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{{Short description|Part of the Battle of Kohima in North East India in 1944}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of the Tennis Court
| image = IND 003483 tennis court at Kohima.jpg
| caption = The tennis court and terraces of the District Commissioner's bungalow in Kohima.
| partof = the [[Battle of Kohima]] during the [[Operation U-Go|U-Go Operation]] of the [[Burma Campaign 1944|1944 Burma Campaign]] in the [[South-East Asian theatre of World War II]]
| date = 8 April – 13 May 1944
| place = [[Kohima]], [[Nagaland]], [[British Raj|India]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|25.66770|94.10297|type:event_region:IN-NL|display=inline,title}}
| result = [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] victory
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|British Raj}} [[XXXIII Corps (British India)|XXXIII Corps]]
| combatant2 = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[31st Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|31st Infantry Division]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Montagu Stopford]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Kotoku Sato]]
| strength1 = [[161st Indian Infantry Brigade]]<br>[[6th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|6th Infantry Brigade]]
| strength2 = [[31st Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|31st Infantry Division]]
| casualties1 = unknown
| casualties2 = unknown
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Burma}}
}}

The '''Battle of the Tennis Court''' was part of the wider [[Battle of Kohima]] that was fought in North East [[British Raj|India]] from 4 April to 22 June 1944 during the [[Burma Campaign 1944|Burma Campaign]] of the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The Japanese advance into India was halted at [[Kohima]] in April 1944 and Garrison Hill, on a long wooded ridge on a high ridge west of the village, was, according to the [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]] the scene of "perhaps the most bitter fighting of the whole Burma campaign when a small Commonwealth force held out against repeated attacks by a Japanese Division".{{sfn|CWGC staff|2022}} During the siege of Kohima, heavy fighting, including hand-to-hand combat, occurred in the grounds surrounding the Deputy Commissioner's [[bungalow]], including the [[tennis court]], beginning around 8 April and continuing until 13 May when the assaulting Japanese troops began withdrawing from the area.

==Prelude==
Kohima Ridge was about a mile long and about 400 yards wide, with a series of hills and gullies that ran alongside the road from [[Imphal]] to [[Dimapur]]. The steep slopes along the road made the ridge a formidable target for attackers, but it was a narrow space from which to repel an enemy attacking in strength.{{sfn|Keane|2010|p=226}} In March 1944, the Japanese launched [[Operation U-Go]], a large-scale invasion of India.{{sfn|Rooney|1992|pp=25 & 49}} By 6 the British, Nepalese and Indian soldiers of Kohima Garrison had been surrounded on the Kohima ridge.{{sfn|Keane|2010|p=232}} As the siege began the Kohima Ridge was defended to the south (facing Imphal) by the 1st [[Assam Regiment]] on Jail Hill. The centre ground of the ridge was mainly defended by 4th Battalion, [[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment]]. The North West of the Ridge, known as Hospital Spur, was defended by the 3rd [[Assam Rifles]] who were facing the road to Dimapur. The North East of the Ridge on a sharp corner in the road was where the Deputy Commissioner (DC) [[Charles Pawsey]]'s Bungalow and Tennis Court was situated. This was initially guarded by a composite group of soldiers,{{sfn|Keane|2010|p=232}} thought to be British and [[Gurkha]] troops from the local Reinforcement Depot.{{sfn|Colvin|2012|p=91}}

==Battle==
The Japanese launched a series of attacks into the north-east region of the defences on 8 April, including two attacks on the DC's Bungalow area. The Japanese suffered massive losses, but poured in reinforcements to prepare for another attack. Some Allied soldiers manned a Bren gun to cover the withdrawal from the DC's Bungalow to the other side of the asphalt tennis court 12m higher up the hill. They held on to the last round but were then overrun, bayoneted and shot.{{sfn|Street|2003|p=65}} At this stage the Battle of the Tennis Court could be said to have begun with the area being rapidly reinforced by A Company of the 4th Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment.{{sfn|Lyman|2010|p=47}}

During 9 April and before dawn on 10 April the Japanese 58 Regiment attacked the Allied defenders of the Tennis Court area almost every 30 minutes.{{sfn|Colvin|2012|p=99}} Major Tom Kenyon, [[officer commanding]] (OC) A Company of the 4th Royal West Kents, commanded the British, Indian and Gurkha defenders who had now dug weapon pits and trenches on the western edge of the tennis court.{{sfn|Colvin|2012|pp=100–101}} During 10 April these defences and the overhead cover saved many lives as artillery shells landed on the Allied positions. The forward trenches ran out of ammunition on several occasions but were repeatedly resupplied by Sergeant Williams, who was awarded a [[Military Medal]] for his bravery.{{sfn|Street|2003|pp=75–76}}

The decision was made on 12 April to relieve the defenders of the Tennis Court with B Company of the 4th Royal West Kents, commanded by Major John Winstanley.{{sfn|Colvin|2012|p=104}} During B Company's first night defending the Tennis Court, the Japanese forces attacked silently, wearing [[plimsoll shoe]]s, instead of boots. They nearly overran the British forward positions with one of the platoon commanders, Lieutenant Tom Hogg, surviving a bayonet attack before firing all 25 rounds from his weapon (probably a [[Bren light machine gun]]), killing his assailant.{{sfn|Street|2003|p=83}}

