Road of Bones (72 page)

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Authors: Fergal Keane

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Naga, love for 57, 225

Naga, on post-war 408, 439

paternalist 34

post-war life 439, 440, 441

publicity/press 362–3

refugees, assists 29, 30, 45, 212, 363–4

Richards and 181, 182, 212

withdrawal of West Kent’s from Kohima, reaction to 222, 223

Pearl Harbor 5, 9, 76, 80, 142, 325

Pearson, Squadron Leader Alec ‘Fatty’ 321–2, 325

Pegu 144–5

Percival, Arthur 172

Perowne, Brigadier Lancelot 399

Persse, Colonel ‘Atte’ 81

Phan, Phanit 294

Phek village 161, 162

Phizo, A.Z. 440

Powell, G. R. 4

Pownall, Lieutenant General Sir Henry 170–1, 279–80, 369

Prendergast, Professor W. H. 13, 35

Prince of Wales
, HMS 10

Pulebadze, Mount 33, 220, 234

psychology, soldier 22, 28, 60, 83, 279, 309, 321–2, 333, 344, 345, 429

Quit India campaign 43, 43n, 69

Radice, Captain H. L. T. 45, 46

RAF 10, 19, 20, 23, 42, 90, 133, 177, 178–9, 214, 218, 235, 292, 296, 304, 321, 322–3, 325, 337, 368, 380, 407

Ramsden, Private Benjamin 24–5, 25n

Randle, Captain Jack 379

Randolph, Reverend Roy 123, 240, 299–300, 345, 357, 361–2, 418

Rangoon 1–4, 5, 6, 10–12, 13, 16, 18, 23, 78, 91, 105, 114, 117, 147, 281, 411, 415, 417

Ranking, General R.P.L. 184, 185, 212, 213, 213n, 222, 223, 224n, 437

Rawlley, Major Naveen 344, 345, 348

Razabil 124–9, 134

Rees, Corporal 266, 269

Repulse
, HMS 10

Reynolds, Dick 385

Richards, Colonel Hugh 442, 459

after Kohima 411

courage 303

Dimapur 367

early life and family 180, 181

First World War 181, 183

Jessami 211–12, 213, 213n, 217–18

Jessami and Kharasom, rescinds ‘last man’ order and sends 161 Brigade to aide evacuation of 211–12, 213, 213n

John Young, on 216

Kohima, command of garrison 180–5, 222, 223, 224–5, 224n, 225, 226, 230–1, 238–9, 241, 244–7, 245n, 248, 250, 251, 252, 255, 257, 264, 267, 278, 279, 283, 299, 311, 319, 328, 335, 336, 344, 346, 352–3, 433–7

Kohima, visits men in trenches 303–4, 350

Kohima command, questions over 182–5, 244–7, 252, 433–7

Kohima garrison, assumes command of 180–5

Kohima withdrawal orders (‘202 Area Operation Instruction No. 3’) 224–5

Laverty and 244–7, 329, 433–7

Pawsey and 181, 182, 383

personality 180

post-war life 437

tactics 245, 304

Rino, Rhizotta 294

Roberts, Brigadier M. R. 435

Rommel, Erwin 62, 63, 64

Roosevelt, President Theodore xix, xx, 63, 77, 77n, 78–9, 80, 157, 171, 280, 369, 427

Royal Indian Air Force 325

Russia 4, 18, 109, 107, 109, 143, 422, 423

Rylah, Corporal E. 22

Ryuichi, General Shibata 394

Saito, Viscount Makoto 109

Sangnyu 56

Sangshak, battle of, 1944 193–5, 196–210, 233, 235, 258, 339

battle delays Japanese advance by six days 209

British retreat from 206–8

British underestimate strength of Japanese force 194–5, 201

casualties 198, 202–4, 209, 209n, 278, 291

command of, British 193–4, 206–7, 209–10

defences 193–4, 211

Japanese attack on 197–8, 199–200, 202–7, 288

prisoners, Japanese treatment of 208

strength of garrison 193, 193n, 194, 199

supply problems 193, 198–9, 200–1, 204, 207

Sato, Fumiko 143, 422

Sato, Goro xvi, 143–4, 145, 421, 422, 423

Sato, Haruyo 141–2

Sato, Lieutenant General Kotuku xv–xvi, 146, 153–4, 163, 212, 236, 249, 291, 350, 364, 459

