1st Kachin Rifles
The 1st Kachin Rifles began forming on 2nd February 1945, as part of the new or interim Burma Army being organised by the colonial Government of Burma. It was formed largely from former members of the Northern (Kachin) Levies. The Kachin Levies had resisted the Japanese occupation from late 1942 from their base at Fort Hertz. In this task they had been reinforced by two companies of Gurkhas of The Burma Regiment. During 1944, further reinforced by the 4th Battalion, The Burma Regiment, the Kachin Levies took part in the advance from Fort Hertz to recapture Sumprabum in support of the attack on Myitkyina by the American and Chinese under Stilwell. The combined force of Levies and The Burma Regiment went on to Myitkyina where the town was finally taken by Stilwell’s troops during August 1944. The Kachin Levies then went into camp at Mankrin, on the northern edge of Myitkyina. Many officers went on war leave and on 10th November 1944, the majority of the men also went on war leave in anticipation of the formation of a new Kachin Rifles battalion.[1]
By late 1944, the Government of Burma in exile at Simla, India, had drawn up proposals for the restoration of its administration in Burma following the anticipated Japanese defeat. Among the many proposals made were two relating to the reorganisation and reconstruction of the Burma Army. It was proposed to maintain a number of operational units, mainly infantry battalions, for internal security duties within Burma. The battalions were to be a mix of existing units and new units raised from men who had at some time served the British in the war against Japan (and later to include those who had served with the Burmese nationalist forces on the Japanese side before the nationalists switched sides). To screen the men before selecting recruits, a number of administrative units - Holding and Enquiry Centres - were created. The administrative units proposed were seven Holding and Enquiry Centres to conduct the screening. Of these, the No.1 Holding and Enquiry Centre, was currently being raised for deployment at Myitkyina, to work with mainly Kachin tribes-people. The proposals also documented the requirement for four new infantry battalions in the first instance, two Kachin and two Chin, raised from men of the Kachin and Chin Levies respectively. It was noted that additional battalions would be raised later as the re-occupation of Burma progressed.[2]
In October 1944, it was thought that the first of the Kachin battalions would be raised the following month and that a second battalion would be raised later, when the remainder of the Kachin Hills had been reoccupied. Any men who had served with the Kachin Levies, and who were willing to sign on as regulars, were to be considered for the new battalions. As it turned out, the first of the new battalions was not raised until February 1945.[3]
At the end of November 1944, the Kachin Levies began moving from their camp at Mankrin to a new camp at Taunghpe, milestone 27 on the Myitkyina-Sumprabum Road. The move was completed on 6th December 1944, and the officers and men on war leave began returning to the unit throughout the rest of the month. Much experience was lost to the new battalion when, on 18th December, five Karen officers were posted to the Lines of Communication Command, S.E.A.C., for service with Force 136.[4] The Headquarters, Fort Hertz Area, which had commanded the Kachin Levies throughout the war against the Japanese, completed its relocation from Mankrin to Taunghpe on 13th December 1944.[5] The men on war leave returned on 10th January 1945.[6]
The 1st Kachin Rifles (known formally at that time as the 1st Battalion, Kachin Rifles), formed on 1st February 1945 at Taunghpe, with Lt. Colonel F.O'N Ford, former commander of the Northern Kachin Levies, in command.[7] On 10th February, 137 men formerly of the Northern Kachin Levies were posted to the new battalion, along with 178 newly enlisted recruits. A further 262 men enlisted in the 1st Kachin Rifles on 17th February. The minimum age for recruitment into the Kachin Rifles had been set at seventeen. This caused a few sixteen and even fifteen year olds who had served with the Kachin Levies to be turned away, with the option of joining the battalion on their seventeenth birthday. However, this age limit may have been difficult to apply as many Kachins were unsure as to their exact age and had no documents to prove their date of birth. Major I.D. Fellowes-Gordon, in his book ‘Amiable Assassins’ which documents his time with the Kachin Levies and the Kachin Rifles, recalls that company commanders may have stretched the rules to retain good men. He relates one incident where a young sentry, upon questioning, admitted that he thought he was fourteen years old.