Nunshigum 13.4.1944

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by sol, Apr 13, 2010.

  1. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Nunshigum on the Google Earth
     

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  2. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Even thought that Havildar Munshi Ram died couple of days before the attack on the Nunshigum on 13th April, while defending this feature from Japanese I think he deserved to be mentioned here.

    Havildar Munshi Ram, in command when his platoon commander was killed, had his hand shattered by a grenade at the same time as he was badly wounded in the foot, while gallantly encouraging his men. He was left on the summit for dead when the rest withdrew, only to survive an air-strike by our Hurribombers when it was light. When found by the Japanese, he was hurled down the hillside, but although suffering terribly from pain and loss of blood, he managed at last to stagger into Gerty's headquarters. A few day later this gallant havildar died of his wounds and was posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit.


    WS/Havildar Munshi Ram
    11517
    3rd Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment

    Awarded the Indian Order of Merit (II Class) (Posthumous)
    On the afternoon of the 6th April 44 Hav. Munshi Ram was platoon havildar, of a platoon on an important hill feature 8 miles North of Imphal. Owing to previous casualties the platoon was understrength and not complete with Bren guns.

    At 3 a.m. on the 7th April the enemy launched heavy attacks on his platoon. at a very early stage the platoon Commander was killed, and Hav. Munshi Ram went to the most forward position and encouraged and inspired his men to repulse the heavy enemy attacks which still continued. During one of these attacks his hand was shattered by a grenade, but, he continued to encourage his men.

    Later he was badly wounded in the foot, but he still remained at his post, encouraging men. he and the remains of his platoon stayed in the position until 6.30 a.m. when he had orders to withdraw. He died the next day.

    The great powers of leadership and the bravery by this N.C.O., even after he had been twice seriously wounded, so inspired his men that they were able to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy.

    From diary recovered later from the body of an enemy N.C.O. it was disclosed that this attack was made by two companies, and that it had been a hard fight, in which they had suffered severe casualties.
    LG 27.07.1944.

    CWGC :: Casualty Details
     
  3. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    On the same night Naik Dok Ram also from 3/9th Jats earned his MM


    W/Naik Dok Ram
    9921
    3rd Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment

    Awarded with the Military Medal

    On the night of 6/7th April 1944, at an important hill feature 8 miles North of Imphal, the platoon in which Naik Dok Ram was a section commander, was continuously attacked by an enemy force several times greater in number. This N.C.O's section was one of the forward ones and successfully withstood several enemy attacks. The Bren gunner of the section was wounded and Naik Dok Ram took his place and continue to fire it and encourage his section in the face of considerable fire from the enemy. He was wounded several times in the head, but still offered resistance. When the enemy had overrun his section position and all his men had been either killed or wounded and his L.M.G. was knocked out, he left his position and obtained a Tommy gun from one of the rear sections. He then returned and killed several enemy who were occupying his section's trenches.

    The bravery shown and example set by him even when wounded was of a very high order, and his determination to fire to the very last, even though overrun, resulted in the enemy suffering severe casualties.
    LG 27.07.1944.
     
  4. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    On the 7th April, 3/9th Jats retook feature against light opposition and in next couple days defended it against strong Japanese attacks. on the 10/11th April Japanese succeeded to capture the feature again. For gallantry during this fighting Havildar Parbhat Singh was awarded MM.


    W/Havildar Parbhati Singh
    10463
    3rd Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment

    Awarded with the Military Medal

    On 11th April 1944, on a hill feature 8 miles north of Imphal, Havildar Parbhati Singh was Platoon Havildar of the forward platoon in his company's defend locality. Heavy shelling of enemy guns and mortars was followed by intense fire from M.M.Gs and L.M.Gs. Havildar Parbhati Singh, regardless of his own safety, carried three seriously wounded casualties through heavy fire to the reserve platoon area and carried back to his platoon boxes of ammunition and grenades. When his platoon commander became a casualty, Havildar Parbhati Singh took over command of his platoon and reorganised the forward positions of his platoon, replacing casualties in men and arms supplying them with ammunition and grenades. When the enemy found that they had suffered heavy casualties in the frontal attack, they put in an attack from a flank. Havildar Parbhati Singh proceeded to the threatened flank and heartened his men to offer all resistance possible to the enemy's attempts to over-run them. He continued to encourage his men throughout, and was always present where the attack was most threatening. He withdrew only when his ammunition was exhausted and he was ordered to withdraw to the Company Platoon Area.

