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If the 14th army was the forgotten army, then the battle of Sangshak was the forgotten battle. Generally the contemporary media of the time overlooked the Indian theater of war as the whole focus was on Nazi Germany and the battle for Europe. What people didn’t realize was that while Hitler and his juggernaut were rolling over Europe, the empire of Japan had turned its attention to the Indian subcontinent.
Prelude - Darkening Skies
To give some context to it, we must first look at the advances Japan made during the initial stages of the war. While everyone knows that Japan attacked Pearl harbor in Hawaii on 7th of December 1941, drawing the US into the war, not many know that at the same time, across the world Japan struck Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand, Malaya(now Malaysia), and Singapore soundly defeating the British, Indians, Australians and the Americans. They had already occupied French Indo-china (now Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) by overthrowing the French-Vichy government and had set their eyes on dominating the shipping in the region, controlling their newly acquired territory and capturing oil fields to keep their war-machine going. Naturally, once there was no one to oppose them in South-East Asia, their eyes turned to the crown jewel of the British Empire, India. They had already occupied most of China and initiated large scale massacres of ethnic Chinese at Nanking and other locations. The only substantial force capable of opposing them was the British-Indian army. But due to the successive defeats suffered by Britain in the early stages of war and after the rout at Singapore, they had come to rely on the Indian army as a fire-fighting force despite growing nationalistic uprisings in India. Hence the Japanese considered India ripe for the taking and lightly defended. Plus the internal turmoil in the country led them to believe that their offensive would be successful. Further on, they were also supported by the Azad Hind Fauj, staffed and manned by former officers and men of the British-Indian army who had been captured at Malaya and Singapore. That and the occupation of Burma(now Myanmar) and the capture of the islands of Andaman and Nicobar led to the Japanese offensive and invasion of India dubbed U-Go.
Kohima - The Gateway to India
Now the force standing in the way of the Japanese was the 14th army commanded by the belligerent Lt Gen. William Slim. The Japanese wanted to take Imphal and while the bulk of their force attacked Imphal, they sent their 31st division to Kohima to cut off the supply lines to Imphal. Such an event would have been catastrophic and would have led to the fall of the Eastern Army Command and a subsequent invasion of india. The British-Indian army had anticipated that and had started preparing for a siege of Kohima. The capital of Nagaland was situated at an important junction which allowed the movement of supplies to the beleaguered troops at Imphal. Kohima was also important for the sustenance of the American operations in China. Additionally the capture of Kohima would open up an unhindered access to the logistic, rail-head and supply dump base at Dimapur which would have proven disastrous. For the Japanese, the capture would mean the capitulation of the biggest thorn in their side.
While that battle went down in the annals of history as one of the greatest and pivotel battles fought in the world called the Stalingrad of the East, many forget that the reason that the defenders at Kohima even had a fighting chance was due to the sacrifice of the 50th Parachute Brigade at Sangshak.
Dispositions
Today standing as one of the oldest airborne brigades and the most decorated and elite formations of the country, back then the fledgling brigade was the new boy on the block. Parachute forces had just been created by the allies as a response to the effective use by the Germans in the invasion of Norway and Denmark and that of the Netherlands along with the lightning raid led by Otto Skorzeny to rescue the incarcerated Benito Mussolini, the dictator of Italy.
By 1944 the 50th Parachute Brigade consisted of 152(Indian) and 153(Gurkha) Battalions along with other supporting arms like a mountain artillery battery, a machine gun company, sappers amongst others. A third battalion was completing its parachute training in India. The brigade was commanded by Brig. Maxwell Hope-Thompson and was conducting advanced jungle training when they were ordered to go Sangshak in the Ukhrul district of Manipur. The reason was that the Japanese were advancing through Ukhrul towards Kohima. The Parachute brigade was deployed in the general area of the village of Sangshak and ordered to hold out at all cost so that the defenders at Kohima would be able to prepare for the inevitable battle.
Because of a shortage of transport, the brigade required 4 days to move to Sangshak. To boost their numbers, the brigade took command of ⅘ Maratha Light Infantry and 2 companies of the Nepalese Kalibahadur Regiment consisting of about 200 men. Knowing they faced a larger force, the brigade had to make do with whatever fortifications they could conjure as the supplies hadn’t been delivered yet. Initially the brigade deployed over a large area comprising Sangshak and Ukhrul with a machine gun company based at Sangshak and the brigade deployed east of Sangshak with one company of 152 PARA occupying point 7378.
