University of Nandamuk - Myanmar battlefield

Chapter (1)

March 13, 1941

At the time of the plane's arrival from Magway, the capital of Burma, Yangon, had already fallen to the Japanese, and the Yangon-Mandalay road was cut off, and British troops were arriving in droves at Pyin Oo Lwin.

I was suddenly assigned to the battlefield of Burma, where the sand dunes were everywhere, and where the green forests were everywhere. I was a bit confused at first. Even the names of towns and villages were different. Even if someone pointed out a town and said it, I couldn't tell where it was. Burma was a complete stranger to me.

I had been assigned to reorganize the No. (1) Burma Corps, and had flown from Ireland to India, and from India to Burma. At this time the Royal Air Force had abandoned Mingalardon and was in Magway. General Alexander, who was in command of the entire Burma battlefield, was trying to hold back the enemy with all his forces. I had come to report to the General and to obey his orders. At the General’s headquarters, I found the two commanders of the two divisions that were to be included in the No. (1) Corps to be reorganized ready. Fortunately, the commanders, Major Generals Scott and Win, were old friends who had served with me in the same regiment for twenty years.

"I was encouraged to come back to Burma, where I was completely new, to see my old colleagues and friends."

The 1st Burmese Division, commanded by Stock, was responsible for defeating the enemy who were advancing from the Bago Yoma and Sittaung River valleys, near Taungoo. The 17th Indian Division, commanded by Ko Win, was still regrouping 30 miles south of Pyay after suffering heavy losses at the Battle of Sittaung Bridge. General Alexander assigned me the task of regrouping the 1st Division and left for India that same day.

General Hutton was responsible for commanding the Burma battlefield. I was to defend the enemy from Pyay with the reorganized No. (1) Army.

When I examined my corps that had been assembled so far, I found some of the remaining officers and soldiers from the Burma Army Headquarters, not more than sixty men in total.

After being ordered to move my headquarters to the old courthouse in Pyay, I went with my comrade to inspect the 17th Indian Division, thirty miles to the south, and found a large crowd of people, as if they were in a carnival. They were refugees from the Black War.

The 17th Division, though badly damaged at the Battle of Sittaung Bridge, was seen to be in good spirits. Major Mike Calvert, who later became a hero in Wingate's Special Forces, was a member of the 17th Army. He bravely attacked the enemy-held town of Hinthada from the river and inflicted heavy casualties on the Burmese BIA troops, which were manned by Japanese officers. Similarly, another unit of the 17th Division attacked Letpadan and drove the enemy out.

On March 22, the enemy saw signs of an attack on Pyay, so the 1st Burma Division in Taungoo was ordered to advance to the Derindabo, Kyaukpandaung, and Aunglan areas. The 5th Chinese Army, which had arrived to reinforce the area, was protecting the Bago Yoma and Sittaung River basin. The 17th Indian Army, which was thirty miles south of Pyay, was also brought to Pyay and assembled. Enemy planes bombed Pyay from time to time, but they were not very strong. The enemy's Fifth Army troops harassed us by setting fire to houses almost every night. Pyay was a strong city with the Fifth Army. The situation of the Kala refugees who were crossing the Ayeyarwady River and going to India via the Taungkot Valley road was also complicated. Smallpox and cholera were also spreading.

While the units of my No. (1) Corps were winning battles such as the Battle of Hinthada and the Battle of Letpadan, raising the morale of our soldiers, the air force group in Magway was also showing its strength.

"On March 20, air reconnaissance indicated that there were about 50 enemy aircraft in Mingalardon. Therefore, all the aircraft in Magway and the aircraft guarding Sittwe joined forces to attack the enemy aircraft. In the air battle, one enemy aircraft crashed and 16 enemy aircraft on the airfield were destroyed. Only one aircraft from our side crashed."

“While we were happy to hear this news, we received news that the enemy had attacked Magway Airfield in large numbers on March 21. The enemy had attacked six times by the evening of the following day, using 250 aircraft.

When the first attack came, there were only 32 British planes on the Magway airfield. Some of these planes were able to take to the skies in time to attack the enemy planes. Four of the enemy planes were shot down. However,

The difference in strength was immense... By nine o'clock in the morning of March (22), only six British planes remained. Of those six, only three were able to fight back. On March (23) and (27)

In 1945, the enemy also attacked Sittwe Airfield with great force, forcing all remaining aircraft on the Burma battlefield to be permanently evacuated to India.

From this time on, my corps was no longer able to conduct any aerial reconnaissance. As the enemy's air power became unrivaled, cities such as Pyay, Meikthila, Tha Si, Pyinmana, Pyin Oo Lwin, Lashio, Taunggyi, and Mandalay began to burn under the effects of enemy bombing.

Our soldiers, too, no longer camped in large houses, but instead went into the jungle and only marched at night. With no air support and poor ground reconnaissance, we were unable to gain a good understanding of the enemy's situation and had to march blindly.

While we were fighting the enemy with no air support, we received news that the 200th Chinese Division, which was holding out in the Sittaung River Valley, had been cut off by the Japanese 55th Division. Of the three divisions in the 5th Chinese Army, the 200th was cut off by the Japanese on March 24th. Some of the 22nd Chinese Army were at Pyinmana, sixty miles from Taungoo, while the rest of the division could only reach Lashio. The third division, the 6th, was near the Burmese border.

While the 200th Chinese Division was fiercely resisting the advancing enemy, some units of the 22nd Division, which was near Pyinmana, rushed forward to provide reinforcements. The situation was becoming tense. On March 28, my corps received orders to switch from defense to offensive. I knew that by switching from defense to offensive, I would be helping the Chinese forces who were scattered in the Sittaung River Valley. However, my corps was in a state of regrouping and our intelligence was poor, so I decided to switch from defense to offensive.

However, the order given above must be followed.

Therefore, the army led by Ko Win...

(a) To the brick kiln, about sixty miles south of Pyay.

To march along the railroad,

(b) Divide one army at Zee Kone, north of Okpho town, and advance east.

To protect the area between the southern wing and the brick kiln,

(c) On the banks of the Marawaddy River, 23 miles south of Pyay Township.

Nyaungsa village was built to protect the western flank of the Athakama state and prevent enemies from crossing the Irrawaddy.

(d) In compliance with the above instructions,

He ordered the attack to achieve small regional victories, crushing any enemy he found.

The only assistance I could give to Ko Win's division to carry out the orders I had given it was to send a group of some landing troops, some commandos, and some Burmese border guards from the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River to consult with Ko Win and carry out whatever tasks Ko Win gave him.

It is reported that some Japanese and BIA troops are at Htoo Bo, 25 miles south of Pyay. Htoo Bo is on the west bank of the Rawatty River, and is expected to cross to the east bank, where it is located, and to be able to avoid the danger of an attack from behind. Although it is not possible to cross the river, it is possible to keep a gunboat with armed men on patrol.