World War II, Rangoon and a plan called Operation Dracula

Let us now praise famous missions.

Some 70 years ago at the beginning of May in 1945, allied forces, led by a contingent of famously badass Nepalese Gurkhas, reclaimed Rangoon (as it was then called) from the Japanese.

The city had been held for three years before the mission, called Operation Dracula, successfully took it back. However, with the Japanese having cleared out in advance of the attack, there wasn’t much of a fight.

The Democratic Voice of Burma has a cool video narrating the events leading up to and right after the British reclaimed the city, and the Irrawaddy has a detailed and informative feature on this neglected piece of history.

DVB’s clip (also embedded below) lasts a few minutes but contains great archival footage, including coverage from an old newscaster who talks in that funny racetrack voice that was the tone of the times.

Main photo: Landing craft during Operation Dracula/Imperial War Museum/Wikicommons

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