BURMA OPERATIONS REOOR'd 28Th ARMY OPERATIONS in AKYAB AREA
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BURMA OPERATIONS REOOR'D 28th ARMY OPERATIONS IN AKYAB AREA (Revised 1958) PREPARED BY HEADQUARTERS, USAFFE AND EIGHTH- U.s. ARMY (REAR) DISTRIBUTED BY OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY DEPARTMENT O'F THE ARMY Foreword . This record was compiled b7 the f'ormerstatfott1~erot·the 28th Army, ex-Col. Aiichi. Ckamura" during ·h1s 1nte~t 111 Burma af'terthe termination of. the war an~wasI-e'Viewedb7ex-tt. Gen.• .Shozo Sakurai.~ former cOJIJJl18nder o! the28'thAnnyeA:[t.erthere cord was received by-the Informatioll.· and Hist,:Qri.ca1 .RecordDiV1 non, Japanese Demobilization Burea.u, 1twas<s\J.pjectt9somecor rection by ex-Maj. Nizo Yamaguchi" former staf,fQfficeriofthe Southern Area ArIIr3' andpres$ntlya.member .o.fthe> $.1)ove-tll.$ntioned Division. ., This record is based on the 'documents. which were available at the former Army headquarters just atter tbetermination of the war, and on the recollection. of' former staffoff'icersoi'the 28th ArIrr3', ex-Lt.· Col. Eiichi Tsuchiya, ex...Majors Masakatsu Okudaira, TatsurU. Yamaguchi and all f ormar .depar1;,m.entehiei's<>,f the Army headquarliers and commanders of units under the command or the Army. 29 August 1952. Revised Edition Many former officers or the ,Japanese 28th ArllfJ1 were of a_st,. ance to the Foreign Histories Division in filling in the gaps and correcting the inaccuracies in the original manuscript. We acknOld... edge our indebtedness and express our thanks to the following: Lt. Gen. Hanaya, Commanding General, 55th Divisi.on . Maj. Gen. Roba, COlI1l1Wldipg General, 54th Infantry-Group Maj. Gen. Yamamoto, Commanding General, 72d Mixed Brigade Col. Kawamura, Chief of Start, 55th Division Col. Furuya, Commanding Officer, lJ2th Inrantry- Regiment Col. Yoshida, Commanding Officer, l44th Infantry.Regi.ment Lt. Col. Saito, Starf Officer, 54th Divisi.on l~aj. Tsujimoto, Commanding Orficer, 1st Battalion, 1430. Infantry Regiment Maj. Matsuo, CommandingOfi'icer, 2d Battalion, 143d Infantry Regi..ment . Maj. Kurooka, Commanding Officer, 3d Battalion, 143d Infantry Rfitgim.ent Maj. Yamanaka, Conunanding Officer, 1st Batta.ll.on, 29th Infantry Regiment iii We are also indebted to M:r. Nishi.ura,eh1~t ot·the War H1eto.-' ries Section, Ar:tq StaffOollege, Japanese ,Self Detense Foree, for his assistance to this. divisi.on in makL.ngottieial records availa. ble, in particular: The !!emQries of Lt.Gen.Sakur«1.(CG." 28t,h J\rma'); Diary 01" Maj. Gen. Sakurai (CG, 55th Infant 17 GrOt\p); Opera tions Report of the 28th Army, bl Lt •• cot. '1'sucbi3a and Maj. Pukutom1 (Stat! Officers of the 2Sth Army) and the Operations Report of the 54th Division. Casualty lists were furnished by the 1st Demobilis.... tion Bureau of the Ministry of Public Welfare. 