ASIAN MAINLAND-1944

Asian Mainland!

09/01/1944 British troops capture Maungdaw in Burma. 13/01/1944 The Chinese strengthen their position in the Hukawng Valley in northern Burma. 24/01/1944 Chinese forces make further advances in the Hukawng Valley. 26/01/1944 The British launch their main attack on the Japanese ‘Golden Fortress’ in the Arakan, Burma. 30/01/1944 British attacks on the ‘Golden Fortress’ cease. 03/02/1944 The Japanese open their counter-offensive against the British in Arakan, Burma. 04/02/1944 Chinese advances in Hukawng Valley, continue while the Japanese offensive on Arakan front gains strength in order to push the British back into India. 05/02/1944 The ‘Chindits’ begin moving towards Indaw, 100 miles behind the Japanese lines in Burma. 06/02/1944 The Japanese pressure in Arakan forces the British to retreat. 13/02/1944 Another British counter-offensive begins in Arakan, Burma. 23/02/1944 Merrill’s ‘Marauders’ (US 5307th Composite Unit) begins Stilwell’s Sino-American advance into northern Burma. 01/03/1944 The 'Chindits' cross the Chindwin in Burma. 04/03/1944 Merrill’s ‘Marauders’ fight their first major action in Burma. 05/03/1944 Gliders and air-transport-borne 'Chindits' set up ‘Broadway’ a stronghold behind Japanese lines, North East of Indaw. 06/03/1944 Another 'Chindit' stronghold is established South of the Irrawaddy. 07/03/1944 The Japanese begin the Imphal-Kohima offensive from northern Burma into Assam, India. 11/03/1944 Some 12,000 Chindits are now behind Japanese lines in Burma. British forces capture Buthiduang on the Arakan front. 13/03/1944 British troops take the ‘Golden Fortress’ (Razabil) in Arakan, Burma. 14/03/1944 The British are forced to withdraw towards Imphal in Assam, while fighting a bitter rearguard action. 15/03/1944 The Japanese begin crossing the Chindwin for an advance against Kohima. 16/03/1944 The 'Chindit' ‘White City’ base at Mawla severs Japanese communications in northern Burma. 17/03/1944 The British blow up the Manipur bridge South of Imphal. 22/03/1944 British tanks rout a Japanese tank force at Tamu in India. 24/03/1944 Wingate, leader of the Chindits is killed in plane crash. 28/03/1944 Merrill’s ‘Marauders’ begin a 10-day defensive action against 1,300 Japanese at Nhpum Ga Ridge. 30/03/1944 The siege of Imphal begins, as the Japanese cut the road to the North. 04/04/1944 The 17th Indian Division reaches the Imphal plain after a 20-day fighting retreat. Japanese forces begin five weeks of attacks to reach Imphal from the South and begin their attack on Kohima, Assam. 09/04/1944 Fierce fighting across the District Commissioner’s tennis court at Kohima. The Japanese renew their struggle with the 17th Indian Division, South West of Imphal. 13/04/1944 British troops retake Nanshigum Hill. 16/04/1944 Three Japanese blow up a 300ft suspension bridge on the Silchar track. 18/04/1944 The first reinforcements for the British garrison at Kohima begin to arrive. Japanese forces launch a new offensive in central China. 23/04/1944 The last Japanese attack on Garrison Hill, Kohima is repulsed as the British ‘left hook’ begins its advance to the North. 24/04/1944 The British force the road to Kohima open. 25/04/1944 The British right hook South of Kohima begins. 26/04/1944 The 'Chindits' occupy Indaw. 27/04/1944 Merrill’s 'Marauders' begin a march on Myitkyina. 28/04/1944 Chinese forces retreat in central China. 04/05/1944 The British counter-attacks at Kohima, are repulsed by the Japanese. 07/05/1944 300,000 Japanese troops begin their preliminary moves prior to an offensive from the Canton and Hankow area in eastern China, with the aim of capturing allied airfields. 11/05/1944 72,000 Chinese begin an advance along the Burma Road. 12/05/1944 The Japanese attacks to the South East of Imphal are broken off. 13/05/1944 Jail Hill and other key Kohima features are recaptured by the British. 15/05/1944 A Japanese attack on Hunter’s Hill, North of Kohima is repulsed. 16/05/1944 The 17th Indian Division counter-attacks South of Imphal. 17/05/1944 Merrill’s 'Marauders' take Myitkyina airfield after a three-week, 100-mile, Jungle march. 23/05/1944 Chinese forces counter-attack in central China, and also make ground along the Burma Road. 26/05/1944 The Japanese launch a two-pronged attack from Canton and Hankow. 27/05/1944 Start of the monsoon season bogs down operations in Burma. 02/06/1944 The British 2nd Division begins its advance to relieve Imphal as the Japanese renew attacks on Bishenpur. The Chinese besiege Myitkyina, near the Chinese border in northern Burma. 03/06/1944 The Japanese rearguard at Kohima retreats, ending a 64 day battle. 04/06/1944 The first B29 (Superfortress) combat mission is made against the Bangkok railway. 07/06/1944 The British 2nd Division is now only 55 miles from Imphal. 18/06/1944 The British 2nd Division manages to advance 14 miles towards Imphal. 20/06/1944 The Japanese retreat from Imphal in Manipur towards the Burmese frontier. 22/06/1944 The British 2nd Division and 5th Indian Division meet on the Kohima-Imphal road, which is now completely clear of Japanese, lifting the 88-day siege of Imphal. The 'Chindits' begin an offensive on Mogaung in northern Burma. 26/06/1944 The Chindits take Mogaung, with Chinese help. 01/07/1944 The Japanese Imphal-Kohima survivors are encircled at Ukrul. 07/07/1944 China enters the seventh year of ‘The Double Seven War’, which started on 7/7/1937. 08/07/1944 The Japanese Fifteenth Army is ordered to retreat to the Chindwin after losing 53,000 men and 17,000 horses since the 7th March. 09/07/1944 All Japanese resistance in the Ukhrul area on India-Burma border crushed by the British. 03/08/1944 General Stilwell's troops, the NCAC, with the help of reinforcements, succeed in securing the town of Myitkyina in North Eastern Burma, but the 600 surviving Japanese are evacuated after holding out for 79 days. 05/08/1944 The British capture Tamu, across the Burmese border. 16/08/1944 Japanese resistance in Northeast India ends. 27/08/1944 The last Chindits are evacuated from behind Japanese lines in Burma. 28/08/1944 The British 36th Division takes Pinbaw, in northern Burma, during a monsoon advance from Mogaung. 15/10/1944 The British and Chinese begin an offensive from Myitkyina to Bhamo in northern Burma. 19/10/1944 The British capture an important Japanese supply depot at Mohnyin in Burma. 06/11/1944 The Chinese 22nd Division crosses the Irrawaddy in northern Burma. 02/12/1944 The British 11th East African Division takes Kalewa and advance to the Chindwin from India. 06/12/1944 The Japanese capture Tushan, South of the Nationalist capital of Chungking. 15/12/1944 The Chinese finally take Bhamo itself in northern Burma after the Japanese evacuate at night. The 19th Indian Division meets the British 36th Infantry Division at Indaw, making the first connected front in Burma. 18/12/1944 Eighty-four B29s bomb Hankow, which remains alight three days after. 27/12/1944 British troops reach Foul Point in Arakan.