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Battle of Imphal
Part of Burma Campaign

Gurkhas advancing with tanks to clear the Japanese from Imphal-Kohima road [N. The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United E. India]
Date 8 March - 3 July 1944
Location Imphal, Manipur, India
Result Decisive Allied Victory
Belligerents
Flag of India Indian IV Corps

RAF

 Flag of Japan Japanese 15th Army
Azad Hind (INA)
Commanders
Flag of the United Kingdom William Slim
Flag of the United Kingdom Geoffrey Scoones
Flag of the United Kingdom Jack Baldwin (air)		 Flag of Japan Renya Mutaguchi
Flag of Japan Masakasu Kawabe
Flag of Japan Kotoku Sato
Strength
4 Infantry Divisions
1 Armoured Brigade
1 Parachute Brigade		 3 Infantry Divisions
1 Tank Regiment
Casualties and losses
17,500 killed and wounded[1] 53,879 killed and wounded[1]

The Battle of Imphal took place in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur in North-East India from March until July 1944. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Imphal is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur. In the heart of the town and surrounded by a moat are ruins of the old Palace of Kangla Manipur (mnipur in Meitei Mayek) is a state in northeastern India, making its capital in the city of India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Indian IV Corps has a long history The Corps HQ was originally a British formation created during World War I. The Imperial Japanese Army ( IJA) ( Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国陸軍 Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku This article describes the organisation formed during World War II in Singapore The Indian National Army ( INA) or Azad Hind Fauj ( Hindi: आज़ाद हिन्द फ़ौज was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists Field Marshal William Joseph "Bill" Slim 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, KStJ Sir Geoffrey Allen Percival Scoones KCB, KBE, CSI, DSO, MC (1893 - 1975 was a general in the British Indian Army Air Marshal Sir John Eustice Arthur Baldwin KBE, CB, DSO, DL, RAF (13 April 1892 &ndash 28 July 1975 was a senior was a Japanese military officer Lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He held important commands in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and during World War II Kotoku Sato ( March 5 1893 - February 26 1959) was an Imperial Japanese Army soldier and commander Imphal is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur. In the heart of the town and surrounded by a moat are ruins of the old Palace of Kangla Manipur (mnipur in Meitei Mayek) is a state in northeastern India, making its capital in the city of North-East India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States and Sikkim. Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India, but were driven back into Burma with heavy losses. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Together with the simultaneous Battle of Kohima on the road by which the encircled Allied forces at Imphal were relieved, the battle was the turning point of the Burma Campaign, part of the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. The Battle of Kohima (the " Stalingrad of the East" was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in World War II The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Thailand,

Contents

The situation

In 1942, the Japanese Army had driven the British, Indian and Chinese troops out of Burma. The Imperial Japanese Army ( IJA) ( Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国陸軍 Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. The retreat of the Allied Burma Corps stopped at Imphal, which lay in a plain on one of the few practicable routes through the ranges of jungle-covered hills which formed the border between Burma (now Myanmar) and India. Jungle usually refers to a dense Forest in a hot climate such as a Tropical rainforest. The monsoon rains created misery for the Allied troops but brought a halt to campaigning. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months The Japanese commander in Burma, Lieutenant General Shojiro Iida, reported that it would be unwise to renew the advance after the rains ended, because of the difficult terrain and supply problems. was general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Biography Iida was a native of Yamaguchi prefecture and a graduate of the 20th class of

Over the following year, the Allied troops slowly improved their training, equipment and morale, and increased the capacity of the lines of communication to the Assam front. At the start of 1944, the Allies were poised to invade Burma on several fronts. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Imphal was built up to be a substantial logistic base, with airfields, encampments and supply dumps.

Origins of the Japanese plan

Late in 1943, the Japanese command in Burma had been reorganised. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. General Iida was posted back to Japan and a new headquarters, Burma Area Army, was created under Lieutenant-General Masakasu Kawabe. The was a Field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He held important commands in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and during World War II One of its subordinate formations, responsible for the central part of the front facing Imphal and Assam, was Fifteenth Army, whose new commander was Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi. The was a army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II. was a Japanese military officer Lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

By design or chance, Mutaguchi had played a major part in several Japanese victories, ever since the Marco Polo Bridge incident in 1937. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident ( 盧溝橋事變; also known as 七七事變 七七盧溝橋事變 or the Lugouqiao Incident) was a Battle between His natural instinct was to mount an offensive against Imphal. He may also have been goaded by the first Chindit expedition launched by the British under Orde Wingate early in 1943. The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army "Special Force" that served Major-General Orde Charles Wingate, DSO and two bars ( February 26, 1903 &ndash March 24, 1944) was a Wingate's troops had apparently easily traversed terrain which Mutaguchi had earlier claimed would be impassable to the Japanese 18th Division which he commanded at the time. was an Infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the. The Allies had widely publicised the successful aspects of Wingate's expedition while concealing their losses to disease and exhaustion, possibly misleading Mutaguchi and some of his staff as to the difficulties they would later face.

