U-GO

U Go offensive

Part of the Burma Campaign of the Second World War

The summit of Nippon Hill, east of Imphal, which was hotly contested during Operation U-Go

Date	March 1944–June 1944
Location	Manipur, British India
Result	Decisive British Empire victory

Belligerents

British Empire

British India

Empire of Japan

Azad Hind

Commanders and leaders

Strength

7 infantry divisions
1 tank brigade
2 infantry brigades

5 infantry divisions
1 tank regiment
84,280 men (excluding INA)

Casualties and losses

16,987-21,500

15th, 31st, and 33rd Divisions:
12,443 killed
1,652 missing in action
8,407 dead from disease
Misc. Army Troops:
8,000 dead from all causes
Total:
30,502 dead,
23,003 hospitalized

British Empire

Empire of Japan

The U Go offensive, or Operation C (ウ号作戦), was the Japanese offensive launched in March 1944 against forces of the British Empire in the northeast Indian regions of Manipur and the Naga Hills (then administered as part of Assam). Aimed at the Brahmaputra valley, through the two towns of Imphal and Kohima, the offensive along with the overlapping Ha Go offensive was one of the last major Japanese offensives during the Second World War. The offensive culminated in the Battles of Imphal and Kohima, where the Japanese and their allies were first held and then pushed back.

In 1942, the Japanese Army had driven the British, Indian and Chinese troops out of Burma. When heavy monsoon rains stopped campaigning, the British and Indian troops had occupied Imphal, the capital of Manipur state. This lay in a plain astride one of the few practicable routes over the jungle-covered mountains which separated India and Burma. The Japanese commander in Burma, Lieutenant General Shōjirō Iida, was asked for his opinion on whether a renewed advance should be made into India after the rains ended. After conferring with his divisional commanders, Iida reported that it would be unwise to do so, because of the difficult terrain and supply problems.

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