[8] On 21st February, it was announced that Lt. Colonel Ford had been awarded the O.B.E., six officers the Military Cross and seven G.C.O.s/N.C.O.s the Burma Gallantry Medal. Three days later, a further 58 men enlisted in the battalion. The new battalion was immediately made available for internal security duties. On 19th February, a subedar and eighteen men from 'A' Company formed an escort for the Senior Civil Affairs Officer, Fort Hertz Area on his tour of the south Triangle (The Triangle is the name given to the area contained between the two major rivers in the Kachin Hills, the Mali Hka on the west and the Nmai Hka on the east. The rivers meet at the confluence north of Myitkyina to form the Irrawaddy). During the four days the detachment was away from Taunghpe, seventeen arrests of local villagers were made and the prisoners escorted back to Taunghpe. Training began during February and continued throughout March and into May. Towards the end of May 1945, the battalion began to move by company to Mankrin, the Battalion Headquarters arriving on 31st May. The battalion was under the command of 553 Lines of Communication Sub-Area.[9]
On 2nd April 1945, the Headquarters 553 Sub-Area came under the command of the newly formed 505 Lines of Communication District. On 8th June, District Headquarters issued orders detailing the organisation of troops under its command and their allocation to the District's Sub-Areas. The 1st Kachin Rifles was confirmed as being under the command of 553 Sub-Area.[10]
By June 1945 the seven Holding and Enquiry Centres and Advanced Depot had been formed. Four infantry battalions, the two Kachin and two Chin battalions, were being raised and trained. Three more had been formally sanctioned, two Karen battalions and one Burmese.[11] As of 30th June 1945, the strength of the Burma Army was given as 18,998 officers and men, of whom 4, 171 were Kachins, Chins and Karens.[12]
On 2nd June 1945, the Commander of 505 District reported that it was now possible to begin raising the 2nd Kachin Rifles, with the proviso that the 1st Kachin Rifles, still some 100 men under strength, would continue to get priority until at full establishment. Also noted was the intention to send the 1st Kachin Rifles to Bhamo, with a company on the Chinese border at Panghkam, about 30 miles south east of Bhamo and just to the east of the Ledo Road. In fact, ‘C’ Company under Major H.R. Lyall left for Panghkam on 1st June.[13] Lt. Colonel Ford, the Commanding Officer, left the battalion on 3rd July, to proceed to the United Kingdom on leave. Lt. Colonel I.D. Fellowes-Gordon assumed temporary command. A few days later, the battalion began to move to Bhamo and was complete there on 11th July. 'C' Company remained at Panghkam. As the battalion began arriving at Bhamo, two officers of the 2nd Kachin Rifles were attached to it for training. On 24th July, Lt. Colonel E.D. Tims arrived in Bhamo to take command of the 1st Kachin Rifles.[14] The disposition of the battalion on 9th August 1945 was given by 553 Sub-Area as headquarters and ‘A’ Company at Bhamo with companies at Myitkyina, Panghkam and Kyuhkok ('D' Company), opposite Wanting in China.[15]
Since August 1945, there had been increasing trouble in the northern border area arising from the presence of Chinese deserters and regular troops of the Nationalist Chinese Army. While it was hoped that diplomacy would resolve the situation, contingency plans were made for military action and the Burma Government began sending additional troops to the area. Following the move of the 1st Kachin Rifles to Bhamo in August, the 2nd Battalion, The Burma Regiment was sent to Lashio at the end of November.[16] The 1st Kachin Rifles remained in Bhamo until the end of August, when it moved to Muse on the border with China. On 1st October, Headquarters, 505 District was redesignated Headquarters, North Burma Area. 