The Battle of Kohima April/May 1944 - 70 Years On

The Forum is currently posting on Facebook and Twitter a day by day account of the Battle of Kohima from the perspective of 1RWF, which took place in North East India in April/May 1944. Using the battalions war diary, The Red Dragon and other sources to provide the personal detail of the action. The battle is split into three distinct parts; the siege, the relief and the counter offensive. The 1st Bn took part in the relief and counter offensive, initially arriving on the road east of Dimapur on the 14th April 1944.

This is very much a learning exercise for us and the aim is that we can replicate it on similar projects during the Great War Centenary and the Normandy landings, especially with all the expert assistance we have within the forum.

You can follow the battle on Facebook on the Royal Welch Forum page: https://www.facebook.com/royalwelchforum?fref=ts

Alternatively you will see the live twitter feeds on the app box, on the right side of the forum page. The forums twitter address is: @royalwelchforum

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Hello Al,
Years ago we had two former members of the 1st who served in Kohima in our branch, Slennet was one and the other name I have forgotten. I was told that the defenders of Kohima pushed 45 gallon drums of diesel etc with a rag pushed into an opening made, and set alight in the drums and were rolled down hill as the Japs were arriving to attack the British. If my memory serves me right both C S M John MacDonald M.M. and "Oscar " Slater served in this action and both were in "B" Company of the 1st In Jamaica. There was also the case of David Graves (Robert Graves son)who was sent out to destroy 3 Jap machine gun posts.He also had another well known member of the Royal Welch in his party none other than Reuben Jones. They knocked out two Jap machine gun posts and were getting short of ammo so a couple went back for more ammo. They then set about the third machine gun post but David Graves was shot and killed in this action. He was recommended for a medal but never was awarded one. The reason I heard was that the party did not achieve their object of knocking out all three of the machine gun posts. Robert Graves was naturally heart broken over this issue.
Regards jungle1810

Cheers Don,

I'm already in comms with Richard Ward about citations from this battle, my intention is to publish them on the day they were earned. Interesting about Oscar….B Company made that fatal attempt to take Kukis Picquet on the 4th May, with a further assault attempted on the 5th May.

Regarding David Graves and Reuben Jones, that action was at Donbaik, the previous year. Brave men.

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 29th March 1944: Japanese forces have today cut the road that runs south from Kohima to the British/Indian garrison at Imphal. Imphal can now only be supplied by air. The small hastily formed garrison at Kohima can now only be reached by the northern road from Dimapur. The enemy's net is closing. 1RWF are currently some 2700kms away at their training base at Ahmednagar having completed months of gruelling jungle training.

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 30 March 1944. Jessami, During the morning 30 miles east of Kohima. John Young, a 24 year old Lieutenant (acting Captain) attached to The Assam Regiment watched, through what must have been very tired eyes, the arrival of a fresh battalion of Japanese reinforcements coming to the aid of the enemy battalion he had been fighting for three days and nights. Delaying their relentless advance towards Dimapur and Kohima. John had been ordered to fight "To the last man and the last round"

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1st Bn Assam Regt. 31 Mar 1944 - 1200hrs. Last night the message was finally received that the "Last man, last round" order had been rescinded. The withdrawal was finally under way. However Captain Young in charge of the defence at Kharasom never received it. He was completely overwhelmed by thousands of Japanese soldiers and cut off from his C.O Lt Col Brown who was located at Jessami. Last night Capt Young gathered his surviving officers and NCO's and ordered the men to make for Kohima (30 miles west, through thick jungle). The wounded were not to be left behind alone and he told his men he would not be leaving. Under darkness, his men exfiltrated the positions. By sunrise this morning the enemy had secured Kharasom. Young was killed defending the position. Two days later 56 of his men staggered into Kohima, His small company sized force had held back the enemy for over four days. Perhaps because of the pressures of war and the fact that his CO was later killed, Young's brave conduct and exemplary leadership was never officially recognised.

