The beginning
10 April, 1944
Subhas Chandra Bose sat on his desk listening to his aide-de-camp about the fight in Kohima,
"The Japs have been attacking the British positions and apparently have managed to take the fight to the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow."
"The DC's bungalow ? Has it fallen ?"
"No sir, both of them have dug trenches separated only by The Tennis Court"
"That's fucking hilarious. What about the British reinforcements ?"
"They'll take another 10 days to arrive."
"Which means that the Bungalow must fall before that. Only then can we takeover Kohima and attack Dimapur."
"That would be ideal, sir. But how do we accomplish that ?"
"Tell me 2 things Habib. How many INA men are at the Bungalow, and how many Indian soldiers are there under British command ?
"We have about 2,000 in addition to the 15,000 Japs and the British have around 1200 Indians out of 1500."
"Get the Jeep out, Habib. I am going to take Kohima"
11 April, 1944
Lieutenant General Sato, the Japanese Commander at Kohima, was furious on hearing that Bose had arrived at the Japanese positions.
"What the hell is wrong is with you, Mr. Bose! You're not supposed to be here!
"May I remind you that you are speaking to the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of Free India" Habib said.
"Titles do not work on battlefield you schmuck"
"Lieutenant, Calm down!" Bose thundered in his deep voice.
"I am here to help you. God knows that you need it. Now tell me why aren't we able to cross a bloody tennis court with 10,000 men ?
"Their supplies are not running out. The constant airdrops are an obstacle."
"I hear another charge is being prepared."
"It is."
"Cancel it. And get me a megaphone."
10 INA men waving white flags were ordered to move across the Tennis court, with firing suspended for the moment. The British were perplexed as to what was happening. Was the invincible Japanese army about to surrender ? Suddenly an INA soldier spoke up in Hindi,
"NETAJI IS HERE TO SEE YOU!"
The Indian soldiers were surprised, perhaps pleasantly but their British superiors were not able to understand what was going on. An Indian soldier stood up and asked
"WHERE IS HE ?"
That was when the Megaphone rang in Hindi,
"MY BRAVE MEN. I AM HERE TO ASK A FAVOUR FROM YOU, AND AS YOUR NETA YOU CANNOT REFUSE ME. STOP FIGHTING FOR THESE ENGLISH BASTARDS. JOIN ME. LET US LIBERATE OUR NATION TOGETHER. WE HAVE BURMA. NOW LETS TAKE BHARAT AND START WITH KOHIMA.
GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD AND I SHALL GIVE YOU FREEDOM!"
For the next 30 seconds, there was pindrop silence. The British Commander Stopford was not giving any orders. Neither was Sato. A Sikh soldier standing behind Stopford put a pistol to his head. So did two more soldiers. Then another bunch of them aimed their guns at their British comrades and so on until over a thousand men of the British Indian Army had mutinied.
The INA men and the Indian soldiers both climbed the court and began to embrace each other. General Sato ordered his men to start arresting the British soldiers.
The Battle of the Tennis Court had been won. The Union Jack was burned and the INA flag was raised on the Deputy Commissioner's Bungalow, alongside the Rising Sun Flag. Kohima had fallen. Imphal and Dimapur were next.
Subhash Bose inspecting troops before the attack on Imphal.
On his right walks General Mohan Singh, the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian National Army(Azad Hind Fauj).
c.1944
Subhas Chandra Bose sat on his desk listening to his aide-de-camp about the fight in Kohima,
"The Japs have been attacking the British positions and apparently have managed to take the fight to the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow."
"The DC's bungalow ? Has it fallen ?"
"No sir, both of them have dug trenches separated only by The Tennis Court"
"That's fucking hilarious. What about the British reinforcements ?"
"They'll take another 10 days to arrive."
"Which means that the Bungalow must fall before that. Only then can we takeover Kohima and attack Dimapur."
"That would be ideal, sir. But how do we accomplish that ?"
"Tell me 2 things Habib. How many INA men are at the Bungalow, and how many Indian soldiers are there under British command ?
"We have about 2,000 in addition to the 15,000 Japs and the British have around 1200 Indians out of 1500."
"Get the Jeep out, Habib. I am going to take Kohima"
11 April, 1944
Lieutenant General Sato, the Japanese Commander at Kohima, was furious on hearing that Bose had arrived at the Japanese positions.
"What the hell is wrong is with you, Mr. Bose! You're not supposed to be here!
"May I remind you that you are speaking to the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of Free India" Habib said.
"Titles do not work on battlefield you schmuck"
"Lieutenant, Calm down!" Bose thundered in his deep voice.
"I am here to help you. God knows that you need it. Now tell me why aren't we able to cross a bloody tennis court with 10,000 men ?
"Their supplies are not running out. The constant airdrops are an obstacle."
"I hear another charge is being prepared."
"It is."
"Cancel it. And get me a megaphone."
10 INA men waving white flags were ordered to move across the Tennis court, with firing suspended for the moment. The British were perplexed as to what was happening. Was the invincible Japanese army about to surrender ? Suddenly an INA soldier spoke up in Hindi,
"NETAJI IS HERE TO SEE YOU!"
The Indian soldiers were surprised, perhaps pleasantly but their British superiors were not able to understand what was going on. An Indian soldier stood up and asked
"WHERE IS HE ?"
That was when the Megaphone rang in Hindi,
"MY BRAVE MEN. I AM HERE TO ASK A FAVOUR FROM YOU, AND AS YOUR NETA YOU CANNOT REFUSE ME. STOP FIGHTING FOR THESE ENGLISH BASTARDS. JOIN ME. LET US LIBERATE OUR NATION TOGETHER. WE HAVE BURMA. NOW LETS TAKE BHARAT AND START WITH KOHIMA.
GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD AND I SHALL GIVE YOU FREEDOM!"
For the next 30 seconds, there was pindrop silence. The British Commander Stopford was not giving any orders. Neither was Sato. A Sikh soldier standing behind Stopford put a pistol to his head. So did two more soldiers. Then another bunch of them aimed their guns at their British comrades and so on until over a thousand men of the British Indian Army had mutinied.
The INA men and the Indian soldiers both climbed the court and began to embrace each other. General Sato ordered his men to start arresting the British soldiers.
The Battle of the Tennis Court had been won. The Union Jack was burned and the INA flag was raised on the Deputy Commissioner's Bungalow, alongside the Rising Sun Flag. Kohima had fallen. Imphal and Dimapur were next.
Subhash Bose inspecting troops before the attack on Imphal.
On his right walks General Mohan Singh, the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian National Army(Azad Hind Fauj).
c.1944