The British Fourteenth Army under Lieutenant General William Slim made the main Allied thrust, codenamed Operation Capital, into central Burma.

The war was officially declared on 24 February 1824. After an initial set-back, the British forces drove the Burmese out of Assam, Cachar, Manipur, and Arakan. The British expeditionary forces by sea occupied Rangoon in May 1824 and reached within 45 miles of the capital at Ava.

July 19, 1947, The Secretariat, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Burma Star

Awards And Decorations

• The Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is the highest military honor presented for valor.
• The Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross. Service Crosses are the second-highest military medal awarded for valor.
• Distinguished Flying Cross.
• The Bronze Star.
• The Purple Heart.

On 15 May 1942, just after the monsoon broke, defeated British Forces finally retreated all the way across the Indian border. It was the longest retreat in British history, covering a distance of 1,000 miles – like walking from Birmingham to Rome.

The British Empire waged ceaseless war against Japan between December 1941 and August 1945, in defeat and retreat at first, stabilizing in 1943 as the Allies hit back and the Japanese tide abated, and turning to the offensive in 1944.

The British Empire’s air, naval, and ground forces which were needed to protect the Malayan peninsula were inadequate from the start, and the failure of General Percival to counter the pincer movements of the Japanese led to the withdrawal of British Empire forces to Singapore.

Aung San is the founder of the Myanmar Armed Forces, and is considered the Father of the Nation of modern-day Myanmar. He was instrumental in Burma’s independence from British rule, but was assassinated just six months before his goal was realized.

Anawrahta