The Burma Corps ('Burcorps') was an Army Corps of the

Indian Army during the Second World War The Indian Army during World War II, a British force also referred to as the British Indian Army, began the war, in 1939, numbering just under 200,000 men.Sumner, p.25 By the end of the war, it had become the largest volunteer army in history, ...

. It was formed in Prome,

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, on 19 March 1942, took part in the retreat through Burma, and was disbanded on arrival in India in May 1942.

History

Burcorps was created on 13 March 1942 to take control of the scattered British,

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and local troops retreating through

in the face of a sustained Japanese offensive. The main fighting components of this force were two infantry divisions,

17th Indian Division The 17th Indian Division was formed in 1917 from units of the British Indian Army for service in the Mesopotamia Campaign during World War I. After the war, it formed part of the occupation force for Iraq and took part in the Iraq Rebellion in ...

and

1st Burma Division First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, but 7th Armoured Brigade Group had recently arrived at

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

as reinforcements from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

.Playfair, Vol III, p. 125. Major-General

William Slim William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

was brought back from

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

where he was commanding

10th Indian Infantry Division The 10th Indian Infantry Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the ...

and promoted to Acting

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

to take command of the new corps. He had to improvise a corps staff, including Captain Brian Montgomery, younger brother of General

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and t ...

, who filled a number of junior staff roles simultaneously in the early days.Duncan Anderson, 'Slim', in Keegan (ed.), pp. 298–322. By the time Slim arrived at Magwe on 19 March, Rangoon had already fallen after the

Battle of Pegu The Battle of Pegu was an engagement in the Burma campaign in the Second World War. Fought from 3–7 March 1942, it concerned the defence of Rangoon (now Yangon) in Burma (now Myanmar). Japanese forces closed in on the British Indian Army who ...

and Burcorps was retreating to Prome, though 17th Indian Division carried out a number of raids as it withdrew, and the motorised 1st Battalion

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

made a surprise attack on

Letpadan Letpatan or Letpadan United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. is a town in Tharrawaddy District, Pegu region in Burma (Myanmar). It is the administrative seat of Letpadan Township Letpatan Township ( my, လက်ပတန်းမ ...

, temporarily driving the Japanese out. 1st Burma Division in the Sittang Valley retired through the lines of 200th Chinese Division near Taungoo, and then moved west by train to join Burcorps around Prome in the Irrawaddy Valley and cover the Yenangyaung oilfields. On 26 March Burcorps was ordered to stage a demonstration on the Prome front to coincide with a Chinese attack along the Sittang. A striking force was assembled but on 29 March was outflanked and forced to fight its way back through Shwedaung to Prome (the Battle of Shwedaung). Burcorps' HQ was moved back from Prome to

Allanmyo Aunglan (formerly known as Allanmyo & Myede) is the biggest city in Thayet District of the Magway Region of Myanmar. It is a port on the left (eastern) bank of the Irrawaddy, across and just north of Thayetmyo, between the cities of Pyay (Prom ...

.Woodburn Kirby, Vol II, pp.157–9Farndale, pp. 94–6, Map 20. Japanese_Conquest_of_Burma_April-May_1942

Prome came under attack at midnight on 1 & 2 April (the

Battle of Prome The battle of Prome was a land-based battle between the Kingdom of Burma and the British Empire that took place near the city of Prome, modern day Pyay, in 1825 as part of the First Anglo-Burmese War. It was the last-ditch effort by the Burmese ...

), and Burcorps was forced to retreat through a series of delaying positions while the

Thayetmyo Thayet (; pronounced ) is a capital city in Thayet District of Magway Region in central Myanmar. It is a port on the right (western) bank of the Irrawaddy River, across and just south of Allanmyo, between Pyay (Prome) and Magway. Thayet is the ...

oilfields were destroyed and essential stores evacuated. By 8 April the corps was at the Yin Chaung, defending a front some south of the Yenangyaung oilfields. 1st Burma Division was organised as the Corps' Striking Force to hold the western part of this front, while 17th Indian Division at

Taungdwingyi Taungdwingyi ( my, တောင်တွင်းကြီး ) is a town located in Magway Region, Myanmar. Town scape The town is divided into ten main quarters. They are Ohndaw Quarter 1, Ohndaw Quarter 2, Taungbyin Quarter 1, Taungbyin Qua ...