30 April 1958. iv Through Instructions No. 126 •to the lapaneseGovernment, 12 ," October 1945, subject: "Institu.tion tor Wer~cord.sInvest1gat1on..tI steps were initiated. to exploit m1J,1tarr,'hi.s.t0ricalrecorQ.. and' official reports of the Japanese War MUttstryandJapaneseGeMral Staft.. Upon dissolution oithe lVarMinist%7antithe)J.ap~.seGftn.. eral Stai't" and the transfer ,or,. their form.erfunct,.ops.to theD$ mobilization ,Bureau, researCh:, atld,compila.ti011 c,onti,nu,e1., ,anct,,'devel oped into a series of bistorical J'l1()nograplus. , The paucit'y or original •. orders, plans aJ¥l'"¢tJ~SI,wbicn are normaJ.ly essential in thepreparat:1..onsottbis type <;>frecord., most of which were lost or destr07eQ Qun,11$ field operation=s 01-, . bombing raids, rendered the taskot"omp:i.lat1onm.ostd.:tfti~tj1'81'-' tioularly distressing has beenth~,eom.plete,laCk ot Oftic1alstrength reports, normal in AG or G3 records. Rowever, wh:Lle manfot the import,ant orders, plans and e$timates, have •• been reconst:ructed from . memory and therefore are not textually-identical w:i..tb the originals, they are believed to be generally accurate "am, reI1a~le. Under the supervision of the Demobilization Bureau, 'thebas:Lc material contained in this monograph was compile<.tand written in Japanese by former officers, on dutyiA command and' staft units within major units during the period otoperat1.ons. ,Translation was effected through thetacilitiesof,'~edTransJ.atorandInt.r preters Service, G2, General Headquarters, i'ar ~astCo.rnmand. This Japanese Operational Monograph was rewritten in English by the Japanese Research Division, 1w1i.litary Hlstory Section"Gen eral Headquarters, Far East Command and is based on the trana1.ation or theJ~panese original. Editorial corrections were llnxitedto those necessary tor coherence and accuracy. 29 August 1952. Revised Edi.tion This 'monograph, . origtnaUT edit,edin Augu5t 1952, If•• eocnpJ..Ette.. ly revised in 1958. Theorlginal, edition, vmich was (ievft1Dpecl trom fragmentary records and recollections, tailed. to present· the various operations in proper relationship to, each other_,.This lack of co- . besion made it virtuallT impossible to gain an und.erstanding of th~ v over-all operational situ;at,ionin Burma •. ·1)uringt·hetive ,ant!' ..~ half years that elapsedbetwee.n ~f), •• pt1bl1cation~tt,he ,twoeQl\1o_. a tremendous amount otadQitio.na1'informati(i)n" bec~ •• svsilable., . ing it possible to, rect1tTthe matl7errorso:t:oad.se~on,andQ.omad... sion in the original. Map coverage hasaJ.,so been expanded ,anA., "'~ proved. The rewriting and editing of the revised monograph was acooe-: plish~ by the Foreign HistoriesDivision.,Oftice ottheMil1tl.rf. ,; History Officer" Headquarters UnitedStates~Japan,succeaeor,' to the orlgtnal editing agency. Research, and., eo.mpi.lationof data for the revised edition was performed byf'ormer Lt.Col.M. lwata'1 now a Senior Military Operational Analyst w:tth,t~eForeign Hi.~· ries Division. 30 April 1958. , ; vi TABtEOF CONTmfrS Chapter Pa8e 1. THE HA.-GC> OPERATION. , . • .~ 1 ... • • • · Situat1.Ol1.l.nLate 194'... '.' .. • • • • .••. •• 1 The U-Go (Imphal) "Qpera~~~'.aaMed. • • . "~ •• 2 Ha-Go Operat~on·P1..s. .... • • • •• Activation of the 28th .,~ . '. .. .. .. .. Dispositionot2ath·AJ!ltt3Urn.t~- Early. 1944. .. • .' .•..• • .. • •• .. .. • • 10 Task ForceOrganizatiotl... '. • • • ••• l' . British .Oftens~ve -.Jaru.la1'7:1.'44. • • • • • • • . 15 Ha-ao. Ol"ratiQl1 Cbtders.~ .. • • '. • • •• 15 The NorthernAraka.n Operat:lDa- F!.ret'.ae • • 17 Southward Drive of .the sakurai uint. • • • 20 Doi Unit Northward 1J1overnent. .. .. .. 