Battle of Imphal

The battle of Imphal was a failed attempt of Japan to invade India during the World War II. The fierce battle continued from March 6, 1944 and continued till June 22, 1944. One of the greatest failures of Japan in world history, the huge Japanese army comprising of around 120,000 men tried to remove the British and Indian troops out of Imphal, the capital of Manipur and invade India. An intense battle was fought and the Japanese force was driven out incurring heavy losses on them. The supremacy and the command of the British and Indian combined forces in air and artillery during the battle of Imphal brought the biggest success in Manipur history.

The battle of Imphal is important from the perspective of Indian War of Independence against the Britishers. The battle actually included the Indian National Army led by Subhash Chandra Bose on the Japanese side. This was because they planned to drive out the colonizing Britishers from India and thereby attain freedom but the plan failed.

The Manipur hills covered with dense jungle, disease, monsoon rains, exhaustion, the difficult terrain, starvation and supply problems posed severe troubles for the Japanese army. The Japanese logistic plan relied on the captured British supplies, but the supply was cut off by the Britishers and the army starved. The Japanese were also under the misconception because they thought that the Britishers would not be able to use tanks on the steep terrain. The unfamiliar routes and unfavorable weather conditions loomed large over the Japanese army and eventually led to their downfall. By the end of the Imphal war, the huge number of casualties from the army counted to be 30,000 for the combined Indian and British forces and 80,000 for the Japanese troops.