Battles & Campaigns · 1944
Siege of Myitkyina
Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar (Burma)
What happened
American and Chinese forces under General Joseph Stilwell, including Merrill's Marauders and Chinese divisions, fought a Japanese garrison under Genzo Mizukami. In the Burma campaign, Allied troops marched through the jungle and made a surprise attack on the Japanese-held airfield at Myitkyina in May 1944. They captured the airfield largely intact, but the Japanese held the town for almost three more months. Cut off from supplies, the Japanese garrison abandoned the town in early August.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Chinese troops suffered their heaviest losses of the Burma campaign here.
What came next
Allied forces cleared the city and surrounding area.
Timeline
- 17 May 1944Allied troops attack the Myitkyina airfield.
- June 1944The Chindits capture Mogaung, cutting Japanese supply lines.
- 26 July 1944The northern airfield is captured.
- 3 August 1944The Japanese garrison abandons the town.