How Did The Allies Stop Japan From Conquering India?
The Battles of Imphal and Kohima were a crucial turning point in the attempted Japanese invasion of India during World War Two. By October 1942 Singapore, Hong-Kong, Malaysia and Burma had all fallen to the Japanese; the Imperial army looked unbeatable. Yet it was then, when morale was at its lowest, that the new British commander Bill Slim set about reforming and rebuilding the Anglo-Indian British army. Slim aimed to revive Allied fortunes in the region - something many believed was an impossible task. Meanwhile, Japanese commander Renya Mutaguchi had ambitious plans of his own: the conquest of British India.
To initiate this plan the Japanese first had to capture one key strategic town: Imphal, the gateway to India. The very close-run battles that followed - fought between March and July 1944 - were clashes on epic proportions as each side attempted to execute a master plan of their respective visionary generals. If they succeeded, Slim knew the British would have a strong base from where they could commence their reconquest of Burma and quell the rise of Japan. If they failed, then the gates to all British India would be open to the Japanese army. The eventual, hard-fought Anglo-Indian victory proved the turning point in the Burma campaign and paved the way for the British-led reconquest of Burma and the eventual Allied victory in south-east Asia.
In this exclusive documentary, renowned World War Two historian James Holland sets himself the challenge of discovering the truth about the Battles of Imphal and Kohima. Accompanied by leading historians, James visits the various well-preserved battlefields - one of the first western historians to do so since the end of the Second World War - to reveal the viciousness of the fighting, the lingering logistical problems both sides faced and the tactical skill and barefaced courage of those who fought in one of the most decisive battles of World War Two. This is the truly epic tale of Britain’s greatest battle.
Sign up to History Hit TV and get 14 days free: access.historyhit.com/checkout
#indiahistory #worldwartwo #imphal #kohima
Let us not forget either, those Indian & Gurkha Regiments that stood and fought steadfastly by Britains side. May those souls that lost their lives there, be at peace.
Spoken like a true soldier !👍
And the African soldiers who fought there, too, with whom my grandad fought.
Thank you for mentioning that the Indian and Gurka regiments that fought side by side along with the Britidh troops.Would you happen to know how many Indian and Gurka troops were there and the numbrt of British troops who fought alongside them? The British put up statues of horses and dogs who they said were heros,but never mentioned anything about troops from the Indian sub continent,or commomerated their contributions to the war effort in London ! My father served as a young Major in Burma during the 2 nd world war..all he got were a few pieces of metal in the form of medals saying he too was there!
@@arunmuthanna6273 What exactly do you think the Brits, the east Africans the west Africans , the Baluchis, the Gurkhas,the Sikhs got, precious lttle,about the same as your Dad.
Infact I pray for every fallen soldier, for soldier knows no politics, he or she only serves his or her motherland. I pray for even the enemy soldier, for war is futile, and honour and respect every soldier needs.
My grandma was in her early teenage years when the war reached Kakching, Manipur. Later on when i was a young kid, she would tell me stories about the war, how the kids used to go the nearby allied airfield to watch the planes, the excitement,suffering and horrors. She instilled in me the love and fascination for WW2. The airfield still remains today but not used. With Love From Kakching, Manipur, India
I'm still shocked how much Bengal lost in lives and destruction compared to Manipur. Would love to visit Manipur.
Thanks for the story. All adds to the greater knowledge.
Eh karamba mafamdano airfield do leiridubo
@@rooseveltingudam6354 Kakching lamkhai manakki Assam Rifles camp manungda. Hanna open oirmbani, hujikti pulap khajingrabani.
@@viplermayanglambam394 Thanks for the info. bro, would love to visit there one day
My uncle, Abdul Ghani, died in battle of Kohima, and buried there, family was just informed about his death by telegram. He was unmarried, so my grand father received family pension, though he did not know where his son died and buried. Family moved to Pakistan in 1947. He was able to meet the educational expenses of my father, with this pension. Few years early, I discovered, his grave is in Kohima. I show the cemetery to my father, on internet, and he was in tears, reading the lines written on cemetery wall. " When you go home, tell them, we gave our today, for your tomorrow."
If he is unmarried, then how do you exist? Lmfao
@@botdetectorv2.015 He was my uncle, not my father. His name Abdul Ghani, Unit Bengal Sappers and Miners, date of death, April 9, 1944. You can check in cemetery war dead details. By the way, I have pension book of my late grand father, kept by me as a token of memorial, issued in 1944. I can send you a pic on your what's app no. If you wish so. I'm hurt by your such nonsense remarks.
Editing the comment won't work sir
It made lot pain in my heart while seeing stones on war cemetery inscribed names at kohima....
@@afifurrehman7895 dont be so soft. No need to feel hurt some doofus doesnt believe you. Or simply misunderstood
I am from Imphal but currently stationed in Kohima. Both places have dedicated commonwealth war cemeteries for the fallen during WW2. Both well maintained and respected. For families who can't visit the places i can look up the names and share pics.
who would plz share some??? i can share my email although i'm not anyone from the families.
A lot of cemetery in south asia
Can you find a record of my Grandfather Mir Zamaan. Is there a way of finding information about where he was posted. I know he was in Burma for 6 months.
@@nickshabir4785ignore him, he's a time waster
@@nickshabir4785 where was he killed?
I haven't forgotten this. My dear cousin Dominico Zaccardelli was killed at Imphal on 10 June 1944 and his loss has been remembered and lamented ever since.
My condolences. That’s beautiful you have that deep respect for your cousin. Cheers for forwarding history.
@@antiwhite2732lmao 😂😂😂 With a name like " anti white" . You're definitely a troll.
India played a huge role in WW2, I salute its contribution
Thank you Britain would have collapsed in the European and North African/Mid East and Asian theaters but for Indian money/troops and colonial support. It is otherwise nothing on the World stage.........take today in Ukraine.
@@bonran No doubt India had a crucial role in WW2 and most Brits recognise the contribution of Indians. But it’s a bit silly to say Britain would be nothing on the world stage without them. Reading some of your comments, you are a very angry Hindu nationalist.. chill out bro 😅 not everyone dislikes Indians
Not many in England pay any attention to the lives of the Indians. A pity the Indians didn't realize why the British were trying to keep their colonial empire from falling into the Japanese hands. Keeping one master for another. A lot of Indians would say what for.... The English master was not better than the Japanese.
@@joedias7946 how come 1.5 million Indians live in the UK then? It can't be that bad 🙄🤷♀️
@@FreshMemes Britain created India, there won't be any India without British colonialism
My father was in India and Burma and was in the battle of Imphal. My auntie said my father came back from India a different man. He loved India, if it hadn't gained independence my mother thought my dad would have stayed and probably married there. He was scared but also knew that he had a connection with the people of India. I always remember an Indian family moving into our street in the 60's. No one except my dad used to talk to them, probably about India. He spent three years there, and was torpedoed by the Japanese but was a very young man in his early 20's. He had so much respect for the Indian soldiers he served with, he ended up a WO2 but I think he always looked after the men he was in charge of. India needs to look at the sacrifice the Indian soldiers made for India, and their eventual independence.
Those 'Indian' soldiers are traitors.
Bravo Sir!
Singapore fell thanks to Churchill not giving air cover and the uselessness of Indian troops who were the majority of defenders. Indians also fought for Nazis and Japs. It was the British who made the sacrifice for India
Greeting from Imphal ❤
Japanese were liberating India from you savages
My parents met at Imphal. Dad was a Major RAMC, Mum a Capt in the Nursing Corps, both in the 14th Army under Maj. Gen Macalevey and Gen. Slim . Mum was evacuated (as were all the women) prior to the battle. Both long gone now, they NEVER spoke of it. The last words my Mum said before she died were `India, Burma, Malaya, Singapore'.
Being from Imphal makes me proud your parents met here.
@@mkip2147 Thank you, That is very touching
I just read a book Second World War and my childhood by Khuraijam Nimaicharan, set in my village, kangla airfield during the war. An autobiographical account of the war from the author's perspective of his 8yr to 11 years self. The book brought me to here. The comments section took me back to those times. Thank you everyone.