22 Division Reserve ComrrJ.tted • • • • • • • • 22 Attacks on Sinzweya. · .. .... .. • • • 23 The orr ensive Halted · .. • • . ".' .. 24 Tactical Blunders •• .. .. .. .. 2; · .. .. • • Enemy Reinforcements .. .. • • .. .. • • • 26 Withdravlal trom'Sinzweya • • .. .. •• • 26 The Northern Arakan. Operation -second Phase.. Z7 Defense Dispositions .. • • • • •• .. .. •• 29 British Offensive -March 3..944 .. .. .. • • '5J' Chal1!r 1. British Attack on Kal8dan.·VaUey•••••••• Reintorcementstor the KaJ.adan Ftont. " ..... Co Wlterattacks by the Koba Detachment • • • • .. Troop Disposition -}lay. 19M.. • .. ,. • • Line of Conmunications ., • • • • • • • • • • Signal Communications • • " • • • • • • 2. THE KAN OP:EEATION, NUMBER ONE • • • • • • • • .. • • •• 47 Situation in Mid 1944•• " • • .. .. .. • • •. •• • • • 47 New 28th Arm::s' Mission. "• .' • • • .. .. • • • • • •• 47 Task Force Organization and Missions. • .. • •• SO Regrouping. • • • .. • • • " " " ,,' • • • .. " .. .S2 Chapter CQlUDll1d~.tt.. ••• 2. Burma Area A1D:¥ • • • 53 Imper1al General Headqwatera' Db-ectlve.. ..,'. 53 Operational InstNCtlons'b1 the Bqrma .~.•A1.ftJ:t:. • 55. Planning for·the Kan· Ope ration • • • _._ • • • •• 56 28th A1J.fJY Final Karl Operation Plait•••••• J1 Operational Po11Qf. • • • • • • • ~ .. • • • • S8 Operations Co.atfol. • • • • • • • •.•' • • • .. 58 Loss ot Air Support'. • • • • .• ,jI •. • • •• • 61 Operations of the Sakura Detachment••••••.•• 61 Britilh OffenI!..,. - Nov_bel' 191.,4 • • .... ',. 64 Reinto rcernent ot the Ka1aclanArea • • • • • • 6S Withdrawal of the Sakura Det&chttent; ,' •••• 6' Final Preparations tor the KIA, Operat:1oa, ••••• 66 Fortification Construction. • • .. • • • • .. • 66 Communicationa. •• .. • • • • • • • • • • • • 68 Road Construction • .. • ".. • • • .'.. • • .. • 6S Ordnance Matenel •• • • .. • • • • •• •• 69 Training. • • • • • .. "' • • • • • • • • • • • 70 Start of the Kan Operation • • • • .',.. • .. • • • 71 54th Div1s1Qt1 Operations .P1aA....... • • • .. • • • 71 Abandonm.ent or the Alqab-lf1'Ohaung ·.Are.it • • • 74 Fighting 111 the Upbon Sector • • • • • • • • 75 C IDss of RamreeIsland • • • • • • • • • • • • 71 Chapter 2. Start of the KaD Operation (Conttcl) Action .in the K'angaw Sector. • • • • • • • • • 78 ,~ pe£ense ot the Tamancm-An Sector••• II ••••• 79 ~. ~ New 54th Division Plan • II .•• 81 ~ Continued British Attaeka.· II •••• S3 The Counterottensiva ... F1rstPbase··. • • • • • 84 The CoWlteroffensive -Second. Phase. • • • • • 84 Fighting in the Taungu,p Sector. •••• • • •• • _ 86 THE KAN OPERATION, NUMBER 'lW'O. • • II • • • ••• • ••• 91 The Northeast Sector. .' II .'. __ II • • •. ,_ 91 Activation ot the '72d 1!ixedBrigade. • • • II • '91 . Defense Co.nstruet1on. • • • • • •.• • • It • • 92 81tuation in Early 1945. • • '. • • • II • • • _ 94 Operations on the Irrawad~Front • •• ....._ 95 Orders for Kan Operation, No.2. ,. • • • • • • 97 The Kantetsu Group' or:rens1ve • • • • • • • • • 99 . General 8ituation - March II • ••• • • • • • • 100 CoW1terattacks in the :Mt. Popa Area II • • • • • II • 101 Transfers, Regroupings and New :w.ssl.ons • • • • • • 102 Revolt of the Burma National Army II II