinese troops.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

Page 39 of 50

072

Invasion of Burma

22 Apr 1942

British troops fell back to Meiktila, Burma while Indian 17th Infantry Division fell back from Taungdwingyi to Mahlaing to protect Mandalay.

073

Invasion of Burma

23 Apr 1942

Chinese mercenary troops under Allied command attacked Taunggyi, Burma while Japanese 56th Division captured Loilem.

074

Invasion of Burma

24 Apr 1942

Japanese 18th Infantry Division captured Yamethin, Burma.

075

Invasion of Burma

25 Apr 1942

Alexander, Slim, and Stilwell met at Kyaukse, Burma, 25 miles south of Mandalay. It was decided that all Allied troops were to be pulled out of Burma, but Slim demanded that no British nor Indian units would be withdrawn to China even if the Chinese border was closer to that of India's. Meanwhile, Japanese and Chinese troops clashed at Loilem, central Burma.

076

Invasion of Burma

26 Apr 1942

077

Invasion of Burma

28 Apr 1942

In Burma, the Indian 17th Division moved from Mahlaing to Meiktila, 20 miles to the south, to assist the Chinese 200th Division in forming a line of defence against the Japanese attack on Mandalay. Troops of the Chinese 28th Division arrived at Lashio in northern Burma. To the west, the Indian 17th Division crossed the Irrawaddy River at Sameikkon, Burma on its retreat toward India; Chinese 38th Division and British 7th Armoured Brigade formed a line between Sagaing and Ondaw to guard the retreat.

078

Invasion of Burma

29 Apr 1942

Japanese 18th Infantry Division captured Kyaukse, Burma just south of Mandalay. To the west, Japanese 33rd Infantry Division pursued the Anglo-Indian withdraw across the Irrawaddy River toward India. To the north, 100 kilometres south of the border with China, Japanese 56th Infantry Division captured Lashio midday.

079

Invasion of Burma

30 Apr 1942

In western Burma, Chinese 38th Division began to move westward to join the Anglo-Indian troops already en route for India. After the tanks of the British 7th Armoured Division had successfully crossed the Ava Bridge over the Irrawaddy River, Chinese troops blew up the bridge to slow the Japanese pursuit.

080

Invasion of Burma

01 May 1942

Japanese 18th Infantry Division captured Mandalay, Burma. 300 kilometres the northeast, Japanese and Chinese troops clashed at Hsenwi. 50 miles west of Mandalay, Japanese troops blocked the British retreat at Monywa on the Chindwin River and then attacked from the rear by surprise, capturing the headquarters of the 1st Burma Division.

081

Invasion of Burma

02 May 1942

1st Burma Division unsuccessfully attacked Japanese 33rd Infantry Division at Monywa, Burma on the Chindwin River.

082

Invasion of Burma

03 May 1942

083

Invasion of Burma

04 May 1942

084

Invasion of Burma

08 May 1942

Having fought off the attack by the 1st Burma Division at Monywa, Burma, Japanese 33rd Infantry Division went on the offensive pushing 1st Burma Division back toward Alon. Japanese troops captured Bhamo, Burma. Off the Burmese coast, with increasing malaria cases affecting the garrison's morale, Akyab Island was abandoned. Japanese troops captured Myitkyina, Burma.

085

Invasion of Burma

09 May 1942

By this date, most troops of the Burma Corps had withdrew west of the Chindwin River.

086

Invasion of Burma

10 May 1942

The Thai Phayap Army invaded Shan State, Burma. In western Burma, Gurkha units, rearguard to the British general retreat, held off another Japanese assault throughout the afternoon; they also withdrew westwards after sundown.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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087

Invasion of Burma

12 May 1942

088

Invasion of Burma

15 May 1942

The monsoon began in Burma, slowing the retreat of Allied troops into India, but it also stopped Japanese attempts to attack the retreating columns from the air. The retreating Allied columns reached Assam in northeastern India.

089

Invasion of Burma

18 May 1942

Most of the retreating troops of BURCORPS reached India.

090

Invasion of Burma

20 May 1942

091

Invasion of Burma

23 May 1942

Japanese troops completed the conquest of Burma. All Allied troops previously under the command of William Slim (who was transferred to Indian XV Corps) were reassigned to the British IV Corps, thus dissolving the Burma Corps. Japanese and Chinese troops clashed along the Hsipaw-Mogok road in northern Burma.

092

Invasion of Burma

25 May 1942

Chinese 38th Infantry Division began to cross the border from Burma into India.

