Philip Christison - World War II

World War II

In 1940 and 1941, Christison was Commandant of the Staff College, Quetta in the former British India (now Pakistan). In 1941 he was promoted acting major-general to command 15th (Scottish) Division in the UK (his rank was made permanent in July 1942). Following this, he returned to India and after a short appointment as a military district commander, he was promoted acting lieutenant-general in late 1942 to command Indian XXXIII Corps. He assumed command of the Indian XV Corps in 1943, part of the newly formed British Fourteenth Army, succeeding William Slim, who had been promoted to command the Fourteenth Army. The XV Corps made up the Southern Front of the Burma Campaign in the coastal region known as the Arakan.

During the Second Arakan Offensive in February 1944, XV Corps advanced southwards. A Japanese attempt to outflank and isolate elements of the Corps failed when 7th Indian Infantry Division held off the attacks and the Corps' administrative area - the "Admin Box" - successfully fought off attacks by the Japanese 55th Division (Battle of the Admin Box). This was the first time in World War II that a British army defeated the Japanese in a land battle. XV Corps was withdrawn on 22 March to assist the allied defence of Imphal. In December 1944 Christison and his fellow corps commanders Stopford and Scoones were knighted and invested as KBE by the viceroy Lord Wavell at a ceremony at Imphal in front of the Scottish, Gurkha and Punjab regiments. Slim was knighted and invested as KCB at the same occasion.

In 1945, Christison assumed temporary command of the Fourteenth Army and also deputised for Slim as Commander of Allied Land Forces, South-East Asia when Slim was on leave, reverting to XV Corps on Slim's return. Christison led XV Corps into Rangoon in May of that year.

In September 1945 Christison deputised for Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten as commander of SEAC and took the surrender of the Japanese Seventh Area Army and Japanese South Sea Fleet at Singapore on 3 September. From 1946, Christison was Allied Commander of forces in the Dutch East Indies. In November, Christison's troops were involved in a full-scale battle to suppress pro-Independence Indonesian soldiers and militia in Surabaya.