That is beyond touching❤
@@ngangbamchinglemba thank you , amazing to hear
My late father-in-law was dug in at the tennis courts with his machine gun platoon. When I returned from Malaya in mid 1970, after 4 months of jungle training. He told me his story I was almost in tears as I sat there listening to him. It was the only time he ever spoke of his time during the war. He retired from the army in 1968.
Was that in Mandalay my father mentioned a similar thing
@Harry Wright. Thank you Harry, i would have been in tears, when i hear of the exploits of our Commonwealth and British Forces during this horrible conflict, it brings me to tears. I served in Malaya with the NZ Battalion 61/63. We had with us, the 3rd East Anglian Regiment relieved later by the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Battalion. I'm 81 now and very mindful of the sacrifices our soldiers made during the war. Lest We Forget. Robert. New Zealand.
@@janicefores83 tennis courts-Kohima
Harry, you need to record what you remember of these stories, otherwise they'll be lost forever.
@@annexton3795 Not a bad idea. Think I’ll give it a try.
My uncle fought at Kohima, with the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry. He left two fingers there, and always said he was giving the Japanese the old two fingered salute at the time.
I had 3 uncles there with 2 DLI.
That’s a great story. Thanks for sharing it Alan
My father was also in the Durhams and fought at Kohima and Imphal.
Iam from Kohima .. some locals who saw the war with their own eyes are still alive .
My uncle Albert was also 2Btn DLI. He was killed at Kohima.
Hardened Indian troops were equally important to the success of this battle along with their British officers.Indians fought in SE asia and north Africa as well but mostly have gone unnoticed sadly.
You're right, they were critical and also fought hard. But unnoticed or forgotten? Never.
Amen Brother
British means mostly India, New Zealand, Australia and some English.
@@belayaget not wanting to be confrontational , however it most definitely does not
@@belayaget could you point me to your source quoting Australian and New Zealanders in Burma.Oh and what part of England did the Cameronians,the Royal Scots Fusiliers and the Black Watch, the East and West Africans come from.I concede the land mass of India as it was known provided the majority of the 14th Army and indeed a very very important part, there were even some English.
My father transferred from the RA to the REME and following training in England became a member of a tank recovery unit in India. He fought at Kohima and Imphal. During training in India he suffered shrapnel wounds but came through the actions unscathed.
My Grandfather did something similar but we've only scattered informed. We know he was at Dunkirk with the RA, similar to your father he was then transferred to REME in the 14th Army but we've no other info than that. Where did you find out more?
@@dancingpotplant I was lucky enough to have a number of conversations with my Dad when I was in my teens (67-73) regarding his war experiences. He had been on searchlights in Coventry and became fed up being on the receiving end of the Luftwaffe while only retaliating with a beam of light! A general request for volunteers to train for REME transfer was made late 41 / early 42. Dad applied and was sent to North East London Polytechnic for a 6 month course in tank recovery techniques, including how to drive low loaders. This was a bonus as my Mum, who he married June 41, lived in North London. So Dad shipped out to India in late 42 and during training exercises was hit in the back. He spent time in Delhi and Agra during posting and took part in the Battles of Kohima and Imphal, then going on to the campaign to take Rangoon.
He probably knew my dad, as he was in the REME in Bruma
@@jameswaterfield do you know much about his war experience?
My great grandfather got conscripted to join british forces by the local government. He got taken as a pow at Singapore and got the opportunity to join the INA (Indian national army) to liberate India and fight along side the Japanese, he fought in Burma and east India. It's not entirely clear how he died but it's likely he died at Imphal.
Interesting thing about Gurkhas is that no matter where ever they are deployed in the world they have always been kind & courteous towards local populous.Gurkhas:The best of Friends and worst of Enemies.
Why the F are you so obsessed with the Gurkhas?? There were Punjabis, Jats, Rajputs, Marathas, Sikhs, Mahars, Pahari Rajputs (Kumaon, Jammu and Kashmir), Madrasis, Africans, Labour Corps, Assamese, Manipuris, Burmese..........were they any less??
Thank you so much for this film. Before I was born I lost two uncles the 1st in the Arakan and the 2nd in Imphal and Kohima the first was James 23 years old just married the second was Arthur 39 yours old with a young son. These were two lads from Bury Lancashire joined the Lancashire Fusilier and were subscripted into the (Skins ) Royal Inniskilling and the Yorkshire Regiment. This theatre of war is so over looked. The 14th Army were solders from all corners of the Empire who came together to withstand the Japanese invasion.
My own uncle from Manchester was subscripted into the Inniskillen’s and he died at Anzio. This was a common practice where regiments needed topping up, my grandfather served in three different regiments during WW1 due to the rates of attrition in the regiments he served.
Several other commenters have mentioned FM Slim's war memoir. Another particularly worth reading is G.M. Fraser's "Quartered Safe Out Here". Fraser rose from infantry private to squad leader in the months he marched with the Border Regiment from Imphal to Rangoon. The book is among the liveliest and most entertaining of all WW2 personal reminiscences. John Masters's "The Road Past Mandalay" is the memoir of a highly experienced combat officer who served both in the 1944 Chindit expedition and in the main 14th Army drive south, and conveys the flavor of that multinational force very well.
60% of the 14th armys strength was indian
@@rudrakshsinghkatal5609 b
My father was the head of US Army Intelligence in New Dheli, 1942-1945. Reported to Mountbatten directly. He said there were no harder fighting units in the world than the British/Indian forces in India/Burma-they went into battle with perfect courage. He called it their Yoga of War!
We Indians are emotionally connected to our sovereignty.
And yet that great man's progeny can't even spell Delhi...
@@nazirkazi2588 That is a overkill, it could be fatfingering or auto correct. Let us be kind to people.
Many Arjunas in those units.
@@nazirkazi2588 dont overrkill, be kind, he is showing the greatest respect to india, and this is how you show your indianness? surely you are no indian.
"When you go home, tell them of us, and say, for their tomorrow, we gave our today" The monument commemorating the men that died in Kohima.
To all the world you are only a soldier, to us you are the world. - words on a tombstone in Kohima
Wey-yull, we kept you little colonials down for another generation at least."
@@TheDavidlloydjones Yes , of course the Japanese only had good intentions for the Burmese & Indian people ,all of whom were "chomping at the bit " to be part of the Japanese "Greater east Asia co - prosperity sphere.
@@TheDavidlloydjones India and Burma were both granted independence from Great Britain in 1947, i.e. almost immediately after the war. Any further repression - and there's been plenty - has been carried on by Indians and Burmese themselves.
@@Reggie-bunsofsteel-Mcduff1001 well, the fascist Bose did... There's a reason the Burmese assisted the Chindits and Shan fought against the Japanese. They were under no illusion.
It is nice see documentary of these battles, forgotten indeed. I lost an uncle, my mum's youngest brother, fighting as a "Chindit" with the 77th Brigade just before they took Mogaung. He had joined at 15(!) in 39, and after training joined the Lancashire Fusiliers. He was almost immediately sent off to the middle east and then India. Killed in 44, he had not been home in 5 years. Believe he is buried at Rangoon, but no family member has ever seen the grave. Different world, different generation. The 14th Army campaign is an incredible story that really needs more light shed upon it.
Just to make those who are not aware, an Indian Army infantry division of the day was composed of 3 brigades, with each brigade containing two Indian battalions and one British battalion. As an aside, he is wearing the puggaree (the cloth band around the hat) incorrectly, the two thinnest sections of the puggaree are worn to the front and rear of the hat. Sorry for being nit picking, but I am ex Australian Army and like it to be worn correctly.
Correctly and RIGHTLY SO! And the bloody historian should know and adhere to that tradition! Peace.
Agreed
that puggaree is the one that comes with the hat when you order it from Akubra. He didn't put the traditional Australian Army bash in the crown either.
What a bunch of nancies. It's not an Australian Army hat.
He's not portraying an ANZAC so why the fuss??
My uncle was a captain in the forgotten 14th army. He survived the battles but due to starvation and neglect he died prematurely.
He saw and experienced many things that are ghastly and yet sometimes beautiful, educational. As a First Responder in SoCal in the USA from 1991-2003, thank you for sharing your family history.
The forgotten army is actually more the Indians who fought with the Japanese to liberate India from the british. and were then left there after the Japanese pulled out to continue the fight alone with no supplies or reinforcements. They were abandoned.
