At the beginning of 1943, the Allies survived the most difficult period and finally began to counterattack on various battlefields. In Africa, the allies won the battle of El Alamein and advanced into Sicily; In Europe, Germany defeated Stalingrad; In Asia, after the battle of Guadalcanal, the Japanese army also lost its strategic initiative and turned to defense in an all-round way.

At this time, Britain gradually regained the feeling of being a big country from the most depressed state at the beginning of the war, and became more and more enthusiastic about restoring its interests in the Far East. Churchill, in particular, was very resistant to China and the United States interfering in the affairs of British Burma, but suffered from poor strength and had to turn to the expeditionary force, and the ugly faces of the powers were fully revealed.

in order to break Japan's "absolute defense circle", the new army launched a counterattack against northern Myanmar.

in November of that year, the new 38th Division and the new 22nd Division, the main forces of the New First Army, attacked the 18th Division of the Japanese Army in three ways under the cover of airplanes. To the surprise of the other side, a pioneer battalion of the new 38th Division, surrounded by a wing (regiment level), not only opened the gap with strong firepower, but also repelled all the Japanese troops surrounded.

You know, in their general cognition, the combat effectiveness of a Japanese United team can rival a division of the other side, or an army of miscellaneous brands. Now, being beaten by a battalion is both unconvinced and helpless. They can't help asking in their hearts: "How did the army that was beaten and evacuated to India a year ago become so powerful?"

In p>1942, according to the Agreement between China and Britain on Defending the Burma Road, 1, troops of three expeditionary forces were formed. However, Churchill was worried that other countries would get their hands on its colonial affairs, and he did not agree to the expeditionary force's entry into Myanmar. He was lucky that the British troops stationed in Myanmar could resist the Japanese attack, which led to the loss of the best opportunity for joint defense between the two armies.

Disappointingly, the British army not only failed to fight against the Japanese army, but also almost collapsed and kept retreating, so it had to ask the expeditionary force to fight in Myanmar. However, the expeditionary force that went abroad to participate in the war for the first time was regarded as "cannon fodder" by the British, and then it was evacuated to India to cover its defeated troops. In the end, the expeditionary force was also forced to withdraw to India or return to China.

the Japanese army occupied Myanmar with only 4,5 casualties and blocked the "international passage" to Yunnan, while the 1, expeditionary force suffered 56, casualties, which was a heavy loss. The expeditionary force evacuated to India was reorganized and trained according to the US military model. All the weapons and equipment were American-style, with advanced tactical ideas and rapid combat effectiveness.

a year later, the expeditionary force that fought in Burma again was not what it used to be, and the 18th Japanese Division was forced to retreat. Encouraged by this victory, the 2, expeditionary force in western Yunnan also crossed the Nujiang River and began to counterattack. This made the Japanese troops stationed in Myanmar feel great pressure and decided to attack Impal, a major town in British India, that is, to crush the counter-offensive of the allied forces and cut off the rear road of the expeditionary force.

but they also encountered the same tragic situation as the expeditionary force in the jungle.

A year ago, when the expeditionary force retreated to China, it was short of food and medicine in the dense jungle, and many people fell on their way home. The Japanese troops stationed in Myanmar naturally understood the severity of the jungle, and they raised objections to the base camp. It is impossible for 1, people to travel 7 kilometers in the mountains and jungles without supplies.

However, the arrogant Japanese came up with a "wonderful method". They forcibly recruited a large number of buffaloes, goats and elephants, and they carried food with them. In the March, when the troops finished eating food and then ate cows and sheep, they could guarantee to reach Impal in 2 days, and then they could "lay down Impal and eat Churchill".

So, in the jungle of Myanmar, a circus-like team appeared, and the 15th Army of the Japanese army drove cattle and sheep to India. Upon learning of the Japanese attack, the British army immediately sent planes to bomb it, and organized squads to harass its logistics forces constantly until the opponents ran out of ammunition and food. Afterwards, it was proved that such a move was completely correct.

It's better for these cows and sheep to be driven by someone on weekdays, but when the bomb fell, they dispersed in a hubbub, and a buffalo ran away, leaving a squadron without supplies for four days. As a result, it is conceivable that the Japanese army had to eat cows and sheep first and carry food on its back. By the time its striker arrived in Impal, the troops had been hungry for several days, so how could they have the strength to fight?

However, under such circumstances, the Japanese army still surrounded the British army in Impal and dealt a heavy blow. Once again, they turned to the expeditionary force for help, hoping to take an active offensive and coordinate with the British army. Fortunately, with the logistical support of the United States, not only food and ammunition were sufficient, but also the air force brought in two divisions, and the defense line finally stabilized.

On the other hand, the Japanese army went hungry and attacked several times, but no longer had the strength to charge. Their morale also fell to a low point, and they became more and more impatient with the orders of their superiors, and even disobeyed orders. In particular, three division heads decided to take risks and retreat against orders. They believe that the troops have not received a grain and a bullet for 6 days, or they will die if they don't withdraw.

The biggest "disobedience incident" happened in the history of the Japanese Army.

The three divisions of the 15th Army, which had no fighting spirit, ignored the commander's orders and began to retreat without authorization. However, Myanmar entered the rainy season in May, and what awaits them will be a terrible "green hell". What makes people even more desperate is that at this time, the British army came to the fore and launched a counterattack against its opponents. The Japanese army also ended up in the same situation as the expeditionary force.

In the jungle during the rainy season, dysentery, flu and cholera spread everywhere, and the Japanese army, lacking medical care and medicine, kept falling down, unable to get up again, and soon became a "delicacy" for mosquitoes in the jungle and turned into a bone. In August, when the whole army returned to the starting point, only 5, of the 1, troops returned, and half of them were admitted to the hospital.

In this attack, the 15th Army of the Japanese army lost all its heavy weapons and only brought back one-sixth of its rifles, which basically lost its fighting capacity. The expeditionary force in the other direction launched an unstoppable attack on the opponent, occupied Myitkyina, an important town in northern Myanmar, advanced 5 kilometers in three months, and opened the "international channel" in January 1945.

After a series of defeats and poor logistics, the Japanese troops stationed in Myanmar were badly weakened. Under the joint attack of Chinese and British troops, they were defeated one after another and had to abandon Myanmar and withdraw to Thailand. So far, 3, troops in Myanmar have died 16,, which has dealt a heavy blow to the effective strength of the Japanese army and played an important role in accelerating the process of the Pacific War.

To Churchill's relief, the expeditionary force did not stay in Myanmar for one more minute after completing its mission, and then returned home triumphantly. What he didn't expect was that three years later, the former colony declared its independence from the Commonwealth, and the interests of the British in the Far East were gradually lost and became a second-rate country.

The arrogant Japanese also paid a heavy price for their "great ambition and poor national strength". In a society where material determines spirit, even Japanese soldiers armed with the spirit of "Bushido" have no food, the same morale is low, mental breakdown, and even disobey the orders of their superiors. It seems that "supply is morale" is true.

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References: World War II, The Pacific.