advance into India, prepares for 153–4

appearance 144–5

army career xvi, 142–3

birth, childhood and family xv, 141–4, 145

Burma 144

Chindwin to Kohima march 153–4

death 423

Dimapur, reaction to order to attack 291–2

drinker 143–4, 421–2

funeral xxi, 422–3

Imphal attack, outlook on possibility of 156, 291, 316, 319

Kohima, siege of xv, xvi, 235, 236, 249, 272, 279, 283, 287, 289–90, 291–2, 305, 316, 317, 319, 327, 338, 339, 350, 353, 364, 370, 371, 373, 378, 389

Kohima, withdrawal from 154, 389–95, 396

Mutaguchi and 141, 154, 289–92, 316, 319, 370–1, 389, 390, 392–4, 370, 371, 392–4, 404–5, 423

post-war life 421–3

premonitions of defeat 317, 319

relieved of command xvi, 404–5

retreat from Kohima to Chindwin 396–404,
414

sanity of xvi, 404–5

75th Regiment command 142–3

Shudo Akiyama and 144–5

soldiers, relationship with xv–xvii, 164, 421, 422, 423, 424

supply problems, outlines 31st Division’s 146, 148–9, 154, 166, 319, 324, 389, 390

Sato, Major Misao 21

Sato, Shigehiko 141–2

Sato, Tetsutaro 142

Sato, Yukiko 422

Satoru, Sergeant Yanagi 376

Saville, Lieutenant Colonel F. S. 68–9, 92, 95

Saya San 8

Scheie, Captain 170

Scoones, General Geoffrey 157, 175, 184, 210, 280, 368, 384, 387n

SEAC
362

Seagrave, Dr Gordon 16

Seaman, Lieutenant Harry 193, 201, 202, 204, 207, 209, 209n, 210

Seki, Lance Corporal Tukuo 374, 375, 376

Sendai Military Academy 154

Senior, George 373–4, 377

Shan 3

Shaw, Major 259, 261, 297, 300

Sheldon’s Corner 194

shell-shock 60, 309, 331, 429

Shipster, Major John xxi, 89–90, 132, 382, 429–30, 447

Shipster, Michael xxi

Short, Major Douglas 304

Siddiqi, Captain M.Y. 301

Siege
(Campbell) 434, 435, 436

Singapore 1, 10, 12n, 17, 77, 78, 84, 85, 106, 111, 174, 183, 281, 282, 379, 428

Singh, Sepoy Gian 88–9, 132

Sinzweya 130, 130n

Sittang bridge 20–2

Sittang River 19–22, 412

Slim, Lieutenant General Sir William ‘Bill’ 71, 81, 85, 90, 93, 156, 280, 339, 365, 366, 369, 373, 381, 385, 408, 427, 458

Admin Box, on victory at 134

anticipation of Japanese plans 168–9, 184n, 201, 222, 223–4, 224n, 278, 279, 283, 290, 291, 386

appearance 24

Arakan, plans offensive in 76, 79, 83–4, 90, 91, 104, 111, 115–16

Assam Regiments/Rifles, visits and congratulates 362

Bower, meets and praises work of 364–5

Burma, advance into 411, 415

Burma Corps, takes command of 23

Burma defeat and retreat, learns from 23, 26–8

Calvert court martial, intervenes to prevent 25n

childhood 24

Comilla headquarters 175, 273, 278, 339, 364, 367

Defeat Into Victory
79n, 116–17, 168, 184n, 224n, 387n, 436

Dimapur, considers likelihood of attack on 222, 223–4, 224n, 278, 279, 283, 290, 291

Dimapur, visits 185, 187

Giffard and 416, 417

Grover sacking and 386, 387, 387n

Hope-Thomson, praise for 209, 209n

Imphal Plain, plan to withdraw from Imphal and lure Japanese onto 157, 175, 175n, 235, 387n

