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Battle of Kohima    The Battle of Kohima was fought between the 4th of April and 22nd of June 1944 near town of Kohima, in northeast India.   27th April 1944 Breakthrough 22nd March 1944 Japanese plans discovered 27th March 1944 Sangshak evacuated 29th March 1944 Orders 29th March 1944 Supplies to beseiged garrison town 30th March 1944 Defence 31st March 1944 Orders 3rd Apr 1944 In Action 3rd April 1944 Defence of Kohima 4th April 1944 Reinforcements for Kohima 5th Apr 1944 Enemy Attacks 5th Apr 1944 On the Move 6th Apr 1944 Enemy Attacks 6th April 1944 Attack Made 7th Apr 1944 Reinforcements 8th Apr 1944 Enemy Attacks 8th Apr 1944 Brave Actions 8th Apr 1944 Advance 9th Apr 1944 Enemy Attacks 10th Apr 1944 Enemy Attacks 10th April 1944 Japanese troops face food shortages 11th Apr 1944 Enemy Attacks 12th Apr 1944 Supplies 13th Apr 1944 Hard Fighting 13th Apr 1944 Bitter Fighting 13th Apr 1944 Shelling 13th Apr 1944 Attacks 14th Apr 1944 Attack 14th Apr 1944 Break Through 14th Apr 1944 Rain 15th Apr 1944 Break Through 16th Apr 1944 Enemy Attacks 16th Apr 1944 Attacks 17th April 1944 Advance Checked 17th Apr 1944 Holding Position 17th Apr 1944 Attacks 17th April 1944 Night fighters brought in 17th Apr 1944 Patrols Search 18th Apr 1944 Attack Made 18th Apr 1944 In Action 20th Apr 1944 Reliefs 24th Apr 1944 Advance 25th April 1944 Japanese resupply brings no food 27th Apr 1944 On the March 28th Apr 1944 On the March 29th Apr 1944 On the March 30th Apr 1944 On the March 1st May 1944 Ambush 1st May 1944 Japanese standstill 2nd May 1944 On the Move 3rd May 1944 Opposition 4th May 1944 Under Fire 4th May 1944 Wounded Evacuated 4th May 1944 Attacks on Kohima Ridge driven off 5th May 1944 Attack Made 5th May 1944 Ambushed 6th May 1944 Reliefs 6th May 1944 Attack Made 6th May 1944 Snipers 7th May 1944 Hard Fighting 8th May 1944 Enemy Active 9th May 1944 Patrol 9th May 1944 Reliefs 10th May 1944 Patrol 11th May 1944 Kohima Ridge taken 11th May 1944 Snipers 12th May 1944 Reinforcemnets arrive at Kohima 12th May 1944 Attack Planned 13th May 1944 In Action 13th May 1944 Attack Postponed 14th May 1944 Salvage 14th May 1944 Attack Made 15th May 1944 Salvage 15th May 1944 Bunkers 16th May 1944 Attack on Naga Village repulsed 16th May 1944 Shelling 16th May 1944 Supplies drops to Kohima aborted 17th May 1944 Recce Patrol 18th May 1944 Heavy Firing 19th May 1944 Heavy Firing 20th May 1944 Enemy Positions 21st May 1944 Enemy Fire 22nd May 1944 Smoke 23rd May 1944 Equipment 24th May 1944 Orders 25th May 1944 Attack on Naga repulsed 25th May 1944 Japanese Commander threatens to withdraw 25th May 1944 Poor Weather 26th May 1944 Reliefs 26th May 1944 Terrifying plunge over mountains 27th May 1944 In Position 28th May 1944 Exercise 29th May 1944 Exhaustion 29th May 1944 Bunkers 30th May 1944 In Action 30th May 1944 Enemy Bunkers 30th May 1944 On the March 31st May 1944 At Rest 1st June 1944 Siege of Kohima abandoned 8th June 1944 Chindit and Kohima ops 19th June 1944 Dakota lost at Kohima 22nd June 1944 Vital role of Hurricanes If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Those known to have fought in Battle of Kohima during the Second World War 1939-1945. Abbott Fred. Pte. Balmer Henry. Pte. (d.5th Jul 1944) Beeden Kenneth Wallace. Pte. (d.27th Apr 1944) Berry Dennis Lionel. Cpl. (d.27th Apr 1944) Cherry George William. Cpl. Cunnane Thomas. Pte. Fraser Joseph. Pte. (d.4th May 1944) Ghani Abdul. Spr (d.09 April.1944) Lax John. McCreath Robert Joseph Barry. Pte. Ross Matthew. Pte. (d.23rd Apr 1944) Seddon MM.. Peter. Pte. Wells MiD.. Raymond Percival. CQMS. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. Announcements The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web. 27th April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 264001 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. Want to know more about Battle of Kohima? There are:102 items tagged Battle of Kohima available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. Pte. Kenneth Wallace Beeden 2nd Btn. Durham Light Infantry (d.27th Apr 1944) Kenneth Beeden died in Burma during the Battle of Kohima. SC Add to this record. Pte. Fred "Ike" Abbott 1st Btn. Cameron Highlanders My father, Fred Abbott, joined the 1st Battalion, Queens Own Cameron Highlanders as a regular soldier around 1937 and due to family circumstances was given a discharge. He was a forge master and when war broke out was in a reserved occupation but decided to honour his conscription responsibilities and joined the West Yorkshire Regiment. He went with the BEF to France and was evacuated from Dunkirk. He was sent to Beverly where ironically a decimated 1st Battalion, Queens Own Cameron Highlanders were being reformed and he was reassigned to his old regiment. In 1942 the Regiment embarked for India. In March 1944 after months of training, the regiment was sent to Kohima. I remember him telling