



Battle of Rangoon

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseAs the Japanese defenses crumbled in central Burma, two separate forces raced for the glory of capturing Rangoon, the capital of the British colony. At Ceylon, Allied Supreme Commander Louis Mountbatten backed his Operation Dracula plan, which called for an amphibious assault on Rangoon. Meanwhile, General William Slim urged his troops to advance rapidly from central Burma as the final phase of his Operation Extended Capital plan. Slim's advance largely consisted of two Indian mechanized infantry divisions, the 5th and the 17th, both of which moved so fast that, on several occasions, they caught Japanese defenders unprepared. On 21 Apr 1945, Mountbatten announced that Operation Dracula was to be executed on 2 May, thus concretely setting a goal for Slim. Slim's offensive captured Toungoo, Penwegu, Daiku, and Allanmyo successively in the final week of Apr, while they also accepted the surrender of the 3,000-strong Japanese-sponsored 1st Division of the Indian National Army at Pyu, Burma on 23 Apr. On 27 Apr, British transports with Lieutenant General Philip Christison's Indian XV Corps aboard departed from Akyab and Ramree Islands in Arakan in western Burma, while the powerful British East Indies Fleet sailed from Trincomalee, Ceylon, setting Operation Dracula in motion. On the next day, 28 Apr, Slim's Operation Extended Capital met strong Japanese resistance at Pegu, which was designed by Japanese Major General Hideji Matsui to be the final stronghold north of Rangoon. The troops of Indian 17th Division captured Pegu, but they failed to secure it immediately. On 1 May, paratroopers of the Indian 50th Parachute Regiment dropped in the Rangoon region. Knowing that the bulk of the remaining Japanese forces in the Rangoon region had been wiped out at Pegu, Slim carelessly ordered his American pilot Captain Robert Fullerton to fly him and a small staff over Rangoon airspace so that he could claim to be the victor of the race. Japanese anti-aircraft fire peppered the aircraft, forcing them to turn back; Fullerton was wounded by shrapnel in the leg, and the injuries were so extensive that the leg would ultimately be amputated. On 2 May, as the Indian 17th Division began to cover the final 41 miles to reach Rangoon, Operation Dracula landed Major General Henry Chambers' Indian 26th Division, which would capture the city on the next day with minimal resistance. Mountbatten's Operation Dracula had beaten Slim's Operation Extended Capital in the race for the Burmese capital.

ww2dbaseAs early as 23 Apr 1945, the Japanese leadership in Burma had already known that Rangoon could not be held. Lieutenant General Hyotaro Kimura, despite orders to hold his ground from his superiors in Tokyo, ordered the evacuation of Rangoon to Moulmein across the Gulf of Martaban; this caused much confusion as he failed to provide the necessary details to keep his subordinates calm. Major General Matsui, defending Pegu, was furious at Kimura, who failed to communicate the evacuation order to the Pegu garrison until it was too late for Matsui to fall back.

ww2dbaseOn 6 May, the Battle of Rangoon officially ended as the Indian 26th Division made contact with the Indian 17th Division near Hlegu. The Allied offensive in Burma was generally regarded as over at this point, although fighting would continue as Anglo-Indian troops, British aircraft, and American aircraft continued to harass the Japanese troops attempting to escape Burma into neighboring Thailand. Meanwhile, many Anglo-Indian units saw their role converting to police duty, at least in May and Jun 1945, to contain the widespread looting and vigilantism that took place in Rangoon after the Japanese evacuated.

ww2dbaseSource:

Frank McLynn, The Burma Campaign



Last Major Update: Oct 2006

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