Burma Area Army

Burma Area Army. The Burma Area Army was a major field army of the Imperial Japanese Army established in March 1943 to command all Japanese ground forces in the Burma campaign of World War II. It was formed from the previous Southern Expeditionary Army Group headquarters to better coordinate the defense of Japanese-occupied Burma against Allied offensives. The army was headquartered in Rangoon and played a central role in the critical and disastrous Operation U-Go offensive into India. Ultimately, it was forced into a protracted retreat by the Allied Fourteenth Army and was disbanded following Japan's surrender.

History

The Burma Area Army was officially formed on 27 March 1943, as the strategic situation in the Southeast Asian theatre evolved following initial Japanese conquests. Its creation elevated the command structure in Burma, which had been under the umbrella of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group based in Saigon. This reorganization reflected the growing importance of the Burma campaign as a frontline against the British Empire and its allies, including forces from British India. The army's establishment coincided with the formal grant of nominal independence to the State of Burma under Ba Maw, though the area army retained ultimate military control. Its history is defined by the failed attempt to invade India in 1944 and the subsequent defensive collapse against the powerful Allied counter-offensives in 1945.

Organization

The Burma Area Army was a theater-level command directly subordinate to the Southern Expeditionary Army Group. Its principal subordinate field armies were the Fifteenth Army, responsible for the central front including Imphal, and the Twenty-Eighth Army, which held the coastal Arakan region and later the southern front. Other major formations under its command at various times included the Second Division, Thirty-first Army (briefly), and the Thirty-third Army, activated in 1944 for the defense of northern Burma and the Burma Road. It also coordinated with the air units of the Fifth Air Division and later the Fourth Air Army, and exercised authority over the Indian National Army under Subhas Chandra Bose.

Commanders

The first commander of the Burma Area Army was General Masakazu Kawabe, who had previously led the Central China Expeditionary Army. Kawabe was in command during the planning and execution of the pivotal Operation U-Go. Following the failure of that offensive, he was replaced in September 1944 by General Heitarō Kimura, a veteran of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Kimura, who had served as Vice-Minister of War, commanded the army through its disastrous retreat from central Burma and the final battles around Rangoon. The senior staff officer for much of its existence was Lieutenant General Eitarō Naka, who played a key role in operational planning.

Operations

The Burma Area Army's most significant operation was the 1944 Operation U-Go, the invasion of India targeting Imphal and Kohima, which was executed by the Fifteenth Army. This offensive culminated in the devastating Battle of Imphal and Battle of Kohima, resulting in catastrophic Japanese losses. Thereafter, its operations were largely defensive, attempting to hold against the Allied advance under William Slim. In 1945, it fought a series of losing battles, including the Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay, which shattered its defensive lines. The army conducted a general retreat southward, attempting to make a stand at the Sittang River, but was ultimately unable to prevent the capture of Rangoon in Operation Dracula.

Disbandment

The Burma Area Army effectively ceased to function as a coherent force after the fall of Rangoon in May 1945, with its remnants retreating toward Moulmein and into the Tenasserim Hills. It was formally disbanded on 15 August 1945, following the surrender of Japan. General Heitarō Kimura surrendered the remaining forces to the Allied command at Rangoon in September. After the war, Kimura was tried and convicted by the Allied war crimes tribunal in Yokohama for his responsibility in the deaths of prisoners of war during the construction of the Burma Railway.

Category:Imperial Japanese Army area armies Category:Military units and formations established in 1943 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Category:Burma in World War II