Word: naga
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1940-1949
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...ittai nan dai?" (What on earth is that?) cried a startled Japanese officer as a burst of elephant-gun fire whistled past his ears and a troop of half-naked Nagas leaped out of the bushes. He found out, but too late. He and his jungle patrol were wiped out. But last week other Japs who had survived the fight in northern Burma knew more about the Naga raiders and their leader. The half-naked tribesmen from northeastern India were directed by a white woman: pert, pretty Ursula Graham-Bower, 30, an archeology student who looks like a cinemactress...
Miss Graham-Bower managed to keep her own head on, and presently won the friendship of the Naga chieftains. Now & then people in the outside world got letters from her, exulting over the pictures she was taking of primitive dances and ceremonies. Some of the more pretentious Nagas wore a little apron in front, but most just wore bracelets. They cultivated little patches of cleared jungle for rice, and, like the South American Indians, used drugs to catch fish. They begged Miss Graham-Bower to name their babies. She named most of them Victoria Elizabeth...
When the Japanese armies surged across the Burma border and threatened to spill into India, Miss Graham-Bower declared war on Japan. She placed herself at the head of the mobilized Nagas. By her orders guards were posted on main and secondary trails, a watch-and-warn system was established. Over these trails thousands of evacuees, deserters, escaped prisoners and bailed-out airmen fled from Burma to India. Miss Graham-Bower also directed Naga ambushes of Japanese search parties...
Crossing the Chin and Naga Hills, three Japanese columns of uncertain strength were converging on Imphal, which lies just a little to the east of the lateral railroad that extends 250 miles to Ledo-the supply route for General Stilwell's forces advancing into northern Burma and for the goods that are shipped over the Hump by air to China. If the Japanese should take Imphal-last week they were only 30 miles away-they would be within reach of the railroad through which flow the supplies for both Stilwell and China...
Others go by pouch on the backs of Naga tribesmen to U.S. soldiers at listening posts close to the Jap lines-posts set up to give a few minutes' warning when Jap bombers start coming over...