‘Second Arakan 1943-44’, lecture delivered by Tim Moreman
The hard-fought Second Arakan campaign was a second attempt by Allied arms to advance in the coastal Arakan region in western Burma. It shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility that had crippled the Allied cause and offered the prospect of successful offensive operations. Tim Moreman examines the range of actions that made up Second Arakan, from XV Indian Corps’ push down the Burmese coast towards Akyab Island to the key events of the Japanese Ha-Go operation launched by Twenty-Eighth Army. These include the Battle of the Admin Box near Sinweyza, where the surrounded 7th Indian Division inflicted a serious defeat on the Japanese 55th Division; the reinforcement of Imphal and Kohima; and the seizure of Razabil, the Tunnels and Point 551 between March and May 1944.
Dr Tim Moreman is a freelance military historian who was formerly a Lecturer in War Studies at King’s College, London, and briefly Resident Historian at the Staff College at Camberley. His books on the Indian Army include Second Arakan 1943–44: Shattering the Myth of Japanese Invincibility (2025), Japanese Conquest of Burma 1942 and Chindit 1942-45.
This online lecture is presented by The British in India Historical Trust. Lectures are recorded and are available online for two weeks for those unable to attend and those in different time zones. For more information and to book tickets, please visit: https://www.britishinindia.org.uk/2024-25-zoom-lectures