The Battle of Myitkyina During World War II, a major battle took place between the Japanese and American forces which would come to be known as the Battle of Myitkyina. This battle lasted from March 15, 1944 to August 3, 1944 and took place mainly on the Ava Bridge located in the Northern Burma Region. The Battle of Myitkyina resulted in the Myitkyina Airfield being seized which was the last remaining stronghold controlled by the Japanese forces. This battle would prove to be a decisive factor for victory in the Norther Burma Region as the destruction of the Ava Bridge would prove fatal for the enemy’s foot hold. Merrill’s Marauders would succeed in causing disruptions required to throw their enemy into confusion by successfully maneuvering
…show more content…
The Japanese forces were commanded by Lt. General Mutaguchi. Lt. General Mutaguchi was a graduate from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, and would later in life take over as the Commandant of his Almer Mater. Although he was wounded in an earlier battle Lt. General Mutaguchi rose to take command of the 18th Army,which operated in Burma. During the later phase of the Battle of Myitkyina, he was relieved of command mostly because he failed to listen to his subordinates. At times during the battle, his battlefield commanders requested to withdraw from the area. Lt. General Mutaguchi would not accept their request and his men suffered great casualties. After being relieve of command, General Mizukami took command of the 18th Imperial Army. He never could overcome the grave circumstances he was dealt and eventually order the town to be evacuated except those Soldiers who were mortally wounded; they were to stay behind and fight until their last breath. General Mizukami took his own life refusing to be taken as a Prisoner of …show more content…
These Soldiers were broken up into small 400 men teams, and trained in the art of guerrilla warfare. Once being fully trained they were sent out to the jungles of Burma to fight with little to no support. “They had to carry their supplies on their backs and on pack mules, and their resupply was done by airdrops in the middle of the jungle.” (History, 2009) Merrill’s Marauders teams used a color code system to easily identify which team the individual soldier belonged, which minimized confusion on the battlefield. Colors chosen for the teams were red, green, white, blue, orange and tan, which are now used on the flash for the 75th Ranger
The Japanese forces were commanded by Lt. General Mutaguchi. Lt. General Mutaguchi was a graduate from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, and would later in life take over as the Commandant of his Almer Mater. Although he was wounded in an earlier battle Lt. General Mutaguchi rose to take command of the 18th Army,which operated in Burma. During the later phase of the Battle of Myitkyina, he was relieved of command mostly because he failed to listen to his subordinates. At times during the battle, his battlefield commanders requested to withdraw from the area. Lt. General Mutaguchi would not accept their request and his men suffered great casualties. After being relieve of command, General Mizukami took command of the 18th Imperial Army. He never could overcome the grave circumstances he was dealt and eventually order the town to be evacuated except those Soldiers who were mortally wounded; they were to stay behind and fight until their last breath. General Mizukami took his own life refusing to be taken as a Prisoner of …show more content…
These Soldiers were broken up into small 400 men teams, and trained in the art of guerrilla warfare. Once being fully trained they were sent out to the jungles of Burma to fight with little to no support. “They had to carry their supplies on their backs and on pack mules, and their resupply was done by airdrops in the middle of the jungle.” (History, 2009) Merrill’s Marauders teams used a color code system to easily identify which team the individual soldier belonged, which minimized confusion on the battlefield. Colors chosen for the teams were red, green, white, blue, orange and tan, which are now used on the flash for the 75th Ranger