Retaking Myitkyina
Aerial view of trenches surrounding Myitkyina (US Army photo)
On August 3, 1944--eighty years ago today--Allied forces in Burma (now Myanmar) recaptured the city of Myitkyina. This event marked a significant reversal in the conquest of the Asian mainland by imperial Japanese forces.
Myitkyina (pronounced MIT-chi-nah) was a key location in the Burma campaign of World War II. The town and its airfield were captured by Japanese forces in early 1942, soon after the invasion of Burma the previous December. Myitkyina was the principal Japanese base for defending Burma from the north. On the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River, it was strategically important because it was a key transportation hub, with rail and water links to the rest of Burma, as well as its location on the planned route of the Ledo Road, then under construction farther to the north. Equally important, its airfield was used for launching attacks against Allied planes crossing the Himalayan “Hump”—the only route by which mility forces in Free China could receive troops and supplies.
The Japanese had completely occupied Burma, geographically positioned immediately to the south and east of Assam (from which the 3rd Bomb Squadron operated), since early April 1942. The enemy had assembled a strong force at Myitkyina, the largest town in upper Burma, which was used as a base of operations. Their goal was to capture the Imphal plain and push into upper Assam to cut off air supplies to China over the Hump. Such a move would be disastrous for the Allies because it would give the Japanese complete supremacy over China. The control of Imphal was, therefore, critical.
The crossroads city of Imphal in the Indian state of Manipur was the only practical approach by which the Japanese could invade India from Burma because of the forbidding mountain range that ran along their shared border. To resist the incursion, British and Indian forces strongly fortified the Imphal plain and Manipur valley. Japanese forces laid siege to the city as the British and their allies offered fierce resistance. Bombing of Allied strongholds had continued uninterrupted for two years by the time the 3rd Bomb Squadron reached Assam in May 1944. Lord Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of the Southeast Asia Command, had urged an assault into north-central Burma to capture Myitkyina and Mogaung, both strongly held by the Japanese. Myikyina’s airfield was taken on May 17, although the city still held, and Mogaung was under attack.
As this situation was developing, Chinese forces succeeded on May 11 in crossing the Salween River as they advanced from China’s Yunnan Province and were heavily engaged just west of Tatangtzu, as well as along the Schweli River.
The Chinese National Revolutionary Army in Burma, with other Allied forces, had been forced to retreat when the Japanese invaded Burma in early 1942. Two divisions, the 38th and the 22nd, plus fragments of three others, retreated into India, where they were placed under Lt. Gen. Joseph W. ("Vinegar Joe") Stilwell's command. Re-equipped and retrained, they were designated "X Force" and formed the majority of Stilwell's front line when he advanced from northern India into northern Burma in October 1943 with the intention of reoccupying Burma and establishing a land supply line from Assam to the Chinese province of Yunnan. It was these two divisions of China’s New 1st Army for which the 3rd Bomb Squadron provided air support.
The Salween drive was initiated in support of Stilwell's main offensive. A forward echelon headquarters of the 69th Wing had been set up in early May at a new field near Yunnanyi to direct the advance. On May 11, 1944, Chinese troops designated “Y Force” re-entered Burma from Yunnan, crossing the Salween River in force at two points north of Teng-chung, about seventy-five miles southeast of Myitkyina, and making two lesser thrusts across the river opposite Pingka. The mission of Y Force was to drive down the Burma Road, retaking key enemy positions, and eventually to meet with the other attacking forces in central Burma.
On May 17, Stilwell's Y Force and X Force, along with 5307th Composite Unit (commonly known as Merrill's Marauders), captured Myitkyina's airfield. One immediate benefit of clearing the enemy stronghold was that it provided the Allies with an emergency airstrip. A second was that Hump aircraft were able to fly much farther to the south and thus at a lower altitude. Although the airfield had been captured, the heavily-garrisoned town resisted the Allied advance, as small Japanese forces held on tenaciously to Myitkyina and other defensive positions.
Six 3rd Bomb Squadron crews were briefed on the afternoon of August 3 to hit three separate targets in the same general vicinity. The B-25s carried an aggregate bomb load of 24,400 pounds. The first element again hit the Pangkham bridge, which was reported as completely destroyed. Of the second element, one plane developed engine trouble and returned to base, while the other proceeded to the Wanting supply area. Despite nine-tenth cloud cover, all its bombs hit within the target area.
The third element of six planes was over Myitkyina Target #1 at 1750 and dropped thirty-six 500-lb. HEs (high explosive bombs). The lead plane had bomb release failure on the first pass, so the navigator-bombardier lined up the target to make a second run. The wing plane made four passes due to similar failures. All bombs, released "by select" from 200 feet, fell in the target area except for six that hung up in the racks and had to be salvoed. No fires or explosions were observed "due to nature of target.” Although it was not specified in mission details, “Target #1” may have been the hospital, reportedly being used at that time as enemy headquarters, although the railroad terminal was another prime target.
Capt. Louis F. Graves Jr. (squadron navigator and assistant intelligence officer) mentioned in his operational report, "Chinese ground troops apparently recognized insignia of our A/C as several waved flags and bits of clothing and our Chinese personnel acknowledged recognition.” 2/Lt. Paul L. Young (squadron intelligence and historical officer) wrote a similar account: "Chinese ground forces waved flags and caps as our planes passed low over parts of Myitkyina.” M/Sgt. John P. Hanrahan (squadron communications chief) later related in an interview, "My outfit bombed Myitkyina down in Burma just 45 minutes before Chinese troops retook it. For three days before that, we flew low over Chinese lines so that the soldiers could see the Chinese insignia on our wings. They knew we were paving the way.”
The once-prosperous city of Myitkyina, formerly a thriving river-trade and resort town but now burned and gutted, officially fell at 1545 hours on August 3, when Chinese troops who volunteered for the duty entered the city. General Genzo Mizukami ordered the town abandoned and took his life in literal compliance to "defend Myitkyina to the death." Enemy stragglers and snipers, making a last stand, were wiped out the next day, as US forces gradually cleared the city and the surrounding area of Japanese troops. The capture of Myitkyina completed the reconquest of about 10,000 square miles of Burma, and the prospect of joining the Ledo Road with the Burma Road was in sight. The next Sino-American move was projected to be toward Bhamo to the south, and then on to Lashio and a junction with the Burma Road.
Find more of the story in The Spray and Pray Squadron: 3rd Bomb Squadron, 1st Bomb Group, Chinese-American Composite Wing in World War II.