The Operational Directive No 9 / '44, for the formidable 15th Army, from Lt Gen Mutaguchi Renya : " .... The struggle has developed into a fight between the material strength of the enemy and our spiritual strength. Continue the task till all your ammunition is expended .. " If your hands are broken fight with your feet. If your hands and feet are broken use your teeth. If there is no breath left in body fight with your spirit.. " Lack of weapons is no excuse for defeat .. " well, here I may recall for Waffen SS No3rd Panzer Div Totenkopf of Obergruppenführer Eicke, whose unit was responsible for the Le Paradis massacre, for which Comm Knöchlien been charged! But Gen Sato clearly demanded court martial by ignoring Mutaguchi's Directive. I wander which subordinate had been more perfect according to their respective military doctrine ?
Whonder if the japanese infantry manual actually described the process of destroying a Sherman with your teeth.
Only Stuart light tanks from the Indian cavalry regiment (but very limited tanks), been used during the Rangoon offensive, '45. Mutaguchi's 15th Army mainly composed of the Japs jungle warfare trained vets, infamous for hand 2 hand fighting at the hilly-jungle terrains of Thailand, Burma, Mayanmar or at the CBI theatre, that very unsuitable for tanks. Slim probably the only one who experienced best and very closely against this Army. Col Corbett once called in to train the Alied troops that preparing to fight against Mutaguchi's, and finaly stopped them !
