The road to victory: The Chinese army stationed in India conquered Bamo and Nankan
Bhamo is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River and the south side of the lower reaches of the Taiping River, and is an important strategic point in northern Myanmar. Since ancient times, the city has been on the main road of water and land transportation, playing the role of a distribution center for materials and a strategic point. Especially after the opening of the Yunnan-Burma Highway, although its commercial and trade status has been affected, its strategic position has not been weakened.
In 1942, after the Japanese army invaded Burma, they used Ba Mo as a base for invading western Yunnan. After more than two years of preparation, they built strong fortifications in and around the city, ready to defend against any attack. The defensive battle of Ba Mo was divided into three phases, and it was planned to hold on to a minimum of three months.
After learning of the Japanese defense plan, the Chinese troops stationed in India quickly made preparations for a counterattack. In October 1944, they issued an operational order to conquer Ba Mo, and determined the target of the attack and the deployment plan. The division of labor among the various units was clear, and the tactics of land-air coordination, infantry and artillery coordination, and infantry and vehicle coordination were brought into full play to destroy the Japanese positions.
The Chinese army stationed in India took the New 1st Army as the main attacking force, the 36th Division of the British and Indian Army on the right to contain the enemy, the New 22nd Division on the middle to attack in a roundabout way, and the New 38th Division on the left to directly attack the enemy's core position. The offensive was fierce, although the Japanese army resisted stubbornly, but finally after more than 20 days of fierce fighting, the main strongholds in Bamo City were conquered one by one, and the enemy's leader Hara Kosan Sanzuo was killed.
The victory in the Battle of Bamo was not easy to come by, and the new 38th Division showed a flexible and heroic combat style. They captured Ba Mo in less than half the time and achieved significant results.
In recognition of the victory of the new 38th Division, the Allied Forces in Northern Burma named the road from Momak to Ba Mo as Sun Liren Road, and the road in the center of Ba Mo city as Li Hong Road to commemorate this successful battle.
However, the victory of Ba Mo was only a strategic step forward for the Chinese army in India. Their goal was to open up the international passage between China, Burma and India, and to this end, they continued to launch an offensive towards Nankan.
Nankan, located on the south bank of the Ruili River on the Yunnan-Myanmar border, is an important point on the way to Myanmar. The Japanese army built strong fortifications here, stockpiled a large amount of ** and grain and grass, and had a strong defensive force.
Sun Liren, commander of the Chinese Army stationed in India, decided to adopt the tactics of a roundabout surprise attack, with the 112th Regiment of the New 38th Division as an independent detachment, penetrating deep into the right rear of Nankan to cooperate with the encirclement and offensive of other troops. Under his command, the squadron quickly took control of the favorable terrain around Nankan and launched a general attack.
In the battle of Nankan, the squadron showed strong combat effectiveness and organizational ability. They made full use of the support of the air force, artillery and chariot units to launch an all-out attack on the enemy. In the fierce battle, the squadron killed more than 1,780 enemies, captured more than 10 people, and captured a large amount of equipment.
In the end, under the stubborn attack of the squadron, the Nankan defenders were defeated, and the whole city was captured. This victory was not only a major blow to the enemy, but also an important strategic development of the Chinese army stationed in India.
The Chinese troops stationed in India conquered Ba Mo and Nankan, which was not only a victory in a war, but also a manifestation of the Chinese people's tenacious spirit of resistance to war. The fruits of these victories not only brought strategic gains, but also laid the foundation for exchanges and cooperation between China, Myanmar and India, and demonstrated the strong strength and fighting spirit of the Chinese team.