Road of Bones Page 51

  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.

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  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.

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

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

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

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

  ——. Pax Brittanica. Penguin, 1979.

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

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  INDEX

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  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