Warning: Content contains derogatory language and descriptions of warfare and death.
All words are spoken by actors.
The Battles of Imphal and Kohima
In March 1944, the Empire of Japan launched Operation U-Go, the invasion of British India. 85,000 Japanese troops under the command of Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi crossed the Chindwin River in Burma, hoping to push British forces from India and weaken Allied positions in south-east Asia. Their first targets were the towns of Imphal in present-day Manipur state and Kohima in Nagaland. Despite being vastly outnumbered, British, Indian, West African, and Gurkha soldiers held out against repeated attacks, paving the way for an eventual Allied victory in Asia. Here are just some of the experiences from millions of soldiers and auxiliary staff who served in the Burma Campaign.
The Chindits
Lieutenant Gordon Hughes, Queen's Own Royal Regiment, British Army
Weeks of persistent rain, with the attendant mud; leaches surreptitiously engorging themselves on our limbs already bitten by mosquitoes; mules falling down on steep, slippery slopes and always the thick jungle of hard woods interlaced with tangled and practically impenetrable bamboo undergrowth
Nursing in India
Ivy Pritchard, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Nursing Service
It was monsoon time, and everything was very soggy and mouldy. Even our shoes grew whiskers overnight and all sorts of creepy-crawlies were to be found in our wellies when we knocked them out in the morning, before we put them on.
The Gurkhas
Lieutenant Michael Marshall, Royal Gurkha Rifles, British Army
The Jap was a very courageous opponent and suffered enormously. But the Gurkhas were better. I was glad I was with them, not against them. My battalion took no prisoners until well into 1945; none of our men were taken prisoner.
Objects in Focus
Weapons of the Burma Campaign
Japanese Advance into India
Captain Shosaku Kameyama, 31st Division, Imperial Japanese Army
From our experience in China, we were confident of the success of the night attack, but we had to expect that a mass of bullets from the overwhelming enemy automatic weapons would result in much greater casualties.
Combat at Kohima
CSM Walter Gilding, Royal Norfolk Regiment, British Army
We could hear the thudding of shot on the top of the hill. We got almost halfway up when the artillery stopped and then the fun began. Small-arms fire, machine-gun fire and grenades – we got the lot.
The Indian Army
Major Dinesh Chandra Misra, 5th/6th Rajputana Rifles, British Indian Army
I felt detached, but a hatred for the Japanese, and I determined to kill them; I became a demon. I was swearing and screaming. We were shouting out battle cries, and the Japs shouting ‘Banzai’, the officers had swords. We fought with bayonets.
The Japanese Retreat
Senior Private Manabu Wada, 138th Infantry Regiment, Imperial Japanese Army
Icy rain fell mercilessly on us, and we lived day and night drenched to the skin and pierced with cold. I remember how we longed for a place, any place at all, where we could take shelter and rest.
VE Day in Burma
Private Peter Hazaelhurst, Border Regiment, British Army
We got to Pegu and were all lined up ready to go in and the word came that the war in Europe was over. And we shouted, ‘What the bloody hell use is that to us? When’s our war going to be over?
VE/VJ Day at the Royal Armouries
To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Royal Armouries is commemorating victory in Europe and Asia with a series of events and special displays at our museum in Leeds, and Fort Nelson near Portsmouth.
With thanks to the Kohima Museum and Burma Star Memorial Fund
Stories courtesy of Burma Star Memorial Fund, Forgotten Voices of Burma: The Second World War's Forgotten Conflict by Julian Thompson, and Tales by Japanese Soldiers of the Burma Campaign 1942-1945 by Kazuo Tamayama