Battlefield Tourism and Manipur

Introduction:

     Tourism is a growing phenomenon worldwide, fuelled by both the growth of the entertainment industry and the increase in international travel.

          Despite the fact that statistics concerning directly the impact that 2^nd World War have had on tourism are limited, there are still some remarkable figures. Countries like UK, Australia, and America have an increasingly interest in studying and developing the Battle-induced tourism. Given the existence of this type of tourism and the potentially significant economic value of this strand of tourism to the economy, understanding the drivers of Battle-induced tourism and exploiting its effect are crucial issues to comprehend.

International attention:

        The momentum for publicity of  Imphal Campaign of WW-2 pick up from 2013 when the National Army Museum of the UK  voted the twin Battles of Kohima and Imphal as the Greatest Battle of Britain on 20 April 2013.

       Since then many films based on the battle of Imphal were produced and screen “ Imphal- 1944” produce and Directed by Japanese Actor/Director based in London, Junichi Kajioka and Bollywood Film “Rangoon” are worth mentioning. “Imphal-1944” travels the world for various Film festivals and bags “Best Short Period Drama award” and “Best Producer Award” in Monaco International Film Festival, 2014.

                Battle of Imphal  and Tourism Potential:-

     Battle of Imphal, which starts from march 19, 1944 to July 6^th , 1944  has lot of potential to induce tourism. In this battle Indians were fighting on both side. The participation of INA is another aspect which will attract lot of Indians. Some facts which need to ponder from the perspective of Tourism are:

—  3 Japanese divisions were involved in the campaign. A total of 120,000 Japanese soldiers reached the hills and valley of Manipur.

—  40,000 soldiers were registered as Indian National Army soldiers

—  A total of more than 2,50,000 British, Indian , Americans, Canadians, Australian, Africans, Chinese and Burmese participate the campaign as allied force.

—  More than 60 % of Indians and Gurkhas who died in the battles were never recovered from the battlefields and hence they are listed in Rangoon Memorial as Missing in Action.

—  There are five locations where 5 Victoria Cross were awarded in Manipur.

—  The Two Cemeteries and one memorial under the Commonwealth War Graves

—   Commission is the epitome of Battle Tourism in Manipur.

The Major battles that fought in Manipur are:

—       Battle of Sangshak

—       Battle of Kanglatongbi

—       Battle of Red Hill

—       Battle of Nungshigum

—       Battle of Kameng

—       Battle of Tengnoupal/ Shenam Saddle

—       Battle of Bishenpur and Ningthoukhong

—       Battle of Modbung

—       Battle of Torbung

—       Battle of Silchar Track

Other than these battle fought on land, there was an Air Battle fought almost everyday between Allieds and the Japanese above the skies of Manipur till June 17, 1944.

Conclusion :-

  In the very near future, the battlefield locations, war time Jeep tracks, plane crash sites  (General Wingate crash site in highest priority ), colonial structures (Slim cottage in first priority), Landmarks and locations which are associated with important incidents of the war will bring and attract the highest number of foreign tourist. This locations need deeper research and development at par with international standards.

Manipur with its unique beauty, indulgence to Great War  and a historical association with one of the Greatest battles of South East Asia in World War 2 makes it a high ground for making films from Bollywood as well as Hollywood. Developing infrastructure and propagating the unique history of the war to the world will definitely make it conducive for Tourism growth in the long run.

              The Death of Guerrilla General Orde Charles Wingate

                                                                                                

General Orde Wingate

General Orde Charles Wingate was a British General of world war second who started the Chindits which made Long range penetration behind the Japanese lines in Burma during the 2^nd world war.  He was born in India in 1903 at Nainital in the then United Provinces. . He was the son of Colonel George Wingate C.I.E. and Mary Ethel Stanley Wingate. Their family went back to England and lived at Godalming in Surrey, and  was eventually educated at Charterhouse.

 Wingate served in pre-war Palestine where he achieved notable success against the Arab rebellion of 1936 by organizing ‘night squads’ of Jewish settlers to defend their kibbutzim. It earns him a DSO and also a transfer from an area where his pronounced pro-Zionist views were felt to be a political embarrassment, as well as somewhat peculiar in an Army officer. In these operations lie the roots of Haganah, the Israeli force which later fought the British and the Arabs to establish the State of Israel in 1948.

         With the entry of Italy into the war in June 1940 his expertise in guerrilla warfare and Sudan Defence Force made him a natural choice for the elimination of the Italians from their conquests in Abyssinia.

