The 255th Indian Tank Brigade was an

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

of the

Indian Army during World War II The Indian Army during World War II, a British force also referred to as the British Indian Army, began the war, in 1939, numbering just under 200,000 men.Sumner, p.25 By the end of the war, it had become the largest volunteer army in history, ...

. It was part of the Fourteenth Army and saw action in the Burma Campaign. The 255th Tank Brigade's tactical sign was a black bull, with yellow horns and red eyes, on a

royal blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. Brightness The ''Oxford E ...

triangle. The brigade fought with the 17th Indian Infantry Division in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

and was involved in the

Battle of Meiktila A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, the

Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations The Battle of Pakokku and Irrawaddy River operations were a series of battles fought between the British Indian Army and the Imperial Japanese Army and allied forces over the successful Allied Burma campaign on the China Burma India Theater ...

and during

Operation Dracula Operation Dracula was a World War II-airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Anglo-Indian forces during the Burma Campaign. The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when the Allied South East Asia Command was preparing to reoccu ...

. The brigade was raised in June 1941 as 5th Indian Armoured Brigade and redesignated 255th Indian Armoured Brigade in October 1941. The name was changed again to the 255th Indian Tank Brigade in August 1944. In October 1944 it moved to the Imphal plain and came under command of IV Corps. The brigade crossed the Irrawaddy under command of the 17th Indian Infantry Division in February 1945. The brigade was redesignated in June 1946 as the 1st Armoured Brigade and assigned to the 1st Armoured Division, with which it was serving at Secunderabad when the Partition of India took place in August 1947.

Component units (February 1945)

16th Light Cavalry The 16th Light Cavalry is a regiment of the Armoured Corps, a primary combat arm of the Indian Army. Prior to India gaining independence from the British in 1947, it was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1776 ...

, Armoured Cars * 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse, Stuart tanks *

9th Royal Deccan Horse The Deccan Horse or 9 Horse is one of the oldest and most decorated armoured regiments of the Indian Army. The Royal Deccan Horse (9th Horse), which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army was formed from the amalgamation of t ...

, Sherman tanks *116th Royal Armoured Corps (Gordon Highlanders), Sherman tanks *4th Battalion, 4th Bombay Grenadiers (motor infantry battalion) *6th Battalion,

7th Rajput Regiment 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

(HQ/Defence battalion 17th Indian Division, attached) *36th Field Squadron, Q.V.O. Madras Sappers & Miners Group, Indian Engineers *3rd Independent Bridging Troop, R.A.C *9th Light Field Ambulance, I. A. M. C. * Elements of 18th Field Regiment RA - SP Guns

Commander

*Brigadier H. H. Stable (June 1941 - November 1943) *Brigadier C. E. Pert (November 1943 - May 1945) *Brigadier R. Younger (May - November 1945) *Brigadier J. M. W. Martin (November 1945 - November 1947)The Army Gradation List February 1956. Appointed second in command 255th Indian Tank Brigade May 1945 *Brigadier Tara Singh Bal (November 1947 - March 1948)

Component units (February 1945)

Commander

See also

Notes and references

Further reading