The 23rd Indian Infantry Division was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

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 fought in the Burma Campaign. It was then reformed as a division of the independent

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

in 1959.

History

The division was raised on 1 January 1942, at

Jhansi Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative hea ...

in Central

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Its badge was a red

fighting cock A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

on a yellow circle. (The animal was chosen by Major General

Reginald Savory Lieutenant General Sir Reginald Arthur Savory (26 July 1894 − 14 June 1980) was a British Indian Army officer who served during both World War I and World War II. Military career Educated at Uppingham School, he then attended the Royal Milit ...

, the division's first commander, as one which would offend neither the

Moslem Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

nor

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

soldiers of the division. In May that year, while the division was still forming, it was ordered to

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

, where

Burma Corps The Burma Corps ('Burcorps') was an Army Corps of the Indian Army during the Second World War. It was formed in Prome, Burma, on 19 March 1942, took part in the retreat through Burma, and was disbanded on arrival in India in May 1942. History Bu ...

was retreating, having been driven out of

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 ...

by the Japanese. Imphal lay within the mountainous frontier between India and Burma, and the division was ordered to move while the monsoon season was at its height. Movement was difficult, and disease (mainly

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

, but also

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

) was rampant. The division's chief claim to respect lies in holding its positions in these trying conditions, while also trying to undertake basic training. On 3 June 1943, Major General Savory was promoted and appointed Director of Infantry in India. The division was temporarily commanded by Brigadier Collingridge of 37th Brigade until 15 August, when Major General

Ouvry Lindfield Roberts General Sir Ouvry Lindfield Roberts, (3 April 1898 – 16 March 1986) was a senior officer of the British Army and the British Indian Army during the First and Second World Wars. Military career Educated at Cheltenham College, the Royal Mili ...

, who had gained widespread respect by his handling of operations in the Middle East, was appointed.

Battle of Imphal

In March, 1944, the Japanese launched a major attack on the British troops at Imphal. At the time, 23rd Division was the reserve unit for Indian IV Corps. After its previous service in Imphal, the division was no less than 5,000 men short of establishment (about 18,500). This was due mainly to disease, and poor administration in the rear areas in 1943, which prevented many recovering sick men from rejoining the division. When the Japanese offensive began, Indian 17th Infantry Division was cut off in its forward position at Tiddim. One brigade of 23rd division was left to hold Imphal while the remainder of the division was sent to help extricate the 17th Division. Once the two divisions had linked up, they retreated to Bishenpur south of Imphal, being supplied by parachute drops. The 23rd Division was then sent to Kanglatongbi, north of Imphal, where Japanese troops had cut the road linking Imphal with India and were threatening a major supply dump. The Japanese were held back while the dump was emptied of stores. In June, all the divisions at Imphal were reorganised and repositioned. 23rd Division defended the Shenam Saddle southeast of Imphal against the last Japanese attacks in this area.

Operation Zipper

After the end of the Battle of Imphal, the division was withdrawn to India. After recuperating, it began training for future operations in Malaya. Major General Roberts was promoted to command Indian XXXIV Corps, and the division was commanded by Major General

Douglas Hawthorn Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

. In mid-1945, the division was due to take part in

Operation Zipper During World War II, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya, as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore in Operation Mailfist. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it wa ...

, a landing on the west coast of Malaya, as part of XXXIV Corps. Although forestalled by the Japanese surrender, the landing took place unopposed, as the quickest means of sending troops to Malaya to enforce the surrender. Later that year, the division was sent to

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

, where the end of the war had brought widespread disorder and conflict between the restored

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

colonial regime and pro-independence movements. The division was broken up in Java in 1947, and its units were merged into the

Indian 5th Infantry Division The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three differ ...

Postwar

Current Divisional HQ is located at Dipatoli Cantonment, Ranchi in

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...

. The division was raised 1 September 1959 for the Nagaland insurgency when GOC Assam was redesignated as GOC 23rd Infantry Division.

Current Status of 23 Infantry Division

There are 4 brigades in 23 Infantry Division. They are: * 23 Artillery Brigade (Dipatoli Cantt, Ranchi, Jharkhand) * 61 Infantry Brigade (Dipatoli Cantt, Ranchi, Jharkhand) * 167 Infantry Brigade (Shahjahanpur Cantt, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh) * 301 Infantry Brigade (MONUSCO, South Africa)

23 Artillery Brigade

The artillery brigade is situated in Dipatoli Cantt, Ranchi, Jharkhand. The artillery brigade consists of 5 Artillery units they are 1 Field Regiment, 3 Medium Regiments and 1 Surveillance And Target Acquisitions Battery. Currently, assigned units are: * 166 Medium Regiment * 237 Medium Regiment * 299 Medium Regiment (Dhanush Howitzer) * 100 Field Regiment * 636 SATA Battery

61 Infantry Brigade

The infantry brigade was earlier situated in Namkom Military Station, Ranchi, Jharkhand. On 1 August 2019, the brigade is shifting to Dipatoli Cantt after the moving of 17 Corps to Panagarh, West Bengal. The brigade is assigned with 3 different Infantry Regiment. They are: * 3rd Battalion The 8th Gorkha Rifles * 2nd Battalion The Mahar Regiment * 9th Battalion The Bihar Regiment

167 Infantry Brigade

The brigade is situated in Shahjahanpur Military Station, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The brigade consists of 4 Infantry Regiments. They are: * 11th Battalion The Maratha Light Infantry * 14th Battalion The Jat Regiment * 21st Battalion The Kumaon Regiment * 31st Battalion The Rajput Regiment

301 Infantry Brigade

The brigade is situated in South Africa. The brigade is on the MONUSCO Mission from the year 2004 shifting from Ranchi to South Africa.

