William Slim

Battles of Imphal and Kohima

The epic battles of Imphal and Kohima started on 4 April 1944 and ended with an Allied victory on 22 June 1944. They are considered by many to be the Asian equivalent of Stalingrad - pivotal battles that turned the tide of World War Two. These battles were Japan's greatest embarrassment during the war; if Japan had won and been able to push onwards from Imphal into Bengal, the histories of India and Burma - perhaps the whole world -...

Relationship Between Lt. General Slim and General Aung San

General Aung San crossed the Irrawaddy at Allanmyo on 15 May 1945 and then flew to Meiktila on 16 May to meet for the first time with Lt. General William Slim, commander of the British Fourteenth Army. With nearly one million men, the Fourteenth Army was the largest Commonwealth army anywhere during World War Two - a giant force of Indians, Africans, British, Gurkhas, Burmese, Canadians, Australians and others. By 16 May, the Fourteenth Army had already retaken Rangoon and...

Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day marks the anniversary of the fateful decision by the Burma National Army in March 1945 to revolt against the Japanese and side with the Allies. After a parade on 27 March in Rangoon, the BNA marched out of the city and began attacking Japanese positions in the delta and in the Pyinmana-Toungoo area (exactly where Napyitaw is now). The war in Burma was then nearly over. Nearly a million British, African, Indian, Gurkha, Chinese, and American troops...