British Forces

"Forgotten Army" shows its teeth ...

Getty.

... "dentures" would be unkind and unfair. M3 medium tank (British "General Grant") variant crosses a river at Imphal, Burma, during the related battles of Kohima and Imphal that broke the power of the Japanese in Burma, 1944. The battles were provoked by a "last throw" Japanese offensive towards India. The overall position (for the Japanese, at least) was further complicated by an advance into the area of Chinese troops under the effective command of US general Stilwell, although this did not directly touch the Kohima-Imphal "triangle". After fierce fighting - during which British and Indian troops were very hard put to hold their positions - the Empire forces won out, suffering some 15,000 casualties in the process. Japanese fatalities are estimated close to 55,000. The road to the subsequent total Japanese collapse in South-East Asia was clear to all from then on. Britain's "Forgotten Army" in Burma could fairly complain that they were very much at the end of the line for new equipment. On the other hand, a tough, reasonably well armored, hard-hitting M3 could be pretty useful "up the jungle", bearing the need for artillery-type capacity, and the limited abilities of opposing tanks. Best regards, JR.