093

Invasion of Burma

27 May 1942

Thai forces captured Kengtung, Burma.

094

First Battle of Arakan

17 Nov 1942

Archibald Wavell gave up the amphibious component to the planned assault on Arakan Peninsula, Burma (largely due to the lack of landing craft, the majority of which were assigned to Operation Torch in North Africa and to the Pacific Theatre), and told Noel Irwin to focus on ground assault through Mayu Hills only.

095

First Battle of Arakan

21 Dec 1942

British and Commonwealth troops crossed the Indian-Burmese border, moving into Japanese-controlled Arakan Peninsula.

096

First Battle of Arakan

25 Dec 1942

Japanese troops fell back from the eastern bank of the Mayu River in Arakan Peninsula in Burma.

097

First Battle of Arakan

07 Jan 1943

The British assault on Japanese bunkers at Donbaik, Burma on the Bay of Bengal coast was halted with heavy losses.

098

First Battle of Arakan

08 Jan 1943

Japanese troops again halted a British assault at Donbaik, Burma.

099

First Battle of Arakan

10 Jan 1943

Japanese troops again halted a British assault at Donbaik, Burma.

100

Operation Longcloth

07 Feb 1943

Archibald Wavell visited Orde Wingate's Chindit headquarters 7 miles north of Imphal, India. Wingate was able to convince Wavell to continue the Chindit operations despite the fact that the offensive into Arakan, Burma was soon to be cancelled.

101

Operation Longcloth

08 Feb 1943

Operation Longcloth, the long range penetration operation by the Chindits, was launched.

102

Operation Longcloth

09 Feb 1943

103

Operation Longcloth

13 Feb 1943

The first Chindit operation began. Brigadier Orde Wingate took a force of 3,000 troops into Burma to conduct a guerrilla-style campaign behind Japanese lines. The Northern Group of the Chindits crossed the Indian-Burmese border at Tonhe.

104

Operation Longcloth

14 Feb 1943

The Northern Group of the Chindits crossed the Chindwin River in Burma.

105

Operation Longcloth

22 Feb 1943

106

Operation Longcloth

25 Feb 1943

The Northern Group of the Chindits reached Tonmakeng, Burma. Orde Wingate ordered an attack on a nearby Japanese garrison at Sinlamaung. After not being able to locate Sinlamaung, Burma in the past three days, the Chindit unit assigned to attack the Japanese garrison there finally found the village. They found the Japanese garrison had already departed, however.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

Page 41 of 50

107

Operation Longcloth

01 Mar 1943

The Northern Group of the Chindits reached Zibyutaungdan, Burma and began to move into the Mu valley.

108

Operation Longcloth

02 Mar 1943

The Northern Group of the Chindits marched 20 miles along a road northeast of Pinlebu, Burma.

109

Operation Longcloth

03 Mar 1943

The No. 4 Column of the Northern Group of the Chindits was ambushed and was nearly annihilated; Orde Wingate ordered the column to return to India. Meanwhile, the two columns of the Southern Group were ambushed by Japanese troops in the Mu valley after dark; both columns lost much equipment, while one of them was nearly wiped out.

110

Operation Longcloth

06 Mar 1943

The Chindits reached Wuntho-Indaw railway in Burma near Nankan and Pinlebu. They fought off the Japanese units guarding key points of the railway and proceeded to destroy tracks, blasted cliffs to cause rocks to fall onto tracks, mined rail bridges, and destroyed other rail bridges.

111

Operation Longcloth

10 Mar 1943

112

Operation Longcloth

13 Mar 1943

113

Operation Longcloth

15 Mar 1943

The No. 1 Column of the Northern Group of the Chindits destroyed the rail bridge at Kyaikthin, Burma and crossed the Irrawaddy River with the help of locals. In Burma, the No. 3 Column of the Northern Group of the Chindits was attacked by Japanese forces whose conservative probing attacks failed to eliminate the numerically inferior Allied irregulars. Chindits under British Major Calvert and Major Fergusson crossed the Irrawaddy River in Burma.

114

First Battle of Arakan

17 Mar 1943

Indian troops fell back from Japanese attacks along the Arakan front in Burma.

115

Operation Longcloth

17 Mar 1943

116

First Battle of Arakan

18 Mar 1943

The main body of the Northern Group of the Chindits arrived at the confluence of the Irrawaddy and Shweli Rivers in Burma; they began to cross at nightfall. The Allies abandoned the attempt to drive Japanese from Donbaik, Burma.

