Kohima, Battle of

One of the most savage battles of World War II, April–May 1944, as the Allied garrison at Kohima, a town in Manipur province, northeast India, repulsed a wave of Japanese attacks with severe casualties.

Kohima was garrisoned by an Indian infantry brigade and a British infantry battalion, with two Indian infantry battalions holding a small defensive box about two miles away. It was attacked by the Japanese 31st Division on 5 April 1944, isolating the British force at Imphal, about 95 km/60 mi to the north. The British 14th Division broke through and relieved the Kohima force on 14 April, but were unable to break through the Japanese positions blocking the route to Imphal until the end of May, by which time the Japanese were weakened by disease and starvation and began to retreat.