Road of Bones Read online

  Masao Hirakubo died at the age of eighty-eight and his funeral in London was a large affair. I remember the atmosphere of gentleness in the chapel, so far removed from the place that had sent Hirakubo on his long journey of reconciliation. His son, Masahiro, read from the Book of Wisdom. ‘Though in the sight of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality.’ There were a handful of British Kohima veterans in the congregation. Many more would have come, Philip Malins told me, but they were getting too old and frail to travel far. ‘We are dying out,’ he said. ‘Soon there will be none of us left.’

  To their memory, to all the dead of Kohima, I offer this book.

  SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

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  Atkins, David. The Reluctant Major. Toat Press (rpt.), 1986.

  Bailey, Christopher, and Harper, Tim. Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia, 1941–45. Penguin/Allen Lane, 2004.

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  Chapman Lebra, Joyce. Women Against the Raj: The Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Institute of South East Asian Studies, 2008.

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  Drea, J. Japan’s Imperial Army: Its Rise and Fall, 1853–1945. University Press of Kansas, 2009.

  Edwards, Leslie. Kohima: The Furthest Battle. History Press, 2009.

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  Fay, Peter Ward. The Forgotten Army: India’s Armed Struggle for Independence 1942–1945. University of Michigan Press, 1995.

  Fergusson, Bernard. Beyond the Chindwin. Collins, 1945.

  ——. The Wild Green Earth. Collins, 1946.

  Fitzpatrick, Gerald. No Mandalay, No Maymyo (79 Survive). Book Guild, 2001.

  Foucar, E. C. V. I Lived in Burma. Dennis Dobson, 1956.

  Fujiwara, Iwaichi. Japanese Army Intelligence Operations in Southeast Asia during World War II. Trans. by Akashi Yoji. Heinemann, 1983.

  Gin Ooi, Keat. Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO, 2004.

  Graham Bower, Ursula. Naga Path. John Murray, 1952.

  Graham, Gordon. The Trees Are Still Young on Garrison Hill. Kohima Educational Trust, 2005.

  ——, and Cole, Frank. Burma Campaign Memorial Library: A Collection of Books and Papers about the War in Burma 1942–1945. SOAS, 1999.

  Grant, Ian Lyall. Burma: Turning Point. Zampi Press, 1993.

  Harrison, Mark. Medicine and Victory. Oxford University Press, 2008.

  Hart, Peter. At the Sharp End. Pen and Sword, 1998.

  Hastings, Max. Finest Years: Churchill as Warlord 1940–45. Harper Press, 2009.

  ——. Nemesis: The Battle for Japan, 1944–45. Harper Press, 2007.

  Hill, John. Slim’s Burma Boys. History Press, 2008.

  Horne, Gerald. Race War! White Supremacy and the Japanese Attack on the British Empire. New York University Press, 2004.

  Horowitz, David. The Deadly Ethnic Riot. University of California Press, 2001.

  Jackson, Ashley. The British Empire and the Second World War. Hambledon Continuum, 2006.

  Jowett, Philip. The Japanese Army, 1931–45. Osprey, 2002.

  Keegan, John. Churchill’s Generals. Cassell, 2005.

  King-Clark, R. The Battle for Kohima: The Narrative of the 2 Battalion the Manchester Regiment. Fleur de Lys, 1995.

  Kratoska, Paul H. South East Asia, Colonial History: High Imperialism (1890s–1930s). Taylor and Francis, 2001.

  Latimer, Jon. Burma: The Forgotten War. John Murray, 2004.

  Leer, Martin, and Clunies Ross, Bruce. Bodies and Voices: The Force Field Representation in Colonial and Post Colonial Studies. Rodopi, 2007.

  Lewin, Ronald. Slim, the Standard Bearer. Wordsworth Military History Library, 1999.

  Lowry, Michael. Fighting Through to Kohima. Pen and Sword, 2003.

  Lucas Phillips, C. E. Springboard to Victory. Heinemann, 1966.

  Lunt, James. A Hell of a Licking. Collins, 1986.

  Lyman, Robert. The Generals: From Defeat to Victory, Leadership in Asia 1941–45. Constable and Robinson, 2008.

  ——. Slim: Master of War. Constable and Robinson, 2004.

  McCann, John. Return to Kohima. Privately published, 1993.

  Marks, James Ebenezer. Forty Years in Burma. Hutchinson, 1917.

  Marston, Daniel. Phoenix from the Ashes: The Indian Army in the Burma Campaign. Praeger, 2003.

  Mason, Philip. A Matter of Honour: An Account of the Indian Army, its Officers and Men. Cape, 1975.

