Battle of Sangshak

Part of the Battle of Imphal

Date	March 20–26, 1944
Location	8 miles (13 km) south of Ukhrul, Manipur, India
Result	Tactical Japanese victory, Strategic British victory

Belligerents

British India

Japan

Commanders and leaders

Maxwell Hope-Thompson

Strength

approx. 1 infantry brigade

approx. 1+ infantry regiment, elements of two regiments

Casualties and losses

652

400+

The Battle of Sangshak took place in Manipur in the forested and mountainous frontier area between India and Burma, from 20 March to 26 March 1944. The Japanese drove a parachute brigade (fighting as infantry) from the British Indian Army from its positions with heavy casualties despite numeric superiority in favour of the British, but suffered heavy casualties themselves, and the delay imposed by the battle allowed British and Indian reinforcements to reach the vital position at Kohima before the Japanese.

In March 1944, the Japanese launched Operation U-GO, a major invasion of India. While most of the Japanese Fifteenth Army attacked IV Indian Corps at Imphal, the Japanese 31st Division advanced on Kohima, to cut the main road on which the troops at Imphal depended for supply.

The Japanese division advanced over a wide front. It was divided into Left, Centre and Right Assault forces. The Left Assault Force consisted of two battalions of the Japanese 58 Regiment, with the regimental headquarters and detachments from the division's supporting arms. The regiment's commander was Colonel Utata Fukunaga, but the force was accompanied by the division's Infantry Group commander, Major General Shigesaburo Miyazaki, who was the senior officer. On 18 March, the force was approaching the village of Ukhrul, about 25 miles (40 km) north-east of Imphal and 8 miles (13 km) north of Sangshak.

Early in 1944, the 49th Indian Infantry Brigade of the 23rd Indian Infantry Division had been stationed at Sangshak to guard the road from Tonhe on the Chindwin River to Imphal. As the Japanese offensive began, the Japanese surrounded the 17th Indian Infantry Division at Tiddim, south of Imphal. Lieutenant General Geoffrey Scoones, the commander of IV Corps, was forced to send 23rd Division (including 49th Brigade) to help the 17th Division break out of encirclement.

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