The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is 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 mar ...

division of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

. This division 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 cou ...

was formed in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

in 1939 during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. During the Second World War, it took part in campaigns in East Africa (

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...

and

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, North Africa and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Post independence, the division is part of the

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

and headquartered at

Prayagraj Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the admini ...

History

North Africa

During the war, the 4th Indian Division was in the vanguard of nine campaigns in the Mediterranean theatre. Major-General The Hon. P. Gerald Scarlett appears to have been the division's first commander, from October 1939 to January 1940. The British 14th Infantry Brigade was attached to the division from 1 June to 20 July 1940; the British 16th Infantry Brigade was attached from 9 September 1940 to 14 December 1940. In the first of Archibald Wavell's operations in

, as part of the Western Desert Force, it took part in

Operation Compass Operation Compass (also it, Battaglia della Marmarica) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British, Empire and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces of ...

in December 1940. The division was involved in the battles of that campaign in the camps around

Sidi Barrani Sidi Barrani ( ar, سيدي براني ) is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the Egypt–Libya border, and around from Tobruk, Libya. Named after Sidi es-Saadi el Barrani, a Senussi sheikh who was a head of ...

. Along with the

7th Royal Tank Regiment The 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1917 until disbandment in 1959. History The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The regi ...

, the

11th Indian Infantry Brigade The 11th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was relocated from India to Egypt in the middle of August 1939 and trained at Fayed in Ismailia Governorate on the Great Bitter Lake. I ...

of the 4th Indian Infantry Division destroyed the Italian

Maletti Group The Maletti Group ( it, Raggruppamento Maletti) was an mechanised unit formed by the Italian Royal Army () in Italian North Africa (, ASI), during the initial stages of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The Italian army ...

at the Nibiewa Camp.

East Africa

In December 1940, the division was rushed to the British

to join with the

5th Indian Infantry Division The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three diff ...

in order to prevent the numerically vastly superior Italian forces (ten divisions in total) from threatening

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

supply routes to Egypt as well as Egypt itself and the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

from the south. The East African campaign culminated in March 1941 with the battles at Keren in Eritrea. It was at Keren that Subadar Richhpal Ram of the 4/ 6th Rajputana Rifles, 5th Indian Infantry Brigade, 4th Division, was awarded a posthumous

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 previousl ...

. In April 1941, Beresford-Peirse was promoted to command the Western Desert Force and Major General

Frank Messervy General Sir Frank Walter Messervy, (9 December 1893 – 2 February 1974) was a British Indian Army officer in the First and Second World Wars. Following its independence, he was the first Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army (15 August 1947 ...

assumed command.

North Africa and Syria

Having returned to Egypt, the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade was hurried across to

and participated in the advance on Damascus during the Syria-Lebanon campaign (June 1941). From 14 to 17 June 1941, the British 4th Armoured Brigade was attached to the division. The rest of the 4th Indian Division, having been rejoined by the 5th Brigade returning from Syria, was involved in the fighting, which ebbed and flowed past

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

from June 1941 into the autumn of 1941. For most of this period, the division was dispersed, with units temporarily attached to other formations, much to the disgust of Major General

Francis Tuker Lieutenant General Sir Francis Ivan Simms Tuker KCIE CB DSO OBE (4 July 1894 – 7 October 1967) was a senior British Indian Army officer who commanded the 4th Indian Infantry Division during the Second World War. Early life The son of Willia ...

, who had assumed command of the Division in December 1941. Notable at this time was the break-out at the end of January by 7th Brigade, having been cut off at Benghazi during the Axis counter-offensive from Agheila and moving 200 miles avoiding the enemy to rejoin the new Eighth Army. Early in April 1942, the 4th Division was again dispersed, with the 7th Brigade going 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 ...

