The battle of Kohima effectively ended the Japanese plan to invade India and was describe by Earl Mountbatten as "probably one of the greatest battles in history".
Kohima is a hill town in Nagaland, 5,000 ft above sea level in the middle of the Naga Hills, and between April 4 and June 22, 1944, Allied forces brought the Japanese hordes to a halt.
Despite being hampered by monsoon rain and treacherous terrain, they succeeded in taking Kohima during hand-to-hand fighting that famously culminated on the District Commissioner's tennis court.
But victory came at a horrifying cost in men's lives - more than 4,000 British and Indian soldiers died together with nearly twice as many Japanese troops.
Today remaining survivors that could make the journey, many in their 90s, held their annual memorial service and wreath-laying at York Minster and at the Kohima Memorial in the Minster Gardens.
Those that fell in the battle 66 years ago were remembered by a minute's silence and a bugler from the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band sounded the Last Post and Reveille.
The service was conducted by the Reverend Peter Eagles, the Assistant Chaplain General of the 2 Division. Readings were given by the commanding officer of 2 Signal Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Knott and Regimental Sergeant Major Alastair Combe.
[ via thenorthernecho ]
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