was aligned north–south on its eastern flank and 2nd Burma Brigade was further west across the Irrawaddy. Slim moved Burcorps' HQ to Taungdwingyi in an attempt to maintain links with the Chinese. An observation line was established some to the south of Burcorps' main position, and, patrol clashes on 10 April indicated that the Japanese were moving against the centre of the position. Serious attacks began on 12 April and it became clear that the Japanese were attempting to work around 13th Indian Brigade. Slim ordered a force across the Irrawaddy to Magwe ('Magforce'). By 14 April elements of the corps were surrounded and having to fight their way back to the Yin Chaung, Magwe airfield was being prepared for destruction, and Burcorps was planning to fall back to the next defensible line on the Pin Chaung. British_troops_destroy_equipment_and_machinery_at_the_Yenangyaung_oilfields_in_Burma_before_retreating,_16_April_1942

British_troops_destroy_equipment_and_machinery_at_the_Yenangyaung_oilfields_in_Burma_before_retreating,_16_April_1942

On 15 April Slim gave orders for the destruction of the Yenangyaung oilfields; demolition was completed by the afternoon of 16 April, after which the storage tanks were set on fire. 1st Burma Division had attempted to hold on to the Yin Chaung for one more day, and as a result Japanese columns had infiltrated between its scattered units. The Japanese attack came on 16 April and 1st Burma Division resumed its fighting retreat, with Magforce acting as a covering force, but the Japanese cut the line of retreat at Yenangyaun, driving the garrison (1st Gloucesters) southwards. Next day the engineers were used to reinforce 1st Gloucesters and Magforce was given the motor transport to act as an advanced guard for the retreating 1st Burma Division and attempt a roadblock by-pass. On 18 and 19 April Magforce fought its way across the Yenangyaun plain, followed by 1st Burma Division while 7th Armoured Brigade and 38th Chinese Division made diversionary attacks (the Battle of Yenangyaung). 1st Burma Division struggled across the Pin Chaung with the wounded carried on tanks, but most of the transport and artillery had to be destroyed. On 21 April the decision was made to evacuate Burma. All the troops would cross the Irrawaddy, then Burcorps would cover the route to India, while 7th Armoured Brigade helped the Chinese. The Irrawaddy crossing was completed by the evening of 30 April, the

Ava Bridge The Ava Bridge ( my, အင်းဝတံတား) is a 16 span simply supported bridge between Ava and Sagaing, Mandalay Division, Burma. It was built by the British in 1934. The bridge was destroyed by the retreating British Army during World ...

was destroyed and

Mandalay Mandalay ( or ; ) is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. Located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631km (392 miles) (Road Distance) north of Yangon, the city has a population of 1,225,553 (2014 census). Mandalay was fo ...

was abandoned. The fighting portions of Burcorps continued towards the

Chindwin River , , image = Homalin aerial.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = The Chindwin at Homalin. The smaller, meandering Uyu River can be seen joining the Chindwin. , map = Irrawaddyrivermap.jpg , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption ...

, preceded by an undisciplined mob of refugees and rear-echelon troops. Corps HQ was at

Budalin Budalin is a town in Budalin Township, Monywa District, Sagaing Division in Burma, Burma (Myanmar). It is the administrative seat of Budalin Township. The town is connected by road and rail to Monywa, Dabayin, Kin-U and Ye-U, with a bridge over th ...

, near

Monywa Monywa (; ) is the largest city in Sagaing Region, Myanmar, located north-west of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin. Monywa is one of the largest economic cities in Myanmar. It is also known as Neem city because many of the cit ...

. Once again the retreat was threatened by infiltration, when a Japanese battalion seized Monywa on 1 May. However, the Japanese were unable to exploit this, and Burcorps (including 7th Armoured Brigade) was able to regroup at Ye-U. The retreat now turned into a race between Burcorps and the Japanese for Shwegyin before the

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

rains broke in mid-May. Japanese air superiority prevented casualties being airlifted out, so 2300 wounded and sick had to be moved along the Ye-U–Shwegyin track, as well as thousands of refugees who were being fed by the army and moved by army transport where possible. From Shwegyin all the troops, motor vehicles and guns had to be ferried across the Chindwin up to Kalewa, while the refugees made their way by a riverside path. The Chindwin was protected from Japanese river craft by a boom manned by the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

. The ferrying operation was covered by a rearguard formed of 17th Indian Division and 7th Hussars, who manned a series of lay-back positions and flank guards. By 10 May the only troops remaining east of the river were HQ 7th Armoured Brigade, 48th Indian Brigade, and part of 1st Battalion 9th Royal Jats. By now the Japanese were pressing forward, the boom had been destroyed by air attack and Shwegyin was being bombed. On the morning of 10 May the ferrying point came under fire. Counter-attacks failed to dislodge the enemy, and the rearguard had to take to the riverside path after destroying all tanks, vehicles and stores. The gunners fired off as much ammunition as they could before disabling their guns. Luckily, the Japanese failed to press the rearguard, and the fighting was over. The troops from Kalewa went to Sittaung by river steamer, arriving on 14 May, and then destroyed the boats before marching to

Tamu Tamu may refer to: * Texas A&M University or TAMU * Tamu, Myanmar ** Tamu District, Myanmar ** Tamu Township * Ta'mu, rice cooked in woven coconut leaves from the Philippines * Tamu Massif, an inactive underwater volcano in the Pacific * '' Helio ...