    The exceptional powers of leadership displayed by him was largely responsible for the resistance offered by his platoon, resulting in severe casualties to the enemy.
    LG 27.07.1944.
     
  5. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    On the 12th April, 3/9th Jats attempted one more time to recaptured the hill but this attack failed to dislodge Japanese from the feature.

    But the enemy could not be allowed to remain on this dominant ridge. No effort to drive him back must be spared. The threat to our northern front of his presence on this buttress was too grave to be tolerated. Accordingly, Colonel Gerty sent in his 'B' and 'C' Companies, after an inaccurate airstrike and an effective artillery concentration. The plan was for two platoons of 'A' Company under Major G. R. Sell to form base some three hundred feet from the top, while the third platoon secured a knob a short way farther south, in order to prevent enemy flanking fire from that direction.

    Then, as soon as 'B' Company was firmly established, Sell's men would pass through to capture Numshigum itself.

    There was no cover save a few foxholes. 'B' Company was soon pinned down by heavy fire. The one platoon failed to capture the knob, its commander was wounded, and our artillery could not reach the enemy machine-guns, so well sited were they. Major Graham Sell was killed early on. So was his subadar. When, at 1.30 p.m., it became evident that both companies were losing men to no advantage, and that our attack could not make progress, Gerty brought his men back, after a morning of stern fighting and severe loss. During the withdrawal a party of stretcher-bearers was left behind, trying to evacuate a wounded Jat. For a time this was rendered impossible by Japanese machine-guns, but when, later that afternoon, our aircraft bombed and strafed Numshigum---it was believed that the hill was clear of our men---the naik in charge, Yakub, took advantage of the noise and confusion. Seeing that the enemy had gone to ground, he lifted the wounded soldier on to a stretcher, and had him carried down. He buried two other Jats, and was not molested by the cowering Japanese. Naik Yakub was decorated with the Military Medal for this coolness and presence of mind.

    Anthony Brett-James. Ball of Fire. Fifth Indian Division in the Second World War. 1951. Chapter 24.


    W/Naik Yakub Khan
    9095
    3rd Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment

    Awarded with the Military Medal

    On 12th April 1944, on hill feature 8 miles north of Imphal, an attack had been put in against an enemy position.

    Owing to heavy machine gun flanking fire, the attack was held up and the attacking troops were subsequently recalled.

    Naik Yakub Khan was in charge of a party of regimental stretcher bearers that was detailed to help in the evacuation of the wounded.

    When the attacking company retired, it was thought that all wounded had been evacuated and only dead left behind. When Naik Yakub Khan had left the position on which the attack had been made and was behind the last of the attacking troops, he heard a man calling out from the top of the hill. He immediately returned with his stretcher party. On approaching the position he was heavily machine gunned and took cover under bushes. Shortly afterwards our own aircraft bombed and machine gunned the whole position, which included the area where Naik Yakub Khan was taking cover.

    Thinking that this action by aircraft would keep the enemy under cover, he went forward whilst it was happening, and gave first-aid to the wounded man, and brought him back to the Regimental Aid Post.

    This rescue of a wounded man under enemy fire, which had already inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking troops, as well under the bombing and machine-gunning from our own aircraft showed bravery of the highest order.
    LG 27.07.1944.
     
  6. imphalcampaign

    imphalcampaign Active Member

    Owen and sol like this.
  7. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    That's a great photo. It seems almost unbelievable that tank could climbe on that hill. Looks like a very hard task for infantry too. Good job, thanks for sharing.

    Enes
     
  8. Trooper766

    Trooper766 Member

    Fantastic research has been carried out. Well done to all who took part. Next year (2014) is the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Nunshigum. A weekend of events (dinner on Saturday 12th April where it is hoped that a couple of veterans of the 3rd Carabiniers plus the grandson of SSM Craddock DCM will be attending) and a short service in Chester Cathedral followed by a parade on the 13th.
     