My uncle was an RSM in the British Indian army. When I lived with him near Heathrow airport in the 1950s he would tell us about basha huts, and told us to Jaldī karō (hurry up) and many other things of Indian culture and language. But he never talked about actual battle. The nearest he got was relating the night time exploits of the Gurkhas who would infiltrate the Japanese positions armed only with a Kukri knife and return with ears. He loved India and it’s people. My father in law was in Military Intelligence in the British Indian Army too. He also loved and respected India and it’s people.
Not to nit pick but Gurkhas are from Nepal.
@@boopdoop2268 true, but in British Indian Army during the war.
@@boopdoop2268 many gurkhas live in india too.
My uncle Matt Robertson was a RA gunner. His initial position was manning guns at the Cloch on the Clyde. Later he was sent to India.Because he had entertainment experience ( he worked part time in Paisley Theatre) he was chosen to run an other ranks social club. Shades of “It ain’t half hot Mum”. My uncle said his prewar entertainment experience was opening and closing the curtains between acts at the Paisley Theatre. You’ve got to love the military.
My Dad A"H had won some typing contests in High School, so the Army made him a teletype operator, then promptly sent him to Tunisia "where there were no teletype machines within a thousand miles." Fortunately he knew how to fix radios and that's what he did for the Army Air Corps.
Although this video gives a good insight to the country of this campaign, the story only covers a tiny part of the battle. My brother fought with a Gurkha battilion at Shenam saddle. General Slim's book "Defeat into Victory" tells the whole story of how 3 Indian / British Divisions were cut off and supplied by air for 6 weeks while the 3 Japanese divisions starved because of poor supplies.
And this is the lyrics of regimental song based on that event. (English version) There was a beautiful girl Seeing whom the Rifleman Forgot to pull the safety catch on a gun The Havildar Major saw him Sends him on a punishment run with a sack Badluram was a soldier Who died in the "Japan" War (WWII) But our Quartermaster was "smart" He got us rations Badluram's body is now buried Yet we continue to eat rations drawn in his name Bravo!... hallelujah... Yet we continue to eat rations drawn in his name (The one they sing) Ek khubsurat ladki thi... Usko dekh ke rifleman... Chindi khichna bhul gaya... Havaldar Major dekh liya... Usko pittu lagaya... Badluram ek sipahi thaa... Japan war me mar gaya... Quartermaster smart thaa... Usney ration nikala... Badluram ka badan zamin ke nichey hain... Toh humein uska ration milta hain... Sabashh... hallelujah... Toh humein uska ration milta hain... and a bit more information www.firstpost.com/india/badluram-ka-badan-origins-of-indian-armys-favourite-marching-song-and-why-it-retains-its-iconic-status-7347391.html
@@shashanksuman could sing it for us
My Dad was in the planes shoving supplies out through the door.
Indeed. My understanding is that Slim correctly inferred that the over-confident, dogmatic Japanese top brass would expect their fighting detachments to be able to resupply themselves with resources captured from the defeated enemy. Which is perhaps understandable, based on their prior experiences in that theatre of operations. Kudos to Slim for setting things up differently, so that his troops could perform in excess of any reasonable expectations.
@@Gottenhimfella Part of Slim's brilliance was his ability to give all the men under his command confidence in their ability to exceed, if not his expectations, then 'any reasonable expectations'. He wasn't referred to as 'Uncle Bill' for nothing. Yes he had Mountbatten's backing, the resources, and a superb plan, but he *knew* that his army could take on the Japanese in a way that no other British/Allied leader in SE Asia could envisage before him. A video just over an hour long can only scratch the surface but Slim didn't just use air power to keep his army supplied. He completely revamped the whole logistical system that the army used on campaign so that Japanese infiltration tactics would not force his units to abandon supplies just because the road behind them was blocked. Vehicles were replaced with pack-mules wherever possible so that British/Indian units could move as freely as the Japanese did.
Great video. The incredible work of the Anglo-Indian British Army shouldn’t be forgotten for sure. I bought General Slim’s history of this campaign
Slave army of the British. Salute to those who fought this army to liberate India
Thanks for this documentary on these two critical battles. During a high school, history class - late 1960's - the teacher was an American WW II Intelligence Officer - US Army - Pacific Theater. He explained how crucial it was to prevent Japan from occupying India. He claimed that the USA had depleted their mines of Manganese which is critical in making Steel - Open Blast Furnaces. Without this mineral the USA would not be able to produce steel. India and Russia were the two places the USA could receive the necessary Manganese. At the time Britain controlled the fate of India. He, the teacher claimed, the Japanese knew this. It was a consideration in their plan of conquest which included India. The USA never lost their necessary supply and continued massive production of steel; the Axis struggled and lost this battle in manufacturing steel against the USA & Russia. It was a shame for he never focused upon the brilliant efforts of Commander Slim and the British victory over Japan in the battles of Imphal and Kohima. We, in the USA, must never forget how important the British Survival & Involvement in the European and Pacific Theaters were in the Allied Victory of WW II. Again, Thanks.
Mind you...India never got recompense for the stolen Manganese, among all the other stolen stuff. So much for the grandiose Allied nonsense about fighting for freedom and such. Utter poppycock. World War 2 was a clash of empires and ideologies, pure and simple. Old world colonialism vs. various kinds of absolutism vs. opportunism and capitalism. The ruled be damned. It really wasn't that different from WW I.
@@ninadbhave5133 Evidently, with some help from Gandi, the English had to pack their bags and go home. India wins and the British would lose their Empire. The USA would back France to recolonize Viet Nam, which would cost them dearly by 1975. Americans learn nothing and conveniently forget to remember any history. So, Iraq I & especially II & Afghanistan (second round) would cost them even more, today - 26 trillion-dollar debt. Nothing changes when nothing changes. You are right. Most Americans cannot see this. Thanks.
@@ninadbhave5133 They were right fighting for THEIR freedom, and that is not poppycock.
@@sowmitriswamy6718 I disagree. The British fighting the Japanese for a piece of India is hardly fighting for their freedom. One can make that argument about the Battle of Britain, but this battle, valiantly as it was fought, was about possessions. Not freedom.
@@ninadbhave5133 And how do you think the Japanese would have treated the Indians if they've won? Have you looked into how they treated people in the territories that they occupied?
A fantastic documentary about a an incredible battle I had no knowledge of. A have to admit I even shed a tear for the epitaph: "Dear Charlie, To the world you were just a soldier. To us you were the world."
👍
Thank you for making this documentary. My grandfather was in the Battle of Imphal as a Captain in the AMC. I still recall the accounts he shared with us of the battles
yeah really happy to watch this. brilliant
A fascinating video with 2 of my favourite Military Historians James Holland and Dr Robert Lyman "walking the ground" in the footsteps of the "Forgotten Army". This video really is incredible and makes you really think about the landscape and the horrors of war. I would love to visit these Battlefields one day and pay my respects to the brave soldiers and Naga people that were sacrificed for our freedoms today. Many thanks for uploading the video Dan Snow to your History Hit Channel and thank you to the "Greatest Generation " and the leadership of General Slim.
Bill Slim, Britain’s greatest General. Fired twice as a general officer he was reinstated by higher authority who then gave him the position of the senior general who had sacked him.Same regiment as Montgomery, who hated him, he took over as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, from Montgomery. John
Good info ! Thanks mate ! 👍
Slim started out with the Warwicks, but between wars he went to India and became an officer of Gurkhas.
I agree best British field commander of ww2
He was reinstated by Alanbrooke who held Slun and Monty in similar regard. There is no evidence whatsoever there were issues between Monty and Slim
I’m an amateur historian, I have a great deal of interest in military history of the 20th Century, primarily because my grandfather was killed in Tunisia in May 1943. Having visited Kandhanburi in Thailand and done some research on the war against Japan, I often wished there were more documentaries about the forgotten army. This documentary is excellent, well researched, well presented, in depth and also sobering. Thank you for making it and thank you for posting it here for all to watch. I will be recommending to all I know with an interest in WW2.