'C' Company had been left behind in Bhamo and at the request of the Deputy Commissioner, Bhamo, between 20th and 22nd November, undertook a flag march in the area of Sinlumkaba. During the march, 54 Chinese suspected deserters were rounded up. It was reported that the morale effect of the flag march on the local inhabitants appeared to have been excellent. By this time, Battalion Headquarters and 'B' Company were at Muse, 'A' Company at Panghkam, 'D' Company at Mongyu. Throughout 1945, training was almost continuous and on 3rd December the war diary records that G.C.O.s and N.C.O.s were trained in modern warfare and weapons by instructors from the Burma Regimental Centre, which by now had relocated from Hoshiarpur in India to Maymyo. On 5th December, a further party of Chinese deserters, rounded up between Bhamo and Myitkyina, were handed over to a battalion of the Chinese Army in Wanting. The maintenance of good relations with the Chinese was important throughout this time and on 15th December, Major Ning of the 1st Battalion, 226th Regiment, 26th Chinese Division, was guest of honour at the 1st Kachin Rifles sports meeting. Two Chinese banners were presented by Major Ning as sports trophies.[17]
The battalion remained in Muse throughout 1946. The main activity occupying the battalion continued to be training. On 11th January, Subedar Ah Di, B.G.M., led a detachment to Myitkyina to provide a guard of honour for the Governor of Burma. Subedar Kareng Gam, B.G.M., and ten men left for India on 16th January to participate in the Victory Parade in Delhi.[18] Between 26th and 30th January 1946, Lieutenant Hill of the Indian Artillery visited the battalion to select suitable volunteers for a proposed Kachin mountain artillery battery. He identified around 50 men (it seems the battery was never formed). During the months that followed, there were many comings and goings amongst the officers as many went on leave, were posted to other units or left the battalion on release. Several of the officers to leave had served with the Kachin Levies since 1942. Recruiting also continued to occupy the battalion. As no regimental centre had been formed for the Kachin Rifles, the battalions had to undertake recruiting for themselves. Lieutenant T. Potts arrived at Bhamo from Pyawbwe on 19th April, with 61 mules, 36 of which were destined from the 2nd Kachin Rifles. On 30th May, Captain Kareng Gam left the battalion on release. This officer had served with the Kachin Levies since their inception and was mentioned in despatches for gallantry. There were occasional troubles with the Chinese and on 27th July, two companies and a platoon assisted the Civil Police in arresting Chinese in Muse not in possession of papers. On 10th August, Subedar Major Ah Di, Burma Gallantry Medal, returned from the having participated in the London Victory Parade as part of the Burma Victory Contingent.[19] [20]
[The war diary of the 1st Kachin Rifles ends here.]
During 1947, the 1st Kachin Rifles were relocated to Maymyo (today Pyin Oo Lwin). As the British draw down continued towards independence, the British officers were gradually withdrawn in favour of Kachin officers. Captain Naw Seng, a veteran of the Levy operations and holder of the Burma Gallantry Medal and bar, was in charge of ‘C’ Company. The Captain would soon earn additional fame, or perhaps notoriety, for his actions during the Karen revolt in 1949.[21] [22]
Independence came on 4th January 1948, and within six months the Union of Burma was wracked by several insurgencies. One was driven by the Communists (denied a place in the new government), and four were “inspired by racial antagonisms”, the ethnic groups involved being: Muslim Arakanese; Karens; Kachins; and Mons. During 1948, political disunity within the new state became more pronounced. Within the Army the almost exclusively Burman, former PBF officers regarded officers from the former British Burma Army, mostly Karen, Kachin and Chin as well as Anglo-Indian and Sino-Burman, as "Pro-Western", "Pro-British" or "Rightists". The immediate goal of ex-PBF officers became the purging from the Army of "Rightists" in general and Karen officers in particular. [23]
