Defeat to Victory - Stalingrad of the East, Kohima

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Madan_G_Singh]Madan G Singh
A battle akin to Stalingrad in importance took place in 1944 when the British-Indian 14th Army under General William Slim made its stand against the Imperial Army at Kohima.
Background
The scenario was in favor  of the Japanese Army which had driven the British-Indian army out of Burma. The Japanese were better equipped and had also a favorable air situation and this told in the Japanese advance.
In addition Subhas Chandra Bose had sided with the Japanese and repeatedly asked the Indians to surrender and throw off their British masters. However the mass of Indian soldiery did not support Bose.
The Last Stand at the Gate of India
At the beginning of 1944 the Japanese had reached Kohima which is the gate of India. The Japanese Imperial army was led by General Renya Mutagachi, a die-hard veteran of the war. He commanded the Japanese 15th army with 3 divisions namely the 15th, 31st and 33rd divisions. The morale was high and the Imperial army commander was confident of a victory and advance on to Delhi. He was assisted by about 2 divisions of the Indian national Army.
The British decided to stand firm at Kohima as they were aware that a defeat here would open the gate to a Japanese advance into the Indo-Gangetic plain and Delhi. The British garrisoned Kohima with the 2nd British division and the 7th Indian division. The RAF kept up a regular supply of ammunition and foodstuff in the face of heavy Japanese ack-ack gun fire.
Siege of Kohima
The Siege of Kohima
On 4th April the Japanese mounted an offensive.General Mutagachi planned to encircle the 14th Army. He was sure that the 14th army would surrender. This was based on his past experience. But the army facing him was high on morale and much better equipped. In addition the Indian soldiers had heard of the Japanese massacres in the 'liberated' Andaman islands and were in no mood to surrender. The Indian troops facing the Japanese were hand-picked by General Slim and had a large number of Sikhs and Rajputs.
The Japanese encircled Kohima, but  the anticipated surrender did not take place. General Mutagachi now ordered a frontal assault. Repeated Japanese attacks were blunted and there was severe hand to hand fighting but the Imperial Army could make no headway. In addition his own supply lines were extended and with the rains round the corner the Japanese began to have doubts.
The Last Attack of General Mutagachi
The frontal attacks of the Japanese force now began to falter with rising casualties. The Japanese also learnt that reinforcements and heavier guns and tanks were on their way to help the Kohima garrison.General Renya ordered a last assault but was repulsed with heavy loss of life.Bitter hand to hand fighting again took place but the 14 army did not give ground. but the attack failed.
On 22 June 1944, the Japanese commander gave orders to withdraw. It had been a stunning defeat for the Japanese and India was saved. The Indian-British army now counterattacked and the Japanese began to retreat.
The Japanese failure to capture Kohima had wide repercussions and played a big part in their later retreat in Burma. All glory to the British Indian Army that held firm.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Defeat-to-Victory---Stalingrad-of-the-East,-Kohima&id=6633004] Defeat to Victory - Stalingrad of the East, Kohima