The Battle of Kohima halted Japan's 1944 U-Go offensive into British India and is considered the turning point of the Burma Campaign.
Key Facts
- Battle duration
- 4 April – 22 June 1944
- Three stages
- Siege, counter-attack, pursuit of Japanese
- Road reopened
- Kohima–Imphal road cleared by 22 June 1944
- Named 'Britain's Greatest Battle'
- British National Army Museum poll, 2013
- Meeting point
- British forces from Kohima and Imphal met at Milestone 109
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Japan launched Operation U-Go in 1944 to invade British India, aiming to cut off Allied supply lines and capture Imphal. The Kohima ridge was a strategically vital point dominating the road used to supply besieged IV Corps at Imphal, making it a primary Japanese objective.
From 4 April to 22 June 1944, Japanese forces attempted to seize Kohima ridge, briefly surrounding the small British and Indian garrison. British and Indian reinforcements arrived in mid-April, counter-attacked from 18 April, and drove the Japanese from the ridge by 13 May, before pursuing retreating Japanese forces through June.
The Allied victory at Kohima ended Japan's U-Go offensive, reopened the Kohima–Imphal road, and lifted the Siege of Imphal. Japan suffered devastating losses it could not replace, and the battle effectively ended any prospect of a Japanese invasion of India, shifting the initiative to Allied forces in Burma.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent