Battle of Kohima

The Battle of Kohima proved the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima, now the capital city of Nagaland in Northeast India. From 3 to 16 April, the Japanese attempted to capture Kohima ridge, a feature which dominated the road by which the besieged British and Indian troops of IV Corps at Imphal were supplied. By mid-April, the small British and British Indian force at Kohima was relieved. From 18 April to 13 May British and British Indian reinforcements counter-attacked to drive the Japanese from the positions they had captured. The Japanese abandoned the ridge at this point but continued to block the Kohima–Imphal road. From 16 May to 22 June the British and British Indian troops pursued the retreating Japanese and reopened the road. The battle ended on 22 June when British and British Indian troops from Kohima and Imphal met at Milestone 109, ending the Siege of Imphal. The battle has been referred to by authors such as Martin Dougherty and Jonathan Ritter as the "Stalingrad of the East". Military historian Robert Lyman said that the battle of Kohima and Imphal "changed the course of the Second World War in Asia... For the first time the Japanese were defeated in a battle and they never recovered from it". This assessment, however, ignores the Battle of Changsha, the Battle of Milne Bay (September 1942) and the Battle of Guadalacanal (August 1942-February 1943), both significant Japanese defeats on land. It also ignores the fact most Japanese land forces (1m) were fighting the Chinese - in operation Ichi-Go they lost 100,000 men in 1944 alone. In 2013, a poll conducted by the British National Army Museum voted the Battles of Kohima and Imphal as "Britain's Greatest Battle". The Japanese plan to invade India, codenamed U-Go, was originally intended as a spoiling attack against the British IV Corps at Imphal in Manipur, to disrupt the Allied offensive plans for that year.

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Related concepts (12)

Battle of Imphal

The Battle of Imphal (ja-paan laan) took place in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur in Northeast India from March until July 1944. Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India, but were driven back into Burma with heavy losses. Together with the simultaneous Battle of Kohima on the road by which the encircled Allied forces at Imphal were relieved, the battle was the turning point of the Burma campaign, part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II.

Assam Rifles

The Assam Rifles (AR) is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. Its primary duty involves guarding the Indo-Myanmar border. The AR is one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Indian Army maintains operational control of the AR. As a police force, its recruitment, perks, promotions, and retirement policies are governed by CAPF rules.

Kohima

Kohima (koʊˈhiːmə; Angami Naga: Kewhira (ˈkɛʍɪrə) is the capital of the Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Kohima constitutes both a district and a municipality. The municipality covers . The city lies on the foothills of Japfü section of the Barail Range located south of the District () and has an average elevation of 1,261 metres (4137 feet). Originally known as Kewhira, Kohima's history goes back to a time when it was a village of the Angami Nagas.