Why did the Japanese army of 100,000 troops not be able to fight after a battle?
The main thing is that the beating was too painful and too bad.
The Japanese army began to launch an offensive of about 100,000 people, and as a result, more than 53,000 people died or disappeared in the battle, and they were defeated and returned to the original place of departure of the attack, no longer having the combat effectiveness of a campaign corps, and the entire Japanese army embarked on the end of defeat.
The Japanese military later concluded: "The burmese war situation turned around with the tragic Battle of Imphal, leading to the fate of total collapse." ”
After that, the main force of the Japanese army in Burma was dealt a devastating blow, and the initiative of the Burmese war situation was completely transferred to the hands of the Allies, which not only completely relieved the threat of India being attacked, but also had a positive impact on the war situation on the Asian continent, including China.
So, why was the Japanese army beaten so badly?
Let's take a quick break.
First, when the Japanese attacked India, their opponents were not Indians, but British.
We should know that India was a British colony at that time.
Moreover, the clashes across India caused by the non-violent non-cooperation movement in August 1942 had caused the Anglo-Indian rulers to lose the hearts and minds of the Indians, and by the time japan marched to India, more than 42,000 Indian soldiers in the Anglo-Indian forces had come to help the Japanese fight the British.
Why did the Japanese invade India?
Because, this is what "Hitler asked for by name".
After the end of the Battle of Kursk and Guadalcanal in 1943, the Axis powers had lost the initiative on the battlefield, and in order to reverse the unfavorable situation, Hitler, in the case of his own lack of strength, demanded that the Japanese army launch an offensive in India, disrupt the deployment of the Allied forces, and get the opportunity to turn the tide of the war again.
In order to disperse the attack of the American forces in the south, destroy britain's most important overseas bases, and realize the Japanese-German division, the Japanese side wanted to occupy India, that is, on January 7, 1944, with the order of "Mainland Finger No. 1776", issued an Imphal battle plan codenamed "U".
The Japanese command was Lieutenant General Mutaguchi Ryoya, known as "Kotojo".
This man was a war maniac.
During the "July 7 Incident", he served as the commander of the First Wing of the Infantry Brigade of the Chinese Garrison Army of the Japanese Army invading China, and on July 7, he issued an order to open fire on the Chinese defenders, and was the direct culprit in provoking the "July 7 Incident" conflict. In the early morning of the 8th, when the Chinese side refused to let the Japanese army enter Wanping City to search, he fired the first shot at the Lugou Bridge and personally ignited the war.
Because of this, Emperor Hirohito personally awarded him the Order of the Golden Eagle of the Third Class and promoted him to major general. Soon after, he was promoted to lieutenant general and incorporated into the Confederate Army to participate in Pacific operations.
Although Mutaguchi is also belligerent, his brain is not bright. When we look at the reasons for his ranks of major general and lieutenant general, we know that the gold content in it is to be discounted.
Mutaguchi's belligerence was reflected in his words, in addition to being reflected in the action of firing the first shot of the Lugou Bridge.
Let's take a look at the high theories he posted.
Before the Battle of Imphal, he boasted from the sky: "When it comes to the Great East Asian War, that is my responsibility. It was I who gave the order to fire the first shot at the Lugou Bridge, so I must try to resolve this war as soon as possible. ”
At that time, Chief of Staff Obata opposed the launch of the operation on the grounds of insufficient logistical supplies.
Mutaguchi also sneered, "You can't fight without supplies?" What a joke! The Japanese army can endure any hardship. Food can be taken from the enemy. ”
It should be said that Mutaguchi also did not pay enough attention to logistical supplies, which was also composed by Japan's national conditions and the fierceness and bravery of the Japanese army.
Japan belongs to the island nation, and its domestic resources are far from enough to support such a large-scale war across several countries, and they mainly rely on the war to feed the war and "seize from the enemy."
The Japanese soldiers were fierce and brave, and they had always achieved this goal.
But this time it was an exception.
Their opponent was Lieutenant General Joseph Slim, commander of the British 14th Army.
Slim is experienced in combat, bold and careful, and good at catching the weaknesses of the enemy.
In this battle, he seized the weakness of the Insufficient Supply Line of the Japanese Army, firmly occupied the initiative of the war, and consumed and consumed the Japanese Army.