Same here. My grandfather was a sailor in the Royal Norwegian Navy. He survived and live to the age of 86. I've always been interested in WWII(and other conflicts) and whenever there's something new that pops up I'm all over it. I think it's important to remember the men that fought at places like Kohima and Imphal. In WWII, these men called themselves, "the forgotten army". But their story, will never be forgotten. Not as long there's people like us. Who want's to remember them, and what they did.
Ditto !
For an Excellent 1st hand account of the war in Burma read George MacDonald Fraser's "Quartered safe out here ".
My father flew with 355 squadron, based in Salbani, West Bengal. His squadron was tasked with destroying the Japanese supply lines in Burma and Thailand. Along with 356 squadron, they attacked Kanchanaburi (setting for the fictional story “bridge on the River Kwai). There is a video describing his missions on KZhead, made primarily for the relatives of his crew, most of whom perished in a ditching on May 2, 1945, but it has some background which you may find interesting. kzhead.info/sun/eZ2geZaKn4KfdI0/bejne.html
You need to secure a copy of General Slim's account "Defeat into Victory" for the full story of the Burma campaign.
Forgotten? Not bloody likely! The battles of Imphal and Kohima are studied as a "Land" option in the Canadian Armed Forces' Officer Professional Development Programme Part 7, "War and the Military Profession." Slim's memoir, /Defeat into Victory/, while not required reading, is popular among Canadians with a modicum of historical awareness, not least for its insights into the 14th Army's logistic challenges. (I think it was from there that your remarks about the variety of ration scales came.)
Forgotten by the british maybe 😃
I'm sure it isn't in military circles, but for the US it was important to basically tone down any mention of British Commonwealth/Imperial efforts to suit their wider agenda of dominating that part of the world. Acknowledging that the British Indian forces fought just as hard and for just as long as they did would be counter to this.
@@cristian7051 it’s probably why they were known as the forgotten army then and now
By forgotten, they mean that this battle isn't as well known as the battle for North Africa, the Normandie invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. Which is on the list of some of the most well known battles of WWII. The battle of Imphal and Kohima are on the list of some of the least well known battles to the public.
@@wolfu597 no by forgotten they meant Churchill and Britain didn’t recognize them . They gave them surplus equipment M3s for example they also wanted to make them were a badge showing they where diseased and not to be touched(something that didn’t go down well since they were hanging Germans who did the same with the Jews) thank Mountbatten for stopping that . They had the worst war fighting the Japanese and the jungle (if wounded two to four weeks to be casevaced they had to carry the wounded out of the jungle to an airstrip) I was raised on there stories my father my uncle Roy and uncle Chris were all part of the 14th army and they hated Churchill and Britain they left there friends out there and were classed as a side show of little consequence the country didn’t then and doesn’t now know the extreme hardships of Kohima (trenches separated by mere feet and yards the wounded left in them and eaten alive by rat’s because it was impossible to get out) that was there war each and everyone a hero to me but not there country my mother didn’t know what they did and still doesn’t neither do my sisters they will just say they were in Burma fighting japs (my dad’s word’s as they were never taught in school) I know the stories because I used to take him to the reunions of the Burma star and listen their memorial at Kohima says it best and better than I could
My father was called up early in the war and was very soon posted to India where he became a signaller in 254 Indian Tank Brigade, was in the besieged garrison at Imphal, and later went all the way down to Rangoon with the XIVth Army, ending up promoted to Sergeant. In the early 1960’s, when I was a teenager, we both had the pleasure of meeting and having a long conversation with Field Marshall Sir William Slim on a train journey. Dad’s Burma Star is proudly displayed with his other medals on the wall in my house.
Your dad was a colonizer and oppressing Indian people. Japanese were here to liberate india
My gt uncle was C.S.M John H o'Hara 1st bn Royal Berkshires, 2nd division 14th Army, relief force kohima. Veteran of the rearguard at Dunkirk, saw action in Burma '43, '44 and died of wounds as the bn attacked Mandalay 1945, 2 weeks before the Berkshires were pulled out for good, you were never forgotten by your family our Jack.
Ll0
My Dad kept this poem in his wallet. Whilst serving in Burma he sent it three times to England, but each time the censor returned it, saying it was too true! On the fourth attempt it was published in the John Bull magazine. Read on..... its not any easy read! LOST HEROES Slightly east of India, just south of Tung Bazaar, fights part of a noble army, You all know who you are! The 14ths what they call them, just a number, not a name, but should you use a dictionary, you could not word their fame. While in Blighty"s headlines every day you read of the Glorious 8th, Of the fighting 5th and 7th, and aren"t the Russians great! Its stuck down in one corner, hardly noticed, but its there, The Arakan Force is doing well, Activity everywhere!! But those civvies cannot understand exactly what is meant by that one word "activity", in this environment. I"d like them all to gather round, to see just what I mean, and use their imagination to conjure up this scene. A tired army"s been up there, eight months or more. They"re fighting with three enemies. Its not ben done before. They"re up and down the highest hill. All are jungle clad. The burning sun shines overhead, enough to drive them mad. They lose their comrades every day, but mostly by disease. This enemy they cannot see, it lingers on the breeze. Then they go to meet the Japs, up in the battle zone. They cannot see their enemy, and appear to be alone. But each man knows that he is there, a hiding in his hole. The muzzle of his L.M.G. is ready to take its toll. And they stay there like the vermin their ugly mugs resemble, and when our lads put in an attack, their yellow livers tremble! I"ve mentioned now two enemies, the Japs and this disease, but soon we"ll have a third one here. As everyone foresees. The heavens they will open. The clouds will burst and fall, and all the roads will just be mud. No use to us at all! So there"s an added tremor to this bloody war, the convoy of supplies must stop and rations cut once more. While all along the narrow paths, to right and left you"ll see, there"s graves a-lying there of chaps like you and me, who fought and died in silence, and did not seek a praise, but on behalf of their devotion, one point I"d like to raise. Why are their deeds unnoticed? Unfeatured with the brave. And where are all the headlines to say they died to save? I haven"t seen a single one. A column now and then, to say that Pt. Smith has gone, and won"t return again. No mention of their suffering, which death could but discern. Nor yet a sign of an offering of gratitude in return. So when this war is over, and happiness is rife, remember all the brave ones, who for it gave their lives. Don"t leave them as they are today, forgotten to a man. Because the Front thy fought upon was labelled ARAKAN!!!!! i don"t know where this poem came from, Dad would never say, but it has always been our suspicion that he wrote it himself? Who knows. We love and miss you Dad, every single day. xxxxx
Amazing poem. My father was in the RAF, 60 Squadron, and flew sorties in support of the troops.
Thank you6@@jeremyfdavies
There is far more than just words in that poem - pride tinged with loss and sadness, and perhaps a touch of well-earned bitterness, come through most powerfully.
That was a brilliantly moving poem thank you
Thank you for sharing
My grandfather was in the Royal Artillery and was in Far East from 1942 and took part in the battle. Previously he was on AA guns in London docks from 1940 after volunteering
Gun crew or search lights? My Dad was on search lights for an AA battery in Coventry until he transferred to REME
@@philmarkham7477 cool, tough job eh, my grandfather was a sergeant and on AA guns. He used to say how hard it was to hit anything.
My grandfather was back in Home in England, looking after the needs of your grandmothers..what a legend.
@@richardv9648 Well, at least it made a change to the Yank spivs with their nylon stockings !!!
My grandfather was in the Royal Artillery too. Burma was his compensation for being left behind at Dunkirk😅. He brought home a souvenir - malaria!
Thanks for the documentary, not many know of Kohima, I do because my father is buried there after being killed with the rest of his tank crew April 28th 1944. They gave their today for our tomorrow. My fathers Major was Major Ezra Rhodes. Some years ago I had an email from his daughter, but have lost her information.
I sense your grief, and feel your pride, George
I live in kohima visited the memorial many times ..I’d like to know your father’s name so that next time I visit I’ll try and find his memorial stone …
@@michaelkikon7 I hope George sees this ...
The Brits were thown out anyway a few years later. The end of nearly 200 years colonisation FINALLY
So sorry for your loss
This video bridges the gap between traditional TV shows that are too simplified, and KZhead videos that are too low budget. GREAT work. Love it.
my father served in this part of india in 1945 to 47 . kings liverpool regiment . he also got his burma medal . he loved indian people and always told me the great stories .
