Iraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

during

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 opposing ...

Background

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

defeated the

Ottoman Army The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. Army The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...

in the

during the

Mesopotamian Campaign The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from Britain, Australia and the vast majority from British India, against the Central Po ...

. Subsequently, the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

designated

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

as the

British Mandate of Mesopotamia The Mandate for Mesopotamia ( ar, الانتداب البريطاني على العراق) was a proposed League of Nations mandate to cover Ottoman Iraq (Mesopotamia). It would have been entrusted to the United Kingdom but was superseded by the ...

. From 1920 to the early 1930s, RAF Iraq Command was created as an inter-service

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

in charge of all

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

forces in the mandate-controlled Kingdom of Iraq and was commanded by an RAF officer normally of

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

rank. In 1932, the British mandate in Iraq ended and according to the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930, the United Kingdom was permitted to maintain troops in Iraq. In 1933 or 1934, RAF Iraq Command was renamed the British Forces in Iraq. By the late 1930s, these forces were restricted to two Royal Air Force stations, RAF Shaibah near

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...

and

RAF Habbaniya ) , location = Habbaniya , country = Iraq , image = Habbaniya airfield, circa 1941.jpg , alt = A black and white image of some hangars, tentage and hard standings in a desert , ...

west of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

. On 1 April 1941, during World War II,

Rashid Ali Rashid Ali al-Gaylaniin Arab standard pronunciation Rashid Aali al-Kaylani; also transliterated as Sayyid Rashid Aali al-Gillani, Sayyid Rashid Ali al-Gailani or sometimes Sayyad Rashid Ali el Keilany (" Sayyad" serves to address higher standing ...

seized power in Iraq via a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

'. Ali was supported by three senior Royal Iraqi Army officers and one

Royal Iraqi Air Force The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF or IrAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية العراقية, Al Quwwat al Jawwiyah al Iraqiyyah}) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is responsible for the defense of Iraqi airspace as well ...

officer, known as the

Golden Square Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and sou ...

. Rashid Ali proclaimed himself Chief of the National Defence Government. His new government was immediately recognised by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

; it was openly pro-

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

and anti-British.

Nomenclature

The ground forces from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

that landed in Basra were initially known as Sabine Force (

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 ...

William Fraser). From 8 May 1941, Fraser was replaced and the forces in Basra were commanded by Lieutenant-General

Edward Quinan General Sir Edward Pellew Quinan (9 January 1885 – 13 November 1960) was a British Army commander during the Second World War. In the early part of his career, he was involved in Indian Army campaigns in Afghanistan and Waziristan on the N ...

. On 18 June, Quinan was placed in command of all ground forces in Iraq which included ''Sabine Force'' and British Forces in Iraq as ''Iraqforce''. From 21 June, ''Iraqforce'' was called Iraq Command.Lyman, p.19 On 1 September 1941, after

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(modern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

) was invaded, ''Iraq Command'' was renamed "Persia and Iraq Force" (PAI Force).MacMunn, passim ''PAI Force'' was still commanded by Quinan and he still reported to India Command. ''Iraqforce'' was variously part of

India Command Following the Kitchener Reforms of 1903 during the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India, enjoyed control of the Army of India and answered to the civilian Viceroy of India. The Commander-in-Chief's staff was overseen by the Chief of the Ge ...

, Middle East Command and then

Persia and Iraq Command The Persia and Iraq Command was a command of the British Army established during the Second World War in September 1942 in Baghdad. Its primary role was to secure from land and air attack the oilfields and oil installations in Persia (officially ...

Prelude

''Sabine Force'' was despatched from

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

by GHQ India to seize the port of Basra and to supplement the British Forces in Iraq at RAF Shaibah and RAF Habbaniya. British

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

saw Basra as a major supply base in the future for material from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Churchill did not recognise Rashid Ali's "National Defence Government" as legitimate. Churchill also wanted to reinstate a more compliant Iraqi government and to protect British interests in Iraq, notably the oilfields of which the British-owned Anglo-Persian Oil Company was concession holder. On 18 April, a brigade from Karachi landed and captured Basra; on 30 April, a second brigade arrived. The Rashid Ali government demanded that the British forces be removed from Iraq and Iraqi forces took up positions around RAF Habbaniya. On 2 May, British aircraft from Habbaniya launched a surprise attack on Iraqi forces throughout the country.

