Burma: The Turning Point: The Seven Battles on the Tiddim Road which Turned the Tide of the Burma War

147 Pages·2003·128.55 MB·English

by  Ian Lyall Grant

The turning point of the war in Burma
in the Second World War was the
Imphal/Kohima campaign of 1944. In
March of that year the Japanese 15th
Army advanced into India with the aim of
capturing the vital British depots and
airfields around Imphal. For four months
there was intense and savage fighting in
many places but the heaviest fighting of all
was along the road leading from Tiddim in
Burma to Imphal. Here the Japanese were
confronted by the same British/Indian
division that they had defeated so
decisively in 1942. They now planned first
to encircle and destroy this division and
then, ‘pouring like a torrent’ along this
route, to burst into the Imphal plain and
seize Imphal. They failed in their first aim
but, nothing deterred, General Mutaguchi,
who commanded the Japanese 15th Army,
decided to take personal command in this
vital sector himself. He brought up all his
available reserves, all his tanks and most of
his heavy artillery and prepared a final all-
out thrust for Imphal. However, General
Scoones, who commanded the British 4th
Corps, struck first. Ferocious fighting
followed over a wide area. After three
weeks the Japanese were not only defeated
but virtually annihilated and Mutaguchi
admitted to his diary that the campaign
was lost. The door to Burma was now
wide open and undefended and General
Slim's Fourteenth Army flooded through it
to win the great victories of 1945.

Burma: The Turning Point, written
by a veteran of the Campaign, contains
much original material from both British
and Japanese sources and sheds an entirely
new light on this historic confrontation. It
gives for the first time a full and objective
account of the seven battles based on the
Tiddim Road which lay at the core of the
British success and explains why the
balance of power had changed so
dramatically.

£19.95

Major-General Ian Lyall Grant, MC,
MA was commissioned into the Royal
Engineers in 1935. In 1938 he was posted
out to India to join KGV's Own Bengal
Sappers and Miners. After three years in
India, half spent on the North-West
Frontier, he raised a new Sapper and
Miner field company in late 1941. With
them he sailed for Burma in March1942
and joined the 17th Indian Division
outside Rangoon. He remained with this
division until July 1944 and took part
both in the 1942 retreat and in the
campaign described in this book. After the
war he served for ten months with the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
in Japan before returning to Britain. He
retired from the British Army in 1970.
Later he spent five years in the Civil
Service as an under-secretary, five years as
a defence consultant and ten years as a
gemmologist. He now lives in Chichester.

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BURMA: THE TURNING POINT
BURMA:
THE TURNING POINT

The Seven Battles on the Tiddim Road
which Turned the Tide of the Burma War

Tan Lyall Grant

*

LEO COOPER
First published in 1992 hy the Zampi Pre
Reprinted in this format in 2008 by

LEO COOPER

tun imprint of

Pen & Sword Bonks Limited,

47 Church Street,

Barnsley,

South Yorkshine,

S70 2a8

© 1999, 2005 Jan Lyall Grant
© Foreword 190, 2003 Field Marshall The Lord
Bramall, KG, GCB, OBE, MC

© Hevacts from Wor Diaries and ilustrations
sarked HMSO are Crown copyright and
‘reprorineed with the permissfor of the Controller
of Her Majesty's Stationery Office

‘© Mustrations marked IWM are Crown,
copyright, The Imperial War Museum, Londoa.

All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication
may he reproduced, stored in a retrieval aysters
or trausmidted in any form or by any means,
tlectronic, mechanical, photocopying, rewurdings or
otherwise, without the prior permissioa of the
publisher.

ISBN 1-84415.026.7

ACIP record for this beol is
‘available from the British Library,

Printed im Hagland by
PLUK

his book is dedicated to those gellant soldiers
ofall ranks and nacionalities who gave their
lives for the'r boliefs in sho “ighting bose on
{ue Vidi Rowd in 194304,
CONTENTS

rs
List of Mape tit
ist of Appendices ix
Acknowledgements tsi)
Foreword si)
Introduction vil)
Chapter 1. The Reson Why 19
Chapter 2, The'Tiddim Rosa 33
ChauplerS, Fighting ia the Chin Hills 4
Chupler 4. Withdrawal from ida 54
Chapter 5. The Battie of Tonzang n
Chupler 8, "The Battie of Singset M4
Chapter 7, ‘The Bultle of Sakawag 6
Chapter 8 ‘Tbe Final Breakthroushs ua
Chapter ®, ‘The Firel Buttle of Bisherpur 119,
Chapter 10. The Battle of Torbun. 187

Chapter 11, ‘The Second Battle of Bishenpur 159
Chapter 12, The Third Battle of Bishenpur 181

Chapter 18. Victory and Pursuit 202
Chapter 14. Retrospect 27
Appendices 228
Ribliography 247
Index of Names 250

Index of Formations and Units 25a
LIST OF MAPS

Map 1. Area of the Japanese Imphal Offensive xvi
Map2. 15th Army's Plan 59
Map. 33 Diniaion’s Plan 60
Map 4. Dispositions in the Chin Hills, 10 March 194465,
Map 5. The Battle of Tonzang 66
Map 6, The Battle of Singrel 99
Map 7. The Rattle of Sakawng 100
Map 8, ‘The First Battle of Biskenpur 1a
Map 9. ‘The Battle of Turbung 134
Map 10. The Torbung Road-block 12
Map 11. The Second Battle of Bishenmr -

‘The Captare of Poisangham 162
Map 12. The Second Datile of Bishenpur

‘The Fighting at Marbam 115
‘Map 18. The Second Rati of Bishenpur 167
Map 14. The Third Battle of Bishenpuz 168

