In December 1941, the Japanese invasion of Burma opened
what would be the longest land campaign for Britain of the entire war. It began
with defeat and pell-mell retreat, as Rangoon fell to the invader in March 1942.
British, Indian and Chinese forces were driven back into India. The
fighting would stretch on, over a varied terrain of jungles, mountains, plains
and wide rivers, stopping only for the monsoon, until Japanese surrender in
1945.
After the initial retreat, the British began to rebuild their army
and resources from Assam in north-eastern India. This process was slow because
priority was given to the war against Germany. The British position was also
complicated by discontent in India, the result of British failure to clearly
address the issue of post-war independence. The Japanese capitalised on this
anti-British sentiment, recruiting captured Indian troops into the 40,000
strong Indian National Army, commanded by Subhas Chandra Bose, that fought
alongside the Japanese.
With most of the Chinese coast under Japanese
control, the Burma Road was the main supply route available to
the Chinese Nationalists, fighting the Japanese in China. This gave the Burmese
campaign great strategic importance. In December 1942, a limited British
offensive to capture the Arakan coastal region met with failure. The only
glimmer of hope came from the Chindits, long range penetration groups which
waged guerrilla war in the Burmese jungle. Despite
limited military success, their exploits boosted public morale.
Throughout 1943, the horizon looked bleak for the British, who lacked the
resources and organisation to recapture Burma. In November 1943, the South East
Asia Command was formed to centralise and organise Allied forces. General Slim
slowly rebuilt morale and forged an efficient offensive combat force: the
cosmopolitan Fourteenth Army, made up of British, Indians, Gurkhas, and East
and West Africans.
The Japanese had also been regrouping. On 7 March, Operation U-Go was launched.
Although this bold attempt to invade India surprised the Fourteenth Army, new
tactics and growing confidence ensured that they maintained their positions on
the crucial roadways to India. When Slim’s forces found themselves surrounded
at Imphal and Kohima, an epic struggle ensued. The British Commonwealth forces,
thanks to air resupply, managed to drive the Japanese into retreat, causing the
largest defeat ever suffered by the Japanese army. Of the 85,000 soldiers,
30,000 were killed.
The Fourteenth Army now went on the offensive. By
October 1944, it had crossed the river Chindwin and was approaching Mandalay and
Meiktila. After two months of arduous combat in a coastal zone of reservoirs and
river deltas, Meiktila was taken on 4 March 1945. Two months later, an ambitious
amphibious operation allowed Slim’s army to re-enter Rangoon on 6 May 1945.
Although this was effectively the end of the campaign, the remaining Japanese
forces in Burma did not surrender until 28 August
1945
what would be the longest land campaign for Britain of the entire war. It began
with defeat and pell-mell retreat, as Rangoon fell to the invader in March 1942.
British, Indian and Chinese forces were driven back into India. The
fighting would stretch on, over a varied terrain of jungles, mountains, plains
and wide rivers, stopping only for the monsoon, until Japanese surrender in
1945.
After the initial retreat, the British began to rebuild their army
and resources from Assam in north-eastern India. This process was slow because
priority was given to the war against Germany. The British position was also
complicated by discontent in India, the result of British failure to clearly
address the issue of post-war independence. The Japanese capitalised on this
anti-British sentiment, recruiting captured Indian troops into the 40,000
strong Indian National Army, commanded by Subhas Chandra Bose, that fought
alongside the Japanese.
With most of the Chinese coast under Japanese
control, the Burma Road was the main supply route available to
the Chinese Nationalists, fighting the Japanese in China. This gave the Burmese
campaign great strategic importance. In December 1942, a limited British
offensive to capture the Arakan coastal region met with failure. The only
glimmer of hope came from the Chindits, long range penetration groups which
waged guerrilla war in the Burmese jungle. Despite
limited military success, their exploits boosted public morale.
Throughout 1943, the horizon looked bleak for the British, who lacked the
resources and organisation to recapture Burma. In November 1943, the South East
Asia Command was formed to centralise and organise Allied forces. General Slim
slowly rebuilt morale and forged an efficient offensive combat force: the
cosmopolitan Fourteenth Army, made up of British, Indians, Gurkhas, and East
and West Africans.
The Japanese had also been regrouping. On 7 March, Operation U-Go was launched.
Although this bold attempt to invade India surprised the Fourteenth Army, new
tactics and growing confidence ensured that they maintained their positions on
the crucial roadways to India. When Slim’s forces found themselves surrounded
at Imphal and Kohima, an epic struggle ensued. The British Commonwealth forces,
thanks to air resupply, managed to drive the Japanese into retreat, causing the
largest defeat ever suffered by the Japanese army. Of the 85,000 soldiers,
30,000 were killed.
The Fourteenth Army now went on the offensive. By
October 1944, it had crossed the river Chindwin and was approaching Mandalay and
Meiktila. After two months of arduous combat in a coastal zone of reservoirs and
river deltas, Meiktila was taken on 4 March 1945. Two months later, an ambitious
amphibious operation allowed Slim’s army to re-enter Rangoon on 6 May 1945.
Although this was effectively the end of the campaign, the remaining Japanese
forces in Burma did not surrender until 28 August
1945