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15th
January 1942 |
Units of the Japanese 55th
Division move into Burma north of Mergui.
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25th January
1942 |
General Wavell visiting
Rangoon, gives orders for the defence of Moulmein: the local commander
would prefer to make a tactical withdrawal.
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30th January
1942 |
The Japanese 55th Division
begin their attacks on Moulmein.
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10th February
1942 |
Japanese troops begin to
cross the Salween near to it's mouth at Martaban and Pa-an.
Reinforcements are ready to follow.
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15th February
1942 |
Because the Japanese are now
over the Salween in force, the outpost units of the 17th Indian Division
are pulled back west of the Bilin.
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16th - 19th
February 42 |
There is fighting along the
Bilin River as the Japanese continue their advance.
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21st February
1942 |
The 17th Indian Division
begins to fall back to the Sittang through Kyaikto.
(Click
here for wartime map of Burma)
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22nd February
1942 |
The 17th Indian Division
come under attack around Mokpalin on the River Sittang.
There is heavy fighting near the one bridge over the river.
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23rd February
1942 |
The only accessible bridge
over the Sittang is demolished leaving a large part of the 17th, cut off
on the east bank. Most of the mean manage to escape but all of the
heavy equipment is lost.
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25th February
1942 |
The ABDA Command is
dissolved. General Wavell again becomes Commander-In-Chief India - the
Dutch General, Ter Poqrten takes command in Java.
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|
26th February
1942 |
The Japanese infiltrate west
of the Sittang. They now threaten the Rangoon to Mandalay
railroad.
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1st March 1942 |
The Chinese 5th Army is
being concentrated around Toungoo on the Sittang, 150 miles from
Rangoon. Chennault's Flying Tigers who have done stirling work in
the defence of Rangoon, move to the R.A.F. bomber base at Magwe.
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5th March 1942 |
General Alexander arrives in
Rangoon to take command and orders counter attacks.
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6th March 1942 |
The counter attacks fail to
relieve Pegu. ALEXANDER CONFIRMS THE ORDER FOR THE EVACUATION OF
RANGOON.
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7th March 1942 |
RANGOON EVACUATED
British troops retiring north from here
and Pegu have to fight through road blocks on the way. As
Rangoon is the only significant port in Burma, all supplies for the
Allies must now come overland from India. Late in the day, units
of the Japanese 33rd Division occupy Rangoon.
(Click
here for wartime map of Burma)
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|
11th March 1942 |
General Stillwell is
appointed to command the Chinese 5th and 6th armies (the equivalent of
European Divisions0 presently concentrating around Mandalay and that
Shan States.
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19th March 1942 |
GENERAL SLIM ARRIVES IN
BURMA
'Uncle Bill' Slim takes operational
command of the British Forces now to be organised as the 1st Burma
Corps.
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24th March 1942 |
General Alexander and Chiang
Kai-Shek meet to discuss plans for the co-operation of the Chinese and
British Forces. The Japanese are attacking near Toungoo and are
achieving considerable success.
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27th March 1942 |
R.A.F. aircraft and the
remainder of the volunteer American squadrons are withdrawn from
Burma. The Japanese attacks on the Chinese 200th Division at
Toungoo continue.
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29th March 1942 |
At the request of General
Stillwell, British forces attack Boungoe to relieve pressure on the
Chinese at Toungoo.
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1st April 1942 |
The Chinese troops at
Toungoo are forced to continue their retreat. The British are
heavily attacked at Prome. The British Burma Corps retreats
from Prome to avoid being surrounded.
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3rd April 1942 |
MANDALAY
is heavily bombed. The British forces continue to withdraw
up the Irrawaddy River.
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| 6th April 1942 |
Chiang Kai-Shek visits the
Chinese Divisions and gives orders for the defence of positions around
Pyinmana in the Sittang Valley.
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| 7th April 1942 |
The Japanese 18th Division
(Infantry) arrives in Rangoon by sea from Singapore.
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| 9th April 1942 |
The British take positions
between Taungdwingyi and Minhla on the Irrawaddy. Both the Allied
and the Japanese are preparing offensives, but the Japanese are ready
first because they have been more quickly reinforced.
(Click
here for wartime map of Burma)
|
| 11th April 1942 |
The new Japanese offensive
begins with attacks on the British positions.
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| 12th April 1942 |
Despite receiving help from
the 38th Chinese Division, the British positions on the Irrawaddy are
threatened by the Japanese capture of Migyaungye.
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| 13th April 1942 |
BRITISH COMMAND:
Rear Admiral Lord Mountbatten, despite his junior rank, has been
appointed Chief of Combined Operations with a seat on the British Chiefs
of Staff Committee. This appointment, only now announced, has been
effective since the 18th March.
BURMA:
The Japanese achieve a breakthrough in the British defences. Allied
forces take new positions at Magwe. The Chinese 6th Army
previously positioned in the Shan States, is ordered back to Mandalay.
MOUNTAIN BATTERY
click on photograph for larger view
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|
The demolition of oil
installations around Yenangyaung is begun in order to deny them to the
Japanese.
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15th April 1942 |
Following their breakthrough
on the 13th April, the Japanese continue to drive northward isolating one
of Slim's divisions.
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17th April 1942 |
Unsuccessful attempts are made
to relieve the 1st Burma Division trapped around the Magwe. Further
north, the Japanese hold the main road in the Irrawaddy Valley at
Yanangyaung. The Chinese forces in the Sittang Valley and at
Mauchi come under heavy pressure.