, the 5th Brigade to Syria, the 11th Brigade to the

Zone for training and the Central India Horse to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

after a period of training. By May 1942, the 11th Brigade was back in the fighting at Tobruk (attached to the

). The 11th Brigade was caught in the siege of Tobruk, which fell on 21 June, and disappeared from the

order of battle In modern use, the order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed ...

for the next 18 months. The 5th Brigade was rushed to the desert in June 1942; after escaping from Mersa Matruh, the brigade held the vital Ruweisat Ridge during the

First Battle of El Alamein The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis (German and Italian) forces of the Panzer Army Africa—which included the under Field Marsha ...

in July–August 1942. The situation had become so confused that General

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

, also known as the Desert Fox, lost his way and was forced to spend a night in the open. With the dawn came the realization that he was in the company of 4th Division. With a sigh of relief, he slipped away, undetected. Ghurkas advance through a smokescreen up a steep slope in Tunisia, 16 March 1943

Ghurkas advance through a smokescreen up a steep slope in Tunisia, 16 March 1943

Shortly before 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 halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

in October 1942, the 4th Indian Division was reunited with the 7th Brigade returning from Cyprus and the

161st Indian Infantry Brigade The 161st Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. As part of the arrangements for the independence and partition of British India the brigade was allocated to India and became the 161st Inf ...

was attached (until December 1942) to replace the lost 11th Brigade. The division had a relatively subsidiary role in the battle, holding in stiff fighting, as a diversionary tactic, the Ruweisat Ridge, which was at the centre of the Allied front, whilst the breakthrough was planned further north. Members of the 4th Indian Division in action, Tunisia, April 1943

Members of the 4th Indian Division in action, Tunisia, April 1943

By December 1942, the division was dispersed again but strong representations by its General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major-General Tuker (including his asking to be relieved of command), resulted in the 4th Indian Division being brought together as a fighting entity in March 1943. It fought with distinction in the

Tunisia Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

, right through to the fall of Tunis in May 1943, gaining a particular reputation for its prowess in mountainous country. The division had the honour of capturing General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim in Tunisia, bringing an end to the war in North Africa. Its major battles in North Africa were

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghaz ...

, Wadi Akarit,

Enfidaville Enfidha (or Dar-el-Bey, ar, دار البي ') is a town in north-eastern Tunisia with a population of approximately 10,000. It is visited by tourists on their way to Takrouna. Enfidha is located at around . It lies on the railway between Tunis ...

and

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

Italy

The division then moved in January 1944 to Italy (joined by the re-constituted 11th Brigade), where it took part in the Italian Campaign. It fought in the second

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...

and suffered many casualties (in Tuker's absence through illness it was commanded by Brigadier Harry Dimoline, the divisional Commander

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 ...

). During the battle, the division was to attack in an arc towards the south and south-west, taking Point 593 and then moving south-east, up the heights towards the Abbey. The Indian Division would only advance on the Abbey once the

2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry division of the New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the Second World War. The division was commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant ...

had attacked south and south-east, taking the town of Cassino. The main attack eventually commenced just after last light with the NZ Division's 28 (Maori) Battalion to cross the Rapido River and to seize the station south of Cassino town, establishing a bridgehead for the corps armour to move into the town and to the foot of the Cassino massif—the attack starting at 2:130. The 28th Battalion attack failed and so did the 4th Indian Division attack on Point 593. The division also suffered many casualties during the third battle (in March 1944), when it was commanded by Major-General Alexander Galloway, who had been released from command of the British 1st Armoured Division. The British Army in Italy 1944 NA17494

Command of the division was assumed by Major-General Arthur Holworthy late in March 1944 and the division took part in the advance from Cassino after the fourth battle in May 1944 to the

Trasimene Line The Trasimene Line (so-named for Lake Trasimene, the site of a major battle of the Second Punic War in 217 BC) was a German defensive line during the Italian Campaign of World War II. It was sometimes known as the Albert Line. The German Comma ...

in Central Italy and then the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of ...

. As part of the attachments and detachments for the campaign, the British 9th Armoured Brigade was attached to the division from 8 July 1944 to 19 July 1944. In November 1944, the division was shipped to

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 wi ...

to help stabilise the country after the Axis withdrawal. Holworthy was succeeded by Major-General Charles Hamilton Boucher in January 1945 who commanded the division until the end of hostilities.

