Burma

British Burma (1885–1948)

Beginning in late 1944, Allied troops launched a series of offensives that led to the end of Japanese rule in July 1945. The battles were intense, with much of Burma laid waste by the fighting. Overall, the Japanese lost some 150,000 men in Burma, with 1,700 prisoners taken. Although many Burmese fought initially for the Japanese as part of the Burma Independence Army, many Burmese, mostly from the ethnic minorities, served in the British Burma Army. The Burma National Army and the Arakan National Army fought with the Japanese from 1942 to 1944 but switched allegiance to the Allied side in 1945. Overall, 170,000 to 250,000 Burmese civilians died during World War II.