Fighting for Red Hill or Maibam Lotpa Hill: A Decisive Episode of the Battle of Imphal, May 1944

This study examines the nine-day engagement at Maibam-Lotpa Hill (Red Hill) from 20 May to 29 May 1944, analysing its strategic significance and broader implications within the Imphal campaign. In addition to assessing the operational and tactical developments of the battle, this article explores the experiences of local communities in Maibam, Oinam, Irengbam and Nambol, who were directly impacted by the fighting. Drawing on a combination of soldiers’ memoirs, survivor testimonies and secondary sources, the study reconstructs the course of the engagement and its local consequences. Furthermore, it seeks to address historiographical inaccuracies, particularly the mis-identification of the British 17th Indian Division’s headquarters during the critical phase of its confrontation in the Bishnupur sector. By engaging with these dimensions, this study aims to underscore the enduring historical importance of the engagement and its role in shaping the outcome of the Battle of Imphal in World War II.