Conclusion

According to author Chand Das, during the Second World War, the "division captured 150,000 prisoners and suffered 25,000 casualties, more than the strength of a whole division. It won over 1,000 honours and awards which included four Victoria Crosses and three George Crosses". Field Marshal Lord Wavell wrote: "The fame of this Division will surely go down as one of the greatest fighting formations in military history, to be spoken of with such as The Legio X Equestris (Tenth Legion), The

Light Division The Light Division was a light infantry division of the British Army. Its origins lay in "Light Companies" formed during the late 18th century, to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect a main force with skirmishing tactics. Thes ...

of the Peninsular War and Napoleon's Old Guard". Das wrote, "Even beyond its fighting reputation, it will be remembered for the spirit of mutual trust and fellowship maintained between all ranks coming from so many different races and creeds".

Formation during World War II

The unit listing is from a booklet issued to mark the inauguration of the Indian Divisions' Memorial 1939–1945 at RMA Sandhurst in June 1982. General Officer Commanding: * Major-General The Hon. P. Gerald Scarlett (Oct 1939 – Jan 1940) * Major-General

Philip Neame Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame, (12 December 1888 – 28 April 1978) was a senior British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Common ...

(Feb – Aug 1940) * Major-General

Noel Beresford-Peirse Lieutenant-General Sir Noel Monson de la Poer Beresford-Peirse KBE, CB, DSO (22 December 1887 – 14 January 1953) was a British Army officer. Family background Beresford-Peirse was the son of Colonel William John de la Poer Beresford-Pei ...

(Aug 1940 – Apr 1941) * Major-General

(Apr – Dec 1941) * Major-General

(Dec 1941 – Feb 1944) * Brigadier Harry Dimoline (Feb – Mar 1944) * Major-General Alexander Galloway (Mar 1944) * Major-General Arthur Holworthy (Mar 1944 – Jan 1945) * Major-General Charles Boucher (Jan – Aug 1945)

Headquarters

* Central India Horse ''(''up to April 1942 and from July 1944) (Divisional Reconnaissance Regiment) *

Commanders divisional artillery: * Brigadier

* Brigadier P. Maxwell ''(''Jun – Sep 1940) * Brigadier William H.B. Mirrless (Sep 1940 – Mar 1942) * Brigadier Harry Kenneth Dimoline (Mar 1942 – Feb 1944) * Brigadier John F. Adye (Feb 1944 – Mar 1944) * Brigadier Henry C.W. Eastman (Apr 1944 – ) ** HQ ** 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery ** 1st, 4th, 11th, 25th, 31st and 32nd Field Regiments, RA ** 57th (King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry) Light A.A. Regiment, RA ** 35th and 149th Anti-Tank Regiments, RA * Indian Engineers: Sappers and Miners ** 4th Field Company, King George's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners ** 12th Field Company, Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners ** 18th and 21st Field Company, Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners ** 11th Field Park Company, Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers and Miners * 4th Indian Division Signals * 1st Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers ''(Machine Gun) (April–December 1940)'' * Machine Gun Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles ''(1942–1945)''

5 Indian Infantry Brigade

* HQ 5th Indian Infantry Brigade * 1st Battalion,

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

''(''up to Sept 1941) * 1st Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) (from Sept 1941 to Dec 1941)) * 1st Battalion, Welch Regiment (from Dec 1941 up to April 1942) * 1/4th Battalion, Essex Regiment (from April 1942) * 1st Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment (up to April 1942) * 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment * 4th Battalion (Outram's), 6th Rajputana Rifles (with 11th Indian Infantry Brigade in Italy) * 3rd Battalion (Queen Mary's Own), 10th Baluch Regiment (from April 1942) * 1st Battalion, 9th Gurkha Rifles

7 Indian Infantry Brigade

* HQ 7th Indian Infantry Brigade * 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 The 16th Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamate ...

