大象传媒

The Battle of Kohima was a bloody one. General Slim鈥檚 plan was for 4th Brigade on the right to capture G.P.T. Ridge, advance to Jail Hill, and link up with 6th Brigade in the centre. 5th Brigade, with 鈥機鈥� Company 7th Battalion, the Worcestershire Regiment on the left would occupy Naga Village and dominate the Treasury area. The attack was to be supported by tanks and all available guns, supporting each Brigade in turn.

The attack began on the early morning of the 4th May 1944. Major Burrell briefed 鈥楥鈥� Company platoons 13, 14 and 15 about the impending action. 4th Brigade delayed by Japanese bunkers, reached G.P.T. ridge, but was unable to secure the whole of it, or to approach Jail Hill. By nightfall in this part of the territory, the enemy positions and ours were inexplicably mixed. 6th Brigade failed to take 鈥淜iki Piquet鈥� and although our tanks reached F.S.D. ridge, the infantry were subjected to devastating fire from other enemy positions, and could not dig in or remain. A portion of the ridge was captured by nightfall and here again out forces and the Japanese were mixed up together.

鈥楥鈥� Company entered Naga Village during the night of 4th/5th May. A counter attack by the Japanese pushed them back to the western edge of the village, which they managed to hold. 鈥楥鈥� Company dug in on Church Knoll which consisted of a ridge which overlooked 鈥楾reasury鈥� where the Japanese had constructed bunkers. Each one provided cover for another and so made it very difficult for such a position to be assaulted.
During four days of bitter fighting, the gallant Lieut. J. Woodward lost his life as he led an unsuccessful assault with a flame thrower.

The enemy were fanatically stubborn defenders. Artillery attacks and 鈥楬urricane鈥� and 鈥榁engeance鈥� bombers had little positive effect.
The British and Japanese were hopelessly intermingled. One side would attack, the other counter-attack - neither would give way. During daylight they fought ferociously ten or fifteen yards apart, and at night they crept even closer attacking with grenades and bayonets. The Battle of Naga Village and Church Knoll continued remorselessly during the 8th, 9th and 10th May. It was on the 11th May that under the cover of dense smoke bombs, an attack was launched, but was only partially successful, as next day, the enemy still held several bunkers.

A War Correspondent from the Daily Telegraph was in the same trench as myself, overlooking the Japanese. He helped me to act as Observation Point for the Battalion mortars. We were very apprehensive as we were opposite 鈥楢randura Spur鈥�, from were a Japanese 75mm gun was shelling our position. 鈥楢鈥� Company, on our left received several hits, one of which was directly on their cooks preparing a meal.

On the 23rd May the rains came. We were drenched to the skin, slipping and slithering, as we floundered in water-logged trenches, like the army of a generation before. On the steep hillsides, the tracks were turned into treacherous mudslides. There were four Brigadiers in the Second Division, one commanding each infantry brigade and another in charge of the artillery. The fact that in this battle two Brigadiers were killed and two seriously wounded is an indication that everyone was involved in the close fighting.

The only effective weapon was after the 鈥楽appers鈥� had winched a tank through liquid mud, up to the high ground and dug it in so that it was able to bombard each Japanese bunker below it, with 鈥榮olid shot鈥� at point-blank range by the tank鈥檚 75mm gun. The few remaining bunkers were demolished by thrusting pole charges through the loopholes.

And so ended the Battle of Naga Village. The casualties in this type of fighting were heavy. Infantry as usual, suffered most and endured most for this was an infantry battle. Hand-to-hand, man against man, and no quarter given. On the 2nd June the Japanese abandoned Naga Village, and large numbers of dead were taken from the bunkers and foxholes.
The northern part of Kohima was at last ours.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.