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We have a Kohima veteran still with us in Aberystwyth Gwylim Davies he has recorded his memories on to tape.

Battle Of Kohima: Sitrep 1 April 1944 - 0900hrs. The 161st Indian Brigade (which includes 4 R. West Kents) are currently dug in on Kohima Ridge along with an adhoc force of admin troops. Since last night the brigade has been on 30mins NTM to head back to the supply dump area of Dimapur 30 miles North West. Gen Slim and the area commander Gen Ranking believe Dimapur is the objective. But they wrongly assume Kohima will just be a used as a road block, or dealt with by a regimental-sized enemy formation. At this stage they are not fully aware of the size of the enemy force (15,000 men) that has just overrun 1st Assam Regt at Jessami and Kharasom, or its direction of travel through the thick jungle. If the brigade moves, the garrison at Kohima will be left with approximately 2000 men, mostly inexperienced line of communication troops.

The road south from Kohima to Imphal is already in enemy hands.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by peterlansley

We have a Kohima veteran still with us in Aberystwyth Gwylim Davies he has recorded his memories on to tape.

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Thanks I am aware of Gwylim, although I didn't realise he was still alive. I've picked up a briefing document from 2003 in which he is mentioned. My own branch at Welshpool is also fortunate to have a Kohima Vet with us…Mr Harold Jones.

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 2 April 1944 - 1300hrs. Kohima Ridge. In pouring rain the battle hardened 161 Indian Bde (which includes 4th R.W Kents) have been ordered to extract from Kohima. They are heading along the dirt road to Dimapur in order to help reinforce the allies supply dump. Kohima is now protected by 2000 inexperienced rear echelon troops commanded by Colonel Richards. The District Commisioner Charles Pawsey a civil servant, who had also fought at the Somme has chosen to remained behind. His local Naga tribesmen and some Nepalese Shere regiment soldiers are the only means of gaining information on the enemy's advance westwards. The Kohima defences are in a poor state, so the garrison works feverishly to implement improvements.

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 2 April 1944 - 1800hrs. Kohima Ridge. A patrol from the Shere regiment's Nepalese soldiers report Japanese soldiers approximately 3 miles away from Kohima. They produce 3x enemy ears as proof! (Source - Road of Bones).

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 3 April 1944 - 0800hrs. Kohima Ridge. Recce patrols deployed by Col Richards to try and discover the extent of the Japanese advance. Assam Regt survivors of the delaying actions at Jessama and Kharasom begin to emerge from the jungle. The healthy will be used to reinforce the defences. At least 20 are sick/wounded and need evacuating to Dimapur.

The Royal Welch involvement is still quite a few days away, but we will cover their involvement in detail, day by day. At the moment its all about setting the scene.

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep. 3 April 1944 - 1600hrs. Kohima Ridge. Jap forces spotted edging around the right flank of the defensive position at GPT Ridge, which is half a mile south of the main garrison position.(Source: Road of Bones)

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 3 April 1944 - 2100hrs. Kohima Ridge. Sporadic enemy sniping at the troops on GPT Ridge. A short time later a platoon of Shere troops withdrew. Leaving a small adhoc group to hold that crucial feature.

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 4 April 1944 - 1600hrs. GPT Ridge comes under enemy heavy mortar and small arms fire. Enemy probes begin.

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 4/5 April 1944. At 2300hrs 4 Apr, a large number of allied troops fled GPT Ridge. British officers were struggling to maintain discipline as the enemy moved in closer. By 0200, the enemy had also been spotted moving in on the tribal village of Naga, north of the garrisons main position on Kohima Ridge. Meanwhile 30 miles away at the supply dump of Dimapur, the Royal West Kents as part of 161 Indian Brigade were readying themselves to move back to Kohima in motor transport at first light.

