''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' (in Italian: ''Battaglione India libera'' - "Free India Battalion") was a foreign legion unit formed in

Fascist Italy Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

under the ''Raggruppamento Centri Militari'' in July 1942. The unit, raised initially as ''Centro I'', was headed by

Mohammad Iqbal Shedai Mohammad Iqbal Shedai ( Punjabi: ) was a British Indian and later Pakistani activist who espoused independence for India and opposition to British colonial policies. He spent most of his life in self-exile in Asian and European countries. Earl ...

Borra R. ''Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian National Army, and the war of India's liberation.'' J Hist Rev.Winter, 1982; vol. 03 no. 4: p. 407. – a long term Indian resident of Rome – and was formed of Indian ex- prisoners-of-war from British India.Lundari. ''I Paracadutisti Italiani 1937-45''. p. 90 Raised along with units dedicated to Tunisia (''Centro T'') and the Arabs (''Centro A''), it was tasked to intelligence gathering and sabotage operations behind enemy lines. A part of ''Centro I'' was renamed ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' in August 1942 when the ''Raggruppamento Centri Militari'' itself was redesignated as ''Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse'' ("Red Arrows group").Lundari. ''I Paracadutisti Italiani 1937-45''. p. 99 By the time of its disbandment in November 1942, ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' came to be between three hundred and fifty and four hundred strong. Units of the ''Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse'' were intended to infiltrate on the ground, from

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s and by

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

. Accordingly, a further unit was raised within the ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' to form the ''plotone paracadutisti'' ("parachute platoon"). The chosen troops were sent for

paratroop A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

combat training to the parachute school at Tarquinia.

Uniform

The soldiers of the ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' wore standard Italian military uniforms. However – unlike the troops of the German-raised '' Legion Freies Indien'', who had peaked

field cap A patrol hat, also known as a field cap, is a soft kepi constructed similarly to a baseball cap, with a stiff, rounded visor but featuring a flat top, worn by military personnel of some countries in the field when a combat helmet is not required. ...

s – all the troops of the ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' wore a turban of the colour of the Italian ''Sahariana'' tunic. Additionally, the troops wore on their tunics collar patches with three vertical stripes in the saffron, white and green (reflecting the colours of the Indian National Congress that was at the time the focus of the

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). Italians serving in the ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' were distinguished by stars on the collar patches that was not worn by the Indian troops. The Tarquinia detachment sent for parachute training wore their own collar patches above paratroop-pattern patches, as well as the paratroop badge depicting an open yellow parachute embroidered in rayon thread on the left upper arm.

Structure

According to the order of battle of the Italian ''Raggruppamento Centri Militari'' in May 1942, the unit had the following under its control: ''comando'' ("headquarters") commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Massimo Invrea; ''Centro T'' consisting of Italians from Tunisia; ''Centro A'' consisting of Italians from Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Arabia; plus Arabs and Sudanese ex-prisoners-of-war and lastly; ''Centro I'' consisting of Italians from India and Persia and Indian ex-prisoners-of-war. In all, the ''Raggruppamento Centri Militari'' collected together approximately 1,200 Italians, 400 Indians and 200 Arabs. In August 1942 the ''Raggruppamento'' was renamed ''Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse'' ("Red Arrows group") a name chosen by the commanding officer in memory of his service with the Italian ''Divisione Frecce Nere'' ("Black Arrows Division") of the Italian '' Corpo Truppe Volontarie'' ("Corps of Volunteer Troops") in the Spanish Civil War. The three ''Centri Militari'' received new designations at the same time. According to the order of battle of the Italian ''Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse'' in August 1942, the following units comprised the force structure: ''comando'' ("headquarters"), ''Battaglione d'Assalto Tunisia'' ("Tunisia Assault Battalion"), which was formerly ''Centro T''; ''Gruppo Italo-Arabo'' ("Italo-Arab Group"), formerly ''Centro A''; and ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' ("Free Indian Battalion"), formerly ''Centro I''. The ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' was created out of ''Centro I'' using both the ex-Indian Army personnel (the Indian Army was under British operational command) and Italians previously resident in India and Persia (Iran). The order of battle of the ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' in August 1942 was: *''Compagnia fucilieri'' ("motorized rifle company") *''Compagnia mitraglieri'' ("motorized machine gun company") *''Plotone paracadutisti'' ("parachute platoon") *Overseas Italian platoon

Disbandment

Despite their investment in training the Indians in infiltration combat, the Italians considered the Indian troops of ''Battaglione Azad Hindoustan'' to be of doubtful loyalty and this view was confirmed when the Indians mutinied on learning of the Axis defeat at

El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...

in November 1942. Following this the battalion was disbanded and the Indians returned to their prisoner-of-war camps.

References

{{Authority control Azad Indian independence movement National liberation movements National liberation armies Disbanded armies Expatriate military units and formations Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942 Collaboration with the Axis Powers

Uniform

Structure

Disbandment

See also

References