"It was hell on earth": Battle of Kohima veteran remembers the horrors of war

The Battle of Kohima - which ended on this day in 1944 - is remembered as one of the crucial turning points in WWII.
Less well known, but equally important as the Allies’ success on D-Day, it was the first time the Japanese army had been beaten on land and helped prevent the invasion of India.
Richard Day, 93, was among those 1,500 soldiers who defeated 15,000 enemies in a remarkable, against the odds, victory.
This is his story.
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[@davidhamilton6363]

My dear Father died in 2008 fought in Kohema,

[@ayangpongen6601]

Richard, kohima is my hometown. Today kohima is a sprawling town and the capital of the state of Nagaland. It's doing well, the main battlefield is now standing strong and is today the heart of the town.

[@karen0110]

Don't paint such a pretty picture for a beggar state...😂

[@Gourmet_Supremo]

​@@karen0110what do you mean a beggar state?

[@Catholicguy-qs3ng]

Karen0110 Either u r from Kohima or someone from outside Nagaland who is insulting our progress🙂

[@shurhoang6631]

Hello Richard! I hope you are doing well! I'm from Kohima, Nagaland. Thank you for sharing this piece of history!

[@johnschuh8616]

God bless him. He was intended to convey this message.

[@minecraftgaminggg7953]

It is so important for people off this country to know how Indian British and American troops fought the Japanese soldiers and One off the bloody wars that was fought.Thank so veterans for all courage.

[@kinder4498]

Thank you sir for sharing about battle of kohima.Im from Nagaland ♥️👍

[@davidmawer6859]

Thank you for remembering and sharing Richard.

[@sinlokemp]

My Grandfather was also a veteran of the same battle. He was also awarded the Burmese Star. He passed away in 2018. Long live the veterans who fought the good fight for our future 🫡

[@Londonfogey]

'It wasn't quite a picnic'. Classic British understatement! To the immortal memory of the Indian Army and the British Fourteenth Army. You will not be forgotten.

[@funlady_pig3377]

I'm from kohima thank you sir

[@orsettcock]

I am privileged to know Richard very well. We attend the Japanese Embassy in Piccadilly annually.

[@klone_Trooper]

@Veterans' Foundation.. thank you for sharing these incredible men, we could never repay what they did for us.. truly the greatest generation. Also if possible arrange something so he can come back to kohima.. although it might be hard for him, I'm pretty sure we'd all like to have the pleasure of Richard visiting us

[@ratreer1523]

My Father who died aged 58 in 1977 was there with the 4th Battalion Queens Own Royal West Kent's.Im 72 the baby.My poor old Dad had a shitty war.Was at Dunkirk 1940.Then 3 glorious in England.He had tattoo on left arm soldier marching Burma on top bottom said Never Again..As I say 72 now but give up 5 yrs just to have 10 minutes with him

[@JoeBackhouse-rt2ep]

My great grandfather fought it the battle of kohima and was wounded in that battle lost his best mate right beside him in the Kings own yorkshire light infantry battalion. Lost his brothers in the war too one on the hms glorious and the other im a submarine somewhere

[@davidhamilton6363]

My dear Father died in 2008 he fought at Kohema his ex council house was sold to pay for his care in a nursing home ! Your comment has filled my eyes with tears

[@ratreer1523]

David when war finished my Father rejoined in 1946 Fusiliers ( R R F ) till 1960.It was only in his last few months that he told me he just didn't fit in never spoke to anyone.Happend to a lot of returning soldiers. Kohima cenotaph For your tomorrow we gave our today

[@amongquinker8177]

By the grace of god he is save from war 😢 To share a history.Apreciate🎉❤

[@mior1]

At India is Battle of Kohima,at My country is Battle Of Greem Ridgeis the one battle forgeted

[@chrisholland7367]

Incredibly brutal battle. Also the Japanese attacked another strategic position ,imphal. Had the Japanese managed to break through, they may been able to raid valuable supplies and the pathway to India would have been open .

[@glpilpi6209]

The music makes it difficult to hear what the man's saying . It doesn't need background music.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Captain Sir Tom Moor fought at the Battle of Kohima with the West Yorkshire Regiment.

[@eyiloeyilo2713]

amazing nagaland

[@maryseddon4782]

