13th August 1945

This Saturday is VJ Day. To commemorate this, I am looking back at my father’s experiences with the 5th Indian Division in Burma 75 years ago. On this day August 13th 1945, dad’s regiment are based at Taunggyi and involved in The Battle of the Breakout. The ‘Forgotten Army’ are stopping the escaping Japanese around the Irrawaddy Valley and the Shan Hills east of Meiktila. Dad’s regiment is instructed to 'destroy all enemy'. On the 11th  August 1945, news had reached his regiment of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. But the Japanese are still fighting back. In the 4th Field Royal Artillery Diary it has:

“ D Troop 522 Battery moved out to support 1 Sikh operating against LOMG KA LR. The road is known to be bad; in parts nothing better than a bullock cart track, but owing to insufficient troops, JAPS cannot be dislodged from hills around LOMG KA”.

A reconnaissance patrol returned to headquarters at Taunggyi at 13:45 hrs, and reported that the village of Namhkok (see map) now contained 300 Japanese soldiers. At 16:00 hrs ‘D Troop’ reported that the road was impassable after Mile Stone 4 and all their guns had to be winched back three miles! The troops were finally in position at 23:00 hrs. But night patrols reported that the hills around Hopong and the Namhkok Road were still held by the Japanese. More tomorrow.