'Remember Worcestershire soldiers from Battle of Kohima'

The Battle of Kohima started on the April 4 and would last over two gruelling months until June 22, 1944. 

The city of Kohima lies in the north-eastern hills of India and is the capital of Nagaland. 

It may be hard to believe now, but Kohima saw some of the deadliest fighting of the war. 

Kohima has been dubbed the gateway to India and made it a key objective for the 15th Japanese Imperial Army. 

Some historians have often referred to Kohima as the ‘Stalingrad of the east’, due to the ferocity of the fighting in which thousands of men died in unforgiving conditions. 

The insufferable heat of the sun coupled with tropical diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and dysentery to name a few, made this an arena of hell for allied and axis forces.  

The allied 14th Army was led by the tenacious and robust Lieutenant-General Bill Slim, affectionately known by his men as the ‘soldiers’ soldier’. 

It is testament to his leadership that he was able to augment a force which was made up with 87 per cent of Commonwealth troops from all backgrounds and faiths. 

Within this army was the 2nd Infantry Division comprising the brave men of the 7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment. These brave soldiers endured an epic struggle whilst fighting an implacable enemy that were infamous for their heinous treatment of prisoners and other notable war crimes. 

Allied forces were made to adopt an approach of ‘death or glory’ as surrender was simply not an option.  

Some of the most intense fighting at Kohima took place around the former residence of the Deputy-Commissioners bungalow and tennis court. 

This was fought over multiple times falling to both sides on numerous occasions. The Dorsetshire Regiment are also said to have fought with great tenacity in repulsing numerous Japanese attacks and showing herculean bravery in the process. 

Men fought and died in close quarters, hurtling rocks and using hand tools such as shovels and pick handles for weapons. 

The siege finally broke on June 22. 

In this time the Japanese had lost 53,000 dead and missing. British losses were 4,000 dead with 13,000 wounded. 

The siege of Imphal, an equally brutal battle, contributed another 12,500 allied casualties. 

The bravery of the 14th Army turned the course of the war and routed the Japanese out of India and Burma, eventually overseeing their defeat in 1945. 

The Burma Campaign and its soldiers have often been referred to as the ‘forgotten war’, as Europe took precedence over military operations and defeating Nazi Germany remained the number one priority.  

With the passage of time, it is more important than ever to remember the sacrifice of these local heroes, many buried in the lonely fields of Kohima, so many miles from their home of Worcestershire. 

It is a fitting reminder that the epitaph on the battlefield reads:  

‘When you go home, tell them of and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today’.  
 We will, and must, remember them.  
 
Joe Amos