The Battle of Nunshigum

In March 1944, the Japanese 15th Army cut the land communications of approximately 100,000 British and Indian troops by moving through the jungle and crossing the mountains of North East India. Between 6 and 11 April 1944, part of the Japanese 51st Regiment attacked and captured Nunshigum Ridge. This incredibly narrow ridge is a series of steep peaks that overlooks the valley. The capturing of Nunshigum by the Japanese Army gave them an advantage, as they were able to see the Allied troop movements and direct attacks on them, so a counter attack was planned by the Allies to reclaim it.

At 09:30hrs on 13 April 1944, two separate companies formed of infantry troops from 1/17th Dogras of the Indian Army, supported by a troop of tanks from B Squadron the 3rd Carabiniers and artillery of the 5th Indian Division, advanced along two spurs of the hill. Three squadrons of the Royal Air Force carried out a series of attacks from the air to aid the troops on the ground.

The first peak was reached after an hour, with the tanks forced to travel single file along the narrow ridge with steep slopes on either side. The hill is covered in lots of thick bushes, which provided excellent cover for any Japanese troops who had dug in, and meant that much of the firing was at close range. In order to guide the tanks along such a narrow path with potential attacks coming from hidden dugouts, the commanders had to stand in their turrets with their head and shoulders exposed. This was to prove a fatal decision.

During the steady climb up the ridge, all British officers were either killed or wounded, and two infantry company commanders were wounded. As the highest ranking soldiers, this left Squadron Sergeant-Major William Craddock of the 3rd Carabiniers, and Subedar Ranbir Singh of the 1/17th Dogras to lead the attack. They agreed that the tanks would take the brunt of the attack from the Japanese while firing at the bunkers so the infantry could reach them. The tanks were firing at close range, with only 15 yards between them and the bunkers. The infantry were then able to secure the ridge when the threat of attack from the Japanese was over, and prepared the ground for any counter attack.

At 15:00hrs, a relieving officer arrived to take over command, only to find that he was too late to do anything other than report the recapture of Nunshigum a success. In total, 270 Japanese soldiers were killed during this battle.

The combination of the infantry and tank regiments working together to achieve a shared goal had started during the First World War, but it was during the Second World War that is became effective. At Nunshigum, tanks breaking through defenses allowed infantry troops to get closer in – but teamwork, communication, and planning was vital!