, where troops of Eastern Army were holding the Indian frontier. 2nd Burma Brigade, which had marched independently along a poor bullock-track to the west, covering in 14 days, made contact with the Chin Hills Battalion near

Kalemyo Kalay ( my, ကလေး), also known as Kale, is a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located upstream from Mandalay and Monywa on the Myittha River, a tributary of the Chindwin River. The town is the district headquarters of the Kalay ...

on 12 May and was evacuated to Tamu by motor transport supplied by IV Corps. 17th Indian Division marched up the Kabaw Valley through the rains and reached Tamu on 17 May. The final rearguard, 63rd Indian Bde, marched in on 19 May. The following day IV Corps assumed operational control of all the units from Burma and Burcorps was disbanded.

Order of Battle

At its creation on 13 March 1942, Burma Corps comprised the following formations and units: Staff * General Officer Commanding (GOC): A/Lt-Gen

* Commander, Corps Royal Artillery:

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Godfrey de Vere Welchman * Brigadier, General Staff: H.G. 'Taffy' Davies * General Staff Officer (GSO3): Walter Walker Corps Troops * 7th Armoured Brigade Group ** Commander: Temporary Brigadier John Henry Anstice ** 7th Hussars (55 x

M3 Stuart The M3 Stuart/Light Tank M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version of the tank entered service as the M5 in 1942 to be supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. ...

tanks) **

2nd Royal Tank Regiment The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps and the 1st Mechanized Brigade. History Founded as B Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917 ...

(55 x Stuarts) ** 414th (Essex Yeomanry) Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (8 x 25-pounder field guns) ** A Battery, 95th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (RA) (12 x 2-pounders) ** 1st Battalion,

West Yorkshire Regiment ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was ...

* 8th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, RA (4 x 3-inch guns) * 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Battery,

Indian Artillery The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itsel ...

(IA) (less one Troop) (12 x

Bofors 40 mm gun Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

s) * 1st Field Company, Burma Sappers and Miners * 17th and 18th Artisan Works Companies * 6th Pioneer Battalion,

Indian Labour Corps The Indian Labour Corps was a force of workers recruited from the British Raj during World War I. Recruitment began on a voluntary basis in 1915, but by 1917 the British Government was requiring that localities provide quotas of men. The corps unde ...

* GOC: Acting Major-General James Bruce Scott * HQ 27th Indian Mountain Regiment, IA ** 2nd (Derajat) Indian Mountain Battery (4 x 3.7-inch mountain howitzers ** 5th (Bombay) Indian Mountain Battery (4 x 3.7-inch mountain howitzers) ** 23rd Indian Mountain Battery (4 x 3.7-inch mountain howitzers) ** 8th Indian Anti-Tank Battery (4 x 2-pounders) * HQ Burma Divisional Engineers, Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners (MS&M) ** 50th Field Park Company, MS&M ** 56th Field Company, MS&M (less two sections) ** Malerkotla Field Company, Sappers and Miners (

Indian States Forces The Imperial Service Troops were forces raised by the princely states of the British Indian Empire. These troops were available for service alongside the Indian Army when such service was requested by the British government. At the beginning of ...

) * FF1, FF3, FF4, FF5, Burma Frontier Force (BFF) *

1st Burma Infantry Brigade The 1st Burma Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the British Burma Army during World War II. It was formed in July 1941, when it was converted from the Maymyo Infantry Brigade Area and assigned to the 1st Burma Infantry Division. In J ...

** 2nd Battalion 7th Rajput Regiment ** 1st Battalion

Burma Rifles The Burma Rifles were a British colonial regiment raised in Burma. Founded in 1917 as a regiment of the British Indian Army, the regiment re-used the name of an unrelated earlier unit, the 10th Regiment (1st Burma Rifles) Madras Infantry, which evol ...

** 2nd Battalion Burma Rifles ** 5th Battalion Burma Rifles *

2nd Burma Infantry Brigade The 2nd Burma Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Burma Army during World War II. It was formed in July 1941. The Brigade was then disbanded in June 1942, and reformed in October 1942, to command battalions of the newly formed Burma ...

