Battle of Shangshak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Shangshak
Part of the Battle of Imphal
Date 20–26 March 1944 Location 8 miles (13 km) south of Ukhrul, Manipur, India Result see What happened after the battle?
Belligerents
British India Nepal	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Maxwell Hope-Thomson	Shigesaburō Miyazaki
Strength
approx. 1 understrength parachute brigade, elements of two infantry battalions, one mtn bty	approx. 1+ infantry regiment, elements of two regiments
Casualties and losses
652	400+

The Battle of Shangshak was an important fight during World War II in a hilly, forested area between India and Burma. It happened from March 20 to March 26, 1944. Japanese soldiers attacked a British Indian Army parachute brigade. The British Indian troops, fighting on the ground, suffered many losses and had to leave their positions. However, the Japanese also lost many soldiers. This battle was very important because it slowed down the Japanese. This delay gave British and Indian soldiers time to reach a key location called Kohima before the Japanese could get there.

Why did the Battle of Shangshak happen?

In March 1944, Japan started a big plan called Operation U-GO. Their goal was to invade India. Two Japanese army groups, the 15th and 33rd Divisions, attacked the IV Indian Corps at Imphal. Another Japanese group, the 31st Division, moved towards Kohima. Their aim was to cut off the main road that supplied the soldiers at Imphal from a place called Dimapur.

The Japanese 31st Division split into three main groups. One of these, the Left Assault Force, was made up of soldiers from the 58th Regiment. This group was led by Colonel Utata Fukunaga, but the most senior officer with them was Major General Shigesaburō Miyazaki. On March 18, this Japanese force was close to a village called Ukhrul. This village was about 25 km northeast of Imphal and 8 km north of Sangshak.

How were the British forces set up?

Earlier in 1944, the 49th Indian Infantry Brigade was stationed at Sangshak. Their job was to defend against any Japanese attack coming from the Chindwin River towards Ukhrul. When the Japanese attack began, they surrounded another British Indian group, the 17th Indian Infantry Division, at Tiddim.

Because of this, Lieutenant General Geoffry Scoones had to send the 23rd Division (which included the 49th Brigade) to help the surrounded 17th Division. This meant the Sangshak area was left open. So, the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade was ordered to move to Sangshak and take over the defense.

At that time, two battalions of the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade were training in the jungle near Kohima. The third battalion was finishing its parachute training in India. The brigade included the 152 (Indian) and 153 (Gurkha) Parachute Battalions. They also had a machine gun company, a mountain artillery battery, and other support units. Their commander was Brigadier Maxwell Hope-Thomson.

They were told to move to Sangshak even before the Japanese attack started. Because there weren't enough vehicles, it took them four days (from March 14 to March 18) to get there. They also took control of the 4th Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, and two companies of Nepalese soldiers from the Kalibahadur Regiment.

When they arrived, the brigade found that the area had not been prepared for defense. There was no barbed wire to build barriers. The 50th Brigade asked for defensive supplies many times, but they did not arrive before the battle began.

The Battle of Sangshak

First moves

The 50th Brigade first spread out over a large area. Some outposts were 8 km east of Sangshak. The machine-gun company was in Ukhrul. On March 19, the Japanese attacked an isolated group of soldiers (C Company of the 152 Parachute Battalion) on a hill. Only 20 men from that company were left.

Brigadier Hope-Thomson was advised to bring his forces together. He ordered his troops to gather. Most of them first met at Sheldon's Corner, 8 km east of Sangshak, on March 21. But that afternoon, Hope-Thomson moved them back. First, they went to "Kidney Camp" (4 km west), and then to Sangshak itself. They set up a defensive position on a hill just east of the village. There was an American missionary church at the north end of this hill.

The defensive area was quite small, only about 800 meters by 400 meters. There was no fresh water. The ground was hard rock just 3 feet below the surface, so they could only dig shallow trenches.

Meanwhile, the Japanese II Battalion of the 58th Infantry Regiment captured Ukhrul from the 50th Brigade's machine-gun company. Major General Miyazaki was with this Japanese battalion. He knew there was a British brigade at Sangshak. Even though Sangshak was supposed to be attacked by another Japanese group, Miyazaki decided to clear the British from Sangshak. He wanted to make sure they couldn't stop his advance.