The first threat to the new Government came from the Communists. Their campaign developed mainly in the Pegu District and also, to a lesser extent, in Myingyan, Pyinmana, Bassein and the Delta. Throughout April 1948, they seized police stations, occupied small towns and villages, looted rice and sabotaged communications.[24] In April 1948, the 1st Kachin Rifles, less ‘D’ Company at Kutkai, was ordered by the Government to crush the Communist insurgents in the region around Pyinmana. It seems that Captain Naw Seng was in charge of the operations that followed. The Kachin Rifles were given three months to put an end to the Communist uprising, preventing the rebels from forming a firm base. A Kachin officer who served during these events wrote later that the orders received from the Government also included instructions to ” … cut off enemy’s communication lines and supply routes, execute those trying to escape from being captured and destroy all villages harbouring the insurgents. The Kachin soon marched south to Yamethin and Tayawadi in lower Burma. While resting in Yamethin, some Bama (Burman) military officers came in person instructing the troops which villages needed to be sieged [sic] and attacked. The A-Ye-Paing of Yamethin himself, bringing a map marked with “xxx=….”, and said, ‘The marked villages need to be completely destroyed. Let no one escape.’ Without fail, Naw Seng led the Kachin troops and began attacking all villages where Communist troops were active. As a result of attacking, burning villages and killing the inhabitants in lower Burma by U Nu government’s order [U Nu was the first Prime Minister of independent Burma], the Bama nationals dubbed Naw Seng as the ruthless butcher and began holding grudges against him and the Kachin troops.”[25]
Discontent within the Army continued. It was felt that Karen officers continued to dominate the Burma Army and the ex-PBF officers were unhappy with the "scorched earth" and "slash and burn" tactics used by the Karen and Kachin troops in the anti-Communist counter-insurgency operations. At the same time, the ex-PBF officers were also threatened by Communist and pro-communist mutinies amongst the new Burma Rifles battalions. In August 1948 around a quarter of the 3rd Burma Rifles, most of the 1st Burma Rifles and a few from the 6th Burma Rifles mutinied.[26]
The pro-Communist 1st Burma Rifles, based at Thayetmyo, took control of Prome on 9th August 1948. The 2nd Karen Rifles at Meiktila was ordered to retake Prome, supported by the 1st Kachin Rifles which was to be flown down from Myitkyina. Transport aircraft played an important part in defeating the rebels, for it was Dakotas chartered from Cathay-Pacific and Trans-Asiatic Airlines that transported the 1st Kachin Rifles from Myitkyina to Rangoon from where the Kachins joined in the attack on Prome from the south.[27] Some Burmese politicians complained that the 2nd Karen Rifles had acted harshly against the local Burmese population. Despite the complaints, the 2nd Karen Rifles was left to garrison Prome and the surrounding area.[28]
The insurrection of the Communists, P.V.O. and army mutineers was contained and in many areas the rebels began to lose heart. In December 1948, the Communists in Central Burma suffered a heavy defeat when they were chased out of Pyinmana and 3,000 of their armed men surrendered at Toungoo. These successes were achieved by the 1st Karen Rifles and the 1st Kachin Rifles. Outstanding among the Kachins was the battalion adjutant, Captain Naw Seng. His raids upon Communist villages were ‘ruthless’.[29]
By now the Karens were organising themselves against the Government of Burma. There were attempts to try to persuade the Kachins to form an alliance however nothing came of this immediately. Tensions continued to rise and atrocities were perpetrated against the Karens by Government supporters. At the end of January 1949, the armed wing of the Karen organisation, the K.N.D.O., attacked Bassein and a battle developed in the suburbs of Rangoon. The Karens began to seize other areas, including Toungoo.[30] When Toungoo was taken by Karen rebels, the 1st Karen Rifles and the 1st Kachin Rifles, both still loyal to the Burma Government, were sent to recapture the town. However, before they attacked, news was received of the fighting in Rangoon and the disarming and internment of Karen troops and civilians at Mandalay and Maymyo. The two battalions then went over to the Karen rebels and dashed to Mandalay and Maymyo to save their brothers and cousins.[31] It is possible that on the eve of the Karen revolt, Captain Naw Seng of the 1st Kachin Rifles, until now loyal to the Government, may have been about to face a Court of Inquiry for his actions against the Communists during 1948.[32] Whatever the reason, Naw Seng had no desire to fight the Karens on behalf of the Burmans and on 16th February took his entire battalion over to the Karen side, joining forces with the 1st Karen Rifles. Elements of these two battalions went on to capture Meiktila on 20th February, Maymyo and then Mandalay on 13th March. It seems that Naw Seng was instrumental in persuading the rebels to drive north, rather than assault Rangoon. This decision has not been adequately explained.[33]