  Masuzawa, Michiko. A Quiet Man: About my Father, Shigesaburo Miyazaki. Koyo Publishing, 1987.

  Mercado, Stephen C. Nakano. A History of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Elite Intelligence School. Brassey’s, 2002.

  ‘Militiaman’ [anon.]. Six for the King. Peace Bros., 1984.

  Moran, Lord. The Anatomy of Courage. Robinson, 2007.

  Moreman, T. R. The Jungle, the Japanese and the British Commonwealth Armies at War, 1941–45: Fighting Methods, Doctrine and Training for Jungle Warfare. Frank Cass, 2005.

  Morris, James. Farewell the Trumpets. Penguin, 1979.

  ——. Heaven’s Command. Penguin, 1979.

  ——. Pax Brittanica. Penguin, 1979.

  Mountbatten, Lord
Louis. Personal Diary of Admiral the Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia, 1943–46. Ed. by Philip Ziegler. Collins, 1988.

  Murphy, Ray. The Last Viceroy. Jarrold’s, 1949.

  Nag, Sajal. Contesting Marginality: Ethnicity, Insurgency and Subnationalism in North-East India. Manohar, 2002.

  Nisbet, John. Burma under British Rule. Constable, 1901 (rpt. Elibron Classics, 2005).

  Orwell, George. Orwell Diaries. Harvill Secker, 2009.

  Ottowell, Stuart. CHHE – SAAT: Memoir of an Officer of the 6th/7th Rajput Regiment. Manohar, 2008.

  Owen, Frank. The Campaign in Burma. HMSO, 1946.

  Parkin, Ray. Into the Smother: A Journal of the Burma – Siam Railway. Hogarth Press, 1963.

  Peace, David. Tokyo Year Zero. Faber, 2007.

  Pownall, Henry. Chief of Staff: The Diaries of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Pownall. Ed. by Brian Bond. Leo Cooper, 1972.

  Roberts, Andrew. The Storm of War. Allen Lane, 2009.

  Rooney, David. Burma Victory: Imphal and Kohima, March 1944 to May 1945. Cassell, 1992

  Seagrave, Gordon. Burma Surgeon. W. W. Norton, 1943.

  Shakespear, L. W. History of the Assam Rifles. Naval and Military Press, 2005.

  Shipster, John. Mist over the Rice Fields. Pen and Sword, 2000.

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  Slim, Field Marshal Sir William. Defeat into Victory. Cassell, 1956.

  Smith, Harry. Memories of a Hostile Place: Tales of an Amateur Soldier in World War II, Major H. C. Smith, 4 Royal West Kent Regiment. Privately published.

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  Strip, Alan. Codebreaker in the Far East. Oxford University Press, 1995.

  Subba, Bahadur, and G. C. Ghosh, eds. The Anthropology of North-East India. Longman Orient, 1999.

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  Thomas, Andrew. Spitfire Aces of Burma and the Pacific. Osprey, 2009.

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  Tuchman, Barbara. The March of Folly. Ballantine Books, 1985.

  ——. The Proud Tower. Macmillan, 1966.

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  Woodburn Kirby, S. The War against Japan. 5 vols. HMSO, 1957–69.

  Ziegler, Philip. Mountbatten: The Official Biography. Collins, 1985.

  INDEX

  The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader’s search tools.

  Abe, Abbot Hakuho 142, 424

  Abe, Private Yoshizo 21

  Adams, P.F. 158

  Admin Box, battle of the, 1944 129–34

  air war: Allied aircraft xviii, 10, 19, 20, 23, 42, 81–2, 83–4, 90, 91, 111, 112–13, 129–30, 132–4, 147, 149, 155, 171, 177, 178–9, 193, 200–2, 214, 218, 233, 235, 236, 278, 279–80, 288, 290, 292, 296, 304, 317, 320–5, 332, 337–8, 339, 340–1, 366, 368, 369, 380, 407, 412

  Japanese aircraft 5, 10–12, 14, 22–3, 91, 105, 121, 132, 133–4, 146, 147, 149, 326

  supply drops 81, 82, 83–4, 111, 112–13, 129–30, 132, 133, 147, 193, 200–2, 236, 278, 288, 304, 317, 320, 321–4, 332, 337–8, 339, 340–1, 368, 407