Order of battle

''as of 1 April 1944'' *GOC Major General Ouvry Roberts * 1st Indian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier A. King) ** 1st Battalion,

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw servic ...

** 1st Battalion,

16th Punjab Regiment The 16th Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamated ...

** 1st Battalion, Patiala Infantry Regiment (State forces) * 37th Indian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier P. C. Marindin) ** 3rd Battalion,

3rd Gurkha Rifles The 3rd Gorkha Rifles or Third Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 3 GR is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It was originally a Gurkha regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1815. This regiment recruit mainly Magars and Khas/Chhetri tribes. Th ...

** 3rd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) ** 3rd Battalion,

10th Gurkha Rifles The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, (abbreviated to 10 GR), was originally a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a ...

* 49th Indian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier F. Esse) ** 4th Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry ** 6th Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry ** 5th Battalion,

6th Rajputana Rifles The 6th Rajputana Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army. They moved away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment se ...

*Divisional Units ** 2nd Battalion,

19th Hyderabad Regiment The 19th Hyderabad Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed at the time of reforms of the Indian Army after the First World War, when it moved from single-battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. The reg ...

(divisional reconnaissance unit) ** 4th Battalion,

12th Frontier Force Regiment The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...

(divisional machine-gun unit) ** 158th Field Assault Regiment,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

(The Fighting Cock 23rd div history) ** 3rd Field Regiment

Royal Indian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery, generally known as the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA), was an operational corps of the British Indian Army. The East India Company raised the first regular company of Artillery in 1748, with a small percentage ...

(IA) ** 28th Mountain Regiment IA ** 2nd Anti-Tank/Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment IA ** 23rd Indian Infantry Division Provost Unit ** 23rd Indian Infantry Division Signal Unit ** 69th, 71st, 91st Field Companies

Royal Indian Engineers The Indian Army Corps of Engineers is a combat support arm which provides combat engineering support, develops infrastructure for armed forces and other defence organisations and maintains connectivity along the borders, besides helping the civil ...

(IE) ** 305th Field Park Company IE ** 21st, 24th, 50th, 61st Animal Transport Companies

Indian Army Service Corps The Indian Army Service Corps (IASC) is a corps and an arm of the Indian Army which handles its logistic support function. It is the oldest and the largest administrative service in the Indian Army. While the history of supply and transport serv ...

(IASC) ** 121st, 122nd, 123rd General Purpose Transport Companies IASC ** 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th Composite Units IASC ** 24th, 47th, 49th Indian Field Ambulances,

Indian Army Medical Corps The Indian Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the Indian Army which primarily provides medical services to all Army personnel, serving and veterans, along with their families. Early history Very little is known of the medical organisatio ...

(IAMC) ** 23rd Ordnance Field Park,

Indian Army Ordnance Corps The Army Ordnance Corps (abbreviated as AOC) is an active corps of the Indian Army and a major formation responsible for providing material and logistical support to the Indian Army during war and peace. History Pre-independence The history of ...

(IAOC) ** 38th, 61st Infantry Workshop Companies, Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (IEME) ** 23rd Indian Division Recovery Company IEME

Presently Units assigned in 23rd Infantry Division

* 23 IDSR (Infantry Division Signal Regiment) * 23 IDOU (Infantry Division Ordnance Unit) * 23 IDPU (Infantry Division Provost Unit) * 51 Armoured Regiment * 100 (Independent) Tank Transporter Company (ASC) * 107 Engineers Regiment (Bombay Sappers) * 323 Field Hospital * 423 Field Hospital * 523 ASC Battalion * 623 EME Battalion

Assigned brigades

All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II *

63rd Indian Infantry Brigade The 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in January 1942, at Jhansi in India and was assigned to the 23rd Indian Infantry Division and served in the Burma Campaign. I ...

* 98th Indian Infantry Brigade *

64th Indian Infantry Brigade The 64th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in February 1942, at Babina in India and assigned to the 23rd Indian Infantry Division. The brigade was transferred in March 1942, t ...

23rd Indian Infantry Brigade The 23rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II from 1941 to at least 1947. The brigade was formed in February 1941, at Loralai in British Raj, India and in June 1941, assigned to the 14th ...

* 1st Indian Infantry Brigade * 49th Indian Infantry Brigade *

123rd Indian Infantry Brigade The 23rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II from 1941 to at least 1947. The brigade was formed in February 1941, at Loralai in India and in June 1941, assigned to the 14th Indian Infant ...

* 37th Indian Infantry Brigade * 50th Indian Parachute Brigade * 32nd Indian Infantry Brigade * 37th Indian Infantry Brigade *

268th Indian Infantry Brigade The 268th Indian Infantry Brigade is an infantry formation of the Indian Army, previously of the British Indian Army. History It was initially formed as 268th Indian Armoured Brigade at Sialkot in July 1942, with three regiments of the Indian Ar ...

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Burma Star organisation site
{{DEFAULTSORT:23 Indian Infantry Division Indian World War II divisions Divisions of the Indian Army British Indian Army divisions Military units and formations established in 1942 1942 establishments in the United States Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II D Military units and formations disestablished in 1947 Military units and formations established in 1959