by Fergal Keane
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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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