** 5th Battalion

1st Punjab Regiment The 1st Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamate ...

** 7th Battalion Burma Rifles ** FF8 *

13th Indian Infantry Brigade The 13th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in October 1940, at Campbellpore and assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division. It was transferred to the 1st Burma Divis ...

** 1st Battalion

18th Royal Garhwal Rifles The 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government decided to reform the army, moving away from single-battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. They were th ...

*GOC: Acting Major-General

David Tennant Cowan Major General David Tennant Cowan, (9 October 1896 – 15 April 1983), also known as "Punch" Cowan, was an officer in the British Army and British Indian Army during the First and Second World Wars. He led the 17th Indian Infantry Division duri ...

* HQ 1st Indian Field Regiment, IA ** 1st Indian Field Battery (8 x 25-pounders) ** 2nd Indian Field Battery (8 x 25-pounders) ** 12th (

Poonch Poonch, sometimes also spelt Punchh, may refer to: * Historical Poonch District, a district in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in British India, split in 1947 between: ** Poonch district, India ** Poonch Division, in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, ...

) Indian Mountain Battery (from 27th Indian Mountain Regiment) (4 x 3.7-inch mountain howitzers) ** 5th Indian Anti-Tank Battery (from 2nd Indian Anti-Tank Regiment) (8 x 76.5 mm

Škoda Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...

guns) * HQ 17th Indian Divisional Engineers, MS&M ** 24th Field Company, Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners ** 60th Field Company, MS&M ** 70th Field Company,

King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners The Bengal Engineer Group (BEG) (informally the Bengal Sappers or Bengal Engineers) is a military engineering regiment in the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The unit was originally part of the Bengal Army of the East India Company's B ...

* 1st Battalion

(Motorised reconnaissance unit) * 5th Battalion

Dogra Regiment The Dogra Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its roots directly from the 17th Dogra Regiment of the British Indian Army. When transferred to the Indian Army like its sister regiments, the numeral prefix ...

* 8th Battalion Burma Rifles *

16th Indian Infantry Brigade The 2nd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in Rawalpindi in September 1939. In October 1940, it was renamed 16th (Independent) Indian Infantry Brigade in November 1941, ...

** 2nd Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment ** 1st Battalion 9th Royal Jat Regiment ** 7th Battalion

10th Baluch Regiment The 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After Partition of India, independence, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab Regiment, 8th Punja ...

** 4th Battalion

12th Frontier Force Regiment The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...

48th Indian Infantry Brigade The 48th Infantry Brigade, was raised as the 48 Indian Infantry Brigade, in October 1941, at Secunderabad, India. After an initial tenure with 19th Indian Infantry Division, it was transferred to the 17th Indian Infantry Division. In Worl ...

** 1st Battalion

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Reg ...

** Composite Battalion: *** 1st Battalion

3rd Gorkha Rifles The 3rd Gorkha Rifles or Third Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 3 GR is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It was originally a Gurkha regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1815. This regiment recruit mainly Magars and Khas/Chhetri tribes. Th ...

*** 2nd Battalion

5th Royal Gurkha Rifles 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions served ...

** 1st Battalion

4th Gorkha Rifles The 4th Gorkha Rifles or the Fourth Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 4 GR, is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese nationality, especially Magars and Gurungs hill tribes of Nepal. The Fourth Gorkha Rifles h ...

** Composite Battalion: *** 1st Battalion

7th Gurkha Rifles The 7th Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army, following India's independence in 1947 and after 1959 designated as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles. History F ...

*** 3rd Battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles *

63rd Indian Infantry Brigade The 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in January 1942, at Jhansi in India and was assigned to the 23rd Indian Infantry Division and served in the Burma Campaign. I ...

** 1st Battalion

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment o ...

** 1st Battalion

11th Sikh Regiment The 11th Sikh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.S ...

** 2nd Battalion

13th Frontier Force Rifles The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions. History The 13th Frontier Force Rifle ...

** 1st Battalion

10th Gurkha Rifles The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, (abbreviated to 10 GR), was originally a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a ...

Army Troops * HQ 28th Indian Mountain Regiment, IA (5th, 15th, 28th Indian Mountain batteries absent re-equipping at Mandalay) * 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Burma Auxiliary Force (BAF) ** 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, BAF (8 x 3.7-inch guns) * Detachment, Rangoon Field Brigade, BAF * Depot, British Infantry * 10th Battalion Burma Rifles * Bhamo Battalion, BFF *

Chin Hills The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma, Burma (Myanmar), that extends northward into India's Manipur state. Geography The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Khonu Msung, or Mount Victoria, in southern Chin State ...