117

Operation Longcloth

18 Mar 1943

The main body of the Northern Group of the Chindits completed the crossing of the Irrawaddy River.

118

Operation Longcloth

19 Mar 1943

The largest air drop in support of Operation Longcloth in Burma was conducted, delivering 100 tons of supplies to the Chindits.

119

First Battle of Arakan

20 Mar 1943

Archibald Wavell ordered the offensive in Arakan Peninsula, Burma abandoned, falling back to the Maungdaw-Buthidaung line.

120

Operation Longcloth

24 Mar 1943

British General Orde Wingate was ordered by his superiors to withdraw his Chindits from Burma.

121

Operation Longcloth

25 Mar 1943

122

Operation Longcloth

26 Mar 1943

The No. 5 Column of the Chindits, under Bernard Fergusson, made rendezvous with Orde Wingate's main body at Shaukpin Chaung river bed in Burma. British General Wingate ordered his Chindits in Burma to withdraw.

123

Operation Longcloth

28 Mar 1943

The main body of Chindit forces reached Inywa, Burma at 1600 hours.

124

Operation Longcloth

07 Apr 1943

Orde Wingate and his small group of Chindits began to march for the Irrawaddy River in Burma en route back to India.

125

Operation Longcloth

13 Apr 1943

Orde Wingate and his small group of Chindits crossed the Irrawaddy River in Burma by rafts built with locals' help. The final group of men were left behind on the east bank of the river as rearguard as the Japanese attack on this group intensified.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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126

Operation Longcloth

14 Apr 1943

The No. 3 Column of the Chindits crossed the Chindwin River in Burma and soon became the first column to return to India.

127

First Battle of Arakan

20 Apr 1943

Japanese troops under Koga attacked the British Maungdaw-Buthidaung line in Burma.

128

Operation Longcloth

23 Apr 1943

129

Operation Longcloth

24 Apr 1943

Orde Wingate and his small group of Chindits spotted the Chindwin River in Burma from a high spot; they were about 30 miles away from the river. The No. 5 Column of the Chindits reached the Chindwin River in Burma.

130

Operation Longcloth

26 Apr 1943

The No. 5 Column of the Chindits arrived in Imphal, India. Only 95 men of the original force of 318 returned.

131

Operation Longcloth

27 Apr 1943

132

First Battle of Arakan

08 May 1943

Orde Wingate and his small group of Chindits reached the Chindwin River in Burma. They were able to cross it later in the day with the help of Gurkha Rifles men from the western bank of the river. Japanese troops captured Maungdaw, Burma despite being outnumbered and being surrounded throughout most of the offensive.

133

Operation Longcloth

20 May 1943

In a press conference, Orde Wingate noted the achievement by Operation Longcloth in the areas of propaganda and morale.

134

Second Battle of Arakan

09 Jan 1944

Indian 5th Division captured the coastal port city of Maungdaw, Burma, but the attack on Donbaik was halted by the Japanese.

135

Operation Thursday

26 Jan 1944

136

Operation Thursday

27 Jan 1944

Orde Wingate and William Slim met at Comilla, India; Slim told Wingate that he would provide only one battalion for Wingate's second Chindit operation. Orde Wingate and William Slim met at Comilla; Slim told Wingate that he could no longer provide any battalions for Wingate's second Chindit operation. Angrily, Wingate wrote a letter to Louis Mountbatten, criticizing Slim and asked to be relieved of duty since he could not perform his duties alongside of Slim; Slim was provided a carbon copy of the letter. Instead, via George Giffard, Mounbatten said he would find Wingate troops from the 81st West African Division.

137

Operation Thursday

04 Feb 1944

Orde Wingate issued the guidelines for the second Chindit operation.

138

Second Battle of Arakan

05 Feb 1944

Troops of Sakurai Force of Japanese 55th Division penetrated lines held by Indian 7th Division in Arakan, Burma undetected.

139

Second Battle of Arakan

06 Feb 1944

Japanese attacked the forward headquarters of Indian 7th Division in Arakan, Burma by surprise.

140

Second Battle of Arakan

07 Feb 1944

Japanese troops captured a divisional Anglo-Indian dressing station at Sinzweya, Burma and killed 35 medical staff and patients.

141

Second Battle of Arakan

14 Feb 1944

142

Second Battle of Arakan

15 Feb 1944

Japanese launched a major attack on the Anglo-Indian defensive position "Admin Box" at Sinzweya, Burma, capturing one hill on the perimeter. Anglo-Indian troops recaptured a hill they lost on the previous night at Sinzweya, Burma, suffering heavy casualties in the process.

