page_title: Battle of Mogaung
section_title: Mogaung
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Mogaung / Battle / Mogaung
caption_attribution_description: English: Lieutenant (acting Captain) Michael Allmand, attached to the 3/6th Gurkhas received a Victoria Cross posthumously for his actions at the Pin Hmi Road Bridge, Burma, 23 June 1944. MOD photograph.
context_page_description: The Battle of Mogaung was a series of engagements that was fought in the Burma Campaign of World War II between 6 and 26 June 1944 at the Burmese town of Mogaung. In brutal fighting, the 77th 'Chindit' Brigade under Brigadier Michael Calvert, later assisted by Chinese forces of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, fought for and captured the town from the occupying forces of Imperial Japan.
  The battle was part of a major Chindit campaign called Operation Thursday which later amalgamated with the Siege of Myitkyina by Chinese and US forces led by Joseph Stilwell who was in overall command of the Chindits. The capture of Mogaung was the first place in Burma to be liberated from the Japanese, and it was the last major Chindit campaign of the war. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded during the battle.
context_section_description: Calvert planned his next attack for 23 June towards Natyigon, a key position and the last outer bastion of Mogaung. At first light on that day the final assault was launched; every available fit man was called up; cooks, orderlies and even Headquarters personnel. The Chinese attacked towards the railway station along the railway embankment which was effectively a last line of defence. Despite a heavy bombardment the attack failed and the Chinese were held back with intense Japanese machine gun fire. The Chindits had no choice but to halt along this line for the remainder of the day.
  Earlier reconnaissance had pin-pointed the 'Red House', a large bricked building. The following day after a heavy bombardment from the Chinese guns and British mortars as well as air attacks the British attacked from the North of the station. Once once more fighting was intense, the Japanese defending tenaciously despite the constant pounding. The building and surrounding positions were only taken after brutal fighting in which flamethrowers, grenades and PIATs were used. One of the men involved was Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun; his single-handed gallantry as part of the Gurkhas attack on the 'Red House' earned him a nomination for the Victoria Cross. The other nomination fell to Michael Allmand who attacked a machine-gun position holding up his remaining company. He Knocked out the position with grenades but was mortally wounded in the process. The Chinese provided some fire support but did not take part in this attack, instead protecting the flanks and cutting off any Japanese escape attempt. The assault by the Gurkhas totally unbalanced the Japanese and Takeda had no other choice to withdraw or risk his battalions being destroyed.
  The final attack was on the railway station on June 25 – the Chinese attack from the South was postponed but the Lancashires and the South Staffordshires went in anyway and after more heavy fighting finally took the battered remains and met up with the Chinese. With the British having major foothold in the town, the Japanese launched a number of counterattacks that night but they were beaten off. The following morning the Chindit and Chinese patrols found positions outside the town abandoned. Any Japanese that escaped did so by using oil drums in the hope they would make it downriver to Myitkyina. Many however were shot up by patrolling Chindits.
  With the battle largely over the Chindits consolidated their position in Mogaung but they were physically and mentally exhausted. The brigade at the end of the battle only had less than 550 men left of fighting strength. The Lancashire Fusiliers, King's Regiment and South Staffordshire's between them could only muster 300 between them and the 3/6th Gurkhas had 230 left fit.
caption: Gurkha Captain Michael Allmand who won the VC during the Battle of Mogaung
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