With little or no field obstacles like barbed wire, the brigade would end up fighting over a large area before consolidating en masse at Sangshak for the inevitable assault on it. What followed was a desperate and courageous fight which would lead to the destruction of the 50th Parachute Brigade and delay the Japanese before their ultimate assault on Kohima.
The Battle
On the 19th of March 1944, the Japanese attacked the isolated ‘C’ company of 152 PARA led by Maj. John Fuller. The defenders put up a terrific fight, now known as Fuller’s Stand before the Japanese onslaught finally overran them. The company was reduced to just 20 men with all officers killed. Seeing the pragmatism in consolidating the brigade instead of risking defeat in detail if they continued to hold isolated posts, Brig. Hope-Thompson ordered the force to concentrate first at Sheldon’s corner. After heavy fighting, the brigade moved closer to Sangshak village near Kidney camp from where they were pushed back to Sangshak. The machine gun company deployed at Ukhrul was also overrun which further reduced the perimeter of the defenders. With no water and rocky ground permitting only shallow trenches, the brigade waited and prepared for continuous attacks throughout the course of battle from 19th of March to 27th of March.
The Japanese forces attacking the paratroopers consisted of the units assigned for the attack on Kohima. Due to delays, the Japanese 31st division decided to clear the defenders without waiting for their reinforcements. Poor leadership and anticipation on the part of the Japanese led to heavy casualties for them. On 22nd, they attacked Sangshak without artillery support leading to losses. Heavy fighting revolved around the Church at the north end of Sangshak within 200 meters of the brigade headquarters. Several times the paratroopers had to resort to bayonet and khukri charges to drive back the enemy. The brigade had with it an attached mountain battery consisting of 46 mountain guns and 3-inch mortars which caused great damage to the enemy. During one such attack, documents were found on a Japanese officer detailing the attack on Kohima by the 31st Division. Realizing their importance the brigade commander sent the documents to Imphal, jarring the Eastern command into action by organising hasty defenses at Kohima.
Several times during the fighting, friendly aircraft tried air dropping supplies many of which reached the Japanese due to the ever shrinking perimeter. Several times the paratroopers had to fight hand to hand with the enemy to recover vital supplies. Often the Gurkhas led counter attacks beating back the enemy and causing large losses for them.
However the issue of supplies and water came to haunt the belligerent brigade. Running out of water, the heavy fighting had also caused several casualties amongst them. With several officers dead and the perimeter shrinking every day, the defenders were in for a torrid time. By the 24th of March, the Japanese had received their reinforcements along with artillery support. Instead of blindly attacking the defenders, the Japanese decided to recointer their positions and bring harassing and effective artillery fire on them. Poor defenses and shallow trenches led to heavy casualties to the brigade. After several probing and isolated attacks, the Japanese decided to force the brigade’s hand prepared for an all out assault on the 27th of March to clear Sangshak of the paratroopers.
By now the paratroopers were exhausted after having fought valiantly for the past week under appalling conditions. With the arrival of reinforcements at Imphal and with little or no water and no hope for reinforcements, the brigade was ordered to fight its way out in smaller groups and make its way back to their lines having fulfilled its mission to delay the advance of 2 divisions of the enemy. Over the course of 26th and 27th of March, the brigade started withdrawing, leaving the Marathas to act as a rearguard. Many wounded were evacuated, but some had to be left behind. What followed was a harrowing journey for the already exhausted troops and many were captured by the enemy. The Marathas lost more men during the withdrawal than they did during the battle, though many were also taken prisoners to be employed as porters. The 50th Para Brigade suffered nearly 652 casualties with 40 officers and 585 troops dead with many wounded and captured. The Japanese inturn also suffered heavy casualties and though accurate numbers aren’t available, it is estimated that they suffered nearly 400-500 dead .So ended the epic and costly battle of Sangshak fought valiantly for a higher cause.
Forgotten but Immortal
What was supposed to be a rout turned into a full blown battle. It is estimated that the prolonged battle delayed the Japanese March on Kohima by nearly a week and caused disarray amongst the units set to lead the attack. By the time the Japanese arrived at Kohima on the 3rd of April, the garrison at Kohima had been given a lifeline which allowed reinforcements and supplies to be pushed up.
The battle of Kohima is often considered the turning point in the South-East Asian Theatre of war. If Kohima would’ve fallen, it would have led to the invasion of India. However the garrison of Kohima would not have had a chance if it hadn’t been for the sacrifice of the 50th Parachute Brigade and the men at Sangshak. Despite being recognized by Lt Gen (later Field Marshal) Slim in a Special Order of the Day, many forgot the brigade’s sacrifice. It remains in the annals of history a forgotten and lonely battle remembered only by those who participated and the units who trace their origins to it.