20th Indian Infantry Division
20th Indian Infantry Division | |
---|---|
War in Vietnam (1945-1946) | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Major General Douglas Gracey |
The 20th Indian Infantry Division was an
Formation
The division was formed at
The division's insignia was a hand wielding a
Battle of Imphal
At the start of the Battle, the 20th Indian Division was deployed forward to
During April and the first part of May, the division held the saddle against attacks by infantry, tanks and heavy artillery. It was then relieved in place and ordered to counter-attack, north-east from Imphal to Ukhrul. The monsoon had broken and movement was very difficult. After several Japanese counter-attacks, at the start of July the division was transferred to the XXXIII Indian Corps and slowly eliminated large numbers of Japanese in and around the village, which had been made into a Japanese communication and logistic centre.
Battle of Central Burma
During the remainder of the monsoon, the division rested around Dimapur. As the monsoon ended, it moved into a bridgehead across the Chindwin River at Kalewa. It attacked southward on 4 December and cleared Japanese rearguards from Monywa. On 13 February 1945, the division made a crossing of the Irrawaddy River 20 miles (32 km) west of Mandalay. The boats used were leaky and other items of equipment already worn out. The first precarious footholds were counter-attacked every night for a week but eventually linked up into a solid bridgehead. On 13 March, the 20th Division attacked southward, gaining immediate success against the understrength Japanese 31st Division. A column formed from the divisional reconnaissance unit and an attached tank unit, known as Claudecol, reached far into the Japanese rear, before turning north and mopping up the disorganised enemy.
Southern Burma
In early April, two brigades were converted to
Indochina
In August 1945, the Japanese surrendered after two atomic weapons were dropped on
Order of battle
The 20th Indian Division was constituted as follows in 1944–45:[4][6][7] Note the division's British battalions were removed in April 1945 [8]
- General Officer Commanding: Major-General Douglas Gracey
- Artillery
- Commander, Royal Artillery: Brigadier J. A. E. Hirst
- 9th Field Regiment, RA
- 114th (Sussex) Jungle Field Regiment, RA
- 115th (North Midland) Field Regiment, RA (on transfer from 19th Indian Division on 14 June 1942, later rejoined 19th Indian Division) [9]
- IA
- 55th Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment, RA (later became 111th Anti-Tank Regiment, RA)
- Engineers
- 92nd, 422nd, 481st Field Companies, IE
- 309th Field Park Company, IE
- 9th Bridging Section, IE
- 92nd, 422nd, 481st Field Companies,
- Signals
- 20th Indian Infantry Division Signal Regiment
- Divisional Infantry
- 4th Battalion, 3rd Madras Regiment (Divisional HQ battalion 1944)
- 4th Battalion, 17th Dogra Regiment (HQ battalion 1945)
- 4th Battalion, 2nd Gurkha Rifles(Reconnaissance battalion from March 1945)
- Machine Gun Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment (Divisional Machine gun unit)
- 32nd Indian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier David Alexander Laurance Mackenzie; Brig E.C.J Woodford from 25 March 1945)
- 1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment (To 36th Division April 1945)
- 9th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment
- 1st Battalion, 1st Gurkha Rifles(From 36th Division April 1945)
- 3rd Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles
- 80th Indian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Stuart Greeves; Brig D.E. Taunton from 18 March 1945)
- 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment (To 36th Division April 1945)
- 9th Battalion, Mian Hayauddin MBE)
- 1st Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment (From 36th Division April 1945)
- 3rd Battalion, 1st Gurkha Rifles
- 100th Indian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier William Arthur Lester James; Brig C.H.B. Rodham 1945)
- 2nd Battalion, Border Regiment (To 36th Division April 1945)
- 2nd Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment (From 36th Division April 1945)
- 14th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles
- 4th Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles
- Medical
- 42nd, 55th, 59th Indian Field Ambulances
- Divisional Units
- 604th Field Security Section
References
- ^ a b Cole p. 81
- ISBN 978-1-349-49656-3.
- ^ "20th Division 1945".
- ^ a b "20 Division units". Order of Battle. Retrieved 2009-10-22.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Masterdom | Operations & Codenames of WWII".
- ^ Woodburn Kirby, Vol III, Appendix 19.
- ^ Woodbun Kirby, Vol IV, Appendix 18.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ TNA WO 172/726
Sources
- Allen, Louis (1984). Burma: the Longest War 1941–45. London: Dent Publishing. ISBN 0-460-02474-4.
- Cole, Howard (1973). Formation Badges of World War 2. Britain, Commonwealth and Empire. London: Arms and Armour Press.
- ISBN 0-7195-6576-6.
- ISBN 0-304-29114-5.
- Maj-Gen S. Woodburn Kirby, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War Against Japan Vol III, The Decisive Battles, London: HM Stationery Office, 1961.
- Maj-Gen S. Woodburn Kirby, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War Against Japan Vol IV, The Reconquest of Burma, London: HM Stationery Office, 1955.
External links
- "20 Indian Infantry Division". Orders of Battle.com.