me about the issue of plimsoles so that they could quietly take Hill 5020 near the Naga Village to help in the relief of Kohima. Most of the stories I remember were told when I was a child and I suppose still fresh in his mind. Later he spoke little of slaughter. He went on to Mandalay, the Irrawaddy crossing and other theatres. My father was the regimental gymnastics champion and told me that his name was put up on the drill hall wall in Inverness, I don't know if it is still there. He also had a medal for being the Battalions best shot and because of this was given the duty of body guarding Uncle Bill when he visited the front. A story he told me, which I have also read about, is in-between fighting on Hill 5020, while on guard duty, he observed a Japanese soldier come out of the undergrowth, drop his pants to defecate. I suppose with the horrors of seeing his friends mercilessly butchered and tortured, he couldn't resist beading up on the enemy's buttocks and squeezing the trigger. As mentioned this is documented but with anonymity of the shooter. Throughout his life, and he lived until 83, he could never find it in his heart to forgive the Japanese for their atrocities. After he returned from Burma, he met my mother and married. He had a full life but suffered many illnesses directly related to the environmental hardships and trauma of this period in his life. He died in South Africa in July 2001. Stuart Add to this record. Pte. Henry Balmer 2nd Btn. Kings Own Scottish Borderers (d.5th Jul 1944) Harry Balmer enlisted on 6th of August 1942 and was allocated directly to the KOSB for basic and infantry training. He arrived in India in July 1943, and after specific jungle warfare training his unit was deployed to the Arakan region of northwest Burma. He saw action at Abel and the Admin Box, receiving field promotions to Lance Corporal then Acting Corporal. His 7th (Indian) Division was then flown in to reinforce the garrison at Imphal, Manipur, India. Forcing the Japanese to retreat, his unit fought northwards towards Kohima, famously being led into the attack on Kanglatongbi Ridge by two of the battalion pipers. Following the success of this attack, the KOSB trekked east across country, jungle, paddy fields, and steep mountain ridges, all in heavy monsoon. They arrived below the retreating Japanese stronghold of Uhkrul. Following two days of repelled attacks in which Harry was wounded, the Borderers entered the village virtually unchallenged on the third day, the Japanese having withdrawn overnight. Harry was promoted to 'War Substantive' Corporal during this action. On 5th July 1944, Harry died from his wounds and was buried in the village. His remains were transferred to Imphal Military Cemetery in December 1944, where, under army regulations, he resumed his rank of Private, the War Substantive element coming into play. RIP Uncle Harry. Mick Balmer Add to this record. Pte. Peter Seddon MM. 2nd Battalion Duke of Wellingtons (West Riding) Regiment Initially, my dad, Peter Seddon, was in the 6th Manchester Regimen in England before being sent to India and being transferred to the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons Regiment in late 1942. While in India, he was put in the 23rd Chindit (Reserve) Brigade and received intense training to prepare for the Second Chindit Expedition. However, when the Japs invaded Kohima and Imphal, the 33rd & 76th Columns of the 23rd Brigade were sent to Kohima in April 1944. Based in the Naga Hills, they operated behind enemy lines in order to stop food, communication and medication reaching the Japs. They contributed to the starvation of the enemy which was the decisive factor in that battle. Although not engaged in major battles they accounted for large numbers of Japenese stragglers and foragers and suffered 158 battle casualties themselves. The defeat of the Japanese at Kohima and Imphal was a turning point. Previously the Japs had won the Battles of Rangoon and Arakan. They had seemed unbeatable as they were harded soldiers who had been fighting the Chinese since 1931. They had suicide squads and were brainwashed to die for their Emperor. They were also very vicious and inhumane towards their enemies. In addition, the British Army's job was made harder as it suffered from lack of resources. The majority of money went to the fight in Europe. In January 1945, my Dad was then transferred to 1st Battalion, West Yorkshire Reg, 17th Indian Division, where he was involved in Operation Extended Capital. The Burma Campaign intended to take back Rangoon from the Japs. My Dad was temporary made Lance Corporal in 1945. While taking part in the fierce Battle in Meiktila, he earned the Military Medal for rescuing his fellow soldiers wounded in battle. In 1945, the Japs were defeated again. My Dad had Malaria 12 times while in India and Burma. It wasn't until late 1945 that my Dad returned to England. He was nearly 26 years by then. Mary