Kathiresan Ramachanderam

In March 1944, members of the 15th Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), under the command of Lt. Gen. Renya Mutaguchi crossed over from Burma to India, to Manipur with the intentions of taking control of the numerous allied airstrips that were being used to refurbish the Chinese Nationalists Army that was fighting the Japanese in China, and stripping the numerous supply depots that were located in Imphal and other parts of Manipur, the IJA was running short of supplies, the battle in the Pacific was not going Japan’s way, and it was having difficulties refurbishing its troops. Part of the Japanese plan was to cut off the supplies to Imphal that was transported by road from Dimapur for British and Indian troops belonging to 4 corp. of the 14th British Army that’d set up a defensive perimeter around Imphal, and isolate Imphal before converging on it, and with this in mind, Japanese troops advanced towards Kohima. The Japanese however had to adhere to a strict timeline, because they were runnin...

The battle of Imphal occurred in March 1944. Japanese troops had secured Burma, and despite the heavy fighting, British and Indian troops were unable to hold on to Burma, partly because of the intensity of the attacks and partly because they had little support from the locals who were weary of British rule and extended their support to the invading Japanese army. British and Indian troops were forced to retreat into Indian territory. Scattered and shattered, low on morale and equipment, they regrouped around Imphal. At the same time the allies were regrouping in Manipur to try and retake Burma. Manipur housed numerous supply depots and airfields from where allied planes could take off and drop supplies into China, and refurbish the Chinese resistance movement, and should the tide of battle turn, it would serve as a launching pad from where British and Indian troops could launch strikes into Burma. From the Japanese perspective, Imphal was crucial because its capture would not only all...

The Assam Rifles (Rifles) is the oldest paramilitary force in India. They were formed in 1835, approximately 190 or so odd years ago, under the central armed police forces. They were known locally as the “cachar levy”. The Rifles were formed in Shillong, the capital of the state of Meghalaya, and the city is still the headquarters of the Rifles. The Rifles were initially tasked with protecting British tea plantations and settlements from attacks by local tribesmen. From there, the Rifles evolved to become a frontier force that was responsible for securing the northeastern borders of India, and in 1870 elements from the Rifles were merged into three Assam Military Police Battalions, and approximately 3,000 men from these battalions were later absorbed into the British Army during the first world war; a lot of these men were sent to various parts of Europe and Asia. These men, many of whom were Gurkhas, performed valiantly and were conferred numerous awards for bravery and gallantry, an...