* 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)

11 Indian Infantry Brigade (1939–1942 and 1944–1945)

* HQ

* 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders * 2nd Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry (up to June 1942) * 1st Battalion (Wellesley's), 6th Rajputana Rifles (up to April 1942)(with 5th Indian Infantry Brigade in Italy) * 4th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment (up to January 1942) * 3rd (Royal) Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment * 3rd Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment (from January 1942) * 2nd Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles (from April 1942) * 1st Battalion, Royal Yugoslav Guards (from March 1942) *

Lovat Scouts The Lovat Scouts was a British Army unit first formed during the Second Boer War as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment of the British Army. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit and in 1916 formally became the British ...

Support units

* Royal Indian Army Service Corps ** 4th Indian Division Troops Transport Company ** 5th, 7th and 11th Brigade Transport Companies ** 220th Indian DID * Medical Services ** I.M.S-

RAMC The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

-I.M.D-I.H.C-I.A.M.C ** 14th, 17th, 19th, 26th and 32nd Indian Field Ambulances ** 4th Indian Division Provost Unit * Indian Army Ordnance Corps ** 4th Indian Division Ordnance Field Park * Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers ** 117th, 118th and 119th Infantry Workshop Companies ** 4th Indian Division Recovery Company

Assigned brigades

All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II. * 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade *

10th Indian Infantry Brigade The 10th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939. In June 1940 it was assigned to the 5th Indian Infantry Division and in September 1940, sailed for Eas ...

* 22nd British Infantry Brigade * 23rd British Infantry Brigade * 161st British Infantry Brigade * 1st South African Infantry Brigade *

201st Guards Motor Brigade The 22nd Guards Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw distinguished active service during the Second World War. History The 22nd Infantry Brigade was formed by the redesignation of the 29th Infantry Brigade on 3 Septemb ...

* 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade

Post war

The Division, known as Red Eagle due to its badge of a red eagle on a black background, is now a part of the Indian Army. Immediately after the war ended, it was in Greece, but returned to India later in 1945. In 1947 the division became the nucleus of the Punjab Boundary Force under Major-General T.W. Rees. The Boundary Force was established on 17 July 1947, with its headquarters at Lahore. It became operational 1 August 1947, but was disbanded on 1 September because of its ineffectiveness in controlling the riots breaking out as a consequence of Partition. It had approximately 15 Indian and 10 Pakistani battalions, and comprised 5th Indian Infantry Brigade,

, 14 Parachute Brigade, which became part of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

, 43 Lorry Brigade (ex 1 Armoured Division) and 114th Indian Infantry Brigade. Also attached were 50th Parachute Brigade and 77th Parachute Brigade (both formerly with 2nd Airborne Division), and

123rd Indian Infantry Brigade The 23rd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II from 1941 to at least 1947. The brigade was formed in February 1941, at Loralai in India and in June 1941, assigned to the 14th Indian Infan ...

. After Rees handed over, Major-General

K. S. Thimayya General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya (31 March 1906 - 18 December 1965) was a distinguished soldier of the Indian Army who served as Chief of Army Staff from 1957 to 1961 in the crucial years leading up to the conflict with China in 1962. Gen. ...

reportedly took over command of the Boundary Force. The Division moved to

Jullunder Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

after the Boundary Force was disbanded.

Sino-Indian War of 1962

Headquarters 4 Infantry Division, which was located in

Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala has two sub-ar ...

prior to the worsening Sino-Indian relations, was moved to the

North East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

in 1959 and was located initially at

Tezpur Tezpur () is a city and urban agglomeration in Sonitpur district, Assam state, India. Tezpur is located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, northeast of Guwahati, and is the largest of the north bank cities with a population exceeding 10 ...