I had the great honour to be seconded to the King's in Canada before the ''amalgamation.'' A great Regiment with an amazing history.
My Uncle Bobby was killed on 20 May 1944 at the age of 21. All that I know is based upon his page on the Rangoon Virtual Memorial and what little my father, his younger brother by four years, remembered. My father was certain that he joined the Royal West Kent Regiment, but his Rangoon Memorial page says that he was with The King's Regiment (Liverpool). I presume that he was posted from one regiment to the other at some point, for some reason. Our family is from Kent. My grandmother threw all reminders, including his medals, away. All that I have is a photograph of him, in civilian clothes, that used to be on my grandparents' mantlepiece.
@@TheLoachman just done a little bit of research . any idea which battalion your uncle was in . the royal kent had a lot of battalions at one point , but a lot where disbanded in the 40s . it is possible your uncles was disbanded and he had to join the kings liverpool . the royal kents had massive casualties in the war which massive shortages of men . i served in the welsh guards .
The 1/1 Punjab of 161st Brigade of 5th Indian Division in which Major Dimi Cassimati (my Uncle Dimi) was a member also took part in the relief of Kohima. .
Was he an officer in the british indian army ?
@@rudrakshsinghkatal5609 Major
@@JohnCosmas good to know , my great Grandfather was a JCO in 1/14 Punjab . He continued to serve the Indian Army till 1958 .
@@rudrakshsinghkatal5609 Please look at the KZhead video "The Forgotten Volunteers" to understand the huge but understated contribution made towards winning the war by the Indian Army.
@@JohnCosmas thanks for the Reference . I'll be sure to watch it
My grandfather served in the labour corps and helped the British during the battle of kohima. The Japanese had defeated the manipuris but We drove the Japanese away from our soil and halted their progress into india. Proud to be Naga.
Nice very nice..the brave nagas brethren..bravo
You are living under occupation after the Indians crushed your independence movement.
India is now the oppressor instead of the Axis Powers!… Just look at Kashmir, Punjab, your people and many more!
So you are proud he helped British, who subjugated and colonized India ? Japs were fighting with Bose INA to liberate India.
What fxking joke...when did Japanese faught war with Manipuri... Japanese was comming for imphal with Subash Chandra force to liberate from British....the war was between British allied force with Japanese and Azad hind force to capture imphal....at that time Naga was just small group of tribe just hiding from war....and said you naga people drive away Japanese with 3 lakhs Soldier with 15000 soldiers of INA...what a joke😂😂 ...read some authentic history naga alu...not from your drunkard master
My father was garrisoned at Imphal also his brother who was in the West Kent's. For the rest of his life my father was the standard bearer for the Burma star Westminster branch. I went to the reunions at the Albert Hall on two occasions and was so grateful to meet his fellow comrades
Dear Admin of this channel, really enjoyed watching your documentary video.... I was well aware that the Japanese army and Indian national Army under Subhash Chandra Bose had invaded / reached imphal.... But this is the first time I saw your documentary.... Keep it up and do upload many videos in future as well.... Stay blessed and stay safe.....
I'm just finishing Slim's book on the India/Burma campaign, and what impressed me about him was his humility and his ability to admit his mistakes and learn from them.
Indeed. I get the feeling most of his "peers" were handicapping themselves by being overly focussed on reputation management, and insufficiently intent on finding fresh ways to accomplish important military objectives (including being receptive to constructive criticism), which in the long term would have bolstered their reputation.
He was unusual as a british officer in that he wasn't an arrogant, ignorant a/hole. Of course he was more an Indian Army officer than a brit one. He had suffered at the hands of arrogant british officers and gentlemen himself because he came from humble origins.
@@seanmccann8368I wouldn’t call most British officers in ww2 ignorant or assholes. We have to realize people are human and that many of them did in the end try to do their best to protect their men. And in the end the uk has some of the least causalities of the major nations despite participating in many important major battles. So I would say the officers on all the fronts did their jobs.
@@voxinabox2422 I couldn't care less what you think, just as you couldn't care less what I think.
@@seanmccann8368the same old " lions led by donkeys myth". Not every british officer came from aristocratic background, there were many like slim . And yes ,he was british not Indian.
Hello! I’m from Manipur and I heard lots of stories from my grandparents. How they hide during the bombings and how the starved Japanese stole their lunches. The similar facial expressions from japanese move their hearts and help them in whetever they can. They fed on banana stems literally. Remembering these great events happen in my state, puts me in humble ground. I pray for the departed souls.
Thank you for making this. My grandfather was a Captain in the RMAC for these battles and to think he was there patching up the wounded is very humbling. He took photos of the scenery from the front and from Shimla so it was great to see it from a modern pov.
It's RAMC
@@neildiamondo6445 couldnt live without you.
My late father, Maj Freddie Millar RAMC was also at Imphal and Kohima. In fact, he met my Mum (Territorial Nursing Corps-Theater). Mum was evacuated from the area, as were all the women, prior to the battle. Dad lived on a up of rice a day. They never, ever, spoke of it. Dad went on to be ADMS under Maj. General Macaleavy and Genl. Bill Slim.
@@MrRunner I wonder if they met? Have you looked closer at war records? I would love to. Some day.
@@Shafaradam Almost certainly. It was a small, vicious war and the medics would have been well acquainted. The War records wouldn't indicate this though
What is not mentioned interestingly is the reporting blackout of the victory at Kohima. The allies wanted nothing to detract from DDay and its success` so this battle was consigned to obscurity for some time.
Great info didn't know that ! Thanks! 👍
Mark Clark also chose that time to march into Rome.
I've heard quite a few military historians cite Slim as one of the very best commanding officers of WW2.
@@bastogne315 The Brits did that everywhere, all the time through history. Hessians in America. Australians at Gallipoli. New Zealanders and South Africans against Rommel. Canadians in the Dieppe raid.
Nice to see true empiricism in the comments.
@@bastogne315 The battle was in India, why shouldn't the Indian troops fight there? Don't forget there were at least a division of Indian troops fighting with the Jappenese.
@@bastogne315 Your source for that, please.
@@davidb2206 and chinese in the first phase of the burma campaign, the japanese conquest of burma, after we rescued them at yenangyuang and gave the japanese humongous resistance at toungoo, the british left us
The chindit operation in to Burma in early 43 was to throw the Japanese into disarray, it was not an invasion, it was just 5000 men against the Japanese army. My great uncle died as a POW following an ambush during the withdrawal of the chindit.
Tribute to the brave Indian, Nepal, British and Commonwealth troops who fought and triumphed in this epic battle!
My grand father fought there There must be some memorial for those brave soldiers
There are memorials for them both in Kohima and Imphal. You should visit
What about the rebel freedom fighters of the INA who fought against the commonwealth alongside the japanese
@@Indian_Tovarisch they fought for what they thought was the right cause, but it was not. Our then leaders were clear that the British were in the process of departing and we didnt want another foreign power, Japan, to take over. Not to forget, most of the fighting against the INA and their ultimate defeat was done by Indian soldiers of the regular British Indian Army who refused to go over to the other side despite propaganda.
@@petercarey5857 no , British were not willing to leave india , it was only after Quit india movement of 1942 & mass resign of Indians from British military, the britishers realized they could no longer rule india . So after end of WW 2 & economy being hit the British had no options & finally left the colonized land .
My uncle fought from the other side under Indian National Army under Netaji for Liberation of India. Salute to all the soldiers of all sides on all fronts
Your uncle was a very bad man
@@Man-Made-of-wood Why ??
@@Man-Made-of-wood His uncle was the real Indian patriot and the Britishers are monsters
I salute your uncle who fought for India's independence under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Please remove the word fascist from your profile . Netaji was no fascist. Ultimately it was the sacrifice of 26000 INA soldiers that paved the way for India's independence, by Clement Attlee's own admission.
@@Man-Made-of-woodsays a person whoes pm said that its better to kill Indians than british not having food
152 Indian Parachute Battalion Commanded by Major Tom Monaghan defended Sangshak. Held out for six days before being ordered to withdraw. Lt Andrew Fauld was recommended for the VC unfortunately all witnesses were killed.