Seddon Add to this record. Spr Abdul Ghani 2nd Field Company King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners (d.09 April.1944) Abdul Ghani was my real uncle. At the age of 20 he died thousands of miles away from home. He died in the Kohima War in Nagaland, at the border of Burma,fighting against Japanese in the famous Tennis Court Battle. He was unmarried,6 feet tall and a handsome person. In 1947 our family migrated to Pakistan. In the chaos of migration we lost his only memory,his photograph. We knew nothing about him, where he died, and how,and where buried. The British have gone back to their country, and in between,India, with no cordial relation. It was just accidently, during the surfing of war cemetries website,we got the where about of the grave. Afif ur Rehman Add to this record. Pte. Robert Joseph Barry McCreath Bob McCreath was in the Burma war and fought in the Battle of Kohima. Mary McCreath Add to this record. Cpl. George William Cherry 4th Btn. D Coy. Royal West Kent Regiment My grandad George Cherry, when I was a toddler was the most amazing person in the world, telling me how he was shot in the leg and the Jap snipers were hiding in the trees and that he drove around Bren Carriers in the war. Only after the war did I found out he may have been involved in the Battle of Kohima, the Rorke's Drift of the 2nd World War, and every now and then I look through his photos from the war mostly of him enjoying himself during leave. My grandad is in the middle to the left of the tear on the very top row of his regiment photo. Then in the 2nd photo I believe maybe his company photo, he is in the 2nd from top row on the far right. I would love to know if anyone recognizes anyone in the photos. Lee Sapsford Add to this record. Pte. Matthew Ross Army Catering Corps (d.23rd Apr 1944) Matthew Ross died in the Battle of Kohima. He served in the Army Catering Corps attached to 2nd DLI. Suzanne German Add to this record. Pte. Joseph Fraser 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry (d.4th May 1944) My gran's brother Joseph Fraser was at Kohima with 2nd Durham, Light Infantry. Alex Robertson Add to this record. Pte. Thomas "Paddy" Cunnane 4th Btn. Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Thomas Cunnane joined the East Surreys in 1940 adn later transferred to 4th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment and served at Kohima. Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices. Road of Bones: The Epic Siege of Kohima 1944: The Siege of Kohima 1944 - The Epic Story of the Last Great Stand of Empire Fergal Keane ‘I found myself, on one or two pages towards the close, caught in a choking emotion…the evidence is meticulously gathered and the writing so powerful that it turns a book about a battle into a book about human beings, their existence, their end’ Guardian ‘With this electrifying and heart-rending tale BBC foreign correspondent Fergal Keane has catapulted himself into the top rank of our military historians’ Daily Express ‘In his sweeping account of the battle in Kohima in 1944, Fergal Keane does justice to the memory of the men who fell and who survived…a vivid account which brings to life the brutality of that war…an engrossing narrative of ghastly battle’ Independent ‘A profoundly tragic book by an eminent humanitarian…Fergal Keane is not a man for triumphalism…he is really writing a passionate elegy for all battles…it is a noble book that Keane has written…its grandeur lies in its essential vision – decent forgiving, pitying and always regretful’ The Times ‘Along with his More information on: Road of Bones: The Epic Siege of Kohima 1944: The Siege of Kohima 1944 - The Epic Story of the Last Great Stand of Empire Forgotten Voices of Burma: The Second World War's Forgotten Conflict Julian Thompson A remarkable new oral history of the Second World War conflict in Burma Product Description From the end of 1941 to 1945 a pivotal but often overlooked conflict was being fought in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II - the Burma Campaign. In 1941 the Allies fought in a disastrous retreat across Burma against the Japanese - an enemy more prepared, better organised and more powerful than anyone had imagined. Yet in 1944, following key battles at Kohima and Imphal, and daring operations behind enemy lines by the Chindits, the Commonwealth army were back, retaking lost ground one bloody battle at a time. Fighting in dense jungle and open paddy field, this brutal campaign was the longest fought by the British Commonwealth in the Second World War. But the troops taking part were a forgotten army, and the story of their remarkable feats and their courage remains largely untold to this day. The Fourteenth Army in Burma became one of the largest and most diverse armies of th More information on: Forgotten Voices of Burma: The Second World War's Forgotten Conflict Links

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