Flag, Imperial Japanese Army, 1944

This flag, with its faded Japanese writing just visible, was probably found during the relief of Kohima in Nagaland, India, in April 1944. The Battles of Imphal-Kohima were fought between 8 March and 18 July 1944, and were the turning point of the Burma campaign, one of the most gruelling contests of World War Two (1939-1945). The decisive Japanese defeat in north-east India became the springboard for the Fourteenth Army's subsequent re-conquest of Burma.