The 4th Indian Infantry Brigade 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 ...
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.
Br ...
formation 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 September 1939, as the
7th Indian Infantry Brigade
The 7th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939, by the redesignation of the Poona Independent Brigade as the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade and renumbered 4th in June 1 ...
and renumbered 4th in June 1940,
The brigade was assigned to HQ
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
District on formation. Then posted to the
26th Indian Infantry Division
The 26th Indian Infantry Division, was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Burma Campaign.
History
When the Japanese invaded Burma in 1942, the various units in training or stationed around Barrackpur n ...
in April 1942. The brigade also served with the
14th Indian Infantry Division
The 14th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Arakan Campaign 1942–43, and was subsequently converted into a Training Division, providing drafts of replacements for units ...
between March and April 1943, and them returned to the 26th Division, where it remained for the rest of the war apart from a short attachment with the
82nd (West Africa) Infantry Division
The 82nd (West African) Division was formed under British control during the Second World War. It took part in the later stages of the Burma Campaign and was disbanded in Burma between May and September 1946.
History
Formation
The inspirat ...
in April 1945.
Formation
*2nd Battalion,
2nd Gurkha Rifles
The 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army before being transferred to the British Army on India's independence in 1947. The 4th Battalion joined the Indian Army as the 5th Bat ...
September 1939 to May 1940
*4th Battalion,
Jammu and Kashmir Infantry
The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. Its origins lay in the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After the accession of the state to the Indian Union in October 1947, ...
October 1940 to April 1941
*3rd Battalion,
9th Gurkha Rifles
The 9th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiments (India), Gorkha infantry regiment of the Indian Army and, previously, the British Army. The regiment was initially formed by the British in 1817, and was one of the Gurkha regiments transferred to the In ...
May 1941 to January 1944
*2nd Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles September 1941 to January 1942
*8th Battalion,
8th Punjab Regiment
The 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the Baluch Regiment in 1956.
History
Madras Infantry
The 8th Punjab Regim ...
January 1942 to December 1943 and June to August 1945
*6th Battalion,
11th Sikh Regiment
The 11th Sikh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.S ...
February 1942 to April 1943 and June to August 1943
*7th Battalion,
15th Punjab Regiment
The 15th Punjab Regiment was a infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947 and of the Pakistan Army from 1947 to 1956. Following its allotment to Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947, it was amalgamated in 1956 with ...
April to May 1943
*1st Battalion,
Wiltshire Regiment
The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot.
The ...
October 1943 to October 1944
*2nd 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 ...
December 1943 to August 1945
*2nd Battalion,
13th Frontier Force Rifles
The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions.
History
The 13th Frontier Force Rifle ...
December 1943 to August 1945
*1st Battalion,
8th Gurkha Rifles
The 8th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I ...
May 1944
*2nd Battalion,
Green Howards
The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...
September 1944 to April 1945
*1st Anti-Tank Regiment,
Indian Artillery
The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itsel ...
March to April 1945
*160th Field Artillery 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 ...
March to April 1945
*MG 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. ...
March to April 1945
*1st Battalion,
18th Royal Garhwal Rifles
The 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government decided to reform the army, moving away from single-battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. They were th ...
March to April 1945
*1st Battalion,
Royal Warwickshire Regiment
The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...
April to June 1945
*72nd Field Company,
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 ...
March to April 1945
See also
*
List of Indian Army Brigades in World War II
The Indian Army during World War II fought on three continents Europe, Africa and Asia. They also had to supply formations for home service. This list details the Cavalry, Armoured and Infantry brigades formed by the Indian Army during World War I ...
References
British Indian Army brigades
{{WWII-stub