   Wavell had been impressed by the performance of Gideon Force, and when he became Commander-in-Chief, India, he remembered Wingate. Deeply perturbed by the declining morale of the British Army in the Far East, Wavell summoned Wingate to see what chestnuts unorthodox warfare could save from the fire that was consuming Burma is 1942.

 Wingate’s idea was to put soldiers behind the Japanese lines to sow confusion amongst their lines of communication and also to strike back at them at a time when they were carrying all before them. His “Chindits,” or “Wingate’s Raiders,” a brigade of British, Gurkha, and Burmese guerrillas, harassed much stronger Japanese forces in the jungles of northern Burma (now Myanmar) during World War II.

The plane crash:-

General Wingate died in a plane crash on 24^th March 1944 near the village of Thiulon in Tamenglong District. On 24th March 1944 Wingate flew into Broadway in a B-25 Mitchell bomber (43-4242) from 1st Air Commandos. From there he visited the White City and Aberdeen Strongholds. After returning to Broadway he flew on to Imphal( Koirengei) to meet Air Marshall Baldwin and from there at 8.00 pm, he set off back to Lalaghat.  Wingate's plane crashed on the return journey in the hills around Tamenglong.  All on board were killed including a number of war correspondents. ( Broadway, White City and Aberdeen are code named wartime airfields in Burma)

The crash site is located near village Thiulon in Tamenglong District, Manipur.  The crash site is around 1.5 km at the south west of the village. The coordinates measured by GPS is N 24*59’17” and E 93*23’27”. The elevation reads 740 meters above sea level.  

                                                   Commemoration at the Crash Site

Cause of the Crash:-

  The official record stated bad weather as the cause of the plane crash. There arose more many conspiracy theories after he died.  Many cited freak weather, engine failure, pilot error etc as the cause of the crash, but because this was Wingate, there was a general reluctance to accept that this was a routine accident, such as had accounted for thousands of airborne combatants in Burma. The official investigation concluded that there had been engine failure and that the pilot had unsuccessfully tried to return to Imphal. Thunderstorms or turbulence were cited as possibilities, but all the pilots in the air that day confirmed that all thunderstorms were local and could easily be circumvented.  General William Slim opted for extreme turbulence, even though the pilots’ testimony also ruled that out.

   When I reach the village (on 10^th Feb 2018), I found that the crash site is on the reverse side of a ridge, so it is not possible that the aircraft had flown into the hill.  It can be substantiated by the fact that the B-25 started from 770 meters ASL from Koirengei and the crash site is at a much lower altitude of 740 meters.

      The plane was on fire on air that night as seen by the villagers. The plane on fire was also seen by people from other neighbouring villages. The B-25 was carrying cluster bombs, which might broke loose from the bays, rolled into the fuselage and detonated. A lot of fuel onboard must also have ignited on impact.

Physical evidence:-

  Two engines were found at the crash site initially. One engine was taken by the 30^th Assam Rifles from the village on 30^th May 1989 and is kept at the Assam Rifles office at Shillong. The other engine is now kept at the village church. This engine is broken into two pieces. Non ferrous metals in the engine show sign of extreme heat exposure. Whereas the engine with the Assam Rifles is in one piece and in good intact shape, it is pertinent to state that the engine with the village hit the ground and was broken into two pieces.

           The Radial Engine at the village Church.

The impact of the fall was so forceful that the iron in front landing gear was also torn. There is a great possibility that the pilot drop the landing gear before impact trying to land the plane. So there is a possibility that the pilot and the crews were alive just before the impact. A crater of 15 feet in length and 5 feet deep is still available to be seen today at the crash site.

              The torn front Landing gear

From the Villagers account:-

   On 24^th March evening, the Christian villagers of Thiulon village were having their evening prayer when they saw a ball of fire coming down from the sky. The plane had caught fire in the sky and its falling down can be seen from Tamenglong town also. The plane fall on the western slope of the mountain of Thiulon, some 2.00 Km from their village. Just after the crash, loud sounds of explosions were heard by the village. The pebbles scattered from the explosion reach the village houses. Whole night there was explosion one after another and the area was lighted with the fire from the crash.  

The villagers told that next morning, ie. On 25^th March 1944, a small plane landed just adjacent to the crash plane. From there two pilots came out. One had a broken leg. There were medicines and other items with the crash plane. There was presence of parachute containing medicines and other food boxes with the parachute. The two persons from the plane told the villagers to collect all the pieces of bodies scattered around the crash site. The villagers collected the bodies piece by piece and bury them in a mound near the village. The villagers took them (the two pilots) to their village and serve them. Next day they were transported by making a wooded palanquin. The villagers of Thuilon took them to Npakang village, the Npakang villagers transported the two pilots till Atengba Village. The Atengba Villagers took till the Chingkao village. The Chingkao villagers took them till Nungkao village. The Nungkao villagers took them till Oinamlong. From there the military vehicle pick them and taken back to Silchar.