A spoiling attack to disrupt Allied plans was standard Japanese practice. Mutaguchi had larger ambitions. He planned to exploit the capture of Imphal by advancing to the Brahmaputra River valley, thereby cutting the Allied supply lines to their front in northern Burma, and to the airfields supplying the Nationalist Chinese under Chiang Kai-shek over "The Hump". The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra is a Trans-boundary river and one of the major Rivers of Asia. Chiang Kai-shek ( POJ: Chiúⁿ Kài-se̍k Jyutping: zoeng2gaai3sek6 GCB ( October 31, 1887 &ndash The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew from India Mutaguchi's proposal was at first firmly rejected by the staff at Burma Area Army. However, Southern Expeditionary Army Group, the headquarters for all Japanese forces in South East Asia, were in favour of it. The was a Army group of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Kawabe's staff persuaded Southern Expeditionary Army Group that there were severe logistical risks with Mutaguchi's plan, only to find that the Japanese Imperial Army HQ in Tokyo now supported it.

To some extent, Mutaguchi and War Minister Hideki Tojo were influenced by Subash Chandra Bose, who led the rebel Indian National Army (not to be confused with the official Indian Army). Subhas Chandra Bose (সুভাষ চন্দ্র বসু (born January 23, 1897; presumed to have died August 18, 1945 The Indian National Army ( INA) or Azad Hind Fauj ( Hindi: आज़ाद हिन्द फ़ौज was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists The Indian Army (Bharatiya Thalsena भारतीय थाल्सेना is one of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based This was a force mainly composed of former prisoners of war from the British Indian Army who had been captured by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore and Indian expatriates in South East Asia, who had decided to join the Japanese war effort. The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold A non-resident Indian (NRI is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country a person of Indian origin who is born outside India or a person of Bose was eager for the INA to participate in any invasion of India, and persuaded several Japanese that a victory such as Mutaguchi anticipated would lead to the collapse of British rule in India.

In the end, the various Japanese headquarters allowed the plan (designated U-GO or Operation C (ウ号作戦)) to proceed, because a mere passive defence of Burma against the various Allied threats would require as many reinforcements as the attack on Imphal. Also, if Operation C were successful, almost all the Allied attacks on Burma would have to be abandoned.

The Japanese plan

Imphal was held by the Indian IV Corps. The Indian IV Corps has a long history The Corps HQ was originally a British formation created during World War I. Because the Allies were planning to take the offensive themselves, its units were thrown forward almost to the Chindwin River and widely separated. The Chindwin River ( Chindwin Myit) is a river in Burma (Myanmar and the largest Tributary of the Ayeyarwady River. Mutaguchi intended to cut off and destroy the Allied units in their forward positions and then capture Imphal.

In detail, under Operation C:

At the insistence of Bose, the Indian National Army made a substantial contribution. (Originally, the Japanese intended using them only for reconnaissance and propaganda. )

All Mutaguchi's Japanese divisional commanders disagreed with the plan to some extent. Sato distrusted Mutaguchi's motives, and Yanagida openly derided him as a "blockhead. " Yamauchi was already very ill and fatalistic. Their main reservations concerned supply. Mutaguchi had assumed success within three weeks, but adequate supplies after that period could be obtained only if the Japanese captured Allied supply dumps, as the torrential rains that the spring season would inevitably bring would make supply routes from the east impossible to traverse. Gambles such as Mutaguchi was making had worked in the past, but could no longer be relied upon to work, given nearly total Allied air superiority in the area and the improvement in morale and training of British and Indian troops. Mutaguchi proposed using "Genghis Khan" rations, driving herds of buffalo and cattle across the Chindwin as meat rations on the hoof. Genghis Khan ( or;, Chinggis Khaan, ʧiŋgɪs χaːŋ Činggis Qaɣan; 1162–1227 born (meaning "ironworker" was the Mongol founder Most of these unfortunate beasts died from lack of forage and rotted many miles from the troops they were intended to supply.

