A quick race through humour in uniform and serious military traditions. An extract

General Manoj Naravane 

The Battle of Kohima, fought from 4 April to 22 June 1944, on the hills surrounding Kohima in northeastern India, was one of the most fierce and decisive engagements of World War II. It figures among the top ten battles in the history of the British Army. Japanese Lieutenant General Kotoku Sato’s 31st Division, approximately 15,000-strong, advanced through treacherous jungle terrain, encircled Kohima and established roadblocks on the road from Dimapur to Kohima and onward to Imphal. The British-Indian garrison, drawn mainly from the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment, the Assam Regiment and assorted units, numbering just around 1,500 inclusive of all ranks, was ordered to hold Kohima, overlooking this all-important lifeline.

From 4 April, Japanese forces encircled the garrison, bombarding trenches and executing night assaults. The defenders were gradually pushed back toward Garrison Hill, where intense trench-to-trench confrontations erupted. The most ferocious hand-to-hand fighting took place around the Deputy Commissioner’s bungalow, where only a tennis court separated the opposing forces. By mid-April, the isolated defenders were near collapse. The 2nd British Division was urgently deployed by rail and air, and reached Kohima on 18 April. It cleared the Japanese roadblock near Zubza on the Dimapur-Kohima road and succeeded in linking up with the besieged garrison. After stabilizing the situation, it continued onward and reclaimed lost ground. By 22 June, forces from Kohima and Imphal linked up at Milestone 109 on the Kohima-Imphal road, ending both sieges permanently.