 Upon research it is found that the plane that crash next morning is an L-5 Stinson and piloted by Sergeant Lloyd Samp and co piloted by Sergeant Bill Walters. It was arranged by Colonel Cochran to pick up message pouch strung between two poles by the Captain Barnes ground team from the crash site. The L-5 loses power due to carburetor icing which was flying at 5000 ft. So the pilot made a forced landing adjacent to the crash site.

The Occupants of the B-25 Mitchell Bomber:-

The occupants of the ill fated plane as per records were:

1.     Maj General Orde Charles Wingate, DSO

2.     Captain George Henry Borrow, MC

3.     Brian Floyd Hodges, 1^st Lt. Air Corps

4.     Stephen Albert Wanderer, 2^nd Lt.  Air Corps

5.     Vernon A McIninch, S SGT  Air Corps

6.     Frank Sadoski, T SGT  Air Corps

7.     James Walton Hickey, T SGT Air Corps

8.     Stuart Emeny, War Correspondent, The News Chronicle.

9.     Stanley Wills, War Correspondent, The Daily Herald.

When the villagers reach the crash site next morning, the bodies were scattered around the crash site. All bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. They were in pieces.  Some were hanging on trees. Another death dog was also at the crash site. There are chances that other unrecorded person was also on board that day.  This needs further research for confirmation.

In April 1947 some human remains (20 pieces of bones weighing 3 pounds)  of the crash, were moved to a common grave on the then British Military Cemetery in Imphal. On December 18, 1949, the grave was opened by the United States Army and the contents transferred to Manila in the Philipines pending final disposition. In November 10, 1950 all the remains collected from Imphal War Cemetery (previously British Military Cemetery) were reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, USA.

Future of the crash Site:-

    The villagers of Thuilon have agreed to commemorate 24^th March every year as the death anniversary of General Charles Orde Wingate. The road from Tamenglong HQ to Thuilon is hardly  40 km, but due to the bad road condition it took 4 hours to reach the village from Tamenglong HQ.  At present there is no electricity in the village as the only transformer is not functional since last year. There are chances that in the near future the road from Tamenglong town to Thiulon Village gets widen and gets bitumen layered. Once the road is developed, many tourists will access the crash site. The village wants a Wingate memorial park to be constructed at the crash site. The local elected ADC member is trying to put up this project with the Government.

Bibliography:-

1.     Frank McLynn. The Burma Campaign,  Vintage Books, London, 2011.

2.     David Rooney .Burma Victory,  Cassell & Co,  1992.

3.     Allen, Louis. Burma The Longest War. Phoenix Press, London, 1984.

4.     Dennis Hawley, The Death of Wingate, Merlin Books Ltd, Braunton,1996.

Subedar Netrabahadur Thapa VC

                                                  Subedar Netrabahadur Thapa VC

Acting Subedar Netrabahadur Thapa, was born on 8 th January 1916 in the village called Rahu in Nepal.

Netrabahadur Thapa was an acting Subedar with 2/5 Gurkha Rifles during Battle of Imphal. The battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Eustace during the June of 1944. On 25/26 June 1944 at Mortar Bluff,  a feature very close to the old Silchar track or Tongei Maril, Bishenpur, Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa was in command of a small isolated hill post, when the Japanese attacked in force. The men, inspired by their leader's fine example, held their ground and the Japanese were beaten off, but casualties were very heavy and reinforcements were requested. When these arrived some hours later they too became casualties, but the subedar, undeterred, retrieved the ammunition himself and took the offensive with grenades and kukris, until he was killed. For this valour action Netrabahadur Thapa was awarded the highest Military award of British and Commonwealth force, the Victoria Cross. Five VC’s were awarded in battles of 2^nd World War in Manipur.