Thank you for posting this, very nice views of the country and terrain in which fighting took place and great to see Hermant Katoch and Robert Lyman with James Holland , pity the focus was only on actions at Shangsak on Nunshigum, there were Victoria Cross awards to 2/5 Gurkha rifles ,Netrabahadur Thapa ,Agansing Rai and Gaje Ghale, Abdul Hafiz ,the 3/9 Jats as well as to Frank Victor Turner ,West Yorkshire .Not sure if the presentation is not the full length.
Yeah, one hour simply isn't enough to give everyone decent coverage and full justice to their efforts. I'd have liked to have seen too a Japanese historian along with them, to hear from the Japanese perspective. Holland give give the Japanese commander full credit for his capacity, which is good to see. This battle alone would have easily made a whole series.
My father saw action in India & Burma, Sergeant Christopher Harry Sutton, 19th division Indian Army, Dagger Brigade., right through to the end of the war in the Far East. A brave, brave man, as they all were!
A good video that would be a GREAT one if the war-time photos of the same places, airfields, buildings, etc., were interspersed showing the "then and now" effect. When you can match up locations and artifacts in two photos, it is powerful. Thanks for posting.
Amazing video! I lost 4 Grand-Uncles from South India in the Battle of Rangoon during WW2 of whom their bodies were never recovered. I know not the reasons for why my Grand-Uncles joined the British Indian Army but I'm proud of them for fighting for a good cause - whether they bought into INDOC training or not. They never received honors, medals, or thanks but the part they played helped bring stability and peace to the region.
Your noble and respected Grand Uncles joined and made the supreme sacrifice probably just for the same reason that a million and more Indians joined the Indian Army during WW 2 - that it happened to be their country, India's Army, at the time and they felt they should loyally contribute to their country's war effort and earn some money! The fact that India was at that time part of the British Raj did not stop more than a million Indians from joining up. They identified with their country and the Raj in those days, and not to forget that India had been ruled in the past by many different dynasties and princely states, the latter still existing during WW2. People with martial traditions from different regions of India had fought for different Indian dynasties and princes all over India since thousands of years. When the British Raj came - they raised their own Indian troops, just as previous rulers or dynasties had. The current nationalistic narrative and mind set which views events of those years through a faulty lens moulded out of today's attitudes and slippery definitions of true Indians vs colonial Indians falls flat on its face. Greek troops and Indian troops fought for Persian Emperors, Rajputs fought for the Mughals, Marathas fought both for and against the British, Gurkhas fought for the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh, Gurkhas fought against and later, for the British.....and so on....!!! During the American War of Independence, the French fought for the Americans, the German Hessians fought against the Americans for the British...!! Modern notions of patriotism and jingoism about 'outsiders' can be quite out of tune with what the world was 70 years ago!
American here with Ao Naga wife from Nagaland India. Have been to the Kohima battlefield memorial & cemetery. The Brit’s do a great job of upkeep even to this day. The man singing his smile at the end of the song reminds me of the kind smile of my late father in law who also had stories of the 1944 invasion. They hid in the jungle from the planes with big 🔴 on the wings.
It’s maintained by joint Indian and British forces
My father was with 113 Squadron RAF at the battle of Imphal and he told me the Squadron was in the last convoy through Kohima before it was surrounded. The squadron was then based on a jungle strip on the Imphal Plain and he said their Hurri bombers would take off bomb the Japanese within sight of the strip, land, re-arm and take off again. On one occasion Mountbatten flew in in a Dakota; the squadron gathered round as he emerged in his whites to tell them they were surrounded and would fight to the last man. He then flew off. That didn't impress the brylcream boys, but what a battle it was!
My Dad also was in the RAF and all he really said was for a very long time there was a retreat , till things got organised . He came home and was in and out of Hospitals for years . he died in 1982 in Edinburgh .
Well done for making this documentary of a forgotten battle, absolutely fascinating!
Thank you for bringing this to the attention of those who have a limited knowledge of WW2. I was surprised to see how Kohima has developed. Because of its remoteness in my mind I imagined it still being a hill top village akin to how Sangshak is.
If you have access to Google Maps, it's easy to "travel" to Kohima and see what the place looks like in three dimensions from the air. There are also ground-level photos taken at numerous points in the locality. I use Google Maps often to visit my old landscapes in Korea and Vietnam, and also to explore battlefields I read about in books. It's enormously illuminating, and I wonder that more people don't use it routinely when reading history.
Kohima is now a fairly developed Modern mini city and a beautiful hill station with a population of few hundred souls with the WW2 cemetery smacking right in the heart of Kohima .. Iam from Kohima .
My mother and her family lived in Burma when the Japanese invaded. My mother came out by air. She was 18 and was responsible for her younger siblings and her grandmother and great grandmother. My grandfather walked out, as did his brother. My Grandfather, Micky Rorke, was a mechanic, lay preacher, and ran vehicles for Watkins and Co. He ran convoys of trucks filled with arms to Chiang Kai-shek for Joseph Stillwell. He was at the final meeting between Stillwell and Chiang. We are not sure why he was there! But they all left it too late. My grandfather walked out with a couple of others. He was in a terrible state by the time he arrived in India. His brother worked for Burma Railways. He walked out with another group, but they didn't make it. Many didn't. Later, my father came out from England. He was an intelligence officer trained at Bletchley, and reported personally to Slim, bringing him cyphers. He then ran the SLU in Delhi where he met my mother.
'Beyond the Road to Mandalay', by John Masters, and 'Quartered Safe Out Here', by George Macdonald Fraser, are both worth reading about this conflict.
Yes, both are great books.
I have read the George Mac book, very inciteful, his description of a charging at you (nip) still sticks with me!
See if you can locate 'The Naked Island" by Aussie Russell Braddon my copy is a PAN book. Some parts are quite horrific.
I thank you for the recommendation, and will seek those books.
@@anthonytaylor9232 it was carrying the stolen tin of what the section thought was peaches, only to find out it was carrots, that slew me.
Brilliant video, as always. Not enough attention is given to this battle.
Great documentary! Whenever we hear about WW2 in the east it's always about the American's and whenever the British are mentioned it's always about the embarrassing capitulations in 1942. Most think the eastern war was just brave Americans storming island after island but it was so much bigger and the British and Commonwealth forces played a vital part in the allied victory over Japan. Thanks for telling the story of these brave men who sacrifices have been tragically forgotten by so many.
Indeed. And it's forgotten that China had to deal with 80% of the Japanese army. Hollywood has rewritten so much history.
@@stevenrickett4333 That's 100% true
Baring in the mind that the Americans also suffered humiliation in 1942 while not even having to fight a life or death struggle 7000 miles away. They knew full well what they were doing by antagonising Japan which makes their initial defeats just as shameful, if not more so. Furthermore, the American island hopping campaign enjoyed overwhelming 360 degree fire support from sea, air and land... Burma had huge swathes of jungle - developing the logistical support to provide the infantry with anywhere near that capacity of firepower was a herculean task. This is especially true since the brainwashed fanatical Japanese did not surrender and literally had to be blasted out of their bunkers at point-blank range.
American nearly capitulated in the battle of Al Alamein, which was ultimately won due to tactics of British General Bernard Montgomery
@@vickrant3523 Apart from a few bombers the americans weren't at Al Alamein. They landed in Morocco and didn't face the Germans till they got to Tunisia where they had their asses handed to them.
The Supermarine Spitfire was definitely an incredible aircraft. It defeated the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese Army airforce.
I visited Kohima and the Commonwealth War Cemetery in 2011. Incredibly moving.
All, but All War Grave Cemeteries are Moving, beyond Imagination. I reiterate, often. that IF the World leaders and politicians were the ones having to face off against each other arcoss the Battlefields, there Sure as Hell would be NO More Wars !
Thank you for visiting my hometown
@@wallingnaga6563 Aung walling .
Brilliant video thank you for sharing. Both my parents had brothers fighting the Japanese in India and Burma so this was a very poignant documentary for me.
Amazing timing. I've really been delving into the Burma Campaign. Thank-You
Care to share any 'Good' reading details?
@@anthonytaylor9232 I enjoyed 'Constant Vigilance: RAF Regiment in the Burma Campaign' but there are some really documentarys on YT too.
