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 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 ...

and raised 30 battalions. After the war it was allocated to the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

in 1947, being renamed the

Maratha Light Infantry The Maratha Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It traces its lineage to the Bombay Sepoys, raised in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment in the Indian Army. The class composition of the regiment ...

Formation 1922

*1st

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

ex 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry served in North Africa and Italy during World War II. Sepoy

Namdeo Jadhav Namdeo Jadhav, PVSM, VC (18 November 1921 – 2 August 1984) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

was awarded the

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 previously ...

(VC) in Italy in 1945. *2nd Battalion ex

105th Mahratta Light Infantry The 105th Mahratta Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1768, when they were raised as the 3rd Battalion, Bombay Sepoys. The regiment's first action was during the Mysore Cam ...

served in Eritrea and North Africa until June 1942 when it bore the full brunt of the German attack on Tobruk, sustaining very heavy casualties so that after the surrender of Tobruk the survivors became prisoners of war. *3rd Battalion ex

110th Mahratta Light Infantry The 110th Mahratta Light Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1797, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 5th (Travancore) Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. The regiments f ...

served in Eritrea, North Africa and Italy during World War II. Naik

Yeshwant Ghadge Yeshwant Ghadge (16 November 1921 – 10 July 1944) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Detai ...

was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously in Italy in 1944. *4th Battalion ex

116th Mahrattas The 116th Mahrattas were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1800, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. During World War I the regiment was attached ...

served on the border of India and Burma during World War II, most notably in the defense of

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the f ...

. *5th Battalion ex

117th Mahrattas The 117th Mahrattas were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1800, when they were raised as the Bombay Fencible Regiment. During World War I the regiment was attached to the 6th (Poona) Division ...

. This battalion was designated 'Royal' in recognition of its exemplary service in Mesopotamia in World War I. This honor of a single battalion was unknown in the British Army and very rarely bestowed in the Indian Army. During World War II it served in the Middle East before becoming a Machine Gun battalion in Italy. *6th Battalion Mahratta Light infantry was created in June 1940 and in October 1942 joined its sister battalion, the 4th, in 49 Brigade in the defense of Imphal. *10th (Training) Battalion ex 114th Mahrattas. During World War II it trained hundreds of young soldiers to supply the needs of its sister active service and other battalions of the Regiment. British Indian Army infantry regiments Military units and formations established in 1922 R {{mil-unit-stub