Military operations

Anglo-Iraqi War

During the ensuing war, a force from the

British Mandate of Palestine British Mandate of Palestine or Palestine Mandate most often refers to: * Mandate for Palestine: a League of Nations mandate under which the British controlled an area which included Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan. * Mandatory P ...

, known as ''Habbaniya Force'' (shortened to ''

Habforce Habforce was a British Army military unit created in 1941 during the Anglo-Iraqi War and still active during the Syria-Lebanon campaign during the fighting in the Middle East in the Second World War. Creation and composition Habforce, short for ...

''), advanced into Iraq from Transjordan. ''Habforce'', with ''

Kingcol Kingcol was a British Army flying column created during the Anglo-Iraqi War. Creation and composition ''Kingcol'' was created to allow a portion of '' Habforce'' to relieve RAF Habbaniya as soon as possible. The column was named after its comma ...

'' in the lead, was to relieve the British garrison forces besieged at the Royal Air Force treaty base at RAF Habbaniya. The threat to Habbaniya was removed by actions of the garrison before any elements of ''Habforce'' arrived. After it arrived, ''Habforce'' and a portion of the Habbaniya garrison then advanced through Fallujah to capture Baghdad. By 31 May, an armistice had been signed and the government collapsed. From early May, the troops in Iraq were under the operational control of Army Headquarters, Middle East Command in Cairo, reverting to India command on 18 June. From 21 June, ''Iraqforce'' became known as the ''Iraq Command''.

Syria-Lebanon Campaign

In June and July 1941, after Iraq was secured, elements of ''Iraqforce''/''Iraq Command'' took part in the Syria–Lebanon campaign and, while active in Syria, they once more came under the authority of the Cairo Headquarters.

Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Persia

PikiWiki Israel 4214 Israel Defense Forces

In late August 1941, ''Iraq Command'' conducted the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia, in conjunction with forces advancing from the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. A new formation, ''Hazelforce'', based on the 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade was formed within ''Iraq Command'' during this effort. On 1 September, after Persia (modern Iran) was secured, ''Iraq Command'' was renamed "Persia and Iraq Force" or ''Paiforce''. ''Paiforce'' was still commanded by Quinan and he still reported to India Command. In January 1942, Persia and Iraq once again came under Middle East Command and, in February 1942, Quinan's headquarters was re-designated as Tenth Army. In 1942, with the growing threat from the German advance in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

, it was felt that the area should come under a General Headquarters which could bring a specific focus to the area. Previous experience of controlling the area from Cairo and Delhi had not proved ideal and both these General Headquarters were by this time fully committed in the Western Desert Campaign and to the Burma Campaign respectively. In August 1942, it was decided therefore, as part of the changes made bringing in

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and Montgomery to Middle East Command and Auchinleck to India Command, to create a new Persia and Iraq Command, to be led by

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir Maitland Wilson and based in Baghdad.

Orders of battle

Iraq, May 1941

Commanded by Major-General William Fraser (until 8 May). Lieutenant-General Edward Quinan (from 8 May). * 10th Indian Infantry Division - Major-General W.A.K. Fraser (until 16 May). Major-General

William Slim William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

(from 16 May).Mackenzie, p. 101 ** 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (reconnaissance regiment in armoured cars) ** 3rd Field Regiment

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 ...

** 32nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery ** 157th Field Regiment Royal Artillery **

20th Indian Infantry Brigade The 20th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. History The brigade was formed in September 1940, by the conversion of the Khojak Brigade and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry Divisi ...

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Donald Powell *** 2nd battalion

8th Gurkha 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 ...

*** 2nd battalion

7th Gurkha Rifles The 7th Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army, following India's independence in 1947 and after 1959 designated as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles. History ...

