The Imperial General Headquarters decided to terminate the Imphal operation on July 4, 1944.
Japanese forces in Burma began this operation on March 8 when they attempted to invade Imphal in eastern India. The purpose of this operation was to cut off the Allied supply route to Chiang Kai-Shek and incite anti-British movements in British-ruled India. However, the Japanese forces neglected to procure adequate supplies, and as a result their soldiers suffered from malnutrition. The British counteroffensive inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese forces, forcing them to withdraw. The Imperial General Headquarters ordered the termination of the Imphal operation on July 4. It is said that 70,000 Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded during this operation. |
- Document 1 is issue No. 328 of Shashin Shuho, which was published on July 5, 1944. This issue featured articles about the fighting in China and Burma. The article in the third image carries the headline “Escalating air wars,” and it introduces reports from the Army’s Press Department of the Imperial General Headquarters about the B29 and other kinds of bombers flying from China, and the Ledo Road (road connecting China and India) and the Allied counteroffensive in Burma.
- Document 2 is an excerpt from the “Nanshi Nanyo Jiho (South China and South Seas Timely Report) No. 37,” a secret document created by the Foreign Affairs Department of the Government-General of Formosa on July 25, 1944. This document was strictly prohibited from being disclosed to outsiders. It provides information about Imphal, the Assam Railroad, the Ledo Road, and the history and culture of the Assam region.
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