Wishlist: Map request Kohima 1944

[IronDuke99]

I have noticed that there are some real map wizards on here and I wonder if I might please request a large (200 x 160) map of Kohima in Nagaland, North East India close to the Burma border C. April-June 1944.

It was the scene of bitter fighting in 1944 between, initially, very heavily out numbered, Anglo-Indian and Japanese forces and resulted in a hard won British victory. At one stage British and Japanese troops faced each other across the Local District Commissioners - who stayed on and helped with the defence- tennis court, close to his wrecked bungalow...

At the start about 1,500 Anglo-Indian soldiers, not all of them front line infantry, faced up to 15,000 Japanese, not for nothing was it rated one of the British Commonwealths greatest battles by the British National Army Museum.

From the games point of view the major British force at the start was just one British infantry battalion, 4th battalion Royal West Kent's (supported by small units of Indian and Gurkha troops). The battle is sometimes referred to as 'the Stalingrad of the East'. The battle falls into two stages A) The siege. B) The relief and the fight to drive the Japanese off. All together the fighting lasted about three months.

The Kohima memorial in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery there is famous for the inscription: "When you go home tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow we gave our today."

If anyone can help out I should be most grateful, even if it is too late for this years patch.

I think that it is often forgotten that the greatest ever defeat that the Imperial Japanese Army received on land was that given to it by the British Commonwealth (British, Indian, Gurkha and African troops) 14th Army in Burma in 1944-45...

[IronDuke99]

Anybody, please?

[Mobhack]

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=50616

Get the heightmap utility from the MBT forum and learn to drive it. The height map for the area should be downloadable from the usual sources of geographic data. Googling Kohima, Burma should give you the coordinates?.

That will give you the underlying land contours, and then you need to populate it with the buildings, trees etc as existed then. (Looking at the place on google and cross referring the WW2 sketch maps a Google image search threw up its a lot more built up nowadays - but the main roads basically still match).

[DRG]

I tried it back in March and the area has more height differences that the game can handle ........BUT..........he's improved the code so it might work better now

[IronDuke99]

Thank you gentlemen. I remain unconvinced my SPWW2 map making skills are up to this.

I did try it a year or two ago, 'freehand' but the results were too much like a dogs breakfast. Hence my asking for more skilled help.

Kohima has always struck me as one of the best British Commonwealth battles of WWII and the forces involved in the siege would, I think make it a very good SPWW2 short campaign.

Another WWII battle that might do this was the Australian defensive battles in New Guinea in 1942...

[IronDuke99]

Had a go at the map maker you gentlemen mention and it does seem to cope with the heights and contours. However I still don't think I am up to doing the roads, buildings and other terrain...

[a_b_danner]

I actually made just this map for a campaign, but that was ten years ago, or more. Three or four computers ago as well. Make me think I should upload more of my maps...

I did have the Tennis court and Bungalow. Map was based on a line drawing and sketches, so not really accurate. Mostly it was done for the flavor.

[IronDuke99]

Battle of Kohima documentary
(there are a couple of ads fairly on in this, and quality is not great)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSzNXe-eGdY&t=999s

One of the best British actions of WWII, about 800 men of the Royal West Kent Regiment ( A good battalion with a good CO) plus less than a battalion of Gurkha's and Indian soldiers face off against an entire division of the Imperial Japanese Army.

This really should provide some scenarios for our game...

[IronDuke99]

In WWII, Indian Divisions were normally three brigades of Infantry each with one British and two Indian (or Gurkha battalions). Artillery was mostly British, Armour was roughly about 50/50. By late in the war there were a handful of Indian Brigadiers and a fair few Indian Battalion commanders, although far from a majority. Most Indian and Gurkha Companies were commanded by British officers and, even late in the War at least 50% of Indian Army Platoons had a British OC.