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 5 April 1944 - 1000hrs. The RW. Kents, as the lead element of 161 Bde arrive at Kohima. Civilians and non-combatants are streaming away from Kohima towards Dimapur. The R.W Kents come under heavy contact almost immediately and they began to dig in on Garrison Hill. The Japanese are shelling from Adura Ridge in the south. GPT Ridge and Jail Hill in the south are in danger of falling to the enemy.

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 5 April 1944 -2100hrs The Japanese encirclement of Kohima is complete. Fortunately one battle hardened unit The Royal West Kents plus a company of 4/7 Rajputs managed to get in before the enemy closed the door. Their presence bolstered by effective artillery would ultimately mean the survival of the garrison over the next two weeks. The remainder of 161 Brigade are trapped outside Kohima at Jotsoma. They are unable to move back to Dimapur, as the enemy has also managed to encircle them as well. 1RWF as part of the 2nd British Division are starting their 2000mile journey from the west of India to join the battle. Their first task will be to clear the road from Dimapur to Kohima.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ap1

Cheers Don,

I'm already in comms with Richard Ward about citations from this battle, my intention is to publish them on the day they were earned. Interesting about Oscar….B Company made that fatal attempt to take Kukis Picquet on the 4th May, with a further assault attempted on the 5th May.

Regarding David Graves and Reuben Jones, that action was at Donbaik, the previous year. Brave men.

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If you need any original citations let me know - I have all of them from WW2 on Pdf. All I need is the no. name, unit, medal etc and I'll dig it out for you. It beats paying TNA £3.36 for each one.

Ps As long as there's not shed loads that you want

Wow, thats some collection. Brilliant Drew, many thanks, I have downloaded a couple, not cheap. I will PM you.

Battle of Kohima:

Now that the siege is underway and the scene has been set. We'll leave the story for a few days, whilst we allow 1RWF to make the 2000 journey from W. India to Dimapur. The story will continue on the 13th April focusing almost exclusively on 1RWF and their battle. Meanwhile if you would like to read the account of the R.West Kents heroic, bloody defence of Kohima, I would recommend Fergal Keanes "Road of Bones"

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF. 12 April 1944. The 1st Bn The Royal Welch Fusiliers arrived at the supply area of Dimapur. Fully up to strength with 35 Officers and 869 Other Ranks. The command orbit was as follows:

CO - Lt Col Braithwaite
2I/C - Maj J Vaughan
Adj - Capt NF Goldman
RSM - WO1 Scammels

OC A - Maj JK Evans
OC B - Maj CO Hilditch
OC C - Maj PCR Carrington
OC D - Capt Lyman
OC HQ - Maj OH Owen

Only the CO and Maj JK Evans would emerge from the Kohima operation unscathed.

Their initial task as part of 6th Brigade was to assist in opening the road from Dimapur into Kohima, in order to relieve the defenders of Kohima, who have been cut off from the outside world for nearly two weeks.

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF. 14 Apr 1944 -1620hrs. The battalion deployed east from Dimapur to the village of Ghaspani on the main Dimapur to Kohima Rd. Relieving 1 Norfolks.

Tac located itself within the village, whilst the companies proceeded to prepare and improve the defensive positions.

Note: By 1900hrs Bravo Company deployed a patrol further east to clear the track at Milestone 22 (MS 22). This patrol returned to base at 0630hrs the next day and confirmed the area was clear of enemy.

Over the next 24hrs the battalion would continue to push south east towards Kohima, clearing the road in small chunks, using the milestone markers as a fixed point of reference.

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF 15 Apr 1944 -1145hrs.

During the morning the battalion has moved further east along the Dimapur-Kohima road. Pushing on past MS 36, they have now formed a defensive perimeter at Zubza. Enemy small arms & arty fire heard, south of the road.

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF 15 Apr 1944 -1215hrs.

Lt Darvell (att RWF) and Fusilier Davies injured by an enemy booby trap. Lt Darvell dies of his wounds. This is the first RWF fatality at Kohima.

