Content deleted Content added
removed Category:January 1945 events; added Category:January 1945 events in Asia using HotCat |
Citation bot (talk | contribs) Alter: title. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Whoop whoop pull up | #UCB_webform 474/1249 |
||
Line 49:
Hill 170 was now defended by No. 1 and No. 42 commandos supported by a tank troop from the 19th Lancers. The tanks at the northern end of the hill were attacked in a suicidal assault by Japanese engineers armed with explosive charges on the end of bamboo poles. The engineers destroyed two of the three Sherman tanks after a hand-to-hand battle by climbing on top of them and exploding their charges.<ref name=bsa/>
The Japanese infantry attacked Hill 170 throughout the rest of the day, the brunt of these attacks falling on No. 4 Troop of No. 1 Commando.<ref name=mo79/> At 09:30, a counter-attack was launched by W Troop, No. 42 Commando and No. 3 Troop, No. 1 Commando, that had to be abandoned after advancing only {{convert|20|yd|m|abbr=on}} against massed machine gun fire.<ref name=bsa/> The next counter-attack was by X Troop, No. 42 Commando supported by the remaining Sherman tank that also failed in the face of the heavy Japanese fire. The commandos then responded by bringing all available artillery and mortar fire down on the Japanese positions.<ref name=bsa/> At 14:00, No. 6 Troop, No. 1 Commando put in a counter-attack but this also failed, with the troop losing nearly half of its men.<ref name=bsa/> To the east of Hill 170 on "Pinner", No. 5 Commando was by then relieved by the 8/[[19th Hyderabad Regiment]] from the 51st Brigade and rejoined the 3rd Commando Brigade on Hill 170, their machine guns adding to the weight of fire brought to bear on the Japanese.<ref name=bsa/> At 16:00, the 2/[[2nd Punjab Regiment]] from the 51st Brigade managed to work their way around the left flank of Hill 170 and engaged the Japanese from there. At the same time No. 5 Commando were moved forward to take over the front line from No.4 Troop except for one section that had been cut off and overrun.<ref name=bsa/> Just after 17:00 some Japanese were seen to be withdrawing from the hill and the 2/2nd Punjabi Regiment started a flanking night attack but this failed to drive the Japanese off their positions on the hill. The Japanese responded with a night attack of their own against No. 5 Commando's positions that also failed.<ref name=bsa>{{cite web |access-date=20 June 2010 |publisher=Burma Star Association |title=Extract from
An estimated 700 Japanese shells landed on the hill during the last day of the battle.<ref name=mo79/> In a day of continuous fighting, much of it hand-to-hand, the men of No. 1 and No. 42 commandos had repulsed and counter-attacked the waves of Japanese infantry.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=20 June 2010|title=Sample Journal Articles|publisher=The Victoria Cross Society|url=http://www.victoriacrosssociety.com/sample_articles.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030919005850/http://www.victoriacrosssociety.com/sample_articles.htm|archive-date=2003-09-19|url-status=dead}}</ref> Early the following morning, No. 5 Commando was able to move forward and found the hill abandoned, apart from over 340 Japanese dead.<ref>Moreman, p.81</ref> The British losses for the battle were 45 dead and 90 wounded.<ref name=mo82/>
| |||