The combined Karen and Kachin force around Meiktila and Thazi was thwarted and by April 1949 had been defeated. The Karens and Kachins under Naw Seng, headed south for Toungoo. In the first week of June 1949, there were reports that 3,000 Karen and Kachin insurgents under Naw Seng were assembling in the Pegu District for a fresh attack on Rangoon. When they did move, their advance was at first held and then defeated in the Pegu area by troops loyal to the Government. By mid-July, the Karens and Kachins were once again in retreat. Later in July, in Karenni, a K.N.D.O. force advanced from Loikaw and took Pekong, 23 miles to the north-west. This was followed by the sudden capture of Taunggyi on 13th August.[34]
Having survived the desperate months of the Karen revolt, in the middle of 1949 the Burma Government began to reorganise and rebuild its scattered forces. The Kachins now provided a major recruiting ground and the Kachin Rifles were expanded from three to six battalions, the 1st Kachin Rifles being reconstituted to replace the unit lost to Naw Seng.[35] These troops participated in the taking back of territory in north Burma from the rebels. On the government side, the commander of the North Burma Sub District, Colonel Bo Kyin, B.G.M. was killed in the subsequent fighting to recapture Taunggyi. After the capture of the town, around 300 Kachins moved north and took Lashio. These men were all former members of the 1st Kachin Rifles led by Naw Seng. From Lashio, this force moved quickly northwards to take Namkhan with the object of rallying the local people to the Karen revolt. However, they met with little success and on 10th September 1949, they were driven out of Namkhan by loyal troops of the 3rd Kachin Rifles under Brigadier Lazum Tang, who opposed Naw Seng's actions.[36] [37] There was little fighting and Naw Seng withdrew to the hills north of Hsenwi.[38] Thereafter the northern frontier areas were relatively free from incidents. By 1950, Naw Seng was reported to have increased his following to around 1,000 men, most of the new followers being local Kachin youths. The majority of Kachins however, remained loyal to the Government. Naw Seng’s force was poorly armed and equipped and he was considered to no longer be a threat.[39]
After the collapse of the National Chinese regime under Chiang Kai Shek towards the end of 1949, many Nationalist Chinese troops straggled over the border into the Wa States and Kengtung as the Communists drove into Yunnan Province. They established themselves in an area on the road leading down to Siam, with headquarters at Tachilek. These troops were relatively well ordered and remained organised and disciplined. They were around 2,500 in strength. Units of the Burma Army 'moved against them' in July 1950 and took Tachilek. The regular Burmese troops involved were the 1st and 3rd Kachins and the 4th Burma Regiment.[40] Lt. Colonel San Yu was transferred to command the 1st Kachin Rifles on 22nd December 1950. He later became General and Commander-in-Chief of the Tatmadaw (Burma Army) and President of Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma from 9th November 1981 to 27th July 1988.[41] The 1st and 3rd Kachin Rifles were again in action against Chinese troops in late 1951, when they and other troops drove a Chinese force back into the border mountains. The 1st Kachins continued to wrestle with the Chinese well into the 1950s.[42]
11 January 2018
[1] War diary of the Kachin Levies 1944, WO 172/5042
[2] From a letter dated 24th November 1944 in “Burma Army Reconstruction”, WO 203/4030
[3] Kachin Levies, WO 203/118
[4] The officers were:
- Major Saw Kyaw Thu,
- Major Saw Butler,
- Major Saw Torry,
- Captain Aung Bwe,
- Captain Ba Chit.
(WO 172/5042).