  9. lionboxer

    lionboxer Member

    Trooper 766,
    This will also be commemorated at the actual battlesite by forum member Imphalcampaign and his team and I will be there with them. Contact him for the details. There maybe a chance of a live Skype hook-up.
    Lionboxer
     
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  10. imphalcampaign

    imphalcampaign Active Member

    I regret updating this very late. My team have discovered the RUNAWAY HILL, where Jemadar Abdul Hafiz got the VC. The news link is listed below. Runaway hill located in the middle of a range of hills, very steep. It is overgrown with tall grasses. There we found around 50 foxholes/bunkers. We found lots of live .45 rounds, sharpnels of 3 inch mortar and bigger bombs and a watch strap.
    http://imphaltimes.com/imphal-campaign-ww-2-discovers-runaway-hill-one-of-the-famous-battlefields-of-world-war-ii/

    I would like to add again that the credit goes to this forum. The forum has help me a lot in my endeavour to locate various battle fields.

    Raj.
     
  11. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    William James CRADDOCK
     

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  12. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

  13. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Another Military Medal for Nunshigum to a Royal Artillery member of the FOO team:

    Frederick Edward George CRUTCHETT

    883294 Bombardier, Royal Artillery


    Fred was born in Hounslow, Middlesex on 7th March 1920.

    He lived at Upminster, Essex and was a commercial representative for J & P Coats in London.

    During World War II he joined the Territorial Army in the Royal Artillery in 1938 and served actively from August 1939 to May 1946. He served with the Indian Army in 1941 and for two years was with the Eighth Army in Egypt and Libya before being transferred to the Far East where he joined the 14th Army.

    He was in India and Burma for further two years. During the fighting for Imphal in the summer of 1944 he was with 4th Field Regt RA when he was granted an immediate award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Fred was awarded the DCM in 1944 for his actions at Nunshigum and Runaway Hill in the battle of Imphal. He also received the Territorial Medal for Efficient Service.

    He married Audry Doreen Slough at Heston, Middlesex on April 5, 1947. They had two children: Alan Frederick and Peter Desmond. Fred Crutchett died in autumn 2013.

    His citation for his DCM, which was gazetted in the London Gazette of 27.7.44, reads:

    “At Nunshigum near Imphal, on 12 April 44 No. 883294 W/Bdr. Crutchett was a member of an Artillery FOO party in support of two assaulting companies of 3/9 Jats. The enemy allowed the forward coy very near to reach the first objective and then isolated them by machine gun fire from the flanks. The party crawled forward through the fire to produce the necessary artillery support. The whole area in which this coy lay was exposed to very heavy cross fire and there were many casualties. At one time some of the rear sections whose leaders were ahead, started a withdrawal movement which threatened to spread. Regardless of his own safety and under very heavy fire Bdr Crutchett stood up and moved amongst these men steadied them, and got them back into position. He then continued still under heavy fire to reorganise his OP signallers who had been knocked down the hill, and proceeded to an exposed position to endeavour to locate an enemy machine gun so that artillery fire might blind it with smoke. Throughpout this period he was also exposed to heavy fire. Then the coys were ordered to withdraw which they were obliged to do in simultaneous rush Bdr Crutchett covered the withdrawal of his OP party who were slightly in advance of the infantry, with his TSMG.

    His courage, calm and grasp of the situation were worthy of the very highest praise and were an example to all around him. By his actions he steadied the infantry and enabled very valuable covering fire to be brought down which undoubtedly prevented even heavier casualties.

    On 6 April at Runaway Hill this NCO exposed himself to great danger from an enemy gun that was firing at our infantry over open sights. To assist his OP officer in observing our counter-battery fire he occupied an exposed OP and regardless of the enemy shells bursting on the position he passed very valuable information which assisted in silencing the enemy gun.”
     
  14. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Crutchett's actual citation attached below. Not an easy document to read I'm afraid:

    Crutchett DCM 2.jpg
     
    Skoyen89 likes this.
  15. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Three more members of the 4th Field Regiment RA were awarded with medals for Nunshigum

    Captain John Meredith Bellman MC, Bar to Military Cross
    Sargent James William Dobson, Military Medal
    Gunner Morris Wilkinson Hoyle

    All three were awarded for actions on 11-12 April 1944, while supporting 3/9th Jat Regiment in their defense of the feature.
     
  16. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Captain John Meredith Bellman MC, 4th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
    Bar to Military Cross
     

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  17. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Sargent James William Dobson, 4th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
    Military Medal
     

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  18. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Gunner Morris Wilkinson Hoyle, 4th Field Regiment Royal Artillery
    Military Medal
     

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