143

Second Battle of Arakan

22 Feb 1944

Japanese Colonel Tanahashi, his troops beginning to starve while attacking Sinzweya, Burma, refused to make further attacks until food and supplies arrived.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

Page 43 of 50

144

Second Battle of Arakan

24 Feb 1944

Japanese Colonel Tanahashi ordered a retreat from Sinzweya, Burma without authorization.

145

Second Battle of Arakan

26 Feb 1944

The Japanese offensive on Sinzweya, Burma was called off, ending the Battle of the Admin Box.

146

Operation Thursday

05 Mar 1944

Operation Thursday was launched. William Slim flew to Hailakandi, India to oversee the launch. One of the intended glider landing spots in Burma was found by pre-operation reconnaissance flights to be defended by newly-arrived Japanese troops, and Wingate accused Slim or the Chinese of betrayal (in actuality, Japanese Army lumberjacks had coincidentally started working in the region); troops originally intended to land at that spot were diverted to other landing areas. Several gliders were lost by the over-burdened glider towing aircraft, but the operation would still get underway.

147

Operation Thursday

06 Mar 1944

Further glider operations brought in more men to join Operation Thursday at the Chowringhee site in Burma.

148

Operation Thursday

07 Mar 1944

Orde Wingate personally visited the Broadway site of Operation Thursday in Burma.

149

Operation Thursday

08 Mar 1944

Orde Wingate personally visited the Chowringhee site of Operation Thursday in Burma.

150

Operation Thursday

11 Mar 1944

By this date, 9,000 men and 1,300 animals were delivered to northern Burma for Operation Thursday.

151

Operation Thursday

12 Mar 1944

Orde Wingate sent Winston Churchill a message noting the initial successes of Operation Thursday in Burma.

152

Battle of Myitkina

15 Mar 1944

Joseph Stilwell ordered the Chinese 22nd Division to attack the ridge of Jambu Bum in northern Burma.

153

Operation Thursday

18 Mar 1944

154

Battle of Myitkina

19 Mar 1944

Chindit troops reached the railway at Kenu, Burma; the subsequent Battle of Pagoda Hill was characterized by savage hand-to-hand fighting that resulted in 23 Chindits and 42 Japanese killed. Chinese 66th Regiment captured Jambu Bum ridge in northern Burma, about 140 kilometres northwest of Myitkyina.

155

Operation Thursday

20 Mar 1944

Orde Wingate visited the Aberdeen site in Meza valley, Burma.

156

Operation Thursday

21 Mar 1944

157

Operation Thursday

27 Mar 1944

British Chindit forces attacked Indaw, Burma. Meanwhile, Orde Wingate began moving his headquarters from Imphal to Sylhet in India, thus causing some confusion in the Indaw offensive. Japanese troops attacked the Broadway site of Operation Thursday in Burma.

158

Battle of Myitkina

28 Mar 1944

Japanese troops counterattacked Chinese troops near Jambu Bum ridge, Burma.

159

Operation Thursday

01 Apr 1944

The Japanese attack on the Broadway site of Operation Thursday in Burma was repulsed.

160

Second Battle of Arakan

06 Apr 1944

Indian 26th Division captured Point 551 hill in Burma.

161

Operation Thursday

06 Apr 1944

Japanese troops attacked the White City site of Operation Thursday in Burma.

162

Operation Thursday

13 Apr 1944

British Chindit units attacked the village of Sepein near Mawlu in Burma.

163

Battle of Myitkina

28 Apr 1944

164

Operation Thursday

08 May 1944

A force of 4,000 Chinese troops, 1,400 American troops (Merrill's Marauders), and 600 Kachin scouts began marching for Myitkyina, Burma. Brigadier William Lentaigne, commander of the Chindit, flew to the front lines in Burma to meet with Michael Calvert, repeating the order to abandon the Broadway and White City sites of Operation Thursday in order to build a new forward base, Blackpool.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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165

Salween Offensive

11 May 1944

Chinese troops crossed the Salween River in Burma.

