17 November 1885
The Battle of Minhla
people Brigadier General GS White
A black letter day in Myanmar history is 17 November 1885. On that day, British and Indian forces under Brigadier General GS White took the Italian-designed fort at Minhla after unexpectedly fierce resistance from the Burmese garrison. Over a hundred Burmese were killed. The British side were armed for the first time with machine guns (recoil-operated Maxim guns). This was the first and only real battle of the Third Anglo-Burmese War. By the end of the month the Burmese kingdom was no more. The rather impressive Italian fort is still there, now inside Minhla town. This (rather gruesome) photo was taken just after the fighting on the western bank of the Irrawaddy.
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