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|
18th April 1942 |
The Chinese 55th Division
retreating from Mauchi is effectively destroyed by the Japanese 56th
Division. This leaves to road to Lashio undefended at the
moment. In the Sittang Valley, the Chinese are forced to withdraw.
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|
20th April 1942 |
The British and Chinese forces
retreat in both the Irrawaddy and the Sittang Valleys.
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21st April 1942 |
There is heavy fighting near
Taunggyi in which the Chinese 6th Army is engaged.
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22nd April 1942 |
British forces including the
7th Armoured Brigade, take up positions around Meiktila. Chinese
troops of 200 Division are sent from there to bolster the position at
Taunggyi, but inattention to General Stillwell's orders makes this
position dangerous.
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23rd April 1942 |
The remains of the Chinese 6th
Army begins to retreat from Taunggyi towards Yunnan Province. The
Allied forces in the Sittang and Irrawaddy Valleys are forced to retreat
because the Japanese 56th Division has forged on from Taunggyi towards
Lashio, threatening the left flank of the Allied Armies.
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25th April 1942 |
Although the Japanese fail to
hold Taunggyi, which is now defended by the Chinese 6th Army, they
continue to move towards Lashio. To the west, General
Alexander orders that the forces around Meiktila should withdraw north of
the Irrawaddy.
(Click
here for wartime map of Burma)
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|
28th April 1942 |
The Chinese 28th Division now
moving from Mandalay, is ordered to defend Lashio.
|
|
THE PRESSURE INCREASES
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|
29th April 1942 |
The Japanese enter Lashio.
China is now cut off by land and all supplies from the allies must go by
air. General Alexander decides to withdraw to new positions in the
Chindwin and Irrawaddy Valleys.
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|
30th April 1942 |
After withdrawing north of the
Irrawaddy, British forces destroy the bridge at Ava.
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|
1st May 1942 |
MANDALAY FALLS TO THE JAPANESE |
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|
|
4th May 1942 |
Akyab is evacuated by the
British. Chinese forces are defeated at Wanting on the Burma
Road and at Bhambo on the Irrawaddy.
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|
5th May 1942 |
General Stilwell in Burmas
with his Chinese troops, learns of the true extent of the Japanese advance
further north of the Irrawaddy and decides that his forces should retire
towards India and not China. The Japanese have in fact entered China
via the Burma Road.
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|
11th May 1942 |
Part of the retreating British
forces fight a sharp action at Kalewa before continuing on to the Imphal
area.
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13th May 1942 |
Japanese troops pursuing the
Chinese 6th Army, cross the Salween on the way to Kentung.
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|
15th May 1942 |
THE FIRST BRITISH TROOPS reach
India in the retreat from Burma. British casualties from the
campaign have been about 30,000 from a force of 45,000. Many
of these casualties have been Burmese deserters. The Chinese
losses cannot be computed but mush have been enormous. There were
about 95,000 Chinese engaged but only one formation, the 38th, remained a
viable fighting unit. The Japanese losses of LESS THAN 8,000 reflect
their superior training, tactics, equipment and air power. With the
monsoon season beginning, the Japanese can be well satisfied with having
so rapidly overrun Burma, and with the cutting off of China from surface
communications.
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25th May 1942 |
Part of the Chinese 38th
Division manage to reach India.
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|
15th July 1942 |
INDIA AND CHINA
The first supplies flown 'over the hump'
reach Chiang Kai-Shek's forces.
(Click
here for wartime map of Burma)
|
|
17th October 1942 |
BURMA
Orders are given to the 14th Indian
Division, advancing slowly into the Arakan, to reach a line between
Rathedaung and Buthidaung, by the start of December in preparation for
further operations towards Akyab.
CLICK HERE for the Order of Battle for the 1st Arakan Campaign
|
|
23rd October 1942 |
The bulk of the British forces
have advanced to Cox's Bazaar, but forward units have reached Buthidaung.
They come into contact with a Japanese formation which has pushed up from
Akyab. After a brief fight, the Japanese hold the position.
|
|
17th November
1942 |
General Wavell decided to
cancel the proposed major amphibious operation against Akyab, and instead,
on the 19th November, issues orders for a more limited advance by the 14th
Indian Division down the Mayu Peninsular, perhaps to be followed by a
shorter seaborne operation against Akyab.
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|
30th November
1942 |
The advance of the British
123rd Brigade in the Arakan has now reached Bawli Bazaar. Terrible
weather which would normally be expected to clear during November, has
been impeding the advance and making road conditions difficult.
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|
16th December
1942 |
In the Arakan, British forces
have assembled two brigades to attack the Japanese lines between Maungdaw
and Buthidaung, but the Japanese forces pull out before the blow can
fall. They move south to a more defensible line between Gwedauk and
Kondon.
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|
21st December
1942 |
The British forces advancing
towards Akyab, capture Alethankgyaw.
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|
22nd December
1942 |
General Lloyd orders his 47th
Brigade, to advance down both sides of the Mayu Peninsular whilst the
123rd Brigade is to send the bulk of it's force towards Rathedaung.
A small detachment is to move farther inland in the direction of Kyauktaw.
These dispositions are less than ideal because of the dispersions they
bring about.
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|
24th December
1942 |
The Japanese advances in two
areas of the Chin Hills are repelled by Allied troops.
|
|
25th December
1942 |
Patrols from the 123rd Brigade
reach Rathddaung and report that the Japanese have moved out: in
fact this is not the case and Japanese re-inforcements are on their way.
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|
27th/28th
December 42
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|
Part of the 123rd Indian
Brigade tries to occupy Rathedaung but is thrown back by the recently
reinforced Japanese there.
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