166

Battle of Myitkina

15 May 1944

167

Operation Thursday

17 May 1944

168

Battle of Myitkina

17 May 1944

169

Battle of Myitkina

18 May 1944

The Chinese-American-Kachin force outside of Myitkyina, Burma transmitted the code phrase "strawberry sundae", signifying that it was in position to strike the Japanese-occupied city. The Japanese attack on the Blackpool site of Operation Thursday in Burma was repulsed. On the same day, William Slim handed operational control of the Chindits over to Joseph Stilwell. American, Chinese, and Kachin troops began the assault on Myitkyina, Burma. The attack began at 1000 hours, and by 1050 the airfield was captured. Joseph Stilwell arrived at the Myitkyina airfield in Burma just a day after the airfield was captured, congratulating Frank Merrill in advance for the capture of the rest of the city, which he believed would be achieved within days. Later on the same day, Merrill dispatched a Chinese unit to attack the city; the attack was called off when two Chinese battalions mistakenly engaged each other in a fierce firefight.

170

Battle of Myitkina

19 May 1944

Three Chinese battalions attacked each other in confusion while assaulting Myitkyina, Burma.

171

Operation Thursday

24 May 1944

Japanese troops penetrated Chindit defence lines near the Blackpool site in Burma.

172

Operation Thursday

25 May 1944

Chindit forces abandoned the Blackpool site in Burma.

173

Operation Thursday

27 May 1944

Brigadier William Lentaigne ordered Michael Calvert to capture Mogaung, Burma by 5 Jun 1944.

174

Salween Offensive

10 Jun 1944

Chinese troops captured Lungling, Yunnan Province, China.

175

Operation Thursday

18 Jun 1944

Gurkha troops of the Chindits made contact with Chinese troops at the village of Lakum in northern Burma.

176

Operation Thursday

23 Jun 1944

Chindit and Japanese troops engaged in fierce fighting at Mogaung, Burma.

177

Operation Thursday

24 Jun 1944

Chinese troops, supported by heavy artillery, attacked Mogaung, Burma in support of the British Chindit operation.

178

Operation Thursday

25 Jun 1944

179

Operation Thursday

26 Jun 1944

Gurkha troops of the Chindits attacked Mogaung, Burma cautiously, having suffered heavy casualties during the assault two days prior. Meanwhile, the Japanese began to fall back from the town. Gurkha troops of the Chindits captured Mogaung, Burma.

180

Battle of Myitkina

26 Jun 1944

181

Operation Thursday

30 Jun 1944

182

Operation Thursday

14 Jul 1944

183

Operation Thursday

17 Jul 1944

Brigadier-General Theodore F. Weasels took over command of the Myitkyina Task Force from the sick Brigadier-General Boatner following another bout of malaria. The Chindits, by this date, would have been hard pushed to find anyone still fit enough to lift a camera, but they kept on marching and fighting even when one brigade, the 111th, was reduced to less than the strength of a company. In northern Burma, the Morris Force of the Chindits was now down to three platoons in strength. An inspection of the Indian 111th Infantry Brigade, a Chindit formation, found that only 118 were completely fit for active service; many of the remaining about 2,200 men suffered from malaria, foot rot, septic sores, typhus, or other ailments related to the Burma jungles. Joseph Stilwell withheld the brigade to guard a Chinese artillery battery for two weeks until conditions improved.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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184

Operation Thursday

01 Aug 1944

185

Battle of Myitkina

03 Aug 1944

The Indian 111th Infantry Brigade, a Chindit formation, was allowed to return to front line service in Burma after health conditions improved. A two-month siege by US and Chinese forces at Myitkyina in Burma finally succeeded in capturing it.

186

Operation Thursday

07 Aug 1944

The Indian 36th Division became the last Chindit formation to engaged in combat in Burma.

187

Operation Thursday

11 Aug 1944

In northern Burma the Chindits' 7th Leicesters fought their way into Taungni cutting the rail line.

188

Operation Thursday

17 Aug 1944

189

Operation Thursday

27 Aug 1944

British 14th Brigade, 3rd West African Brigade, and elements of the British 36th Infantry Division received orders to withdraw from northern Burma. The last of the Chindits left Burma.

190

Battle of Bhamo

14 Nov 1944

American and Chinese troops began the main attack on the Burmese town of Bhamo.

191

Salween Offensive

20 Nov 1944

Chinese troops captured Mangshih, Yunnan Province, China.

192

Salween Offensive

24 Nov 1944

Chinese troops captured Mengka, Yunnan Province, China.

193

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Salween Offensive

28 Nov 1944

Anglo-Indian troops captured Kalewa, Burma.

01 Dec 1944

Chinese troops captured Chefang, Yunnan Province, China.

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Third Battle of Arakan

03 Dec 1944

Indian 20th Division crossed the Chindwin River into Burma.