[5] WO 172/5042; HQ Fort Hertz Area 1944, WO 172/4485
[6] War diary 1st Kachin Rifles 1945, WO 172/7816
[7] Frank O'Neill Ford, born, 26th September 1894. Served with the 86th Carnatic Infantry, 5th January 1917 to 3rd July 1917. Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, Indian Army Reserve of Officers, 5th January 1917. Served with the 85th Burman Rifles (originally the Burma Battalion formed from the Burma Military Police at Mandalay in July 1917 and becoming the 85th Burman Rifles in 1918), 4th July 1917 to 1st January 1920. Served Iraq, 8th August 1917 to 11th November 1918. Promoted to Lieutenant, Indian Army Reserve of Officers, 5th January 1918. Served Iraq, 1919. As Lieutenant, appointed to the Indian Army (261 IA), 2nd May 1919. Promoted to Lieutenant, Indian Army, 2nd May 1919, with seniority from 5th October 1918. Served with the Kachin Company, Burma Military Police attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles, 1st January 1920. Served with the 3rd Battalion, 70th Kachin Rifles (following redesignation of the 85th Burman Rifles to be the Kachin-Chin Battalion on 1st April 1921 and then the 3rd/70th from November 1921), November 1921 to 1923. Served with the 3rd Battalion, 20th Burma Rifles (redesignated from the 3rd Battalion, 70th Kachin Rifles), 1922 to 31st March 1937. Promoted to Captain, 26th September 1922. Attached to the 10th Battalion, 20th Burma Rifles then leave, 1923. Attached to the 10th Battalion, 20th Burma Rifles on returning from leave, 28th April 1924 to 1925. Served Burma (Saya San Rebellion), 1930-32. Attached to the 10th Battalion, 20th Burma Rifles, early 1933 to summer 1933. Served as Senior Staff Officer, Mandalay, 1934. Commander, Southern Reserve Column, Mixed Force, Wa States Expedition, January 1935 to June 1936. Leave ex-India, 17th February 1935 to 17th February 1936. Promoted to Major, 26th September 1935. As Major, permanently seconded to the Burma Rifles, 1st April 1937. Served as Company Officer, the 3rd Battalion, The Burma Rifles, 1st April 1937 to 30th November 1939. As Major, acting Lt. Colonel, formed the 13th (Shan States) Battalion, The Burma Rifles, Burma Territorial Force and became the Commanding Officer, 1st December 1939 to 30th April 1941. Raised the 2nd Shan Labour Corps, Burma Territorial Force, 1st October 1940. Acting Lt. Colonel, 1st May 1941. Served at Burma Army Headquarters, 'Ford' Mission in the Lushai and Chin Hills, October 1942 to November 1942. Commanding Officer, the Western Chin Levies, 21st December 1942 to 18th May 1943. Commanding Officer of the Northern Kachin Levies, 14th July 1943 to 1st January 1945. As Major, temporary Lt. Colonel, promoted to Lt. Colonel, 26th September 1943. Commanding Officer, 1st Kachin Rifles, 1st February 1945 to 3rd July 1945. Awarded the O.B.E., gazetted, 8th February 1945. Proceeded on release, 3rd July 1945. Attached to the Burma Regimental Centre from 10th November 1945. Struck off duty and left for the United Kingdom on leave for release, 27th October 1946. As Lt. Colonel, Special List (Ex-Indian Army) British Army, retired, 27th October 1947. Died, 3rd June 1980 ("War Services of British and Indian Officers of the Indian Army 1941", Savannah (2004); Burma Defence Services List July 1941; Billion Graves; Indian Army List; London Gazette; IOR L/MIL/14/12001; WO 373/80/326; War diary of the Northern Kachin Levies, WO 172/2656; "Amiable Assassins", Fellowes-Gordon I., Robert Hale (1957); War diary 1st Kachin Rifles, WO 172/7816).
[8] “Amiable Assassins. The Story of the Kachin Guerrillas of North Burma”, Fellowes-Gordon I., Robert Hale (1957)
[9] WO 172/7816
[10] War diary 505 District, WO 172/7233
[11] From a report dated 23rd June 1945 contained in WO 203/4030.
[12] From a report dated July 1945 in WO 203/4030.
[13] Hugh Reginald Lyall. Emergency Commission as 2nd Lieutenant (EC8509), attached to the 16th Punjab Regiment, 2nd May 1942. War substantive Lieutenant, 2nd November 1942. Joined the Northern Kachin Levies at Fort Hertz, 15th November 1943. Served with the Northern Kachin Levies, 15th November 1943 to 1st January 1945. Acting Captain, 1st December 1943 to 29th February 1944. Temporary Captain from 1st March 1944. Acting Major, 26th April 1944 to 27th May 1944. Temporary Major from 30th September 1944. War substantive Captain from 30th September 1944. Served with the 1st Kachin Levies, 1st February 1945 to 18th February 1946. Served with the 1st Kachin Rifles, 1st February 1945. As Lieutenant, acting Captain, 16th Punjab Regiment (EC8509), attached the Northern Kachin Levies, awarded the Military Cross, gazetted, 8th February 1945. Left the 1st Kachin Rifles on leave prior to release, 18th February 1946 (Indian Army List October 1945; War diary 1st Kachin Rifles, WO 172/7816, WO 172/10335; WO 373/35/99; London Gazette ).