*** 3rd battalion

11th Sikh Regiment The 11th Sikh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.S ...

** 21st Indian Infantry Brigade- Brigadier Charles Weld *** 4th battalion

13th Frontier Force Rifles The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions. History The 13th Frontier Force Rifles' ...

*** 2nd battalion

4th Gurkha Rifles The 4th Gorkha Rifles or the Fourth Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 4 GR, is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese nationality, especially Magars and Gurungs hill tribes of Nepal. The Fourth Gorkha Rifles h ...

*** 2nd battalion 10th Gurkha Rifles **

25th Indian Infantry Brigade The 25th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in February, 1941 at Ahmednagar in India and assigned to the 10th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade was attached to the 8 ...

- Brigadier Ronald Mountain *** 3rd battalion

9th Jat Regiment The 9th Jat Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. World War II The Regiment saw a g ...

*** 2nd Royal battalion 11th Sikh Regiment *** 1st battalion

5th Mahratta Light Infantry The 5th Mahratta Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Indian Army. 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 Wa ...

* Ground Forces at

RAF Habbaniya ) , location = Habbaniya , country = Iraq , image = Habbaniya airfield, circa 1941.jpg , alt = A black and white image of some hangars, tentage and hard standings in a desert , ...

Harry Smart (until 5 May). Colonel Ouvry Roberts (from 5 May). ** 1st battalion

The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the ...

** 1,200 Assyrian and Iraqi Levies - Lieutenant-Colonel J. A. Brawn **

Number 1 Armoured Car Company RAF The No.1 Armoured Car Company RAF was a military unit of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) based in Iraq and which played a role in the defence of RAF Habbaniya during World War II. Creation On 19 December 1921, "No. 1 Armoured Car Company ...

* ''

'' commanded by Major-General John ClarkMaritn, p. 44 ** Mechanized squadron of the

Transjordan Frontier Force The Trans-Jordan Frontier Force was formed on 1 April 1926, to replace the disbanded British Gendarmerie. It was a creation of the British High Commissioner for Palestine whose intention was that the Force should defend Trans-Jordan's northe ...

- Refused to enter Iraq and were disarmed. ** Detachment of the

Arab Legion The Arab Legion () was the police force, then regular army of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate, in the early part of the 20th century, and then of independent Jordan, with a final Arabization of its command taking place in 1 ...

- John Glubb ''"Glubb Pasha"'' ** Striking force ''

'' - Brigadier James Kingstone *** 4th Cavalry Brigade - Lieutenant-Colonel

Andrew Ferguson Andrew Ferguson (born June 28, 1956) is an American journalist and author. Career Ferguson is currently a staff writer at ''The Atlantic''. Previously, he was senior editor of ''The Weekly Standard'' (defunct since December 2018), and a columni ...

**** Composite Household Cavalry Regiment **** The

Warwickshire Yeomanry The Warwickshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1794, which served as cavalry and machine gunners in the First World War and as a cavalry and an armoured regiment in the Second World War, before being amalg ...

**** The

Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (RWY) was a Yeomanry regiment of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom established in 1794. It was disbanded as an independent Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when t ...

*** 237th Battery 60th Field Regiment,

*** A & D Companies, 1st Battalion

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

- Major K. F. May - Accompanied by two Bren gun carriers. Personnel carried in transport of the Royal Army Service Corps. *** One anti-tank troop, Royal Artillery ***

Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF The Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF was a military unit of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) which was based at Amman in what was then called the Transjordan. It was the counterpart of No.1 Armoured Car Company RAF, which performed a similar r ...

*** Two supply companies, Royal Army Service Corps ** Main Body - Lieutenant-Colonel John Nichols, MC *** Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division (elements) *** 1st Battalion Essex Regiment *** 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery *** One Battery of anti-tank guns, Royal Artillery Formed from existing units in early June: * ''

Gocol Gocol was a flying column created by the British Army shortly after the Anglo–Iraqi War had ended. Creation and composition ''Gocol'' was a Motorised infantry, truck-borne flying column created in early June 1941, to pursue and capture Dr. Frit ...