10 Dec 1944

The world's longest Bailey bridge (at the length of 1,154 feet) was completed over the Chindwin River in Burma by the Anglo-Indian troops. Allied troops attacked the Arakan region of Burma.

194 195 196 197 198

12 Dec 1944

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay

18 Dec 1944 19 Dec 1944

William Slim met with Montagu Stopford of Indian 33rd Corps and Frank Messervy of Indian 4th Corps regarding Operation Extended Capital which aimed at the total defeat of Japanese forces in Burma. William Slim completed a two-day meeting with Montagu Stopford and Frank Messervy regarding Operation Extended Capital. Meanwhile, in the field, Indian 2nd Division relieved Indian 20th Division and began marching for Shwebo, Burma 40 miles northwest of Mandalay. Finally, Indian 19th Division captured Wuntho en route to Pinlebu and Pinbon, Burma.

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay

23 Dec 1944

Indian 2nd and 20th Divisions reached Pyingaing, Burma, which was not defended by the Japanese.

26 Dec 1944

William Slim transferred 19th Division and 268th Armored Brigade from the Indian 4th Corps to the Indian 33rd Corps to hide from Japanese intelligence the fact that the 4th Corps was about to secretly move through the Gangaw Valley along the Myittha River for Meiktila, Burma. A fake 4th Corps headquarters was also to be set up at Tamu.

202

Third Battle of Arakan

31 Dec 1944

Japanese troops evacuated Akyab (now Sittwe), Burma.

203

Third Battle of Arakan

02 Jan 1945

Anglo-Indian XV Corps captured Akyab (now Sittwe), Burma without resistance.

204

Battle of Meiktila-

02 Jan 1945

Indian 2nd Division reached Yeu and crossed the Mu River in Burma.

199

200 201

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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Mandalay 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Third Battle of Arakan Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Salween Offensive

07 Jan 1945

Anglo-Indian troops reached the outskirts of Shwebo, Burma.

09 Jan 1945

Indian 19th Division captured Shwebo, Burma.

12 Jan 1945

Men of the British No. 42 (Royal Marine) Commando landed in southeastern Myebon Peninsula, Burma.

14 Jan 1945

After sundown, Indian 19th Division crossed the Irrawady River near Kyaukmyaung, Burma, 20 miles south of Thabeikkyin and 40 miles north of Mandalay. Japanese forces in Burma began organizing counterattacks against the latest Anglo-Indian offensive.

17 Jan 1945 18 Jan 1945 19 Jan 1945 20 Jan 1945

Allied aircraft attacked Japanese positions at Monywa, Burma while the Indian 20th Division assaulted the port city on the Chindwin River. Allied aircraft attacked Japanese positions at Monywa, Burma while the Indian 20th Division assaulted the port city on the Chindwin River. Meanwhile, Indian 4th Corps began its secret march southward for Meiktila, Burma. Chinese troops captured Wanting, Yunnan Province, China.

213

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay

20 Jan 1945

Allied aircraft attacked Japanese positions at Monywa, Burma while the Indian 20th Division assaulted the port city on the Chindwin River. Meanwhile, Japanese forces in Burma began a coordinated counteroffensive against the latest Anglo-Indian advances.

214

Third Battle of Arakan

21 Jan 1945

Indian 26th Division landed on Ramree Island, Burma.

215

Salween Offensive

22 Jan 1945

By this date, all Japanese troops in Yunnan Province, China were pushed to the Burma side of the Sino-Burmese border.

216

Third Battle of Arakan

22 Jan 1945

217

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Third Battle of Arakan

22 Jan 1945

Anglo-Indian troops began assaulting Kangaw, Burma. Meanwhile, off the coast, additional troops were disembarked on Ramree Island and Royal Marine commandos landed at Daingbon Chaung on the coast. Indian 20th Division captured Monywa, Burma on the Chindwin River and reached the Irrawady River at Myinmu.

23 Jan 1945

Anglo-Indian troops captured Myinmu, Burma. The last Japanese survivors drowned themselves in the Irrawaddy River to avoid capture.

25 Jan 1945

Anglo-Indian and Japanese troops clashed at Kabwet, Burma.

26 Jan 1945

Anglo-Indian troops landed on Cheduba Island, Burma; the landing was unopposed.

218 219 220 221

28 Jan 1945

Anglo-Indian troops captured Pauk, Burma.

222

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Third Battle of Arakan

02 Feb 1945

Anglo-Indian troops captured Kangaw, Burma.