INA, on 87

Indian Army, advocates reform of 88

Indian Army, realises importance of 84

Japanese crossing of the Chindwin, reaction to 120

Japanese plan to defeat British power in India, on 116–17

Japanese solider, comments on 75

Japanese tactics, derides 292, 318

jungle warfare, philosophy of 83–4

Kohima, plans to make a stand at 185–6, 279

Kohima garrison, appoints command of 184

Kohima operation, confidence in 278–9

Laverty, on response to 435, 436

loved by men 23

monsoon, fights through 395

Mountbatten and 80

psychology of solider, realises importance of 28, 83, 309, 429–30, 431

resists urge to strike Japanese first 156–7

re-supplying forces from air, strategy of 133

retreat to India 24, 26–7

Richards, praise for 435, 436

Sato, criticism of 292, 423

underestimates size of Japanese force 168–9, 201, 211, 212

V Force, on importance of 49

waits for Mutaguchi attack 156–7

Smith, Captain (later Major) Harry 67–8, 73, 138, 241, 247, 329, 331–2, 353–4, 357, 410–11

Smith, Lance Corporal W. 22

Smith, Sir Reginald Dorman 4, 7, 16

Snelling, General Alf ‘The Grocer’ 81

snipers 126, 135, 201, 206, 216, 229, 230, 251, 254, 255, 256, 262, 263, 268, 269, 298, 303, 306, 309, 310, 312, 319, 329, 334, 338, 344, 354, 355, 358, 379

Society of Friends (Quakers) Ambulance Unit 26, 26n

Stalin, Joseph 63

Stanford, Graham 362, 363

Steele, Private 342

Steyn, Lieutenant Pieter 158, 183, 328–9, 332, 346, 442

Stilwell, General ‘Vinegar Joe’ xx, 78n, 111, 165n, 169, 368

Stopford, Lieutenant General Montagu George North 184

background 172

command of Dimapur area, assumes 172

Dimapur more likely target of Japanese attack, decides 222, 223–4, 224n, 279, 283, 290, 316, 386

drives on commanders 272, 278, 313, 339–40, 365–7, 377, 384–5, 386

fires Grover 384–5, 386, 387, 458

Grover and 173, 272, 278, 313, 339–40, 365–7, 377, 381, 384–7

Kohima, plan to drive Japanese from 338

Kohima, pulls troops from 223–4, 224n

Slim and 175, 222, 223–4, 224n, 377, 387

Strand Hotel, Rangoon 1–2, 9

Street, Private Ray: Arakan 121, 122, 123, 125, 127, 135, 176

background 99

battlefield messenger 98

Burma 411, 412–13, 417–18

homecoming 428–9

India, arrival in 72–3

Kohima, arrival at 241, 243

Kohima, relieved at 355, 356

Kohima, siege of 247, 248–9, 251, 260, 261, 271, 300, 331, 337, 343

Naga people, on appearance of 220

supply operations: Allied 23, 28, 45, 73, 80, 81, 82, 83–4, 94, 111, 113, 115–16, 122, 123, 128–30, 133, 134, 136, 157, 161, 193, 200, 201–2, 204–5, 224, 227, 236, 240, 245, 278, 283, 288, 290, 302, 303, 304, 317, 321, 322, 324, 339, 352, 357, 364, 368, 377, 407, 420

Japanese xvii, xviii, 112–13, 114, 115, 116, 117, 134, 140, 143, 146, 147–50, 151, 152, 154, 155, 157, 158, 162–3, 166–8, 198–9, 204, 209n, 215, 233–5, 238, 265, 288, 291, 292, 319–20, 326, 328, 337–8, 373, 376–7, 389, 390, 393, 394, 395, 396–8, 402, 404

Swinson, Captain Arthur 71–2, 186, 187–8, 213n, 222, 224n, 273, 274, 275, 284, 294–5, 350, 355–6, 370n, 380, 385

Symes, George 282

Tacon, Sergeant ‘Butch’ 260, 262–3, 269, 357, 432

Takahashi, Korekiyo 109

Takeda, Prince 115

Tanner, Ralph 27

Tazoe, Lieutenant General 149

Tenshu
109

Terauchi, Count 116, 117, 118, 119, 389, 395

Thailand 3, 4, 9–10, 12, 141, 147, 150, 152

Thailand-Burma railway 147

Thanan Nala 402