The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

"What? The 8th Battalion was ambushed, and Sato and over 800 others were killed?" Kataoka Kaoru stared at the telegram in shock, sweat pouring down his forehead. He could never have imagined that the 8th Battalion would suffer such a devastating blow just days after he accepted the position of Commander of the Lashio Garrison Command and before he could even take up his duties.

The 534th Brigade consisted of five battalions, and the 8th Battalion was one of the mainstays, boasting over 534 men. However, less than a day after Sato and his 1200-plus men left Nauren, they were ambushed and annihilated. This devastating news was a bolt from the blue for Kaoru Kataoka.

Kataoka Kaoru was filled with fear and shock. He couldn't accept this fact. His hands trembled, and the telegram quivered slightly in his grasp. His eyes revealed despair and helplessness, as if the world was collapsing before his eyes.

Although only a little over 800 men were annihilated, the remaining forces of the 8th Battalion consisted of a few non-combatants, such as baggage carriers, security personnel, and logistics personnel, as well as a mountain artillery squadron. In other words, the main body of the 8th Battalion had been completely destroyed.

Kataoka Kaoru felt a chill run down his spine, and his face turned pale. He knew what the 8th Battalion's destruction meant. It meant that the overseas Chinese guerrillas in northeastern Burma had become a force to be reckoned with, posing a serious threat to the Japanese army's deployment there and even negatively impacting their continued offensive against Yunnan, China!

This shocking news quickly spread throughout the Burma battlefield, reaching all Japanese troops stationed there, including the 15th Army. It was undoubtedly a severe blow to Japanese morale, as the 8th Battalion's destruction marked the first complete annihilation of a Japanese unit larger than a battalion, following the 55th and 33rd Divisions. Such an event was rare on the battlefield and deeply shocked the Japanese army.

Senior officials, including Commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army, Terauchi Juichi, personally called Iida Shojiro to raise concerns. Although the 8th Battalion was merely a security unit, its opponents were also ill-equipped guerrillas. This forced the Japanese to take the resistance forces in northern and eastern Burma seriously. The planned large-scale mopping-up operation in northern Burma was also suspended. The Japanese 15th Army Headquarters immediately convened a meeting of officers from all its divisions, brigades, and other main units at the rank of colonel to discuss a campaign against the resistance forces in northern and eastern Burma.

Soon, the Japanese army came up with a larger and more detailed mopping-up plan. This time, not only the 121st Security Division would participate in the mopping-up, but also the 31st and 37th Independent Mixed Brigades, the 33rd Division and part of the 56th Division newly transferred from China would take part in the operation.

Iida personally formulated and deployed the mission, and the commander of the Lashio Garrison Command was replaced again. Kaoru Kataoka was kicked out before he even took his seat at the Garrison Command. The new Garrison Commander was Major General Shinta Abe, commander of the 37th Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army.

At the same time, according to a new order from the Japanese Army, the 121st Security Division was disbanded, and the division headquarters and the 534th Brigade were ordered to return to Japan to form a new Class D division. The 533rd Brigade was to be reorganized into the 32nd Mixed Brigade and remain in northern Burma.

At Iida's suggestion, Kaoru Kataoka stayed in Burma and became a senior staff officer of the 15th Army Headquarters. According to rumors, Kataoka Tsuyoshi received orders from Iida and is preparing to organize the 33rd Army Headquarters. It is said that Masao Watanabe will take over as the commander of the newly formed 33rd Army.

Translator Liang and other overseas Chinese underground forces devised countless methods to gather information on the large-scale movements of the Japanese army, alerting Qin Shi and his guerrilla column. Taking advantage of the terrain in northern Burma, the guerrilla column employed tactics of avoiding the main force, harassing along the way, and concentrating their attacks to effectively defeat the Japanese mopping-up forces. The Japanese mopping-up operations were fruitless, wasting vast resources and manpower. Qin Shi and his guerrilla forces seized the opportunity to consolidate and expand their guerrilla forces. The Burmese National Salvation Army, led by Chachai, also exploited the troop shortages caused by the large-scale Japanese mopping-up operations and launched a massive road raid along the Tounggu-Taunggyi line, temporarily paralyzing the Japanese army's transportation lines. Ultimately, the Japanese were forced to withdraw their forces, concluding their first encirclement and suppression campaign in northern Burma.

Meanwhile, history was also changing. The US military failed to achieve victory against the Japanese navy in the first Battle of Midway, resulting in a virtual draw. The Japanese lost the aircraft carrier Akagi, and the Kaga and Hiryu suffered heavy damage. They also lost a heavy cruiser, three destroyers, and over 1 aircraft, failing to capture Midway. The US military, however, lost the aircraft carrier York, a destroyer, and over 3 aircraft, but managed to hold Midway. Meanwhile, the Battle of Stalingrad unfolded, with the German offensive in full swing, while the Soviets continued to resist.

The Japanese army has basically won a complete victory in its operations in Southeast Asia and is planning to fight against India. Therefore, Myanmar has become the main battlefield of the Japanese army in Southeast Asia. The Japanese army's Burma Front, which was only established in 1944, will be established ahead of schedule. Among them, the 33rd Army has been formally prepared!

According to the Japanese army's 1943 Southeast Asia campaign plan, Imphal would serve as a springboard for a full-scale war against British India. To this end, the Japanese Southern Army would establish the Burma Front, temporarily commanding the 15th and 33rd Armies, the 2nd, 18th, 31st, 33rd, 55th, and 56th Divisions, and the 6st, 31nd, 32th, 37th, and 105th Independent Mixed Brigades. Several field transport headquarters would also be established to control Burma's railways, roads, and river transportation, marshaling Burmese manpower and resources for the war effort and intensifying the plunder of Burmese ethnic groups.

In August 1942, the Japanese Army officially established the Burma Area Command in Rangoon. Unsurprisingly, Iida Shojiro was promoted to General and appointed Commander of the Area. Mutaguchi Renya was also appointed Commander of the 8th Army, though Iida remained his direct superior. Similarly, Watanabe Masao was appointed Commander of the newly formed 15rd Army. Kaoru Kataoka was not appointed Chief of Staff of the 33rd Army, but was instead appointed Commander of the 33th Infantry Division, effectively a promotion.

日军第15军下辖：第2、第18、第55师团，主要作战为印度方面，也是日军在缅甸最强大的攻击兵团；日军第33军辖：第31、33、56师团，主要作战方面是中国云南、英印东北面，侧翼协助第15军对印度的进攻！

In Rangoon, Shojiro Iida convened a meeting of senior officers from the brigade and regiment levels onward to formulate plans for the war against India. At the same time, to safeguard Burma's stability and combat the increasingly rampant resistance, Iida ordered Watanabe's 33rd Army to launch a large-scale mopping-up operation in northern Burma. A campaign of mopping-up and counter-mopping-up operations officially began!