223

Battle of Meiktila-

03 Feb 1945

Frank Messervy ordered his Indian 4th Corps to attack Chauk and Pagan, Burma.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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Mandalay 224 225 226 227 228 229

230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay

08 Feb 1945

The 28th East African Brigade attacked Seikpyu, Burma as a feint.

10 Feb 1945

Indian 114th Brigade captured Pakkoku 20 kilometres southwest of the Chindwin-Irrawaddy confluence in Burma.

12 Feb 1945

Indian 20th Division crossed the Irrawady River at Myinmu, Burma.

13 Feb 1945

Indian 7th Division crossed the Irrawady River at Nyaungu, Burma.

16 Feb 1945

Indian 17th Division began crossing the Irrawady River in Burma.

17 Feb 1945

Indian 17th Division completed its crossing of the Irrawady River in Burma. Meanwhile, the Japanese counterattack on the Indian 7th Division at Nyaungu, Burma was turned by the Anglo-Indian troops, and the Japanese troops began falling back into the town.

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of Meiktila-

24 Feb 1945

Indian 2nd Division crossed the Irrawady River at Ngazumi, Burma and met heavy Japanese resistance.

26 Feb 1945

Indian 2nd Division completed the crossing of the Irrawady River at Ngazumi, Burma.

01 Mar 1945

British tanks spearheaded the first assault on Meiktila.

02 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops attacked Meiktila, Burma.

03 Mar 1945 05 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops captured Meiktila, Burma after the final 47 Japanese defenders committed suicide. Japanese resistance in outskirts of the city would continue for a few more days. All Japanese pockets of resistance at Meiktila, Burma were eliminated.

07 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops reached Mandalay, Burma.

08 Mar 1945

Indian 19th Division began attacking Mandalay Hill near Mandalay, Burma.

10 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops continued to assault Mandalay Hill near Mandalay, Burma.

11 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops continued to assault Mandalay Hill near Mandalay, Burma.

12 Mar 1945

Japanese troops launched a counteroffensive aimed at recapturing Meiktila, Burma.

15 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops surrounded Fort Dufferin in Mandalay, Burma.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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Mandalay 242

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay

16 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops assaulted Fort Dufferin in Mandalay, Burma in failure, suffering heavy casualties.

17 Mar 1945

The Indian 5th Division arrived in the Meiktila, Burma area. To the south, Anglo-Indian troops again assaulted Fort Dufferin in Mandalay, Burma in failure, suffering heavy casualties. Indian 5th Division captured Myingyan, Burma. In the area, Anglo-Indian troops attempted to cross the moat of Fort Dufferin in Mandalay, Burma in failure, suffering heavy casualties. Anglo-Indian troops attempted to cross the moat of Fort Dufferin in Mandalay, Burma in failure, suffering heavy casualties. A commando raid was put together to penetrate the fortress, but it would not be carried out due to the unexpected Japanese surrender on the next day.

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of Rangoon

20 Mar 1945

Indian 19th Infantry Division captured Mandalay, Burma.

22 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops eliminated all Japanese pockets of resistance in the Myingyan region in Burma.

29 Mar 1945

The Japanese called off the attempt to recapture Meiktila, Burma.

30 Mar 1945

Indian 19th Division captured Kyaukse, 20 miles south of Mandalay, Burma.

02 Apr 1945

251

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay

07 Apr 1945

Louis Mountbatten announced that the planning for Operation Dracula against Rangoon, Burma was to be resumed, with a target execution date of 5 May 1945 at the latest. Anglo-Indian troops attacked Yindaw, which was 20 kilometres south of Meiktila, Burma. It was stubbornly defended by 1,000 Japanese troops which repeatedly repulsed assaults over the next few days. William Slim would ultimately order the town bypassed, leaving it for the mop-up phase later.

