The relief of Kohima begins

18th April 1944: British positions along the hilltop ridge are still under sniper and mortar fire - the battle is far from over

British soldiers search through long grass for Japanese snipers while covered by a Bren gun team.

The British outpost at Kohima, Burma had been cut off from outside support since late on the 5th April. Surrounded and completely outnumbered by the Japanese 31st Division, the small force manning the improvised defences had endured constant sniping and mortar fire. Finally the relief force broke through on the 18th and the Kohima area held by the British, which had shrunk dramatically in the previous days, was no longer isolated.

The British opened an artillery barrage as they broke through. Nevertheless, the Japanese still had a strong position and could overlook much of the British-held territory. Virtually no area did not remain under fire.

British relief forces in Universal carriers on the Kohima Imphal road.

Private H.F. Norman¹ was part of a group of fourteen men detailed to help evacuate the wounded men. However, the area was still under sniper fire, and later came under mortar fire:

At 09.30 hours Corporal Judges and his section consisting of Privates Johnson,Thrussel and myself, as well as Corporal Veal’s section, went onto the road to help evacuate the wounded Indians, BORs, walking and stretcher cases. It was my job to look at the stretcher cases. If they were dead I had to send the Indian stretcher bearers round the back of the feature where they put the bodies in a heap to be buried later.