[14] Edward Deloraine Tims, born, 14th September 1901. Commissioned to the Unattached List as 2nd Lieutenant (AI498), attached to the 5th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles, 31st August 1922. Appointed to the Indian Army as 2nd Lieutenant, 28th October 1923. Promoted to Lieutenant, 30th November 1924. Served as A.D.C. to District Commander, India, 14th November 1925 to 26th October 1928. Promoted to Captain, 31st August 1931. Promoted to Major, 31st August 1939. As Major, served with the 13th Frontier Force Rifles, 1942? Served with the 8th Punjab Regiment, 1943-1945? Acting Lt. Colonel to 6th September 1943. Temporary Lt. Colonel from 7th September 1943. As Major, served with the 13th Frontier Force Rifles, 1943. Commanding Officer, the 1st Kachin Rifles, 24th July 1945 to 1947? As Major, temporary Lt. Colonel, Commanding Officer, 1st Kachin Rifles, awarded the O.B.E., gazetted, 1st January 1948. As Major, Special List (Ex-Indian Army), promoted to Lt. Colonel, 31st August 1948. Ceased to be employed with the Pakistan Armed Forces, 27th April 1950 (British Army List; London Gazette; Indian Army List July 1942, April 1943, October 1943, October 1945; War diary 1st Kachin Rifles, WO 172/7816, WO 172/10335).
[15] WO 172/7816, WO 172/7233
[16] War diary 2nd Burma Regiment, WO 172/7802
[17] WO 172/7816
[18] Kareng Gam. Served with the 2nd Battalion, The Burma Rifles, from before 1931 to 1942. Appointed as Subedar, 2nd Battalion, The Burma Rifles, 1st June 1931. Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, A.B.R.O. (ABRO 755), 3rd October 1942. Served with the Northern Kachin Levies, 1942 to 1st January 1945. Awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal. Served with the 1st Kachin Levies, 1st February 1945 to 30th May 1946. Mentioned in despatches, gazetted, 5th April 1945. Left on release, 30th May 1946 (Burma Army List January 1938; London Gazette; War diary Northern Kachin Levies, WO 172/5042; War diary 1ts Kachin Rifles, WO 172/7816, WO 172/10335).
[19] Ah Di. Served with the 2nd Battalion, The Burma Rifles as Jemadar (On probation) from 1940. Served with the Northern Kachin Levies, 1943 to 1st January 1945. Served with the 2nd Battalion, The Burma Rifles on the First Chindit Operation (Operation 'Longcloth'), 1st January 1943 to 30th June 1943. Served with the 1st Kachin Rifles, 1st February 1945 to 1946-47? Awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal, for gallantry during the First Chindit Operation, gazetted, 28th June 1945 (Burma Army List; Chindit Chasing; London Gazette; War diary 1st Kachin Rifles, WO 172/10335; WO 172/2656).
[20] War diary 1st Kachin Rifles, 1946, WO 172/10335
[21] Naw Seng, born in Man Peng Loi, Lashio township, Shan State, 1922. Served with the Northern Shan States Battalion, Burma Frontier Force, 1942? Served with the Northern Kachin Levies, 1942 to 1st January 1945. As Jemadar (listed as Nawng Seng), Northern Kachin Levies, awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal, gazetted, 16th December 1943. As Subedar (listed as Nawng Seng), Northern Kachin Levies (67200), awarded bar to the Burma Gallantry Medal, gazetted, 1st January 1945. Served with the 1st Kachin Rifles, 1st February 1945 to February 1949. Led the 1st Kachin Rifles over to the side of the Karen rebels, February 1949. Set up the Pawngyawng National Defence Force (the first Kachin rebel army in Burma), November 1949. Retreated from Mong Ko, northern Shan States, into China, April 1950. In Burma, launched the 1964-1967 anti-China campaign, as vice military commander under Than Shwe, 1964-67. Entered Burma, 1st January 1968. In exile with a few hundred followers in China's Guizhou province until, 1968. Became military commander of the north-eastern command, September 1968. Died under mysterious circumstances in the Wa Hills, 9th March 1972 (Buga Shi Htawn, accessed January 2018; London Gazette; WO 373/35/400).