252

Battle of Rangoon

11 Apr 1945

253

Battle of Rangoon

14 Apr 1945

254

Battle of Rangoon

16 Apr 1945

255

19 Apr 1945

256

Battle of MeiktilaMandalay Battle of Rangoon

21 Apr 1945

257

Battle of Rangoon

22 Apr 1945

243 244 245

246 247 248 249 250

18 Mar 1945 19 Mar 1945

Anglo-Indian troops captured Pyabwe, Burma at dawn; 2,000 dead Japanese bodies were counted in the region after the fierce battle. To the southwest, mechanized Anglo-Indian troops reached the Taungdwingyi area. Anglo-Indian troops captured Taungdwingyi, Burma. Indian 5th Division captured Shwemyo, Burma during the day, while by nightfall the Anglo-Indian 4th Corps reached within 240 miles of Rangoon. British troops wiped out 500 Japanese troops at Mount Popa, Burma west of Meitkila after 20 days of heavy fighting. Louis Mountbatten scheduled Operation Dracula against Rangoon, Burma for 2 May 1945. William Slim hastened his units overland toward Rangoon in an attempt to reach Rangoon before Dracula commenced. In Burma, Indian 7th Division attacked Yenangyaung while Indian 5th Division attacked Toungoo.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign

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258

Battle of Rangoon

23 Apr 1945

The 150 officers and 3,000 men of the 1st Division of the Indian National Army, an anti-British resistance group aided by the Japanese, surrendered to the Allies at Pyu, Burma. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Heitaro Kimura, despite having been given orders of defend Rangoon, Burma to the death, ignominiously abandoned the city without issuing any orders to the Burma Area army.

259

Battle of Rangoon

24 Apr 1945

Indian 5th Division captured Toungoo, Burma and advanced further to Penwegu.

260

Battle of Rangoon

26 Apr 1945

Indian 17th Division reached Daiku, Burma.

261

Battle of Rangoon

27 Apr 1945

The British East Indies Fleet sailed from Trincomalee, Ceylon to begin a series of strikes prior to the capture of Rangoon, Burma; this force of battleships, cruisers and destroyers would take it in turns to fuel and then screen the carriers hitting airfields, installations and coastal shipping in the Nicobars, the Andamans and along the Burma coast. Meanwhile, on land, Indian 17th Division was attacked by a Japanese suicide offensive north of Pegu; it was repulsed after the Japanese suffered 500 killed.

262

Third Battle of Arakan

28 Apr 1945

In Burma, the XV Corps, which had been leapfrogging islands along the coast, reached and captured Taungup.

263

Battle of Rangoon

28 Apr 1945

264

Battle of Rangoon

29 Apr 1945

Anglo-Indian troops captured Allanmyo, Burma. Elsewhere, Indian 17th Division reached the heavily-defended Pegu, where the Japanese built the final major stronghold north of Rangoon, which was 47 miles to the south. The two-prong assault by Indian 17th Division on Pegu, Burma was repulsed.

265

Battle of Rangoon

30 Apr 1945

Anglo-Indian forces gained a beachhead on the west bank of the Pegu River at Pegu, Burma.

266

Battle of Rangoon

01 May 1945

Indian 50th Parachute Regiment was dropped near Rangoon, Burma as the spearhead to Operation Dracula. Meanwhile, determined to preempt Operation Dracula in the conquest of Rangoon, William Slim carelessly attempted to enter the city himself by air; his aircraft was damaged by Japanese anti-aircraft fire and the American pilot, Captain Robert Fullerton, sustained injuries in his leg so severe that it had to be amputated later.

267

Battle of Rangoon

02 May 1945

In Burma, Indian 26th Division and Indian 17th Division continued their competition to be the first division to reach Rangoon. The 26th Division made an amphibious landing near the city, while the 17th Division secured Pegu. The first individual to enter Rangoon, however, was an RAF officer who landed on a nearby airstrip on this date. He walked into the city and, having assured himself that the Japanese had really gone, sailed down the river in a commandeered sampan to meet the troops advancing from the south.

268

Battle of Rangoon

03 May 1945

Rangoon, Burma was captured by Indian 26th Division with little resistance. Fleeing Japanese were slaughtered not just by British and Commonwealth troops but by Burmese guerrillas and tribesmen who rose up against their former occupiers.

269

Battle of Rangoon

06 May 1945

270

Battle of Rangoon

30 May 1945

In Burma, Anglo-Indian XV Corps linked up with IV Corps, which had been advancing down the Sittang River, and effectively cut off 20,000 sick, hungry and increasingly desperate Japanese from their bases in Indo-China. The remainder of General Seiei Yamamoto's troops in Burma was effectively wiped out.

Operational Summary, The Burma Campaign 271

Battle of Rangoon

28 Jul 1945

Page 50 of 50

The remaining 27,000 men of the Japanese 28th Army in Burma began marching for Thailand. They would be harassed by aircraft from above and British troops and local tribal guerrilla fighters on the ground along the way. The crossing of the Sittang River alone would see more than 13,000 casualties, most of whom either wounded or killed by machine gunning or drowned in the current.