7th Indian Infantry Division
7th Infantry Division | |
---|---|
Battle of Central Burma Irrawaddy River | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Frank Messervy Geoffrey Charles Evans |
The 7th Infantry Division is a war-formed
History
The division was created on 1 October 1940 at
During 1942, the 33rd and 89th Brigades were added to the division. The division trained for operations in the deserts in the Middle East but by the end of the year, the North African campaign was clearly at an end. In early 1943, the division was reassigned to the Burma campaign and Major General Frank Messervy, a veteran of the fighting in North Africa, was appointed to command, replacing Major General Thomas Corbett.
After extensive retraining and preparation, 7th Division took part in an offensive in Arakan, the coastal province of Burma. Starting in December 1943, the division advanced down the Kalapanzin River valley as part of XV Corps. In February 1944, Japanese troops infiltrated through the division's front and overran the divisional HQ. Units of the division took part in the subsequent Battle of the Admin Box, in which the Japanese failed to capture positions supplied by parachute drops and were forced to retreat.
During March, the Japanese launched a major offensive (codenamed Operation U-Go) into Manipur. Having been withdrawn from the Arakan battles, the division proceeded by road and rail to Dimapur, where it came under command of XXXIII Corps and took part in the Battle of Kohima. The 161st Indian Brigade, part of the 5th Indian Division, came under command, while the 89th Brigade was flown to Imphal, to replace 161st Brigade in 5th Division. During early May, 33rd Brigade completed the recapture of Kohima Ridge, while the main body of the division recaptured Naga Village to the north of the ridge. During the later part of the month and early June, the division advanced through heavy monsoon rains along rough tracks to the east of the main road from Kohima to Imphal, and cleared Japanese stragglers from Ukhrul.
From July to October, the division regrouped near Kohima, and 89th Brigade rejoined. Late in 1944, Major General Messervy was promoted to command
During April, the division once again came under command of XXXIII Corps and advanced down the west bank of the Irrawaddy. After
After the war ended, in September 1945, the division moved to Thailand, where it disarmed the Japanese occupying army, and liberated and repatriated Allied prisoners of war.
Following the Partition of India in 1947 the 7th Division local units were split between India and Pakistan, and both armies continue to have a 7th Infantry Division with the Golden Arrow formation sign.
Component Units (1 March 1944)
- 33rd Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
- 4th Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment
- 4th Battalion, 1st Gurkha Rifles
- 89th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 2nd Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers
- 7th Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment
- 4th Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles
- 114th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry
- 4th Battalion, 14th Punjab Regiment
- 4th Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles
Support Units
- 1st Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment (Machine-gun unit)
- 136th (1st West Lancashire) Field Regt, Royal Artillery
- 139th (4th London) Field Regt, Royal Artillery
- 25th Mountain Regt. Indian Artillery
- 24th Light Anti-Aircraft / Anti-Tank Regt, Royal Artillery
- 62nd Field Company Royal Indian Engineers(IE)
- 77th Field Company IE
- 421st Field Company IE
- 303rd Field Park Company IE
Commanders
- Maj. Gen. A.V.T. Wakely
- Maj. Gen. R. Richardson
- Maj. Gen. Thomas Corbett
- Maj. Gen. Frank Messervy
- Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Evans
- Maj. Gen. Frederick Joseph Loftus-Tottenham
Assigned brigades
All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II.[2]
- 55th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 9th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 28th (East African) Infantry Brigade
- 268th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 22nd (East African) Infantry Brigade
References
- ^ Cole p. 79
- ^ "7 Division units". Order of Battle. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
Bibliography
- Cole, Howard (1973). Formation Badges of World War 2. Britain, Commonwealth and Empire. London: Arms and Armour Press.
External links
- "7 Indian Infantry Division". Orders of Battle.com.
Further reading
- Jon Latimer, Burma: The Forgotten War, London: John Murray, 2004 ISBN 0-7195-6576-6
- Michael Roberts, Golden Arrow: the story of the 7th Indian Division in the Second World War, 1939-1945, 1952