[22] “The Biography of Du Kaba Lahpai Naw Seng”, Zinghang Tang, translated at http://www.kachinlandnews.com, accessed January 2018
[23] “Building the Tatmadaw: Myanmar Armed Forces Since 1948”, Maung Aung Myoe, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (2009)
[24] “The Union of Burma”, 4th edn.,Tinker H., OUP (1962)
[25] “The Biography of Du Kaba Lahpai Naw Seng”, Zinghang Tang, translated at http://www.kachinlandnews.com, accessed January 2018
[26] “Building the Tatmadaw: Myanmar Armed Forces Since 1948”, Maung Aung Myoe, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (2009)
[27] Review of the Situation in Burma, 14th September 1948, DEFE 7/863
[28] “Memoirs of the Four-Foot Colonel”, Smith Dun; "Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency since 1948”, Lintner B., Silkworm Books (1999). Smith Dun describes the Kachin battalion as the ‘1st Emergency Kachins’.
[29] Union of Burma
[30] Union of Burma
[31] Memoirs of the Four-Foot Colonel
[32] Union of Burma
[33] Union of Burma
[34] The Third Quarterly Report of the British Services Mission, 30th September 1949, DEFE 7/866
[35] Union of Burma
[36] The 3rd Kachin Rifles had been raised between June and September 1948 by Lazum Tang (Review of the Situation in Burma, 14th September 1948, DEFE 7/863).
[37] Louis Lazum Tang. (A photograph of Captain Louis Lazum Tang can be found at the web site - OSS, accessed January 2018) Served as Jemadar with the 3rd Battalion, The Burma Rifles, 1938 to 16th March 1940. Served as Risaldar, No. 1 Animal Transport Company, Burma Army Service Corps, 1940-1942? As Lieutenant, served with the 2nd Battalion, The Burma Rifles, 6th November 1942 to 26th April 1945. Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, A.B.R.O. (ABRO 756), served with the 2nd Battalion, The Burma Rifles, 6th November 1942. Accompanied Captain D.C. Herring on the reconnaissance mission into the Kachin territory, during the First Chindit Operation, March 1943. Mentioned in despatches, gazetted, 16th December 1943. With ten other Kachins of the 2nd Battalion, The Burma Rifles, served on the Second Chindit Operation as part of 'Dah' Force, March 1944 to May 1944. Served with the American OSS, serving with Detachment 101, where he led a battalion of Kachin Levies against the Japanese during the relief of the Lashio, May 1944 to 1945. Awarded the M.B.E., gazetted, 26th April 1945. As Lt. Colonel, Commanding Officer, the 2nd Kachin Rifles, December 1947? to April 1948? As acting Colonel, Commanding Officer (Brigadier), Mobile Tactical Headquarters and/or Northern Command, April 1948? to February 1949. Led the 3rd Kachin Rifles in the peaceful recapture of Maymyo from the Karen and Kachin rebels, April 1949. Raised a number of battalions of the Kachin Rifles, 1948-1950 ("Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency since 1948", Lintner B., Silkworm Books (1999); "Making Enemies: War and State Building in Burma", Callahan M.P., Cornell University Press (2005); "Memoirs of the Four Foot Colonel", Smith Dun; Burma Army List January 1938, October 1940; Chindit Chasing; Chindits, accessed January 2018; Dah Force; London Gazette; War diary 2nd Burma Rifles, WO 172/2658).
[38] The Third Quarterly Report of the British Services Mission, 30th September 1949, DEFE 7/866
[39] The First Quarterly Report of the British Services Mission, 31st March 1950, DEFE 7/866
[40] Union of Burma
[41] WikiPedia - San Yu, accessed January 2018
[42] Union of Burma