When headhunters turned intelligence gatherers

Anew book narrates the role that Naga warriors played in the Allies’ Stand against Japan in one of the most decisive battles of World War II

- Mmhonlümo Kikon

The British had already expanded their tentacles over Myanmar and the South-East Asian region. Kohima was but a speck of dust compared to the Burma theatre. America and England had different agendas but faced a common threat in Japan. Britain had more to lose in this battle than America....

For a change, there were no attacks on the British colonial administration by the headhunters. Rather, there was active participation of the Nagas in the war, siding with the British forces in the unlikeliest of partnerships. Nagas were utilized effectively as porters, spies, stretcher-bearers and they even dug trenches for the British forces. This was singularly responsible not just for the victory but for the number of lives saved in the battle. Intelligence gathering is critical to winning wars.

It is a cliché to say that but it is still the main basis on which planning is done and decisions taken before and even during war. Both strategic intelligence and tactical intelligence enable leaders or nations to fight and win wars. For this, the source of information on the ground is the most vital agency. The British forces discovered that the Nagas could not only be used as interpreters (Dobashis) but as active spies and map-readers in the battlefield. They were able to locate places shown on the map with as much accuracy and enthusiasm as they carried the rations and arms and ammunition of the British soldiers on the battlefield. Not caring for their lives, they were as much fighters as the British soldiers. The glorification of the 2nd Division who fought against all odds is justified only in so much as the contributions of the Naga volunteers are recognized as equal partners.