Kohima & Imphal

[Peter H]

'The Effect Of Material Inferiority: An Analysis Of Japanese Defeat In The Battle For Imphal, 1944"

http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/public ... l?Status=1

[Peter H]

An excellent book:

Road of Bones: The Siege of Kohima 1944 - The Epic Story of the Last Great Stand of Empire
Fergal Keane
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Bones-Sieg ... 0007132409

[Peter H]

One legendary British commander at Kohima was Lt Colonel Robert Scott of the Royal Norfolks.

From The Imperial War Museum Book of the War in Burma 1942-1945 Julian Thompson:

Robert Scott will always remain a legendary figure of Kohima.Two minutes with him and a man's fears were calmed,and mud and wet did not matter so much.His boots covered with mud,made his large feet even huger.His trousers were covered in dried blood.Grenades,a pistol, and a dagger hung around his vast waist-line.His neck was muffled with a silk Japanese flag on which rested a stubby chin of greying black beard.His head was bandaged and his tin hat boasted a ragged bullet hole.He had lumbago and leaned on a long stick;he had a headache and a vile temper.I doubt if he ever enjoyed himself more in his forty-eight years .

When Scott got scalped by a grazing bullet,he shook his fist at the Japanese saying,"The biggest bloke on the damn position and you couldn't get him.If you were in my bloody battalion,I'd take away your proficiency pay".

Robert Scott had always been a keen cricketer,and when he threw his grenades he reminded me of a medium bowler lobbing.He was being seen,it was a big help to us all,it certainly was a big help to me.After a few minutes of this,a Japanese grenade came down towards Robert Scott and I think he decided to kick it away.He misjudged it slightly and it went off and brought him down..I saw him go down and the stretcher-bearers come to try and pick him up.They cut his trousers open to put a field dressing on his wounds.This uncovered his bottom and through all the noise that was going on,Robert shouted out,"Cover my bloody arse up"..

[Treve]

Also if very specific:

Representing Local Participation in INA–Japanese Imphal Campaign The Case of the Kukis in Manipur, 1943–45

http://ihr.sagepub.com/content/37/2/291.abstract

[Treve]

An important Japanese perspective is provided by Katakura's Inparu sakusen hishi or Secret History of the Imphal Operation.


There are also the diaries of Mutaguchi and Kawabe still awaiting translation into English apart from the occasional fragment.