|
I. REINFORCEMENT POLICY.
16. Reinforcements. The first reinforcement to reach Burma was the 46 Indian Infantry Brigade which arrived towards the end of January in time to take part in the fighting west of the River Salween. It consisted of young troops and had been destined for Iraq where it was intended it should complete its training. It was not really fit for active operations without further training and had no experience in jungle warfare.
The only other reinforcements in sight from India consisted of six Indian battalions which it was intended to withdraw from the frontier and equip on the lower scale for service overseas. These eventually constituted the 48 Indian Infantry Brigade, consisting entirely of Gurkhas which arrived about ist February, and did very good work on the Bilin River, and the 63 Indian Infantry Brigade, which arrived just before the fall of Rangoon. Two East African Brigades which had done excellent service in the Italian campaign, were accepted by India for service in Burma, one to arrive at the end of January and one a month later. Neither of these materialised, though it was only late in February that Burma was informed that they had been diverted elsewhere. There is no doubt that they would have been invaluable at a critical period.
17. British Battalions. A further reinforcement sent in response to my urgent demands for British troops, both for internal security, as reinforcements to 17 Indian Division, and for reasons of morale, consisted of three British battalions taken from the garrison of India. One, the 2 D.W.R. (Duke of Wellington's Regiment), arrived in time to take part in the battle of the Sittang, and the others, 1 Cameromans and 1 W. Yorks (West Yorkshire Regiment) did very good work during the fighting near Pegu. These battalions had, been given only a few days notice of mobilization and embarkation and some were incomplete in transport, but none the less showed magnificent spirit throughout the operations — a tribute to the value of trained and experienced British troops even though not specially trained for jungle warfare conditions.
18. Armoured Troops. A further reinforcement, which proved invaluable, was the 7 Armoured Brigade whose fighting spirit and efficiency were the admiration of the whole Army. Unfortunately it only arrived after the battle of Sittang when it was instrumental in enabling the 17 Indian Division to reorganise round Pegu.
19. Summary. It will be seen, therefore, that the reinforcements provided for Burma after the outbreak of war consisted of an Armoured Brigade, three British battalions and three Indian brigades. Of these only two infantry brigades arrived before the battle of the Sittang, which, as will be seen later, practically settled the fate of Rangoon.
The three Indian Brigades, though good material, all suffered from the weakness of having a large proportion of inexperienced officers and recruits in their ranks, and also from having had no training in jungle warfare. The 48 Indian Infantry Brigade did especially well, and also some of the Battalions of the 46 Indian Brigade. As regards the 63 Indian Infantry Brigade, I was informed by General Hartley that it required a period of training before being employed in operations.
|