. During the war, it had its tactical headquarters at Zemithang and at Dirang Dzong in Kameng Frontier Division of North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). It was commanded by Major General Niranjan Prasad. Following the defeat at Namka Chu, he was replaced by Major General

Anant Singh Pathania Major General Anant Singh Pathania MVC, MC (25 May 1913 – 19 December 2007) was a decorated Indian Army general; the first Indian to receive a Military Cross in the Second World War, he was also the first Indian commanding officer of the Go ...

. The constituent brigades of the division before the war were 5, 7, and 11 Infantry Brigades. 11 Brigade was detached for counter-insurgency operations in

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

. During the war, the division consisted of - * 7 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier John Parashuram Dalvi). It consisted of 9

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

and 1

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

, both at

Tawang Tawang is a town and administrative headquarter of Tawang district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The town was once the capital of the Tawang Tract, which is now divided into the Tawang district and the West Kameng district. Tawan ...

and 1/ 9 Gorkha Rifles – at Misamari. 2

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

, 4

Grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

, 5 Assam Rifles and a company of 6

Mahar Mahar, meaning "original inhabitants of Maharashtra" (in various languages), is an Indian caste found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas. Most of the Mahar community followed B. R. Ambedkar in converting to Buddhism i ...

also saw operations under the brigade. *5 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Shiv Charan Singh) of the division was removed from operational control of 4 Division and was directly under Headquarters, 33 Corps. It arrived in the foothills of the sector only on 19 November 1962. *4 Artillery Brigade (Brigadier Kalyan Singh , replaced by Brigadier GS Gill). Artillery units which were part of the war include elements from 34 Heavy Mortar Battery (from 36 (Maratha) Heavy Mortar Regiment), 17 Parachute Field Regiment, 5 Field Regiment (95, 96 and 97 Field Batteries), 6 Field Regiment (86, 87 and 88 Field Batteries), 22 Mountain Regiment (7 (Bengal) and 2 (Derajat) Mountain Batteries) and 116 Heavy Mortar Battery (from 33 Medium Regiment). Other brigades involved in the operations in this sector included - * 62 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier N.K. Lal, replaced by Brigadier

Hoshiar Singh Colonel Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, PVC (5 May 1930 – 6 December 1998) was an officer of the Indian Army who was awarded India's highest military honour, the Param Vir Chakra during Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. Early life Hoshiar Singh Dahiya was ...

) - Part of 20 Infantry Division (

Ranchi Ranchi (, ) is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area o ...

) and was stationed at Ramgarh before the war; with 1

, 2 Sikh LI, 4 Sikh LI, 13

Dogra The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himac ...

, 4 Garhwal Rifles, (2/

8 Gorkha 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 ...

to 5 Infantry Brigade and 4

to 11 Infantry Brigade in

Walong Walong is an administrative town and the headquarters of eponymous circle in the Anjaw district in eastern-most part of Arunachal Pradesh state in India. It also has a small cantonment of the Indian Army. Walong is on banks of Lohit River, which ...

sector). *65 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier G.M. Saeed, replaced by Brigadier A.S. Cheema) - From

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

; with 19 Maratha LI, 4

and a platoon of 7

machine-gunners. * 48 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Gurbux Singh) - From 17 Infantry Division at Ambala; with 5

Guards Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

, 1 Sikh LI, 1

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, a platoon of 7 Mahar machine-gunners and two tanks from 7 Light Cavalry. *67 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier M.S. Chatterjee) - from Nagaland; with JAK LI, 6/

The forces of the division were ill prepared for the warfare in the mountains and poorly equipped to weather out in the cold climate. Poor leadership and refusal to acknowledge feedback from the forces on the ground (including multiple requests by Brigadier Dalvi for a tactical withdrawal) led to the rout of the Indian forces. 7 Infantry Brigade was effectively destroyed at the Namka Chu ridge on 20 October 1962 during the war. The tactical Headquarters of 4 Infantry Division withdrew from Zemithang on the morning of 21 October 1962. Tawang Garrison with two infantry Battalions and three artillery batteries was abandoned on 23 October 1962. The second phase of the Chinese attack commenced on 17 November 1962, after a lull of 23 days. The division faced further defeat and withdrew from Dirang Dzong in the forenoon of 18 November. The Chinese announced a unilateral cease-fire on 20 November, effective from the midnight of 21/22 November. Prominent gallantry awards during the war include- *4 Garhwal Rifles - was awarded the Battle Honour ''Nuranang'', the only battle honour awarded to any army unit in eastern sector during the 1962 war. * Param Vir Chakra **Subedar Joginder Singh, 1

