This is a list of orders of battle for the 1410–1412 campaigns of the Ava–Hanthawaddy War (1408–1418). Aside from the initial battles in the Irrawaddy delta in late 1410–early 1411, the rest of the battles in this phase of the war were fought in Arakan.
The orders of battles for Ava in this article are sourced from the main royal chronicles—the Maha Yazawin, the Yazawin Thit and the Hmannan Yazawin, which primarily narrate the war from the Ava side.[note 1] The orders of battle for Hanthawaddy Pegu are mainly sourced from Nai Pan Hla's version of the Razadarit Ayedawbon, which has incorporated narratives of the Pak Lat Chronicles.[note 2] The Rakhine Razawin Thit, which narrates from the Arakanese perspective, says almost nothing about the campaigns except that it was Min Khayi that was allied with the Hanthawaddy forces,[1] not Min Saw Mon as reported in the main chronicles and in the Razadarit.
The military strength figures in this article have been reduced by an order of magnitude from those reported in the chronicles, following G.E. Harvey's and Victor Lieberman's analyses of Burmese chronicles' military strength figures in general.[note 3]
Ava invasion of the Irrawaddy delta (c. November 1410)[edit]
After withdrawing from the Irrawaddy delta back to Prome, Minye Kyawswa reconstituted his forces by transferring infantry regiments from the navy into the army for the purpose of invading Arakan. The rest of the naval forces went back to Ava.[6][7][8] While the royal chronicles do not provide the exact strength figures for the reconstituted army, their narratives suggest that the bulk of the original 14,000-strong invasion force was still intact.
^See (Harvey 1925: 333–335)'s "Numerical Note". (Lieberman 2014: 98) writing on the First Toungoo period concurs: "Military mobilizations were probably more of a boast than a realistic estimate. Modern industrial states have difficulty placing 10% of their people under arms."
^ abcdefghijUnless otherwise stated, the military mobilization figures in this article are reduced by an order of magnitude from those reported in the royal chronicles, per G.E. Harvey's analysis in his History of Burma (1925) in the section Numerical Note (pp. 333–335).
The Maha Yazawin gives 7 regiments (70,000 troops, 6000 cavalry, 400 elephants) for the army, and 8 regiments (70 war ships, 700 war boats, 200 transport boats, 200 armored war boats) for the navy. The invasion forces consisted of 20,000 troops from the Shan states.[2]
The Yazawin Thit gives 7 regiments (70,000 troops, 6000 cavalry, 400 elephants) for the army, and (7000 troops, 7 war ships, 700 war boats, 200 transport boats, 200 armored war boats, 300 supply boats) for the navy[3]
The Hmannan Yazawin gives 7 regiments (70,000 troops, 6000 cavalry, 400 elephants) for the army, and 8 regiments (70 war ships, 700 war boats, 200 transport boats, 200 armored war boats) for the navy. The invasion forces consisted of 20,000 troops from the Shan states.[4]
The Razadarit says 7 regiments (70,000 troops, 6000 cavalry, 400 elephants) for the army, and 8 regiments (70 war ships, 700 war boats, 200 transport boats, 500 armored war boats) for the navy.[5]
^This is the title according to the main chronicles.[11][12][8] This is not the Smin Bya Paik that fell in action in 1402. This commander apparently succeeded the title of Smin Bya Paik. The Razadarit gives Smin Byat-Hta-Baik.[10]
^All three main chronicles give 7 regiments (80,000 troops, 3000 cavalry, 300 elephants).[11][12][14] Sithu of Yamethin is the only commander mentioned aside from Minye Kyawswa.[12]
However, when the Ava Expeditionary Force rushed back to Ava to meet the invading Hsenwi forces three months later, the Maha Yazawin and the Hmannan do provide the commanders of the Ava army (7 regiments, 70,000 troops, 4000 cavalry, 200 elephants) that faced the enemy at the battle of Wetwin: Tarabya I of Pakhan, Yazathingyan of Amyint, Sithu of Yamethin, Min Nyo of Kale, Thado of Mohnyin and Baya Gamani of Singu, in addition to Minye Kyawswa.[15][16] They were probably the same commanders of the army that laid siege to Sandoway.
