The 7th Infantry Division is a war-formed

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 m ...

division, part of the British Indian Army that saw service in the Burma Campaign.

History

The division was created on 1 October 1940 at Attock, under the command of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Arthur Wakely. Its formation sign was an arrow, pointing bottom left to top right, in yellow on a black background. The division was sometimes known as the "Golden Arrow" division from this sign. When first formed, the division consisted of the

13th In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave pl ...

14th 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 (number), 13 and preceding 15 (number), 15. In relation to the word "four" (4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a s ...

and

16th Indian Infantry Brigade The 2nd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in Rawalpindi in September 1939. In October 1940, it was renamed 16th (Independent) Indian Infantry Brigade in November 1941, ...

s, but within eighteen months, both the 13th and 16th Brigades were removed and dispatched to

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, where both fought during the Japanese conquest of Burma. The 14th Brigade was renumbered the

114th Indian Infantry Brigade The 14th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed at Attock in October 1940, and assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division. In April 1942, the brigade was renumbere ...

and remained with the division. During 1942, the 33rd and 89th Brigades were added to the division. The division trained for operations in the deserts in the Middle East but by the end of the year, the North African campaign was clearly at an end. In early 1943, the division was reassigned to the Burma campaign and Major General Frank Messervy, a veteran of the fighting in North Africa, was appointed to command, replacing Major General Thomas Corbett. The British Army in Burma 1943 SE24

After extensive retraining and preparation, 7th Division took part in an offensive in Arakan, the coastal province of Burma. Starting in December 1943, the division advanced down the Kalapanzin River valley as part of XV Corps. In February 1944, Japanese troops infiltrated through the division's front and overran the divisional HQ. Units of the division took part in the subsequent Battle of the Admin Box, in which the Japanese failed to capture positions supplied by parachute drops and were forced to retreat. During March, the Japanese launched a major offensive (codenamed

Operation U-Go The U Go offensive, or Operation C (ウ号作戦 ''U Gō sakusen''), was the Japanese offensive launched in March 1944 against forces of the British Empire in the northeast Indian regions of Manipur and the Naga Hills (then administered as part ...

) into

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a States and territories of India, state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It ...

. Having been withdrawn from the Arakan battles, the division proceeded by road and rail to

Dimapur Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...

, where it came under command of XXXIII Corps and took part in the

Battle of Kohima The Battle of Kohima proved the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima, now the capital city of ...

. The 161st Indian Brigade, part of the 5th Indian Division, came under command, while the 89th Brigade was flown to Imphal, to replace 161st Brigade in 5th Division. During early May, 33rd Brigade completed the recapture of Kohima Ridge, while the main body of the division recaptured Naga Village to the north of the ridge. During the later part of the month and early June, the division advanced through heavy

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

rains along rough tracks to the east of the main road from Kohima to Imphal, and cleared Japanese stragglers from

Ukhrul Ukhrul/Hunphun ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/) is a town in the state of Manipur, India. Ukhrul is the home of the Tangkhul Nagas. It is the administrative headquarter of the Ukhrul district. There are also four sub- ...

. From July to October, the division regrouped near Kohima, and 89th Brigade rejoined. Late in 1944, Major General Messervy was promoted to command IV Corps and was replaced in command of the division by Major General Geoffrey Charles Evans. Now commanded by IV Corps, the division advanced down the Gangaw Valley west of the Chindwin River, with the 28th (East Africa) Brigade under command, screened until Pauk was reached by the lightly equipped Lushai Brigade. During late February 1945, the division captured vital bridgeheads across the Irrawaddy River near Pakokku. During March, as part of the decisive Battle of Central Burma, the division was involved in several battles at Myingyan and Yenangyaung. The British Army in Burma 1945 SE4330

During April, the division once again came under command of XXXIII Corps and advanced down the west bank of the Irrawaddy. After

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military governme ...

, the capital, was captured in early May, the division was directly commanded by the new headquarters of Twelfth Army and resisted Japanese diversionary attacks across the Sittang River during the monsoon. After the war ended, in September 1945, the division moved to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, where it disarmed the Japanese occupying army, and liberated and repatriated Allied prisoners of war. Following the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947 the 7th Division local units were split between India and Pakistan, and both armies continue to have a 7th Infantry Division with the Golden Arrow formation sign.

Component Units (1 March 1944)

33rd Indian Infantry Brigade The 33rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the Indian Army during the Second World War, notably in the Burma Campaign. History The 33rd Indian Infantry Brigade was formed in ...

** 1st Battalion,

Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British A ...

** 4th 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 wit ...

** 4th Battalion, 1st Gurkha Rifles *

89th Indian Infantry Brigade The 89th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October 1942, at Bhiar Kund in India. The brigade was assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division and fought in the Burma Campai ...

** 2nd Battalion,

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's O ...

** 7th Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment ** 4th Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles *

** 1st Battalion,

Somerset Light Infantry The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the So ...

** 4th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment ** 4th Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles

Support Units

* 1st Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment (Machine-gun unit) * 136th (1st West Lancashire) Field Regt,

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 ...

* 139th (4th London) Field Regt, Royal Artillery * 25th Mountain Regt.

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 it ...

* 24th Light Anti-Aircraft / Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery * 62nd Field Company Royal Indian Engineers (IE) * 77th Field Company IE * 421st Field Company IE * 303rd Field Park Company IE

Commanders

* Maj. Gen. A.V.T. Wakely * Maj. Gen. R. Richardson * Maj. Gen. Thomas Corbett * Maj. Gen. Frank Messervy * Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Evans * Maj. Gen.

Frederick Joseph Loftus-Tottenham Major-General Frederick Joseph Loftus-Tottenham, CBE, DSO and Bar (4 May 189811 April 1987) was a British Indian Army officer who served during World War I and World War II. During the latter, he rose from a major in command of an infantry batt ...

Assigned brigades

All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II. *

55th Indian Infantry Brigade The 55th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in India in April 1942 and assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division. In July to September 1942, it was attached to the ...

9th Indian Infantry Brigade The 9th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. Before the war the 9th (Jhansi) Infantry Brigade was a peacetime formation in Meerut district. This brigade was redesignated the 5th Indian ...

* 28th (East African) Infantry Brigade * 268th Indian Infantry Brigade * 22nd (East African) Infantry Brigade

History

Component Units (1 March 1944)

Support Units

Commanders

Assigned brigades

References

Bibliography

External links

Further reading