The 34th 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 was formed in March 1942 as the garrison of
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. It never saw any combat and was disbanded in 1945.
Francis Tuker, then a temporary brigadier, he was appointed
General Officer Commanding (GOC) 34th Indian Division on 1 October 1941 with the
acting rank
An acting rank is a designation that allows a soldier to assume a military rank—usually higher and usually temporary. They may assume that rank either with or without the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade, depending on the nature of t ...
of major-general.
[Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]
/ref>
Order of battle
* 98th Indian Infantry Brigade
*99th Indian Infantry Brigade
The 99th Mountain Brigade, formerly the 99th Indian Infantry Brigade, is an infantry formation of the Indian Army.
The brigade was formed in April 1941 at Lucknow. The brigade was then assigned to the 34th Indian Infantry Division in October 194 ...
*100th Indian Infantry Brigade
The 100th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in April 1920 at Jhansi. The brigade was assigned to the 34th Indian Infantry Division until June 1943, when it was transferr ...
* British 16th Infantry Brigade
*21st (East Africa) Infantry Brigade
The 21st (East Africa) Infantry Brigade was a brigade sized formation of the British Army, which was founded on 31 August 1939 in British East Africa. The brigade was initially called the 1st (East Africa) Infantry Brigade, but was redesignated ...
3rd Anti-Tank 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 ...
, now 8 Field Regiment (India)
8 Field Regiment is an artillery regiment which is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army.
Initial establishment
The regiment was raised on November 1, 1941 at Secunderabad as 3rd Anti Tank Regiment by Lt Col J.H.H. Willans, RA ...
was also part of the division.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:34 Indian Infantry Division
Indian World War II divisions
British Indian Army divisions
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II
Military units and formations of Ceylon in World War II
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945