There were other weaknesses in the plan which were to be revealed as the campaign progressed. The Japanese assumed that the British would be unable to use tanks on the steep jungle-covered hills around Imphal. For the sake of ease of movement and supply, the Japanese were leaving behind most of their field artillery, their chief anti-tank weapon. As a result, the Japanese troops would have very little protection against tanks if these were in fact used against them.

Based on his experiences in the campaigns in Malaya and Singapore and in Burma in early 1942, Mutaguchi dismissed British and Indian troops as inherently inferior. The Battle of Malaya was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from December 8 1941 to January 31 The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold The troops he had met on those occasions had generally been inadequately trained and led. The Allies had by now largely overcome the administrative and organisational problems which had crippled their early efforts in Burma, and their troops were far better trained and motivated.

Prelude to the operation

In late February, a local Japanese counter-attack was launched against Indian XV Corps in Arakan, using much the same tactics as Mutaguchi proposed to use. The Indian XV Corps was a British Commonwealth Corps, which was formed in India during World War II. The attack failed when Allied aircraft parachuted supplies to cut-off troops, allowing them to stand firm while the Japanese ran out of supplies. The engagement became known to the Allies as the Battle of the Admin Box. The Battle of the Admin Box (sometimes referred to as the Battle of Ngakyedauk or the Battle of Sinzweya) took place on the Southern Front of the Burma Campaign From this point onwards, the Allies were to place increasing faith and reliance on their transport aircraft. The planning of Operation C was too far advanced to take account of these developments.

Even as the Japanese prepared to launch their attack, on 5 March 1944 the Allies launched the airborne phase of the second Chindit expedition. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Japanese officers such as Major-General Noburo Tazoe, commanding the Japanese Army Air Force units in Burma, urged Mutaguchi to divert troops from his offensive to secure the Japanese rear areas against the Chindits. Mutaguchi dismissed these concerns, claiming that in a few weeks he would have occupied the air bases from which the Chindits were supplied.

Indian IV Corps in Imphal was commanded by Lieutenant-General Geoffrey Scoones, and was in turn part of the British Fourteenth Army under Lieutenant-General William Slim. Sir Geoffrey Allen Percival Scoones KCB, KBE, CSI, DSO, MC (1893 - 1975 was a general in the British Indian Army The British Fourteenth Army was a multinational force comprising units from Commonwealth countries during World War II. Field Marshal William Joseph "Bill" Slim 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, KStJ At the outset of the battle, the Corps consisted of:

When they received intelligence that a major Japanese offensive was impending, Slim and Scoones planned to withdraw into the Imphal plain and force the Japanese to fight with their logistics stretched beyond the limit. However, they misjudged the date on which the Japanese were to attack, and the strength they would use against some objectives.

The battle

Opening phases

On Imphal front, Sikh signaller operates walkie-talkie for British officers, listening to patrols reporting Japanese positions.
On Imphal front, Sikh signaller operates walkie-talkie for British officers, listening to patrols reporting Japanese positions. Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism.

The Japanese launched their troops across the Chindwin River on 8 March 1944. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Scoones only gave his forward divisions orders to withdraw to Imphal on 13 March.

The Indian 20th Division under Major-General Douglas Gracey withdrew from Tamu without difficulty, mainly because two of Yamamoto's battalions from the Japanese 15th Division were delayed at Indaw in northern Burma by the Chindits and were unable to intervene. General Sir Douglas David Gracey KCB, KCIE, CBE, MC and bar (1894 - 1964 was a British Indian Army officer Indaw (Sagaing Burma is a town in northern Burma. In World War II, a major campaign was fought here in 1944 between Japanese and British forces The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army "Special Force" that served Further south, the Indian 17th Division under Major-General Cowan was cut off by the Japanese 33rd Division. Major General David Tennent Cowan CB CBE DSO & Bar MC (1896 - 1983 also known as "Punch" Cowan, was an officer The Japanese 215 Regiment captured a supply dump at Milestone 109, twenty miles behind Cowan's leading outposts. The Japanese 214 Regiment seized Tongzang and a ridge named Tuitum Saddle across the only road, a few miles behind the Indian 17th Division's position.