@@Rushfelt33 Tnx for the info I will look that up. RAF Regiment, otherwise known as The Rock Apes,were the RAFs equivalent to army military guards, defence of airfields, camps and other estabishments etc. My Pop was with the Chindits!
Slim was not only a brilliant general, he was also a great man.
Slim was not only a great general, though also, a great dad. 👍
@@jordanclark1214 that I do not know but it would not surprise me in the least.
@@jordanclark1214 My dad served Slim with a Pink Gin when he was a barman in the officers mess. He said ' that's rather a large one , isn't it? '
Field marshal Bob Slim was a soldiers general he stated his career from lowery private soldier to the highest rank in the British army a field marshal in WW2 this is the man and how he treated his men is the example what a war general was held up to that he is remembered for by the men who served under him his portrait sits proudly alone in the Sandhurst officer academy
@@soultraveller5027 fully agreed and thank you for the information about his portrait, it is most fitting.
My Late Father Maj TManohar Rao awarded KIH for Burma war service (Army Medical corp) served in Kohima and Imphal has written his memoirs on this Rgds
Thanks Raj T. I would love to hear/read his perspective..
Have his memoirs been published?
My Grandfather, Mrigendra Nath Gogoi had enlisted in the War. He was a field medic, soldier and a driver in Burma as a part of the Assam Regiment. I would really love to see photos and records from that era that included him. It was such a time and so many sacrifices were made. I really wish I knew him more as he passed away in 1999 when I was only 2 years old.
Your grandpa was a traitor to India
@@antiwhite2732 dude you litreally have a name of a white supremacist ,and you're here coping about British being white colonizers
Thank you for this, it is accurate and correct, forgotten even then, but of the utmost importance.
These are brilliant videos. Keep up the amazing work! Loving the channel.
Thanks a ton!
@@bastogne315 There may even be some Welsh, Scots and Irish in amongst the 'English', To which yoou refer, but from 'Your' perspective that appears to be a Minor consideration, if one at all ! Peace.!
You put it aptly @ about 1:03 and it made me tear up. Thank you for an excellent presentation and had it been interlaced with real video footage from that battle, it would've made an even more impact on viewers who've no idea about the terrain and the conditions prevailing.
Reading through the comments gives me goose-bumps, my Father also fought there with The Royal Berks Regiment, after surviving and being evacuated from Dunkirk, he spoke little about it, but the Malaria he caught never really left him, interestingly he did say he never hated the Japanese as they also were treated badly by their Commanders ... He had great praise for the Indians & Gurkhas that fought alongside... 🙏
This is a really interesting documentary. One day in 1946 a man came to live at our house with me and my mother. He was my mother told me, my father, a father that I never knew. I was 6 years old at the time. My father was called for army service in the early months of the war, and went on to serve with the Royal Artillery as gunner against the Japanese in India. My father spoke very little of his service in India, so I do not know much about it. Throughout the war years I lived with my mother in London, during the blitz and later dodging the V1 and V2 rockets, which I remember very well even to this day. As a consequence of not having my father in my early years, the bond that you normally get between father and son was never there, right up till my father’s death. Today I’m an octogenarian but can still remember some of the events that took place in London during WW2.
I like this James Holland. He's articulate but down to earth. Thoughtful, insightful and intelligent, too.[Edit: serious over-use of 'incredible'] Would have been much better if the maps had shown the topography - ie mountain ranges, valleys and plains. Would have been much more understandable.
Agreed ! At outset admitted omissions & commissions and lack of camera e.t.c
I appreciate the telling of this little-known story, but more maps and archival images would have helped bring it more to life than the excessive "incredible" and "amazing" adjectives. That kind of hard sell detracts from the story's impact and the presenter's credibility. I expect a historical documentary to be somewhat more dispassionate. If the story is good enough (and this one surely is), it doesn't need hyperbole to get the message across.
Yes, and the topographic detail is easily available these days, via Google Maps and other similar services. Their three-dimensional presentation is invaluable in understanding the campaign. I can't imagine why readily accessible online mapping and imagery isn't taken advantage of in making a video presentation of this sort. Fortunately, you can do it yourself.
He wrote the non-fiction book Burma '44, and has maps in it as well as photos. I am surprised he has not called the battle by it;s more well known name, the Battle of the Admin Box.
The Commonwealth's battle to reclaim the Indo-China peninsula has largely been forgotten by history, and the glory has been claimed by the American Pacific forces. Slim's book detailing how Commonwealth forces gradually came to terms with jungle fighting and defeated the Japanese is excellent.
I agree 100% i read it from defeat into victory,but one thing bugs me that naga singing the praises of the japanese army,didnt anyone tell him of the brutality of the japanese army and P O W camps?
Yeah the Japanese had over 300,000 men committed in this theatre, a significant number of troops.
The Empires forces, stop putting a little gloss on the forces committed. The commentator keeps saying the British stopped the invasion, with no mention of the Empire forces involved.
@@mercomania Yes, the Empire forces were extremely brave and that bravery should always be duly recognised, but remember, without Mountbatten and Slim's military strategy, the Japanese would have conquered India.
@@briantitchener4829 Mountbatten was side-lined for many tactical decisions as the CIA and Douglas MacArthur regarded him as a security risk, due to his and his wife´s sexual habits. They considered him as a major security risk.
We had a veteran in our village who fought at Jessami. He had to walk all the way from Jessami to Kohima with a bullet wound in his hand and abdomen.
The Japanese lost over 164,000 soldiers in this campaign, a much more crushing blow compared to the losses at the Battle of Singapore ( which were mostly men taken prisoner than any killed and wounded)
being captured by the japanese often ended up in death though
I thought they lost about 50,000 invading India and another 50,000 during the Allied recapture of Burma.
@@ingurlund9657 Overall losses were 164,500 source: Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery Retrieved 10 March 2016
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- Okay, thank you.
@@ingurlund9657 No problem mate, it's good that the Commonwealth forces managed to avenge their earlier defeats.
Fascinating video. I am from Manipur, born in Lamka, brought up in Imphal, lived in General Slim's cottage in Kangla as a baby when my late father was appointed the 1st Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly in 1948. I try my best to make sure the Battles of Imphal and Kohima are remembered by organising the 50th and 75th commemorations as a member of the Lions International Club in Wilmslow which is in the archive of National Library and through the Royal British Legion Remember division. May all those who fought for our freedom be never forgotten 🙏
Thankyou men and women of all allied nations for your service.... regards Australia
Bill Slim was an unrecognized genius.
Hardly unrecognised, his book Defeat into Victory was required reading at RMAS for years, probably still is.
Probably the best British General of WW2
Monty is probably overrated - El Alamein tarnished by 'Operation Market Garden'
@@yampk1 There is a tendency to overrate him on the British side, but there is an equal, if not stronger, tendency to underrate him in the USA. He was not one of the great generals in history, but he certainly was one of the best to see service in WW2. He was not a nice man, but he knew how to beat the German forces again and again at a tolerable cost to his own forces.
James Kenyon. Montgomery was the most successful Western Allied ground commander of WW2 by some way. He took more ground through more countries while facing more quality opposition than any other Western Allied ground commander.
This is a great documentary the campaign in the far east is almost hardly ever mentioned yet it made up for some of the most brutal fighting during ww2. The Americans were island hoping in the Pacific but little attention is given to the British and commwealth forces fighting in the hostile jungles of Burma and Mayalisa.
Also Japan never did conqueror all of China in WW2.
@@Crashed131963 what they did conquer they committed genocide especially in places such as Nanking.
@@chrisholland7367 Hard to believe Japan had the manpower and resources to occupy the Philippines ,Korea ,most of China, Burma and Malaysia , All the while fighting the US and China yet plan to invade a country as large and far away as India.
@@Crashed131963 All the while perhaps they might have been a little over ambitious
@@philiphawley2915 Even with 100,000 men and outnumbering the Commonwealth forces they still failed to invade India. Surprise attacks can only get you so far until you run into a better organised opponent who can anticipate your move and counter accordingly. Same applies with the Germans blitzkrieg across russia, once the Soviets finally got their shit together and stopped getting caught off guard they eventually kicked the crap out of the Germans.
2.7 million Indians volunteered ( not conscription) to fight the Japanese, and Nazi Germany. Only 15,000 Indians joined the Indian National Army (INA)to fight for the Japanese, but if you visit any major Indian City there posters, murals of those who fought with the Japanese ! Do not take my word for it, look it up.