The Battle of Kohima ended 22nd June 1944. It was a turning point for the 14th Army as it was the first victory it had against the enemy. Note: there were many Indians serving in the 14th Army, as they knew that this army was there to defend India and Burma against the Japanese invasion. Japan merely wanted the resources from these countries for its war efforts. In addition, the Japanese forces certainly did not treat the Chinese nice when they invaded China, so there was no reason to think that they would treat the Indians and Burmese any better once they took over their countries. For example, Unit 731 was where the Japanese tortured and carried out human experiments on the Chinese. Oh, and there are also horrific accounts of Chinese prisoners being buried alive by the Japanese troops. In fact, the UK "Independent" newspaper did an article, dated 2/8/1992, about how certain Japanese WW2 soldiers had been involved in cannibalism. In the book by Sir Captain Thomas Moore - the elderly gentleman who kept the British spirits up during the Covid-19 Pandemic, he spoke of soldiers being issued with a cyanide pill. Thanks to the cruelty and barbaric behaviour of the enemy, suicide was preferred to capture. Soldiers captured by the enemy might be used as bayonet practice. Those taken as POWs would be starved, beaten and worked to death. At the end of WW2, the ones liberated from these POW camps were just as starved as anybody from the likes of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. However, more people have heard about the German camps than they have of the Japanese POW camps. A lot of the people living in and around India understood the danger of letting the Japanese troops takeover their countries, so they fought hard against the Japanese Army. They were happy to fight alongside the British because they understood that THE BRITISH WERE THERE TO HELP THEM. The Japanese troops were not attacking Britain, they were attacking countries in South East Asia. Therefore, the British troops were doing the Indians and Burmese a favour, not the other way around. The people from these countries need to look at how the Japanese troops treated the Chinese, after invading China, to see how they would have been treated if Japan had conquered all of South East Asia in WW2. What those poor Chinese people went through in WW2 was horrific. Therefore, the victories of Kohima and Imphal in 1944 saved India. The several victories in 1945 leading to the recapture of Rangoon rescued and saved Burma. The soldiers of the 14th Army had proudly recaptured Rangoon, the Capital of Burma, by May 1945. Sadly, there are many British soldiers who died fighting to protect the people of South East Asia. Their bodies lay buried in such places as in the war graves of Kohima - hundreds of miles away from their families in Britain. Unfortunately, many of these people cannot afford to travel to India to place flowers on their loved one's grave. In 9 days time it will be the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Battle of Kohima. A battle that sadly claimed many men's lives. My Dad, Peter Seddon, was in the 23rd Chindit Brigade, Column 33, in 1944. At that time he was in the 2nd Duke of Wellington Regiment. While not at the heart of that battle, this brigade helped stop the enemy gaining food and medical supplies thus helping to shorten the battle. Note: with living history, comes uncertainty. If all brigades had entered the "tennis court" and the Japanese backup had arrived then it would have been a defeat for the 14th Army, as its soldiers would have been the ones surrounded and starved out instead of the enemy being starved out. The 23rd Brigade not only stopped the enemy gaining essential supplies but also acted as an early warning, and defence, against any possible additional enemy troops arriving. These soldiers were certainly not having a picnic during that battle, as the relatives of Lance Sergeant Thomas Moakes know all too well. Sadly, this brave soldier of Column 33 was killed in 1944 at Kohima. Note: during war, bad things happen. However, many people involved in these battles are not bad people. They're just placed in extreme survival circumstances and have to try their very best to survive. They are fighting for their right to live. Who wants to die? ALL SIDES SUFFER IN WAR, SO A REAL VICTORY IS WHEN WAR CAN BE AVOIDED........ WHENEVER POSSIBLE. In 1945, my Dad was transferred to the 1st West Yorkshire Regiment, 48th Indian Brigade, 17th Indian Division. While NCOd, he earned the Military Medal at the Battle of Meiktila for rescuing his fellow soldiers who were wounded on the battlefield. As a civilian, a few years after the end of WW2, my Dad earned the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct award, and a parchment from the Royal Humane Society, for putting himself in harm's way to rescue children. Note: although, my Dad served in two excellent Yorkshire Regiments, he was from Leigh in the Wigan Borough of Lancashire, 🇬🇬, 🇬🇧. London Gazette recorded awards: M.M., 17/1/46 QCBC, 22/6/54 On the evening of the 22nd June, I'll be lighting a candle and remembering my Dad and the Battle of Kohima he was involved in. May they Rest In Peace all those who fought in the 14th Army of S.E.A. in WW2. God bless you all. ❤🌹 Note: it's not those who fought against the 14th Army that should be proud, it's the ones who fought in it that should be proud. This army was the DEFENDER, not the invader, of India and Burma. I'm very proud of my Dad!

[@philipnorris6542]

At the going down of the Sun and in the morning we will remember them.

[@user-lx4kn4gi6o]

Thank you Britain

[@wijinbenjamin2719]

❤❤🎉

[@torpaninternational8351]

This was definitely the Stalingrad of the Japanese expansion .The number of the VC S awarded there , exemplified this.

[@baljeet-sandhusingh3369]

SALUTE

[@liverbot4854]

I feel sorry for many of these British soldiers. They fought hard to protect India and valued the Indians, but the UK government made them their puppets.

[@gmprajwal16]

They fought against the Azad Hind Fauj army by Subash Chandra Bose....Fact that both were Indians fighting each other...one through Subhash Chandra Bose to get independent and other through British govt

[@liverbot4854]

@@gmprajwal16 This is very interesting. Did the Indians fighting for the British government switch sides when they realised Chandra Bose was fighting for independence?

[@gmprajwal16]

It was 3 months battle. Netaji entered Kohima with his army by crossing Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar(earlier known as Burma). Unknowingly our Indian military fought against them and spread false information regarding Netaji's death. They wanted to hang Netaji's commanders which is known as RED FORT TRIALS. The Indian army controlled by the British govt came to know regarding it and they started Naval Mutiny which was the last war against the British which gave Independence.

[@liverbot4854]

@@gmprajwal16 Very interesting. Do you sometimes get angry when people say that Gandhi gave India its independence?

[@gmprajwal16]

@@liverbot4854 I do not get anger. I'm just unhappy with the one who gave their lives for freedom, went unrecognised without any credits and our history being said wrong.

[@bobyouel7674]

REspect

[@avinuosechii492]

Respect 😎

[@christopher-ke9nj]

Hi Richard they hated you, you hated them it was total war we will remember them

[@tanulsingh8563]

u not only fought japanese u mainly fought subhash chandra bose's indian national army

[@tokihesema4639]

Don't know what river he is talking about.all I know is there are small streams around kohima.

[@Shorts_x2.0]

JAI BHIM 💙🙏

[@aniketchatterjee1551]

Azad Hind will return………………

[@adamsboringvids]

Aww did someone’s ancestors lose a war?? Diddums

[@shashishekhar7144]

Indian are real hero

[@johnschuh8616]

And Indians of All sorts fought for INDIA! They knew that the Japanese had only contempt for other Asians, just as Japanese officers had only contempt for their own men.

[@vatsal7640]

All soldiers are heroes Stop taking credit for everything.