“At half past six on June 25^th forty-one Gurkhas under Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa were sent off up the steep hillside with signalers and with soldiers and mules carrying food and ammunitions, to take over the isolated post of Mortar Bluff, a small round pimple rising out of open grassland and barely large enough to contain a platoon”. (Imphal, 1962)

The War Diary of 2/5 Gurkha Rifles recorded the following incident:

“25th June 1944(Sunday):- Order Received for Bn. to march from Bishenpur at 1000 hrs for EVANS KNOB ( hills overlooking Silchar Track). Arrived there 1600 hrs and occupied Northants’ old positions. D Coy, less 1 Pl. and 2 x 3” Mortars moved forward to B.P. Piquet. 1 Pl. D Coy( Sub. Netrabahadur Thapa) plus two secs of C Coy moved forward to MORTAR BLUFF Piquet. Enemy started attacking M.B. at 2000 hrs practically all ammunition and grenades expended. The enemy, estimated one Coy were attacking from all directions, and many enemy had succeeded in getting inside the wire. 2 Secs of B Coy were send up with ammunitions at 2230 hrs. All communication broken. Heavy rain all night.

26^th June 1944 (Monday):- At 0415 hrs. information received that MORTAR BLUFF had been overrun and occupied by the enemy.  A, C and Bn. HQ plus 2 x 3” Mortars moved out at 0530 hrs and arrived at B.P. Piquet at 0740 hrs, and were there shelled by 75mm. Major McGill severely wounded on head and later died. 3 Havs also killed, 2 wounded and 1 Sub wounded all by one shell. Several man and mules also killed and wounded”.

His Citation reads:

        Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa was in command of the garrison of 41 men of the 2/5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) which on the afternoon of 25th June, 1944, took over the isolated piquet known as Mortar Bluff situated on the hillside commanding the base at Bishenpur in Burma( wrongly written, it should be Manipur). The piquet position, completely devoid of any cover, was situated some 400 yards from the next piquet, from which it could be supported to some extent by 3 inch mortar fire, but was commanded by Water Piquet, a short distance away on high ground to the South, which had been over-run by strong enemy forces on the previous night and was still in enemy hands. Owing to its commanding position the retention of Mortar Bluff was vital to the safety of other positions farther down the ridge and to Bishenpur itself.
        The relief had been harassed by enemy snipers at close range but was completed at 1830 hours without casualties. A little more than an hour later the enemy began to attack. For this purpose a 75 millimeter and a 37 millimeter gun were brought on up to the high ground overlooking the position and poured shell after shell at point blank range for ten minutes into the narrow confines of the piquet, and this was followed by a determined attack by not less than one company of Japanese. A fierce fight ensued in which Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa's men, exhorted by their leader, held their ground against heavy odds and drove the enemy back with disproportionate losses. During this time Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa with tireless energy and contempt for his own safety moved from post to post encouraging his young N.C.Os and riflemen, of which the garrison was largely composed, and tending the wounded.
A short lull followed during which Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa gave a clear and concise report on the telephone to his Commanding Officer and asked for more artillery defensive fire. Having done this he made preparations to meet the next onslaught which was not long in coming.
Under cover of the pitch dark night and torrential rain the enemy had moved round to the jungle from the cover of which they launched their next attack. Still in considerable strength and as determined and ferocious as ever the enemy poured out from the jungle across the short space of open ground to the piquet defences under cover of small arms and 37 millimetre gun fire from a flank. For a time our men held their ground until, as ill-luck would have it, both the L.M.G. and T.M.G. of one section jammed.
With much reduced fire-power the section were unable to hold on, and the enemy forced an entrance and over-ran this and another section, killing or wounding 12 out of the 16 men comprising the two sections. Having no reserve Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa himself went forward from his Headquarters and stemmed any further advance with grenades.
The situation was however critical. With more than half his men casualties, ammunition low, and the enemy in possession of part of his perimeter, Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa would have been justified in withdrawing, but in his next report to his Commanding Officer he stated that he intended holding on and asked for reinforcements and more ammunition.
So efficient were his plans for defence and such was the fine example of this gallant Gurkha officer that not a man moved from his trench and not a yard more ground was gained by the enemy, despite their desperate attempts.
Thus the night passed until at 0400 hours a section of 8 men with grenades and small arms ammunition arrived. Their arrival inevitably drew fire and all the 8 were soon casualties. Undismayed, however, Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa retrieved the ammunition and himself with his platoon Headquarters took the offensive armed with grenades and khukris. Whilst so doing he received a bullet wound in the mouth followed shortly afterwards by a grenade which killed him outright. His body was found next day, khukri in hand and dead Japanese with a cleft skull by his side.
True to the traditions of the service and his race Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa had fought against overwhelming odds for 8 hours before he was killed. His fine example of personal bravery and his high sense of duty so inspired his men that a vital position was held to the limit of human endurance.
His valour and devotion to duty will remain an epic in the history of the Regiment.[London Gazette issue 36742 dated 12 Oct 1944, published 10 Oct 1944.]