Map 16. The Third Battle of Bisheupus -
‘The Fighting at Ningthouxhong, JanetJuly 1944 188

LIST OF APPENDICES

reais
Appendix 1. British Command Structure ms
‘Apyendix 2 Japanese Command Structure 229
‘Appendix 3. Composition of te British Forces 230
‘Appendix 4. Composition of the Japanese Forces ay
‘Appendix 6. Notes on the Japanese Army 234

‘Appendix 6. Appreciation ky GOC 4 Carpe, 29 Reh 44237
Appendix 7. Appreciation by GOC 4 Corps, 30 Apr 44240
‘Appendix 8. Analysis of British Battle Casualties 243
‘Appendix 9. Estimate of Japanese Battle Casualties 244
‘Appendix 10. Deployment af Allied and Japanese Divisions 246
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

have tried to make thie account as accurate as possible but
writing long after the event has its drawbacks as well as its
Advantages. On the one hand the number of survivors is
diminishing. This is particularly true as most of the British
forees engaged belonged to the Indian Army, whose unita had
only a handful of British officors. Moroovor memories tend to
blur a little as the years yo by, while notes made at the time
often suffer from the fog of war. On the otber hand most: offical
records are now freely available and all those interested in
publishing Uhwir expecietoas have probably done so. This latter
point is particularly true of the Japanese who fer some years
ffter the war were rolierant ta publish thoir war memoirs.

Among official holders of records I am indsbted to Her
Majesty’ Stationery Office, the Imperial War Museum, the
Publie Record Office at Kew, the National Army Museum, the
India Offieo Library and, not least, the Gurkha Muscum. Their
tefficioa! systaas and unfailing help have been invaluable. Tam
also indebted to the authors and publishors of the works listed
in the Bibliography. These works have provided many
interesting facta as well as the essential background knowledge
‘to provide balance to my story.

Tam particularly grateful lo thos individuals who have been
kind enough to correet my drafts or eupply me with important:
information. Among these were Goorge Aitchison, Joha
ChenevixTrench, Colonel Joke: Clack, Syuadroa Leader Frank
Forsyth, Ames Tellicar, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Hill,
Brigadier Derek Holbrook, Lioutonant Colonel Charles
Mecfetridge, Wilfrid Miron, Brigadier John Randio, Lady
Roberts, Major-General Jim Robertson, Bob Russell, Jack
Soolay; it Gol Spearman, Denis West and Sir Bric Yarrow.

Tam greatly indebtad to the lata Dr Lou's Allen wha not only
inspired me to write this book but introduced me to a umber of
‘orsiwhile Japanose foes, now friends, who fought with 33
Division im the batsles on the Tsddim Road. Among these whe
ave gone to much trouble to holp me are Mr Tukuo Iscbe, Mr
Ben Tehigami, Lt Gen Sakae Karagiri, Mr Yashimare Kogure,
Mr Yoskiji Minukuwa, Maj Gen Reuich! Misawa, Mr Kunisabure
Saite, Mr Kiyomichi Takemoto and Mr Niro Zushi. I am vory
‘grateful to thom and particularly to Mr Tsobe for the gift of his
threw objective books and many letters, and to Mrs Gillian
Shepherd fer her intarest and mast eompotent translation.

Finally T owe a deep debt of gratilude to my wife. Writing is
inevitably a rather selfish business and without her constant
support and forbearance this bock would never have becn
completed.

Chichester, 1995 Tax Lous Grav

FOREWORD
by
Field Marshal The Lord Bramall, KG, GCB, OBE, MC

[am delighted for a variety of reasons ta write this Foreword to
Majer-Coneral lan Lyall Grant's well resourshed and dramatic,
‘account of the “Turning Point’ in the Burma campaign of the
Sooond World War.

Firstly, bocause the author, using fresh matwrial including
some Japanese sources, has been able to throw new ligt on a
particuarly hitter phase of the war painat Japan. The onemy
‘were extromely tough and brave and the staunch and Lenavious
resistance put up to them astride their main thrust line to
Imphal, conducted ix appalling conditions and invariably at:
very close quarters, reflasted dhe greatest ezeil on the skill and
courage of the British and Indian troops, particularly the
Infantry. So it is high time that the exploits of the ‘Forgerten
Army" were known more generally

Secondly, ws T had the priviloyo of kuowing and later serving.
‘eas of the real heroes of the campaign, Major-General ‘Punch’
Cowan, tho Commander of the 17th Indian (Black Cat) Division,
am delighted that the activities of his division feature sc pro-
‘minently in the book, ‘Punch’ Gowan commanded tho division
from immodiaroly after the Sittany disasler in eaely 1942 yntil
the capture of Burma in 1945 ard was undoubtedly one of
the outstanding divisional commanders of the War. I had the
‘geoulusl respect and admiration for him, and never thought

chat his almost continuous performance as a front Tine
commander throughout this poriod, with his headquarters
Sometimes eul eff und frequently under fizo and oven direct
attack, had received the recognition it deserved. I hope this book
will go some way to correcting this,

Finally, knowing the author as T do, as a first elass
professional Sappor and a man of wide military experience,
oon intellect and integrity, I can think of no one more qualified
to write about these events, He himself served in 17 Divigion at
this critica! Limo aud is therefore uble to bring ly his ask the
benefit of first hand eye witnass observation as well aa wider
knowledyy and understanding of miilary hisLory.
IC this book can remind Ube reader that wars are invariably
fought more by men than by machines, and that to win thom
yeu require the sore of training and diseipline whieh ean only be
nurtured and cultivated over many years and not only when
danger is at the gates, it will have dene an enormous service. T

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