A new book brings an eyewitness account of Japan’s invasion of North East India during World War Two
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The battle at Kanglatongbi in 1944 was critical in defending the Imphal–Kohima road. After the Japanese 15th Division’s 60th Regiment captured a British supply dump, ordnance personnel fought a fierce action on the night of April 6–7, repulsing Japanese attackers with Bren gun fire. The 63rd Brigade held the sector until the Fifth Indian Division took over in early May, gradually clearing Japanese positions through repeated small-scale actions. Forces from Kohima and Imphal finally linked up at Milestone 109 on June 22, ending the siege. The stand at Kanglatongbi bought crucial time for reinforcements and helped turn the tide of the campaign.
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The war in Manipur was not only one of swift advances or bold maneuvers, but also a test of holding one’s ground, of enduring violence and suffering over seemingly endless days and nights. I had arrived as an observer, a hastily commissioned and unprepared Captain, and I soon found myself in the thick of battle.
War changes its actors forever. Instead of the conscientious yet carefree broadcaster I had been, I became something entirely different that I couldn’t recognize. I was not quite a warrior but a man of war, and a brother to the steadfast band who labored without complaint,...