  Akiyama, Shudo 144–5

  Akyab 90–1

  Alam Halfa, battle of, 1942 64–5, 66, 245, 259–60, 331, 359

  Alexander, General Sir Harold 13, 23, 26, 368

  Allen, Louis 106, 193, 392

  Allies: aircraft/air support xviii, 10, 19, 20, 23, 42, 81–2, 83–4, 90, 91, 111, 112–13, 129–30, 132–3, 147, 149, 155, 171, 177, 178–9, 193, 200–2, 214, 218, 233, 235, 236, 278, 279–80, 288, 290, 292, 296, 304, 317, 320–5, 332, 337–8, 339, 340–1, 366, 368, 369, 380, 407, 412

  army units see British/Burmese/Indian/Nepalese army units

  material superiority of 133–4, 146, 147–8, 155, 157, 279–80, 290

  relations between xix–xx, 23, 23n, 76–9, 81–2, 117, 129, 155, 157, 171, 200, 224, 277–80, 304, 321, 322, 323, 339, 366, 368, 369

  supply operations 23, 28, 45, 73, 80, 81, 82, 83–4, 94, 111, 113, 115–16, 122, 123, 128–30, 133, 134, 136, 157, 161, 193, 200, 201–2, 204–5, 224, 227, 236, 240, 245, 278, 283, 288, 290, 302, 303, 304, 317, 321, 322, 324, 339, 352, 357, 364, 368, 377, 407, 420 see also under individual army and nation name

  American forces see United States

  American Volunteer Group 23, 23n

  Angami, B.K. Sachu 34, 234, 236, 364, 401–2, 407–8, 441n

  Angami, Havildar Sohevu 87, 158–9, 162, 215, 217, 312, 442, 457

  Angami, Khumbo 236–7, 296

  Angami, Miekonu 37, 234–5

  Angami, Rushukhrie 236, 237

  Anglo-Burmese war, 1826 36, 38

  Aradura Spur 32–3, 220, 227, 234, 239, 371, 384, 393

  Arakan 31, 49, 170, 173, 175, 185, 252, 255, 256, 259, 278, 290, 339, 358

  Admin Box, battle of the, 1944 129–34

  Akyab 90–1

  first Allied offensive, 1942–43 75–6, 82, 83, 84, 112n

  Japanese plan attack on 31, 104, 119, 120, 140

  Ngakyedauk 134–8, 175, 220, 256, 309

  Razabil 124–9, 134

  second Allied offensive 1943–44 89–91, 104, 111, 119, 121–38, 131

  Slim plans offensive in 76, 79, 83–4, 90, 91, 104, 111, 115–16

  V Force in 49

  artillery: British-Indian Army 70, 84n, 91, 93, 122–3, 136–8, 141, 143n, 157, 165n, 176, 184, 199–200, 201, 203, 204, 206, 207, 218, 220, 234, 240, 248, 256, 285, 286–7, 291, 294, 297, 306, 308, 314–15, 317, 330, 372, 375, 378, 382, 383

  Japanese xvii, 125, 146, 164, 168,
193, 199, 201, 204, 214, 217, 218, 226, 235, 239, 243, 262, 286, 326, 338, 350, 352, 353, 370, 371, 376

  Askew, Major James 312

  Assam 29, 30n, 32, 36, 38, 43, 47, 47n, 52, 78n, 80, 81n, 112, 114, 115, 139, 158–9, 159n, 160, 161, 170, 186, 283, 292, 292n, 306, 312

  Astor, David 440

  Atkins, Major David 82

  Atlantic Charter, 1941–42 77

  Attlee, Clement 18, 41, 42, 78

  Auchinleck, General Sir Claude 88n, 283

  Aung San 9

  Aung San Suu Kyi 9

  Ayabe, Major General 117, 118

  Baerwald, Hans 420

  Bagot, Lieutenant Colonel C. E. K. 25

  Bahadur, Jayachamaraja 85

  Baldwin, Air Marshal Sir John 169, 325

  Balfour, Henry 35–6

  BBC 283, 284

  Beadon, Sir Cecil 38, 38n

  Begg, Robin 93

  Benegal, Ramesh S. 18

  Bengal 17, 31, 32, 38, 38n, 73, 81n, 86, 86n, 104, 112, 367, 427, 442

  Bengal Famine, 1942–43 86, 86n

  Betts, Lieutenant Colonel Tim 191–2, 409

  Bevan, Aneurin 415

  Beveridge, Sir William 427

  Binny, Colonel R. A. W. 49

  Birch, Mollie 17

  Black Thirteenth 301–5

  Blucher, Vasily 143

  Booth, Chris 438

  Boothe, Clare 13–14

  Borrowman, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon 434, 435, 436

  Bose, Subhas Chandra xx, 85, 86, 87, 88, 116, 230

  Bower, Trina 441

  Bower, Ursula Graham 457

  in Cachar Hills 51–3, 189, 190

  commands guerrilla unit under V Force 50, 52–5, 56, 57, 189–91, 192, 293, 296, 364–5

  disbands guerrilla unit 409–10

  fame 410