Medical Support at the Siege of Kohima

Colonel (Retd) Soundararajan Jagdish recounts the extraordinary performance of the medical personnel who served during the Battle of Kohima. 

For a fateful couple of weeks in April 1944, a hastily assembled and vastly outnumbered force of Indian and British combat and support troops held off the seemingly invincible Japanese Imperial Army at India’s doorstep in Kohima.

Unsurprisingly, the siege and battle of Kohima have achieved mythic and iconic status in the history of modern warfare.

Colonel Jagdish describes the remarkable performance, against all odds, of medical personnel in Kohima, who themselves suffered many casualties, and also highlights those qualities of leadership that ensured the garrison’s survival.

This event has been developed by the Kohima Educational Trust as part of the Kohima 80th Anniversary Weekend.

About the speaker

Soundararajan Jagdish

Colonel (Retd) Soundararajan Jagdish is an independent researcher. He has served in the Defence Medical Services and the NHS, specialising in anaesthesia and pain management.