Fighting at Sangshak

The Japanese battalion attacked Sangshak from the north on the night of March 22. Miyazaki wanted to wait for his big guns to arrive, but the battalion commander attacked quickly without them. The British had 46 mountain guns and mortars to fire at the Japanese. Even though the Japanese gained some ground at first, they suffered heavy losses from the British artillery and mortar fire.

During the fighting, British soldiers found important maps and documents on a dead Japanese officer. These papers showed all the plans of the Japanese 31st Division. Brigadier Hope-Thomson sent two copies of these documents to the IV Corps HQ in Imphal. These plans were very important for the British and Indian armies to understand and respond to the Japanese attack on Kohima.

The next day, March 23, Allied planes tried to drop supplies to the 50th Parachute Brigade. But the brigade's position was so small that many supplies landed with the Japanese. Gurkha soldiers from the 152 Parachute Battalion attacked to get the supplies back. They were supported by fighter planes. They were pushed back, but the Japanese also lost many soldiers. Japanese artillery guns were brought into position using elephants and began firing on Sangshak on March 23.

On March 24, the Japanese got more soldiers, the III Battalion of the 58th Regiment. Their commander and Miyazaki were with them. They attacked right away but were also pushed back.

Another Japanese group, the III Battalion of the 60th Regiment, also started attacking from the east on March 25. They had support from two mountain guns. Their commander, Major Fukushima, made sure his officers carefully checked the area and planned their attack. This was different from the quick attacks of the 58th Regiment. However, his soldiers got lost trying to approach the position at night. The next day, their two mountain guns destroyed many of the defenders' shallow trenches. On March 26, Fukushima's soldiers got lost again while trying to attack at night and were caught in the open when dawn broke.

The Japanese planned a final big attack for March 27. But this attack wasn't needed. By that date, the British and Indian defenders were very tired and desperately needed water. There were 300 wounded soldiers in the position. The smell of dead bodies, including their mules, was terrible. At 6:00 pm on March 26, Hope-Thomson received orders to leave. His brigade moved out quietly at 10:30 pm, with the 4th/5th Mahrattas protecting the rear. About 100 wounded soldiers were left behind, but many others were carried out. About 100 other men were captured by another Japanese battalion. The Japanese then took over the position after checking that it was empty.

What happened after the battle?

The 50th Indian Parachute Brigade had 652 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing. The Japanese said they captured 100 prisoners, most of whom were wounded. The Japanese also got many supplies that had been air-dropped but missed the defenders. These included heavy weapons, vehicles, and radios. Many Indian soldiers who were captured were later set free by the Japanese. This happened because the Japanese had to retreat and couldn't spare soldiers to guard them anymore.

The Japanese also suffered many losses. The II Battalion, 58th Regiment, was hit the hardest, with over 400 casualties. However, this long battle had slowed down Miyazaki's advance on Kohima by a week. It also greatly weakened the 58th Regiment, which was supposed to lead the attack on Kohima. It also delayed some of the 15th Division's advance on Imphal.

Miyazaki's Left Assault Force had the shortest and easiest way to Kohima. They only reached the important Kohima ridge on April 3. By that time, Allied reinforcements had also arrived in the area. In the Battle of Kohima that followed, the Japanese could not capture the entire ridge. They were eventually forced to retreat because of British counter-attacks and a lack of food and ammunition.

Awards for bravery

Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Robert Brocklesby Davis, who commanded the 80th Field Ambulance (Parachute), received a special award called the DSO for his brave actions in this battle.

Sources

• Allen, Louis, Burma: The Longest War 1941–45, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1984, ISBN: 0-460-02474-4
• Katoch, Hemant Singh, Imphal 1944: The Japanese Invasion of India, Bloomsbury, 2018, ISBN: 978-1-47282-016-7
• Rooney, David, Burma Victory: Imphal and Kohima March 1944 to May 1945, Cassell, 1992, ISBN: 0-304-35457-0
• Seaman, Harry, The Battle At Sangshak: Prelude to Kohima, Pen and Sword, 1989, ISBN: 978-1-47381-214-7
• Singh, Suresh, The Endless Kabaw Valley: British Created Vicious Cycle of Manipur, Burma and India, Quills Ink Publishing, 2014, ISBN: 978-9-38431-800-0