Siege of Myitkyina



The siege of Myitkyina was an engagement during the Burma Campaign of WWII. The Allied victory was part of the larger operation of North Burma & Yunnan which succeeded in opening the Ledo Road.

Background
Joseph Stilwell intended to make a rapid march against Myitkyina prophesying it to be a "feat which will live in military history". Merrill's Marauders led the Allied advance.

Siege
Crossing 100 miles of Burmese jungle to capture the airfield outside Myitkyina. The Japanese forces within Myitkyina were seriously underestimated and the Allied advance bogged down into a siege of the city. Though not a true siege, the Japanese were able to receive a small trickle of supplies and reinforcements. British Chindits arrived from the south in an effort to prevent Japanese reinforcements. On August 3, General Genzo Mizukami ordered the town abandoned and took his life in a literal compliance to "defend Myitkyina to the death".

Aftermath
The operation against Myitkyina was particularly hard on the Marauders. Owing to excessive casualties the unit ceased to exist as a fighting force and was therefore disbanded. The Allied victory allowed for the opening of the Ledo Road connecting the old Burma Road with China.