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

**Lieutenant Colonel Bejoy Mohan Bhattacharjea, 4 Garhwal Rifles **Major Gurdial Singh, 2 Rajput **Major Mahander Singh Chaudhary, Punjab **Major Sher Pratap Singh Shrikent, 1/9 Gorkha Rifles **Captain Mahabir Prasad, (Sikh Regiment) attached to Gorkha Rifles **Second Lieutenant Bhagwan Dutt Dogra, 1/9 Gorkha Rifles **Second Lieutenant Gopalkrishna Venkatesa Prasanna Rao, 4 Grenadiers **Naik Chain Singh, 9 Punjab **Sepoy Kanshi Ram, 9 Punjab **Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, 4 Garhwal Rifles **Sepoy Kewal Singh, (Sikh Regiment) attached to Gorkha Rifles It was converted to a mountain division in 1963.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The Red Eagles, less 33 Mountain Brigade were part of the

XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * XI ...

tasked to defend

. Being a mountain division, it was inadequately equipped for warfare in the plains. The divisional plan was as under - *62 Mountain Brigade - advance on Khemkaran- Kasur Road and capture Rohi Nallah area, cover Khemkaran, secure the

Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal __NOTOC__ Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian Canal (BRB Canal), also called Ichogil Canal, is a manmade waterway in Pakistan that takes off from the Upper Chenab Canal near the Bambanwala village (to the west of Daska), runs southeast until reaching close to ...

(Ichogil Canal) between Ballanwala and Ganda Singh Wala *7 Mountain Brigade - to secure the East bank of Ichogil Canal between

Bedian Bedian (), also spelled Badian, is a village in the Kasur District of Punjab, Pakistan, close to the India-Pakistan border. The village was founded by the Sikh preacher Baba Sahib Singh Bedi during the region of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. After th ...

and Ballanwala The order of battle of the division was as follows - 4 Mountain Division (Major General Gurbaksh Singh) * 9 Horse (Deccan Horse) *37 Battalion Punjab Armed Police 7 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier DS Sidhu) *1/ 9 Gorkha Rifles *4

(after 12 September) *2

(after 12 September) 62 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier HC Gahlaut) *13

*9 JAK LI *18 Rajputana Rifles 4 Mountain Artillery Brigade (Brigadier Jhanda Singh Sandhu) *1 Field Regiment (Self Propelled) (from 2 Independent Armoured Brigade) * 40 Medium Regiment (from 21 Independent Artillery Brigade) * 91 Mountain Composite (Towed) Regiment *84 Light Regiment *B Troop, 72 Composite Battery, 20 Locating Regiment *Battery, 45 Air Defence Regiment *Air OP Engineers *1 Field Company *77 Field Company *100 Field Company *41 Field Park Company 2 Independent Armoured Brigade (Brigadier TK Theogaraj) (XI Corps reserve) * 3 Cavalry * 7 Light Cavalry * 8 Light Cavalry *1 Field Regiment (Self Propelled) *74 Assault Field Company *1