'' - R. E. S. Gooch * '' Mercol'' - E. J. H. Merry * '' Harcol'' - R. J. Hardy Arriving At Basra on 9 June:Lyman, p. 88 *

17th Indian Infantry Brigade The 17th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. History It was formed in November 1940, at the Delhi Cantonment in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. They were se ...

(detached from

8th Indian Infantry Division The 8th Mountain Division was raised as the 8th Indian Infantry division of the British Indian Army. It is now part of the Indian Army and specialises in mountain warfare. The 8th Indian Infantry Division was formed as an infantry division in ...

) - Brigadier

Douglas Gracey General Sir Douglas David Gracey & Bar (3 September 1894 – 5 June 1964) was a British Indian Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars. He also fought in French Indochina and was the second Commander-in-Chief of the P ...

** 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers ** 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales Own Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment ** 1st Battalion

5th Royal Gurkha Rifles 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army. The regiment's battalions serve ...

Arriving at Basra on 16 June: * 24th Indian Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Roger Le Fleming ** 2nd Battalion

6th Rajputana Rifles The 6th Rajputana Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army. They moved away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment se ...

** The Kumaon Rifles ** 5th Battalion

Syria: June–July 1941

Commanded by Lieutenant General Edward Quinan During the Syria–Lebanon Campaign Iraqforce consisted of: * 10th Indian Infantry Division -Major-General William Slim ** 20th Indian Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Donald Powell ** 21st Indian Infantry Brigade - Brigadier C. J. Weld ** 25th Indian Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Ronald Mountain * 17th Indian Infantry Brigade (detached from

) - Brigadier Douglas Gracey * ''Habforce'' - Major-General J. G. W. Clark ** 4th Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier J. J. Kingstone ** 1st Battalion The Essex Regiment **

Mechanized Regiment ** 237th Battery 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery ** An Australian battery of 2 pounder anti-tank guns ** 169th Light Anti-aircraft Battery

Iran: August–September 1941

Commanded by Lieutenant General Edward Quinan During the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia (Iran) Iraqforce was renamed Paiforce, consisting of: * 10th Indian Infantry Division - Major-General William Slim (took overall command of the ground forces) * 8th Indian Infantry Division - commanded by Major-General Charles Harvey ** 18th Indian Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Rupert Lochner ** 19th Indian Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Charles Ford ** 24th Indian Infantry Brigade (until 11 September) - Brigadier Roger Le Fleming ** 25th Indian Infantry Brigade (detached from 10th Indian Infantry Division) - Brigadier Ronald Mountain ** 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers * ''Hazelforce'' - Brigadier John Aizlewood ** 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade Group - Brigadier John Aizlewood ** 9th Armoured Brigade (formerly the 4th Cavalry Brigade) - Brigadier John Currie ** 21st Indian Infantry Brigade (detached from 10th Indian Infantry Division) - Brigadier C. J. Weld *

6th Indian Infantry Division The 6th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II, created on 1 March 1941 in Secunderabad. On 11 September 1941 it was shipped to the Iraq and later Iran. During 1942 and 1943 it was part of the Tenth Ar ...

(from 11 September) - Major-General James Thomson ** 17th Queen Victoria's Own Cavalry (Poona Horse) **

27th Indian Infantry Brigade The 27th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in March 1941, at Secundarabad in India and assigned to the 6th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade was used as Line of Co ...

- Brigadier Alan Blaxland ** 24th Indian Infantry Brigade (transferred from 8th Indian Infantry Division) - Brigadier Roger Le Fleming

Notes

Footnotes Citations

References

* * * * * * officially published in * in *

External links

* * Ravi Rikhye
India: Paiforce 1942–43
http://www.orbat.com, June 2002 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iraqforce Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations of the British Army in World War II Ad hoc units and formations of the British Army Military history of India during World War II Middle East theatre of World War II Military history of Iraq Iraq in World War II World War II orders of battle Iraq–United Kingdom relations