The 5th Mahratta Light Infantry was a regiment of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

. It was formed in 1922, when the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and raised 30 battalions. After the war it was allocated to the

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 1947, being renamed the

Maratha Light Infantry The Maratha Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It traces its lineage to the Bombay Sepoys, raised in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment in the Indian Army. The class composition of the regiment ...

Formation 1922

*1st

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

ex 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry served in North Africa and Italy during World War II.

Sepoy ''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...

Namdeo Jadhav Namdeo Jadhav, PVSM, VC (18 November 1921 – 2 August 1984) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

(VC) in Italy in 1945. *2nd Battalion ex 105th Mahratta Light Infantry served in Eritrea and North Africa until June 1942 when it bore the full brunt of the German attack on Tobruk, sustaining very heavy casualties so that after the surrender of Tobruk the survivors became prisoners of war. *3rd Battalion ex 110th Mahratta Light Infantry served in Eritrea, North Africa and Italy during World War II. Naik

Yeshwant Ghadge Yeshwant Ghadge (16 November 1921 – 10 July 1944) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Detai ...

was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously in Italy in 1944. *4th Battalion ex 116th Mahrattas served on the border of India and Burma during World War II, most notably in the defense of

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 ...

. *5th Battalion ex 117th Mahrattas. This battalion was designated 'Royal' in recognition of its exemplary service in Mesopotamia in World War I. This honor of a single battalion was unknown in the British Army and very rarely bestowed in the Indian Army. During World War II it served in the Middle East before becoming a Machine Gun battalion in Italy. *6th Battalion Mahratta Light infantry was created in June 1940 and in October 1942 joined its sister battalion, the 4th, in 49 Brigade in the defense of Imphal. *10th (Training) Battalion ex 114th Mahrattas. During World War II it trained hundreds of young soldiers to supply the needs of its sister active service and other battalions of the Regiment. British Indian Army infantry regiments Military units and formations established in 1922 R {{mil-unit-stub