29 Infantry Brigade (from 16 September 1965) (7 Infantry Division) *2 Maratha Light Infantry *3/ 9 Gorkha Rifles *4 (Independent) Squadron *144 Field Regiment (TA) 62 Brigade commenced its attacks on 6 September and secured its objectives, except for the far bund in Rohi Nallah area. 7 Brigade met with stiff opposition. 4 Grenadiers secured the line of Ichhogil canal, but 7 Grenadiers could not secure its objective of capturing Ballanwala. This was followed by heavy enemy shelling. Some units suffered heavy casualties and desertions. Anticipating an armour thrust, the GOC decided to pull back to Asal Uttar on 7 September and hold the enemy. It assumed a ‘horse shoe’ shaped defensive position with Asal Uttar as its focal point. The Pakistani forces, consisting of the 1 Armoured Division and 11 Infantry Division attacked on 8 September. Though some positions of 1/9 Gorkhas and 18 Rajputana Rifles were overrun, 7 and 62 Brigades supported by Deccan Horse and 3 Cavalry were able to repulse the attacks. The Pakistanis launched a second attack on the night of 8 September. This attack was held back by the units of 7 Brigade, supported by armour and artillery and the enemy lost many tanks. Anticipating a wide outflanking manoeuvre from the west, Brigadier Theogaraj moved the major part of his brigade to cover the Lakhna-Mahmudpura-Chima area and flooded part of the approaches to guide the enemy tanks to a trap. As expected, in the morning of 10 September, the Pakistani M-47 and

M48 Patton The M48 Patton is an American first-generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in February 1952, being designated as the 90mm Gun Tank: M48. It was designed as a replacement for the M26 Pershing, M4 Sherman, M46 and M47 Patton tanks, and w ...

tanks were lured inside the horse-shoe shaped defensive position. They were first held back by the 4 Grenadiers. The battalion held out with great gallantry. This was when Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid destroyed three tanks with his recoilless gun (for which he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra). The Pakistanis made multiple attempts to overrun the Indian defences. However, the swampy grounds and the tactical planning of the Indians meant that they suffered heavy losses - which included a total of 97 tanks and many men and senior officers. At the same time, the Indian Army lost only 10 tanks. The bulk of the Pakistani offense withdrew to Khemkaran. The division then made many unsuccessful attempts to capture Khemkaran, without success. 4 Mountain Division suffered 60 killed, 206 wounded and 93 missing in action. The major gallantry awards won during the battle were - * Param Vir Chakra **Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, 4 Grenadiers *

**Major General Gurbaksh Singh, GOC 4 Mountain Division. **Brigadier TK Theograj, Commander, 2 Independent Armoured Brigade **Lieutenant Colonel Raghubir Singh, Commanding Officer, 18 Rajputana Rifles. **Lieutenant Colonel Salim Caleb, Commandant, 3 Cavalry. **Lieutenant Colonel AS Vaidya, Commandant, 9 Horse. *The battle honour '' Asal Uttar'' was awarded for the period 9 to 11 September to the following units- ** 9 Horse (Deccan Horse) ** 3 Cavalry ** 91 Mountain Regiment ** 40 Medium Regiment ** 4 Grenadiers ** 18 Rajputana Rifles (now 11 Mechanised Infantry Regiment) ** 1 Dogra (now 7 Mechanised Infantry Regiment) ** 2 Mahar ** 9 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The division along with 9 Infantry Division was part of the

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

on the eastern sector. The order of battle (ORBAT) for the division was as follows- 4 Mountain Division (Major General Mohinder Singh Barar) *

45 Cavalry 45 Cavalry is an armoured regiment in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. The regiment distinguished itself in operations during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War winning one Maha Vir Chakra. Raising The first 45th Cavalry was formed in August 191 ...

(A Squadron) 7 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier Zail Singh) *22

*5 Jat *1

Naga Regiment The Naga Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is among the youngest regiments of the Indian Army - the first battalion was raised in Ranikhet, Kumaon in 1970. The regiment recruits mainly from Nagaland, in northeast India. H ...

41 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier A.H.E. "Tony" Michigan) *5

*5/ 1 Gorkha Rifles 62 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier Rajendra Nath) *5 Maratha Light Infantry *4 Sikh Light Infantry *2/ 9 Gorkha Rifles 4 Mountain Artillery Brigade (Brigadier Baljeet Singh) * 22 Mountain Regiment * 194 Mountain Regiment *7 Field Regiment * 181 Light Regiment * 78 Medium Regiment (1 battery) Engineers *63 Engineer Regiment Before the outbreak of full-fledged war, 4 Mountain Division had captured the border areas of Jibannagar, Uthali (by 62 Brigade) and

Darshana In Indian religions, ''Darshana'', also spelt ''Darshan'', (Sanskrit: दर्शन, , ) or ''Darshanam'' (darśanam) is the auspicious sight of a deity or a holy person. The term also refers to six traditional schools of Hindu philosophy ...

