The 33rd Indian Mountain Regiment, Royal Indian Artillery was an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

regiment 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, ...

, which fought in the

Burma Campaign The Burma campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of British rule in Burma, Burma as part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II. It primarily involved forces of the Allies of World War II, Allies (mainly from ...

and

South-East Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Australian mainland, which is part of Oceania. Southeast Asia i ...

Service

The 33rd Mountain Regiment was formed in September 1944 by amalgamating the 34th Battery of the 30th Mountain Regiment and the 19th (Maymyo) Battery. It was initially under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel R. Ellis and garrisoned at

Ambala Cantonment Ambala Cantonment is a cantonment town in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India. It is 200 km north of Delhi and 55 km southwest of Chandigarh. This cantonment was established in the year 1843 and is an important centre for m ...

. The regiment primarily comprised

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

Ahir Ahir or Aheer (derived from the Sanskrit word: abhira) is a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most of whom now use the Yadav surname, as they consider the two terms synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

and

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

native soldiers and British officers, and was equipped with the QF 3.7-inch mountain howitzer transported by mules. It was attached to the

25th Indian Infantry Division The 25th Infantry Division is an infantry division of the Indian Army which was raised during the World War II and fought in the Burma Campaign. It was re-raised within the post-independence Indian Army in 1948. History Originally formed in B ...

from its inception and by October 1944, it was participating in the Arakan Campaign. For much of the campaign, the regiment was understrength and was consequently directly attached to brigades in a support role rather than acting as divisional artillery. In late 1944, the 33rd Mountain Regiment was attached to the

53rd Indian Infantry Brigade The 53rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry formation of the Indian Army during the Second World War. It was formed in March 1942, in India. In April 1942, it was assigned to the 20th Indian Infantry Division but was soon after in August ...

. It was trained for an amphibious assault on the north-west corner of the

Akyab Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the cit ...

peninsular, to be followed by the capture of Akyab from the landward side. In December 1944, the regiment was involved in the capture of Kudaung island to the north of Akyab, using rafts to travel down the

Kaladan River The Kaladan (, ) or Kissapanadi River (, ), also known as the Beino, Bawinu and Kolodyne, is a river in the eastern Mizoram, Mizoram State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar. The Kaladan River is called the Chhimtuip ...

and landing on the banks to engage the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. While crossing at Kwazu on 29 December 1944, a raft containing a sub-section of 34th Battery overturned and thirteen Indian soldiers drowned. The howitzers of the regiment were engaged in the successful capture of Akyab on 4 January 1945 and the capture of

Myebon Myebon ( Myebon Township) is a town of Mrauk-U District in Rakhine State, Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwes ...

on 18 January. The 25th Division was then transferred to India, with the 33rd Mountain Regiment arriving in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

in May 1945. Here the regiment was made up to strength with the addition of the 35th Indian Mountain Battery. In August 1945, the regiment left India and participated 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 ...

. It entered

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

in Christmas 1945 where the regiment was mustered out, with the regiment's Ahirs going to 2nd Mountain Regiment and the Punjabi Muslims to 23rd Mountain Regiment.Brig.-Gen. C.A.L. Graham, ''The History of the Indian Mountain Artillery'' (Gale & Polden, March 1957), p.403

References

{{Reflist Artillery units and formations of British India Indian World War II regiments Military units and formations established in 1851 1851 establishments in India R