Battalion, BFF (less detachment) * Myitkyina Battalion, BFF * Northern

Shan States The Shan States (1885–1948) were a collection of minor Shan kingdoms called ''muang'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' in British Burma. They were analogous to the princely states of British India. The term "Shan States" was firs ...

Battalion, BFF * Southern Shan States Battalion, BFF * Reserve Battalion, BFF * Kokine Battalion, BFF (less detachments) *

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

Levies Line of Communication Troops * 2nd Indian Anti-Tank Regiment, IA (less two batteries) (8 x 2-pounders) * 8th Indian Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, IA * One Troop 3rd Indian Anti-Aircraft Battery, IA (4 x 40 mm Bofors guns) * Rangoon Field Brigade, BAF (less detachment) * 3rd Battalion Burma Rifles * 4th Battalion Burma Rifles * 6th Battalion Burma Rifles * 11th Battalion Burma Rifles, Burma Territorial Force (BTF) * 12th Battalion Burma Rifles, BTF * 13th Battalion Burma Rifles, BTF * 14th Battalion Burma Rifles, BTF * Tenasserim Battalion, BAF * Burma Railways Battalion, BAF * Upper Burma Battalion, BAF *

Battalion, BAF * Detachments Kokine Battalion, BFF * Detachment Chin Hills Battalion, BFF * Mounted Infantry Detachment, BFF * 1st–9th Garrison Companies There were a number of reallocations of these units within Burcorps during its short existence and several ''ad hoc'' forces were also formed for specific operations:Woodburn Kirby, p. 166, Appendices 15 & 17. Striking Force For counter-attack at Shwedaung 26–29 March * HQ 7th Armoured Brigade (Brig J.H. Anstice) ** 7th Hussars ** 414th Battery, RHA ** 14th Field Company,

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

** 1st Cameronians ** 2nd Duke of Wellington's ** 1st Gloucesters ** One Company, 1st West Yorkshires Corps Striking Force Holding line in front of the Yin Chaung from 6 April * 1st Burma Division ** 2nd Indian Field Battery ** 27th Mountain Regiment *** HQ, 2nd and 23rd Batteries ** 56th and Malerkotla Field Companies ** 50th Field Park Company ** 48th Indian Brigade *** 1/3rd & 2/5th Gurkha Rifles *** 1/4th Gurkha Rifles *** 1/7th & 3/7th Gurkha Rifles ** 13th Indian Brigade *** 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers *** 2nd KOYLI *** 1/18th Royal Gharwal Rifles ** 1st Burma Brigade *** 2/7th Rajputs *** 1st Burma Rifles *** 5th Burma Rifles Magforce Sent to Magwe 12 April ** 5th Mountain Battery ** 1st Cameronians ** 7th Burma Rifles ** 12th Burma Rifles

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnda ...

, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre 1939–1946'', London: Brasseys, 2002, . * * John Keegan (ed.), ''Churchill's Generals'', London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson/New York Grove Weidenfeld, 1991, . * Chris Kempton, ''A Register of Titles of The Units of the H.E.I.C. and Indian Armies, 1666–1947, (British Empire & Commonwealth Museum Research Paper Number 1), Bristol: British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, 1997, . *

Ronald Lewin George Ronald Lewin CBE (11 October 1914 – 6 January 1984), later known as Ronald Lewin, was a British officer, publishing editor, radio producer and military historian. Education Lewin attended University of Oxford at The Queens College on an ...

, ''Slim:The Standardbearer'', London: Leo Cooper, 1976, ISBN, 0-85052-446-6. *

I.S.O. Playfair Major-General Ian Stanley Ord Playfair, (10 April 1894 – 21 March 1972) was a British Army officer. Military career Born the son of Colonel F.H.G. Playfair of the Hampshire Regiment and educated at Cheltenham College, Playfair joined the Roya ...

, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol III: ''(September 1941 to September 1942) British Fortunes reach their Lowest Ebb'', London: HMSO, 1960 /Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, *

Stanley Kirby Major General Stanley Woodburn Kirby, (13 February 1895 − 19 July 1968) was a British Army officer who served in both World Wars. Personal Stanley Kirby was the son of Sir Woodburn Kirby, born in the Hendon district of London. He was educated ...

, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War Against Japan'' Vol II, ''India's Most Dangerous Hour'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1958/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, {{ISBN, 1-845740-61-0.

External sources

Generals of World War II
Corps of India in World War II Corps of British India Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II Military units and formations of Burma in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1942