At Tuitum Saddle, 214 Regiment were unable to dig in properly before they were hit by the Indian 48th Brigade on 18 March. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor The Japanese suffered heavy casualties and were forced away from the road. Fighting around Milestone 109 was even more severe, but Cowan had taken steps to secure the most vulnerable point in the rear of his division, the bridge over the Manipur River. 17th Division crossed safely, demolishing the bridge behind them, and recovered the depot on 25 March. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. They were forced to abandon large amounts of supplies, but removed most of the vehicles, food and ammunition. The Japanese were left only such items as clothing and blankets.

Scoones had nevertheless been forced to send the bulk of his only reserve, Indian 23rd Infantry Division under Major-General Ouvry Lindfield Roberts, to the aid of 17th Division. Lieutenant-General Sir Ouvry Lindfield Roberts, GCB, KBE, DSO (born 3 April 1898; died 1986 was an officer in the The two divisions, now supplied by parachute drops from Allied aircraft, made their way back to the Imphal plain, which they reached on 4 April. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I.

Meanwhile, Imphal had been left vulnerable to the Japanese 15th Division. The only force left covering the base, Indian 50 Parachute Brigade, was roughly handled at Sangshak by a regiment from the Japanese 31st Division on its way to Kohima. The 31st Division had also blocked the main road south of Kohima by the start of April, cutting off IV Corps. However, an earlier diversionary attack launched by Japanese 55th Division in Arakan had already failed. IJA Fifty Fifth Division was an Infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Slim was able to move the battle-hardened Indian 5th Infantry Division, including all its artillery and transport, by air from Arakan to the Central Front. Indian 5th Infantry Division was an infantry division in the British Indian Army which fought in several theatres of World War II and more than earned its nickname The move was completed in only eleven days. Two of its three brigades went to Imphal, and their leading troops were in action on 3 April. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England.

On the Japanese left flank, the INA's Subhas Brigade, led by Col. Shah Nawaz Khan, reached the edge of the Chin Hills below Tiddim and Fort White at the end of March. Major General Shahnawaz Khan of village Matore, Kahuta, Rawalpindi District, (now in Pakistan) was an Indian freedom fighter politician and The Chin Hills are a range of hills in northwestern Myanmar that extend into India 's Manipur state the What is Tedim is a Town in Chin State, northwestern part of Myanmar. Fort White may refer to Fort White Florida Fort White Burma From this position, the 2nd Battalion sent companies to relieve Japanese forces at Falam and to Hakha, from where in turn, Khan's forces sent out patrols and laid ambushes for the Chin guerrillas under the command of a British officer, taking a number of prisoners. Falam is a town in north-west Myanmar near the eastern Indian provincial border of Mizoram. Hakha ( formerly called Haka is the capital of Chin State in Myanmar. Chin ( is one of the ethnic groups in Myanmar. They are notable for being the only major ethnic group in Myanmar for being a Christian majority In the middle of May, a force under Khan's Adjutant, Mahboob "Boobie" Ahmed, attacked and captured the hilltop fortress of Klang Klang. Adjutant is a military rank or appointment In some armies it is an officer who assists a more senior officer while in other armies it is a rank which normally corresponds [5] The 3rd Battalion meanwhile moved to Fort White-Tongzang area in anticipation of the destruction of Cowan's division, which would allow it to receive volunteers. Fort White may refer to Fort White Florida Fort White Burma

Stalemate

From the beginning of April, the Japanese attacked the Imphal plain from several directions:

Allied counter-attacks

By 1 May, all Japanese attacks had come to a halt. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Slim and Scoones now began a counter-offensive against the Japanese 15th Division. This division was the weakest of the Japanese formations, and success against it would break the siege. Progress was slow. The monsoon had broken, making movement very difficult. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months Also, IV Corps was suffering some shortages. Although rations and reinforcements were delivered to Imphal by air, artillery ammunition was by now rationed. The steep ridges held by the Japanese were almost impregnable.

However, the Japanese were at the end of their endurance. Neither the Japanese 31st Division which was fighting at Kohima, nor 15th Division, had received adequate supplies since the offensive began, and their troops were starving. This allowed Indian XXXIII Corps to drive the Japanese from Kohima at the end of May, and advance south. The Indian XXXIII Corps was part of Fourteenth Army of the British Indian Army during World War II.

The troops of Japanese 15th Division were forced to abandon their defensive positions to forage for supplies in local villages. Mutaguchi dismissed the mortally ill Yamauchi, but this did not change matters. After driving rearguards from the Miyazaki Group (an independent detachment from the 31st Division) and the Japanese 60 Regiment from their delaying positions, the leading troops of IV Corps and XXXIII Corps met at Milestone 109 on the Dimapur-Imphal road on 22 June, and the siege was raised. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom.