So, when the Japanese army was running out of food and hunger, Akisuke Sōsa Sōuchi recalled what Mutaguchi had said before the battle: "We have discussed the details of this operation in detail and resolved them all. Therefore, success should be obvious", and he could not help but feel angry and intimidated, saying: "The details discussed by His Excellency the Commander of the Army do not seem to take into account the resistance of the enemy. ”
In fact, before crossing the Chinton River, the commander of the 31st Division, Sato Division, looked at the soldiers who had only three days' rations, had a premonition of defeat, and his heart was both angry and sad, and he said to the soldiers "generously": "Gentlemen, tonight we are going to start crossing the Chinton River. Before that, I have something to say to everyone, please listen! As long as no miracle occurs, your lives will be lost in the upcoming battle. But instead of falling under the bullets, most of you will starve to death in the Arakan Mountains. Please be mentally prepared! ”
Ironically, after receiving a telegram from the Japanese troops at the front asking for food replenishment, Mutaguchi, who was sitting in the rear, replied: "The Japanese have been herbivorous peoples since ancient times." Surrounded by such a dense jungle, you report a lack of food? What's going on! ”
When he heard that the commander of the Sato Division had left the army because of the inability to keep up with the supplies, he summoned all the personnel of the headquarters to conduct a lecture: "Gentlemen, the commander of the Sato Division has violated the military order and abandoned the Kohima front without authorization. Because they could not fight without food, they retreated without permission. Can such a person still be called an 'imperial army'? Even if the 'imperial army' has no food, it must continue to fight. Can't fight without weapons, ammunition and food? This must not be justified! ...... If there are no bullets, aren't there bayonets? If you don't have a bayonet, you still have a fist. If you don't have a fist, you can kick it with your feet. Even if all this is gone, can't you still bite with your teeth? ...... Don't forget the Yamato Soul that Japanese men should have! Japan is a divine state, and the gods will surely bless us..."
Since the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese army has fought the American army and the British army in Southeast Asia, and the fight is handy. Among them, the British army lost Hong Kong, lost Singapore, lost Burma...
Therefore, Mutaguchi also took it for granted that the British army lost India, and declared before the war: "The army has now reached the point of invincibility in the world, and the day when the sun flag will declare our victory in India is not far away." ”
He even made a big fuss and did not leave a way back for himself, saying: "If this imphal operation is not successful and cannot be promoted to general of the army, I will never return to Japan." ”
Mutaguchi Lian also sold tooth flowers here to sell a refreshing taste, but the Japanese troops on the front line were miserable.
Lewis Pew, commander of the British 33rd Brigade, recalled: "Our brigade was between the Japanese troops who had retreated with a large number of wounded and sick and their nearest destination, Ukrul. The enemy has no hope, they have no food, no medicine, nothing. They are weak and their mouths are stuffed with weeds. ”
In the end, due to famine and disease, the Japanese army retreated, and was beaten by the British army with a butt, and the corpses were all over the field, and the army collapsed.
The British soldier described what he had witnessed of the defeated: "Everywhere there were barefoot corpses, soldiers lying on the mud like skeletons; transport vehicles and burned tanks that were bombed on the way; guns, ammunition and military equipment thrown to the ground by exhausted soldiers." ”
Mutaguchi excused himself to return to China, saying, "I don't think the Battle of Imphal was a lost battle. It was precisely because of the attack on Imphal that the enemy did not take all of Burma. If Pal hadn't been attacked at that time, the Burmese theater would not be able to do it now. ”
How can people be so shameless?
It was not until his later years that Mu Tiankou's mind matured, realized his naivety, and wrote a letter of apology.
But in any case, the Japanese army regarded it as a plague god, calling it "ghost animal Mutaguchi".
Slim, the victorious general, was promoted to general in 1945 and succeeded Marshal Montgomery as chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1948.
The Battle of Imphal is probably the greatest battle in the history of the British army.
However, under the open struggle between the two giants of Britain and the United States, who loved and killed each other, the Americans hoped to break the British international colonial system and try their best to deal with this significant victory in a low-key manner, so that they were not famous in the history of world wars.
However, in recent years, the National Museum of British Military Personnel has launched a popular survey, based on the political, historical and cultural impact of the campaign, as well as the military strength and strategic tactics invested by both sides, the most influential battle in the United Kingdom was selected, and the most vote-received was the "Battle of Imphal-Cohima".