| Page Created |
| February 17th, 2025 |
| Last Updated |
| February 21st, 2025 |
| India |
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| Additional Information |
| Unit Order of Battle Commanders Operations Equipment Multimedia Sources Biographies |
| Operations |
| May 1st, 1945 – May 6th, 1945 |
| Operation Dracula |
| 44th Indian Airborne Division |
| By April 1945, the British Fourteenth Army advances to within sixty-four kilometres of Rangoon but is delayed until May 1st, 1945, by an improvised Japanese force defending Pegu. On the same day, as part of Operation Dracula, a composite Gurkha parachute battalion lands at Elephant Point at the mouth of the Rangoon River. After securing the coastal batteries, minesweepers clear the river of mines. The following day, the Indian 26th Infantry Division begins landing on both sides of the river. The monsoon breaks earlier than anticipated, but the Japanese have already abandoned Rangoon, allowing the Indian 26th Infantry Division to occupy the city and its docks without resistance. Four days later, they link up with the Fourteenth Army. |