(by 41 Brigade). The divisional plan was to advance on Magura by way of Majdia, Jibannagar, Kotchandpur and

Jhenaidah Jhenaidah ( bn, ঝিনাইদহ) is a city in the Khulna Division of south-western Bangladesh. Jhenaidah is the headquarters of Jhenaidah Sadar Upazila and Jhenaidah District. The city has a population of about 252 thousand, making it the ...

, so as to secure the ferry on the

Madhumati river The Gorai-Madhumati River ( bn, গড়াই-মধুমতি ''Gôŗai-Modhumoti'') is one of the longest rivers in Bangladesh and a distributary of the Ganges. In the upper reaches it is called the Gorai, and the name changes to Madhuma ...

. After the commencement of operations, Kotchandpur was captured by 62 Brigade on 4 December 1971, though they suffered heavy casualties. 41 Mountain Brigade was tasked to form a block between

Chuadanga Chuadanga ( bn, চুয়াডাঙ্গা) is a prosperous city in the western part of Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous cou ...

and Jhenaidah, preventing two Pakistani battalions from moving towards Jhenaidah. 41 Mountain Brigade advanced and captured Jhenaidah and Kaliganj by 7 December. 62 Mountain Brigade captured Magura by 9 December. 7 Mountain Brigade, which had been entrusted to capture

Kushtia Kushtia ( bn, কুষ্টিয়া) is a city in the Khulna Division of southwestern Bangladesh. Kushtia is the second largest municipality in Bangladesh and the eleventh largest city in the country. The second largest city in Khulna div ...

in the North, met with stiff resistance on 9 December from the Pakistanis, which included armour. 41 Mountain Brigade and 62 Infantry Brigade therefore had to be sent to capture Kushtia. This delay led to 62 and 7 Mountain Brigades resuming their offensive towards Faridpur only on 15 December. By this time, IV Corps had reached

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

, forcing a Pakistani surrender on 16 December 1971. On 16 December, Major General M.H. Ansari, GOC, Pakistan’s 9 Infantry Division and his divisional staff surrendered to Major General M.S. Barar at Kamarkhali, while his 3,000-strong garrison laid down arms before Brigadier Rajendra Nath at Faridpur. The major gallantry awards won during the battle were *

**Brigadier A.H.E. Michigan **Lieutenant Colonel Chittoor Venugopal, 5/1 Gorkha Rifles **Havildar Bir Bahadur Pun, 5/1 Gorkha Rifles **Rifleman Pati Ram Gurung, 5/1 Gorkha Rifles *The battle honour ''Darsana'' was awarded to the following units- **

**5/ 1 Gorkha Rifles

Indian Peace Keeping Force

54 Infantry Division was the first division to be inducted in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It was joined by 36 Infantry Division and finally the 4 and 57 Infantry Divisions in February 1988. The division operated in the

Vavuniya Vavuniya (, romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', , romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of Vavuniya District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municipality is administered by Vav ...

, Mannar and Kilinochchi areas and was active in counter-insurgency operations against the

LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

Present day

The 4 Infantry Division is under the

and headquartered at

Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administra ...

. The division presently consists of - *7 Infantry Brigade at

Kanpur Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help· info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations ...

*41 Infantry Brigade at

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...

*62 Infantry Brigade at

*4 Artillery Brigade at Prayagraj

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * *

External links

British Military History – British Troops in The Sudan 1930–47
{{DEFAULTSORT:04 Indian Infantry Division Indian World War II divisions Divisions of the Indian Army British Indian Army divisions Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II Military units and formations in British Somaliland in World War II