                                                               THE GOLD RUSH

 

 

The Tree

   Hevea brasiliensis, also known as the Para rubber tree after the Brazilian port of Para, is a quick growing, fairly sturdy, perennial tree of a height of 25 to 30 metres. It has a straight trunk and thick, somewhat soft, light brownish grey bark. The young plant shows characteristic growth pattern of alternating period of rapid elongation and consolidated development. The leaves are trifoliate with long stalks. The tree is deciduous in winters from December to February in India. Refoliation is quick and copious flowering follows. Flowers are small but appearing in large clusters. Fruits are three lobed, each holding three seeds, quite like castor seeds in appearance but much larger in size. The seeds are oil bearing.Rubber latex is extracted from rubber trees. The economic life period of rubber trees in plantations is around 32 years – up to 7 years of immature phase and about 25 years of productive phase.

 

The Requirements

The soil requirement of the plant is generally well-drained, weathered soil consisting of laterite, lateritic types, sedimentary types, nonlateritic red, or alluvial soils.

The climatic conditions for optimum growth of rubber trees are:

• Rainfall of around 250 cm evenly distributed without any marked dry season and with at least 100 rainy days per year
• Temperature range of about 20 to 34°C, with a monthly mean of 25 to 28°C
• High atmospheric humidity of around 80%
• Bright sunshine amounting to about 2000 hours per year at the rate of six hours per day throughout the year. 

   The NE Scenerio.

                     The favourable climatic conditions found in the Northeast are suitable for the flourishing growth of rubber trees and nearly 4,50,000 hectares of the region’s arable lands has already been marked for rubber farming. The commercial rubber plantation in the Northeast was introduced during the British colonial rule.

                  Farmers in the regions are now fast realizing the economical viability of rubber cultivation and they have started growing these valuable cash crops on large scales. A perfect example could be seen at Dhoopcherra village in Tripura, where the Jhumia tribals are practicing rubber cultivation. In other states like Assam, farmers of Karbi Anglong and Gopalpara districts are enthusiastically taking up rubber cultivation on a big scale. A figure in 2007 shows over 2,900 hectares of land in Gopalpara are under Rubber cultivation and it provides a source of livelihood to nearly 7,000 families. In 2007-08 Tripura had 41,165 hectares of land under rubber cultivation; Assam had 18,225, Meghalaya 6,838, Nagaland 2,697, Manipur 1,914, Mizoram 551 and Arunachal 458 hectares.

               Rubber cultivation is a labour-intensive practice and thus generates rural employment. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Rubber Board has implemented various projects such as the ‘Accelerated Development of Rubber Plantation’ and ‘Rubber Development’ in the North East. Awareness camps and training programmes are being held for farmers. Besides, subsidies and work, land is also provided to them. Local rubber farmers in Gopalpara district are already benefiting from the venture.

 

The Manipur Scenerio

      Plantation of rubber having found suitable in South-Western part of Manipur, there is quite a good scope for cultivation of rubber in Jiribam area. In general, rubber trees can be put under tapping after 7 years of plantation and the financial returns would outpace the investment once tapping/production of raw rubber commences.

Rubber Plantation in Jiribam is presently giving satisfaction to the following objectives:

1. To generate employment
2. To put abandoned jhum/degraded land under productive use.
3. To demonstrate a viable alternative to shifting cultivation.
4. To open avenue for new rubber based industrial ventures and,
5. To earn revenue

 In the last 3-4 years many businessmen, professionals and people from other professions have started Rubber plantation in Jiribam. Not only people from Manipur but people from Barak valley, Gauhati etc have started investing on Rubber in Jiribam. Small Hotels have mushroomed facilitating planters from various part of North East in their visits.

My  Story.

 

 

In June 2010, I started planting 800 rubber plants in 2 hectares of land at Jiribam in association with one of my friends. Barbed Wire fencing was done in the boundary of the farm. The Rubber board reimburses expenditure on my barbed wiring expenses the following year. During December in 2012, the trees have grown more than 10 feet with small stem, so bamboo support was given to save the plant from strong winds. Grass cutting was done two times in a year. In 2013, the rubber plants have reached an average height of 18 feet. The stems have not grown bigger so that year again Bamboo support was given to protect from the strong wind.  During the end of 2014, I went to check the trees which have grown more than 25 feet. The trees have spread their branches and have grown drastically. The fencing posts were changed with new ones. The trees were painted with lime upon 5 feet. I notice two trees destroyed by strong wind and few more destroyed my termites. This June I shall be giving my trees with fertilizers and will plant more in the available space. After 3 years I am sure my trees will give a return of Rs 3/ per day  for 10 months in a year.