On 13 April, heavy Japanese artillery and mortar fire fell around the DC's bungalow and the tennis court area. Several assaults were made by Japanese infantry, although these were repelled in what the British Ministry of Defence describes as "some of the hardest, closest and grimmest fighting, with grenades being hurled across the tennis court at point-blank range".{{sfn|Ministry of Defence|2004|p=4}} But on 14 April the Japanese did not launch an attack,{{sfn|Ministry of Defence|2004|pp=4–5}} and on 15 April the British and Indian troops on Kohima ridge heard that the [[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 2nd Infantry Division]] was attacking along the Dimapur–Kohima road and had broken through Japanese roadblocks to relieve troops of the [[161st Indian Infantry Brigade]] around Jotsoma, about {{convert|2|mi}} west of Kohima.{{sfn|Rooney|1992|pp=76, 81–82}}

On 17 April, the Japanese tried one last time to take the ridge and captured Field Supply Depot (FSD) Hill and Kuki Piquet. On the morning of 18 April, British artillery opened up from the west against the Japanese positions, which stopped the Japanese attacks. Elements of the British 2nd Division, the 161st Indian Brigade and tanks from XXXIII Corps pushed into the area north-west of Garrison Hill and forced the Japanese from their positions. The road between Dimapur and Kohima had been opened and the siege was lifted.{{sfn|Rooney|1992|pp=82–84}}{{sfn|Allen|2002|pp=237–238}}

Part of the Allied force relieving the siege was the 1/[[1st Punjab Regiment]] of the 161st Indian Brigade. By the evening of 18 April, D Company of 1/1st Punjab Regiment (Major Gavin Dunnett) were facing the Japanese forces in the Tennis Court area.{{sfn|Edwards|2009|pp=192–195}} They were attacked almost immediately by the 58th Infantry Regiment, a battle in which a [[South East Asia Command]] Public Relations officer later reported "a grenade match was played across the bungalow's tennis courts".{{sfn|Edwards|2009|pp=194}} The 1/1st Punjab Regiment took 22 casualties and lost ground, only to retake it again the following day (19 April) during which Jemadar Mohammed Rafiq was awarded the [[Military Cross]] for leading his platoon against Japanese bunkers.{{sfn|Edwards|2009|pp=192–195}} The 1/1st Punjab Regiment seem to have moved rearwards on 21 April, having suffered 120 casualties, to be replaced by C Company of the 1st Battalion, [[Royal Berkshire Regiment]],{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=208}} part of the [[6th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|6th Brigade]] of the British 2nd Division, who were themselves relieved by D Company of the same battalion on 23 April.{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=219}}

The Japanese who had been fighting to capture Kohima did not retreat at once. Many of them stayed in the positions which they had captured and fought tenaciously for several more weeks. It is not entirely clear when the battle for the Tennis Court was won, but tanks operating from the road supported an infantry attack that captured the Tennis Court area on 10 May 1944.{{sfn|Lyman|2010|p=68}} By the morning of 13 May, most of the positions on the Kohima ridge had been re-taken by the British and Indian forces. On that day the DC's bungalow was finally recaptured by the 2nd Battalion, [[Dorset Regiment]] supported by [[Grant tank]]s firing from the Tennis Court.{{sfn|Lyman|2010|p=11}} The lead tank was driven by Sergeant Waterhouse of [[149th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps]] (149th RAC), firing his {{nowrap|75 mm}} gun into Japanese bunkers at no more than {{cvt|20|yd|m|0}}. This tank was supported by two platoons of the Dorsets commanded by Sergeants Given and Cook.{{sfn|Colvin|2012|p=200}} The Allied breakthrough that ended the Battle of the Tennis Court is depicted in a 1982 painting by [[Terence Cuneo]] which is displayed in the Kohima Museum in [[Imphal Barracks]], York.{{sfn|YPT|2022}}

The fighting within the 6th Brigade's area was documented by Major Boshell, who commanded 'B' Company of the 1st Royal Berkshires, in the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division:

{{quote|To begin with I took over an area overlooking the Tennis Court... The lie of the land made impossible to move by day because of Japanese snipers. We were in Kohima for three weeks. We were attacked every single night... They came in waves, it was like a pigeon shoot. Most nights they overran part of the battalion position, so we had to mount counter-attacks... Water was short and restricted to about one pint per man per day. So we stopped shaving. Air supply was the key, but the steep terrain and narrow ridges meant that some of the drops went to the Japs. My company went into Kohima over 100 strong and came out at about 60.{{sfn|Ministry of Defence|2004|p=6}}}}