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF 15 Apr 1944 -1400hrs. Zubza. B Company come under enemy mortar fire. Fusilier Alfred Lee killed. 2 others wounded. Alfred aged 34 was from Liverpool. En snipers account for a further 3 x wounded, including Lt PC Wilson-Wilcox.

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF 15 Apr 1944 -2030hrs.

Note: During the day, 1st Bn Camerons had destroyed a Japanese road block on the Dimapur-Kohima Rd in the area of MS 32(possibly an en encircling attempt), killing 50 enemy, with 17 of their own men becoming casualties. A classic Japanese tactic, that would have worked two years previous. This was a very different, better trained British Army to the one that had faced the Japanese in Malaya and Singapore in Feb 1942.

1830hrs - Deltas 1RWF move slightly further east, supported by an extra platoon from A Coy.

2000hrs - Lt HM Hill and 3 x men from Alphas set out to liaise with a patrol of the Burma Rifles. En-route they contacted with the enemy. Lt Hill killed a Japanese Officer, but suffered a sword wound to the shoulder in the process. The sword was recovered.

The battalion faced a long night at Zubza, as the enemy increased its activity around their positions.

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF 16 Apr 1944:

During the day the battalion continued to push eastwards towards Kohima. Delta Company came under sniper fire, but did not sustain casualties.

During the night Delta Company was attacked by a Japanese patrol who threw grenades into the company's defensive perimeter. 1 x OR, was killed. 1 x officer and a further 4 x OR's injured.

A Coy conducted a night patrol to confirm that the road towards MS 38½ was clear.




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James Maddon was a pre war regular who had enlisted in January 1930. His name is on the nominal roll for No 5 Commando.

So previous service with No 5 Commando, any idea of the period of his service with them Richard?

Can't say Al. Just shows his name.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/node/1206

And No5 were in the right theatre :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._5_Commando

i'm wondering if I have him pinged at the wrong place. No 5 were in Burma during Kohima. Would his CWGC grave be inscribed "Commando" if he was KIA with them?

Possibly a coincidence. No 5 Commando were fighting along the Maungdaw–Buthidaung road, as were our 2nd Bn. All the RWF dead from that action were buried at Rangoon or Taukkyan War Cemetery. Kohima because of its remote location seems to be the preserve of those who fought there. Sometime in April 5 Cdo moved to Silchar, still some distance from Kohima, closer to Imphal. Unless we obtain his service record we won't know, but I do think its possible he was by now, back with the RWF.

Not sure about the headstones Al - But I concur with you in that he was back with RWF

I did a random check on a Lt Smalley who is on 5 Cdo ROH. His CWGC entry lists him as Manchester Reg

Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF 17 Apr 1944. At 0730 Alpha Company + tanks pushed east along the highway to Jotsama. This is the village that 161 Indian Brigade had been trapped at on the 6th April, after the enemy closed the door on the West Kents who are still under siege in Kohima. By the afternoon Alphas had been joined by the remainder of the battalion and digs in.

They are now under command of 6 Brigade.

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Battle of Kohima: Sitrep 1RWF 18 Apr 1944 0915hrs. During the night en patrols harassing the battalions defensive positions. As a result 1 x Officer killed, 3 x OR's wounded. Lt DEJ Lawrence, aged 31. A married man, he came from Tottenham.

This morning the battalion commenced taking over defensive positions from the 1/4 Rajputs. Work continues to improve the location.

They are still based at Jotsama, a short distance west of Kohima.

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The Battle of Kohima. Notes. There are discrepancies on some of the dates of death on the CWGC Certificates. Therefore we use the battalions war diary as the authoritative source. However under the extreme circumstances they will later be in, its also possible that diary entries relating to dates of specific actions or incidents of note are sometimes incorrect.
The fog of war!

I've just checked the 5 Commando War Diary for April and annoyingly it's missing !