The 7th 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 ...

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, by the redesignation of the Poona Independent Brigade as the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade and renumbered 4th in June 1940, A second 7th Brigade was formed in June 1940, and assigned to the 5th Indian Infantry Division. In September 1940, it was reassigned to the 4th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade formed the garrison at

Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...

in early December 1940. In January 1941, with the rest of the 4th Indian Division were sent to fight in the

Sudan campaign The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...

. The brigade moved between the 4th and 5th Indian Divisions command in April 1941, before moving to

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

at the end of the month. Returning to the Western Desert it took part in the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

. After reaching

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the brigade come under command of the British 50th Infantry Division in March 1943. Returning to the 4th Division the brigade took part in the Italian Campaign and ended the war in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

where the division had been sent to keep the factions apart in the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...

. The brigade was destroyed in the

Sino-Indian War of 1962 The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tib ...

. Its commander, Brigadier John Dalvi, was the highest-ranking officer to be captured by the PLA. Before the Sino-Indian War the 7th Brigade was deemed to be one of the best brigades in 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- ...

. The unit was disbanded after the war.

Commanders during World War II

* Brigadier Sydney A. H. Hungerford (Sep 1939 – Sep 1940) * Brigadier

Harold Rawdon Briggs Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Rawdon Briggs, (24 July 1894 – 27 October 1952) was a senior British Indian Army officer, active during World War I and World War II and the Malayan Emergency. Briggs was highly regarded by his superiors, among t ...

(Sep 1940 – May 1942) * Brigadier John A. Finlay (May 1942 – Oct 1942) * Brigadier Arthur Holworthy (Oct 1942 – Jan 1943) * Brigadier Osmond de T. Lovett (Jan 1943 – Apr 1943) (wounded) * Lieutenant-Colonel Charles E. A. Firth (Apr 1943 – Jun 1943) *Brigadier Osmond de T. Lovett (Jun 1943 – )

Commanders during Sino-Indian War 1962

* Brigadier John Dalvi (Jan 1962 – Nov 1962)

Formation

* 1st Battalion,

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot a ...

* 2nd (Royal) Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment * 4th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment ''(up to April 1942)'' * 4th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment * 1st Battalion,

2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor 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 Ba ...

''(from April 1942)''

References

{{Reflist British Indian Army brigades

Commanders during World War II

Commanders during Sino-Indian War 1962

Formation

See also

References