Box of Lions

First-hand accounts of stopping the Japanese at Imphal

Christopher Johnson

• Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
• Year: 2026
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781036194703
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

Box of Lions reveals how ordinary admin soldiers held a professional invading force during the Imphal clash, shaping WWII's turning moment.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Japanese army’s ‘March toward Delhi’ during the Second World War, Box of Lions explores the little-known but extraordinary clash on the Imphal Plain. When Japanese forces targeted a critical British supply depot – codenamed Lion Box – rich in food and military resources they expected little resistance. Instead, they encountered an unlikely and determined defence.

Composed not of hardened infantry but of drivers, administrators, sappers and storemen, these so-called ‘admin soldiers’ from Britain, India, Nepal and Africa were suddenly thrust into frontline combat. Over the course of three days of bitter fighting, they held off a professional invading force, buying time for the Allies to evacuate vital stores and shaking the confidence of the Japanese troops.

Written by the son of a veteran who fought on the frontline, this gripping account draws on thirty years of research, first-hand interviews – including with Japanese survivors – and multiple journeys to the battlefield itself. Rich in oral history and raw with emotion, Box of Lions brings to life the courage, fear and resilience of ordinary men caught in extraordinary circumstances.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Author’s Notes
• Preface
• Introduction
• Prologue
• Chapter 1 The Build-Up
• Chapter 2 The Withdrawal
• Chapter 3 The Defence of the Lion Box
• Chapter 4 Good Friday
• Chapter 5 The Evacuation
• Chapter 6 The Aftermath
• Appendix 1: Casualties Lion Box
• Appendix 2: Awards and Battle Honours, and Lack of Recognition
• Appendix 3: Discovering the Second World War in Manipur
• Appendix 4: The Kanglatongbi War Memorial
• Appendix 5: The Eightieth Anniversary Commemoration of Lion Box
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Index