==Aftermath==
Around 15 May the Japanese 31st Division began to withdraw and the fresh British and Indian troops from XXXIII Corps began to reinforce and relieve the British 2nd Division and the [[33rd Indian Infantry Brigade|33rd]] and 161st Indian Brigades.{{sfn|Ministry of Defence|2004|p=8}} In the aftermath of the fighting around Kohima, the troops of the [[Fourteenth Army (United Kingdom)|Fourteenth Army]] began an advance, with the relief of [[battle of Imphal|Imphal]], which would continue until [[Burma]] had been recaptured.{{sfn|Rooney|1992|p=181–190}} The battle was the turning point of the Battle of Kohima which was the watershed of the [[Burma Campaign]]. Earl [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Louis Mountbatten]], the Supreme Allied Commander in the theatre, described Kohima as

{{quote|probably one of the greatest battles in history... in effect the Battle of Burma... naked unparalleled heroism... the British/Indian [[Battle of Thermopylae|Thermopylae]].{{sfn|Ministry of Defence|2004|p=3}}}}

The [[Imperial War Museum Duxford]] has a [[diorama]] of the battle, amongst others.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/kohima-diorama-iwm-duxford.72389/ |title=Kohima Diorama – IWM Duxford |website=Planet Figure |access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist|20em}}

== References ==
* {{citation |last=Allen |first=Louis |title=Burma: The Longest War 1941–45 |year=2002 |orig-year=1984 |publisher=Phoenix Press |location=London |isbn=1-84212-260-6}}
* {{citation |author= |date=22 September 2008 |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-battle-of-kohima-april-1944-10259 |title=The Battle of Kohima, April 1944 |publisher=BBC and the Public Catalogue Foundation |access-date=18 January 2015 |ref={{harvid|YPT|2022}}}}
* {{citation |last=Colvin |first=John | author-link = John Colvin (diplomat) |year=2012 |title=Not Ordinary Men: The Story of the Battle of Kohima |publisher=Pen and Sword |location=Barnsley |isbn=978-1-84884-871-9 |page=200}}
* {{citation |author=CWGC staff |year=2015 |url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2058100/KOHIMA%20WAR%20CEMETERY |title=Commonwealth War Graves Commission Kohima Cemetery |publisher=CWGC (UK) |access-date=18 January 2022}}
* {{citation |last=Edwards |first=Leslie |year=2009 |title=Kohima: The Furthest Battle – The Story of the Japanese Invasion of India in 1944 and the Battle of Kohima |publisher=The History Press |location=Stroud |isbn=978-1-86227-488-4 |pages=192–195, 208, 219}}
* {{citation |last=Keane |first=Fergal |author-link=Fergal Keane |year=2010 |title=Road of Bones: The Siege of Kohima 1944 |publisher=HarperPress |location=London |isbn=978-0-00-713240-9 |pages=226, 232}}
* {{citation |last=Lyman |first=Robert |author-link= Robert Lyman |year=2010 |title=Kohima 1944: The Battle that Saved India |publisher=Osprey |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-84603-939-3 |pages=11, 47, 68}}
* {{citation |author=Ministry of Defence |date=April 2004 |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/30002/ww2_kohima.pdf |title=The Battle of Kohima, North East India 4 April – 22 June 1944|publisher=British MOD 2nd World War Commemorative Booklets |access-date=25 December 2022}}
* {{citation |last=Rooney |first=David |title=Burma Victory: Imphal and Kohima March 1944 to May 1945 |publisher=Cassell |year=1992 |isbn=0-304-35457-0}}
* {{citation |last=Street |first=Robert |year=2003 |title=The Siege of Kohima: The Battle for Burma |publisher=Barny Books |location=Grantham |isbn=1-903172-35-7 |pages=65, 75–76, 83}}

==Further reading==
* {{citation |ref=none |last=Graham |first=Gordon |year=2005 |title=The Trees Are All Young on Garrison Hill |publisher=The Kohima Educational Trust |location=Marlow, Buckinghamshire |isbn=0-9552687-0-2}}
* {{citation |ref=none |last=Lowry |first=Michael |year=2003 |title=Fighting Through to Kohima: A Memoir of War in India and Burma |publisher=Leo Cooper |location=Barnsley |isbn=978-1-84415-003-8}}

==External links==
* {{cite web |ref=none |title=Home |website=Kohima Educational Trust |date=19 October 2021 |url=https://www.kohimaeducationaltrust.org/ |access-date=29 June 2022}}
* {{cite web |ref=none |last=King |first=Hannah |date=10 July 2014 |title=The WW2 Battle Fought Across a Tennis Court 10.07.14 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS7KeDxkEbM |publisher=[[British Forces Broadcasting Service]] |via=[[YouTube]]}} – Video of 70th commemoration of the battle held in York. It contains some historical footage of the battle.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennis Court}}
[[Category:1944 in India]]
[[Category:April 1944 events]]
[[Category:Battles and operations of World War II involving India]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Japan|the Tennis Court]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1944|the Tennis Court]]
[[Category:Kohima]]
[[Category:Land battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom|Tennis Court]]
[[Category:May 1944 events]]
[[Category:World War II operations and battles of the Southeast Asia Theatre|Tennis Court]]

Battle of the Tennis Court - Revision history

Bot at 07:17, 22 October 2022