In 1944, under Japanese operation
U-Go,
Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi ordered the 31st Division across the border of
Burma into
British India as part of the overall
Battle of Imphal. Its assignment was to capture
Kohima, thus cutting off Imphal, and then exploit to
Dimapur. The 31st division's commander, Lieutenant General
Kotoku Sato was unhappy with his role. He had not been involved in the planning of the offensive, and had grave misgivings about their chances. He and Mutaguchi had also been on opposite sides during the split between the
Toseiha and
Kodoha factions within the
Imperial Japanese Army during the early 1930s, and Sato distrusted Mutaguchi's motives. In addition, along with many of the senior Japanese officers in Burma, he considered Mutaguchi a "blockhead". Starting on March 15, 1944, the 31st Division crossed the
Chindwin River near
Homalin and moved northwest along jungle trails on a front almost 100 kilometers wide. The left wing of the division, the 58th Regiment, commanded by
Major General Shigesaburō Miyazaki clashed with Indian troops of the
Indian 50th Parachute Brigade under
Brigadier Hope-Thompson in the
Battle of Sangshak, on the northern approaches to
Imphal on March 20, 1944. The battle continued until March 26, 1944, delaying Japanese advance. Miyazaki's troops were probing
Kohima on April 3, completing siege preparations by April 6, 1944. He then launched a series of attacks into the north-east region of the defenses on April 8, and by April 9 the British and Indians had been forced back driven into a small perimeter into what came to be known as the
Battle of the Tennis Court. By the night of April 17, the defenders' situation was desperate. However, on the morning of April 18 British artillery opened up against the Japanese positions, which stopped the attacks. To support their counterattack, the British had amassed 38
3.7-inch mountain howitzers, 48
25-pounder field guns and 2
5.5-inch medium guns. The RAF also bombed and strafed the Japanese positions. The Japanese could oppose with only 17
Type 94 75mm mountain guns, with very little ammunition. The road between
Dimapur and
Kohima had been opened, and the siege was lifted. The Japanese did not retreat at once, but stayed in position and fought tenaciously for several more weeks. By the morning of May 13, 1944, most of the
Kohima region had been re-taken by the British forces. Around May 15 the 31st Division began to withdraw, pursued by troops of the
British Fourteenth Army. After ignoring orders for several weeks, Sato was removed from command of the 31st Division early in July 1944 and replaced by Uchitarou Kawada. The course of the entire
Battle of Kohima was broken off at the same time.
Lieutenant General Slim had always derided Sato as the most unenterprising of his opponents, but Japanese sources blame his superior, Mutaguchi, for both the weaknesses of the original plan, and the antipathy between himself and Sato which led to Sato concentrating on saving his men rather than driving on distant and indefensible objectives. Remnants of the 31st Division continued to oppose the British reoccupation of Burma, but the division had largely ceased to exist as a strong fighting force after the Battle of Kohima. ==See also==