How Britain Stopped the Japanese Invasion of India in World War Two

The Battles of Imphal and Kohima were a crucial turning point in the attempted Japanese invasion of India during World War Two. By October 1942 Singapore, Hong-Kong, Malaysia and Burma had all fallen to the Japanese; the Imperial army looked unbeatable. Yet it was then, when morale was at its lowest, that the new British commander Bill Slim set about reforming and rebuilding the Anglo-Indian British army. Slim aimed to revive Allied fortunes in the region – something many believed was an impossible task. Meanwhile, Japanese commander Renya Mutaguchi had ambitious plans of his own: the conquest of British India. To initiate this plan the Japanese first had to capture one key strategic town: Imphal, the gateway to India. The very close-run battles that followed - fought between March and July 1944 - were clashes on epic proportions as each side attempted to execute a master plan of their respective visionary generals. If they succeeded, Slim knew the British would have a strong base from where they coul