Yes...but that is in different vein. takes nothing away from British & Indian honourable sacrifices !
@@rkbrkb7998 that's the only vein that matters, mister. Indians fighting for the bloody British empire! and tiny European nations fighting with each other and naming it "world war"! what a joke the world was at that time.
They were upto 40000 to 80000
Google it
@@radhikaranjan8275 hey numpty! Why were either called World Wars? How many different countries actually had a battle take place on their land, or in their seas? Supplies for the combatants, came from how many different countries? Foot soldiers/seamen/airmen.....for any of the different armies, came from how many different countries? Get a brain
Nice 1, got more outa that, than I got out a doc, an anime. I liked and subscribed, lookin forward to other stuff like thisy!
I've learned so much about these battles in the hour I've spent watching this. The names of Kohima and Imphal and "the admin box" and the hand to hand fighting, were mostly all that I knew. I had no idea there were tanks involved, and the aged eye witness was gem. It was interesting that his song was so reverential to the Japanese, who he seems to have regarded as the heroes.
I had the wonderful honour of being in charge of B Squadron The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) back in the 1990s. On April 13 Nunshigum Day every year we remembered the famously courageous battle of Nunshigum, in which our predecessors, B Squadron of the 3rd Carabiniers (PWO) supported the 1/17 Dogra (Indian) Regiment by driving their M3 tanks right up the sheer sides of the more than 7,000 ft. heigh strongly defended Japanese held Kennedy Peak. The slope was so steep that several tanks simply topled over (end over end, not sideways) and disappeared. Because the crew commanders had to stand up to see over the front of the tank, one after another every single young B Squadron officer was either killed by samurai sword, or shot dead or severely wounded. The Dogra infantry officers were also all likewise either killed or wounded so the two sergeant majors got together and successfully took command, driving the determined Japanese off the hill and winning the battle. To commemorate this, B Squadron parades to this day without any of its officers and commanded by its SSM.
@@nigeldunkley2986 Wow! Thanks for that information.
@@bastogne315 both the Indian CSM and the British B Sqn 3rd Carabiniers SSM who so bravely worked together were decorated together for their actions I seem to remember.
I also thought it was interesting their oral history praises the Japanese!
It took me 36 years to learn that Nungshigum ridge (@Nigel Dunkley mentioned above) is what I see from my bedroom window. Where I live today was at the kangla airfield during the war!
Great documentary, we need to hear more of these campaigns.
Outstanding narration and amazing scenery, it is hard to believe that such a hard fought battle had almost been lost to history and so pleasing that the truth of what happened was eventually regained, its as though those soldiers who fought there were alas not forgotten. I guess there are many such battles lost for all time due to events elsewhere taking the headlines at the time. Thank you for remembering those who lost and won their battle for life.
Awesome telling of a battle I admit I'd never heard of. I would have loved to have seen some old photographs of some of the troops or positions, but I'm assuming as it's known as a bit of a 'forgotten' battle, there aren't many? Would have really helped with the emersion. Still, loved the video, you've got a great style about you! Defs subbing.
Brilliant documentary about a little known battle. Thank you
Fascinating that the British ability to get tanks into the heights is paralleled with their doing the same in Tunisia and during the Korean war.
Would love to say it’s the British being tough and brave but I think it’s just our way of “we’ll give it a try”
Thank You for making this documentary; A story that needs telling to each generation
Slim was my Favorite historic Generals of WW2, Would prefer title being something like "Slim and the Indian Army" defeats the Japanese Invasion of India. So many statements about "British" not enough Mention of Indian forces
The Indians fighting were in the British Army. The Indian Army under Ghandi were not fighting.
Because anyone with half a brain realises that "British" within the context of WW2 usually means every incumbent member of the British Commonwealth/Empire. Stop seeking an issue where there isn't one for the sake of some woke agenda. Times were somewhat different back then.
India was still part of the BRITISH Empire, so in that sense the army was British (not to be confused with "English"). It was trained, equipped and led by people from the British Isles. So I guess it isn't wrong to use this word. Also, it seems to me the fact that the soldiers were mostly Indian is emphasised in the video time and again.
how many times did the East and west Africans soldiers/regiments get mentioned ?
@@crouqetoo2 there were very few of them compared to british and indians
personal favorite account and emphatic recommendation: 'Quartered Safe Out Here: A Recollection of the War in Burma' - a military memoir of World War II by George MacDonald Fraser, the author of The Flashman Papers series of novels.
And the Steel Bonnets. One of my favourite non fiction books
@@neildiamondo6445 Couldnae really get into his novel Steel Bonnets but loved his McCaulsland books.
@@crouqetoo2 steel bonnets just border reivers history.
My dad was at Imphal. He told me that the barbed wire defences were covered with Japanese dead after one attack.
I imagine this knocked the IJA a peg or two down... Thanks for this, I didn't know about this. I'll be looking into this battle 👍
Grandad was part of the Forgotten Army in Burma - had a lot of respect for Gn. Slim. Not so much for Mountbatten. Came out of there in '46 - treated like crap by the gov. - never forgave them. Missing presumed dead from 1945 but he turned up on Grandma's doorstep one day, out of the blue. Fought alongside the Gurkhas - said they were hard fighters and good men. Never ate corned beef again and wouldn't buy a Japanese car or television well into the late '80s, while unironically driving a VW Beetle.
A lot of prisoners had been treated so inhumanely that they felt inhuman and ashamed,something hard to understand unless you'd had their experience,King Rat by j Clavell mentions it and older people I've talked to have said how their relations couldn't face going home after being so degraded.
Lovely story. Good old grandad eh.
@@howwwwwyyyyy " The Railwayman" Eric Lomax.... gives one version of the effects of the treatment of POW's by the Japanese. I knew of a POW ( father of a schoolfriend ) who wouldn't socialise with anyone... perhaps couldn't... apparently feeling that the scars of his torture were too obvious and demeaning. I always thought he should flaunt them as a badge of honour, but I was just 6 years old.
My grandad was a signaller in Burma he never said much about it as he struggled with nightmares after . the only thing he mentioned was a bomb going off just behind him as he was shaving and his mirror smashed and at the time he thought he blew up with the bomb until he realised he actually survived . He was very lucky and survived and came home unlike many others who lost there life 😢
I'm 70 at this time. My dad went to Burma / Arakan with the SA Navy under the British. PT boats. Made in Cape Town, fitted out in Durban
Thanks so much for the only TV documentary I've seen which does justice to the forgotten army. My grandfather was in the West Kents and fought at the battle of the Tennis Court. Jack Harman was his Lance-Coporal. He was a big guy who had volunteered and been accepted at 16, until my great grandma marched down to the police station with his birth certificate... he went again and got away with it a year later and he was only 17 when he dug in on Garrison Hill. When I think about my own children's mentality even now in their 20s, or what I was like at 17, I wonder how many 17 year olds in 2022 would have handled it the way he did. He didn't leave his foxhole, even to use the toilet, for the last 3 days before they were relieved, and in that time his position was overrun by the Japanese four times. At one point he had to lie at the bottom of the hole and pull the body of one of his friends on top of himself to avoid being seen. The combination of malnutrition and, Malaria affected him for the rest of his life but he never once complained about it. He just used to tell me and my sister the odd story but other than that we always respected his privacy.
The valient Japanese soldiers took out the hospital in the Admin Box ( where my Dad was ) and took all the Naga's food... still hard to think of them as "valient"
Sorry to hear about your father's experiences, Jackie. The episode in the Admin Box hospital came to my attention when I was researching 'A Bleeding Slaughterhouse' about the Alexandra Hospital Massacres in Singapore, which came just six weeks after the Japanese rampaged through St Stephen's College (makeshift hospital) in Hong Kong. Something of a pattern, sadly.
I believe your reference to 'valiant Japanese soldier' was the translated words in the old Naga man's song. He also mention Subhas Chandra Bose, but there was no explanation in this documentary on what his song was all about!! (It was not pro-British). History is often very very complex! Men on all sides fight heroically and many die..I salute their sacrifices!
Vermin I think was the descriptive word of many of our soldiers