Flag of the Burmese Puppet State by  Martin Grieve

The BIA however proved to be an unreliable unit to the Japanese (having made several declarations of independence, all disallowed in turn by the Empire of Japan) and was soon disbanded.

It was therefore replaced by the Burma Defence Army (which was later renamed the Burma National Army).

A Burmese nationalist, Ba Maw, was permitted, however, by the Japanese to establish a puppet government. He later declared Burma's independence and received Japanese backing. In reality, however, Burma was a Japanese dependency.

Head of State: Ba Maw (Adipati from August 1, 1943).

Minister for Defense: Lt. Gen. Aung San (also Commander-in-Chief, Burma National Army and a Thalkin leader)

History: In January 1942, the BIA invaded Burma alongside the Japanese 15th Army. The Commander-in-Chief of the Burma Independence Army, Lt. Gen. Aung San declared his support for the Japanese, who in turn backed his army's legitimacy.

On August 1, 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army set up a puppet government under Ba Maw. The collaborationist government declared Burma's independence, and was recognised by the Japanese and the Axis, exactly one year later, on August 1, 1943.

By late 1943 Lt. Gen. Aung San became disillusioned with Ba Maw's Burmese collaborationist regime, realising that the BIA had been formed by the Japanese - not to help make Burma independent - but to occupy Burma for the IJA.

The seeds of resistance from within Burma had been sown and the Burmese Communist Party, the People's Liberation Party and the BNA began to form tentative ties while allied-backed Burmese ethnic minorities fought an increasingly bitter guerilla campaign against Japanese forces. The Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League  was formed later in secret between these groups (as well as between underground anti-Japanese students and farmers), with Lt. Gen. Aung San as its chair.

By mid-1944, in the wake of Japan's abortive Imphal-Kohima operation (an offensive aimed at capturing Imphal in India), the Imperial Japanese Army was in general retreat throughout Burma. In March 1945, after fierce fighting, Meiktila and Mandalay were captured by the British under commander William Slim and all of Burma was close to falling to the Allies. The time for Lt. Gen. Aung San to spring his trap on the Japanese had come.

Lieutenant General Aung San ordered the Burma National Army to revolt against Japan's 15th Army and the Empire of Japan. The mutiny of the BNA encouraged an uprising by the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League throughout Burma.

The Japanese Army fled Burma towards the Thai frontier, with fighting ending in Burma by May 1945. About a thousand Japanese soldiers were killed in fighting with the BNA and other anti-Japanese Burmese groups.

Armed Forces: As early as June, 1941 the Japanese had set up an organisation under Minami Kikan in order to recruit Burmese nationalists for anti-British guerilla operations.

The Burma Independence Army (BIA) was formed on December 26, 1941. At its height it counted perhaps four thousand men. It was a highly unreliable auxiliary Japanese unit, mainly designed for partisan style operations.

The Burma Defense Army (BDA) was formed on July 27, 1942. The BDA had only three thousand soldiers in its ranks. However, with the forming of the BDA there was an attempt to create a more regular standing army.

The Burma National Army was formed on August 1, 1943. By 1944 this force numbered at least 15 thousand men.

The BIA fought alongside the Japanese during the war in Burma through 1941-1942 while the BNA was primarily used in order to control the country for the Japanese. As such, it undertook anti-partisan operations.

Campaigns: The most important campaign undertaken by Burmese puppet troops was that of the BIA against Britain in Burma, 1941-42, although the part they played in Japan's victory over Britain was minor. The BIA did, however, play a role in the hostility shown to British troops by some members of the local populace, the giving away of British Army movements to the Japanese, and the often false information  given to the Allied soldiers by civilians.

Declared war on the allies: The Burmese puppet government under Ba Maw declared war with the Allies on the 26th of August, 1943.