Although there was now no realistic hope of success, Mutaguchi (and Kawabe) ordered renewed attacks. 33rd Division had been reinforced by a regiment from the 53rd Division and a battalion from the 54th Division. Under a new forceful commander, Lieutenant-General Nobuo Tanaka, the division broke into the Indian 17th Division's positions at Bishenpur, but failed to break through. Yamamoto Force also made repeated efforts, but by the end of June both formations had suffered so many casualties that they were unable to make any progress. 15th and 31st Divisions refused to make a renewed attack on Imphal from the northeast, as they were in no condition to comply.

Towards the end of May, the INA's 1st Guerrilla Regiment had been redirected to Kohima. Kohima ( Hindi: कोहिमा is the hilly capital of India 's north eastern border state of Nagaland which shares its borders with Burma Khan moved north across the Japanese rear but by the time he reached Ukhrul, the Japanese had already begun to withdraw. Ukhrul is a district in the north eastern state of Manipur in India. Khan decided to attack Imphal instead. Imphal is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur. In the heart of the town and surrounded by a moat are ruins of the old Palace of Kangla At Imphal, his unit suffered some desertions, but not in the scale as the Commonwealth forces expected. [6]

End

In fact, the Japanese had realised that operations ought to be broken off as early as May. At a meeting between Mutaguchi and Kawabe on 6 June, both used haragei, an unspoken form of communication using gesture, expression and tone of voice, to convey their conviction that success was impossible. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Hara & Ki The bushi of Feudal Japan were trained and conditioned to wield their weapons with deadly accuracy and precision But neither of them wished to bear the responsibility of ordering a retreat. Kawabe subsequently became ill with dysentery and perhaps physically unfit for duty. He nevertheless ordered repeated attacks, stating later that Bose was the key to Japan's and India's future. [7]

When he realised that none of his formations were obeying his orders for a renewed attack, Mutaguchi finally ordered the offensive to be broken off on 3 July. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. The Japanese, reduced in many cases to a rabble, fell back to the Chindwin river, abandoning their artillery, transport, and soldiers too sick to walk. The Chindwin River ( Chindwin Myit) is a river in Burma (Myanmar and the largest Tributary of the Ayeyarwady River. The defeat at Kohima and Imphal was the largest defeat to that date in Japanese history. They had suffered 55,000 casualties, including 13,500 dead. Most of these losses were the result of starvation, disease and exhaustion. By contrast, the Allies suffered 17,500 casualties. Both Kawabe and Mutaguchi were relieved of command.

Royal Air Force Operations at Imphal

By mid-1944, the Allied air forces enjoyed undisputed air supremacy over Burma. The last major effort by the Japanese Army Air Force had been over the Arakan in February and March, when they had suffered severe losses. During the Imphal and Kohima battles, they were able to make barely half a dozen significant raids.

IV Corps enjoyed close air support from fighter-bombers and dive bombers. Allied fighter bombers and medium bombers shot up and bombed enemy concen­trations, supply dumps, transport, roads and bridges all the way to the Chindwin river. The monsoon in no way diminished their activity. The Third Tactical Air Force (TAF) increased their sortie rate to 24,000 sorties during the worst four months of the monsoon, nearly six times the figure of the previous year’s record. The RAF Third Tactical Air Force (Third TAF which was formed in South Asia in December 1943 was one of three Tactical air forces formed by the Royal Air Force

The Allies could fly men, equipment and supplies into the airstrips at Imphal so although cut off by land, the town was not without a lifeline. Allied aircraft could also parachute ammunition, rations and even drinking water to surrounded units.

No. 152 Squadron RAF was one of the squadrons of the Third TAF. No 152 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF History No 152 Squadron was formed on 1 October 1918 at Rochford as a Camel night fighter unit It moved to Burma on 19 December 1943. During the Battle of Imphal, the squadron operated from front-line strips supporting the 14th Army during its final conquest of Burma.

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ a b Louis Allen, Burma: The Longest War, p. 638
  2. ^ a b c Louis Allen, Burma:The Longest War, pp. 221-224
  3. ^ Fay 1993, p.  285
  4. ^ Fay 1993, p.  296
  5. ^ Fay 1993, p.  286,287
  6. ^ Fay 1993, p.  287
  7. ^ Allen, Burma: The Longest War, p. 310

External links

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