Battaglione Azad Hindoustan
Battaglione Azad Hindoustan | |
---|---|
Italian: Battaglione India libera | |
Active | May 1942 – November 1942 |
Country | Kingdom of Italy |
Branch | Royal Italian Army |
Type |
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Size | c. 400 (maximum)[1] |
Garrison/HQ | Rome |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
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Battaglione Azad Hindoustan (in
Raised along with units dedicated to
Units of the Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse were intended to infiltrate on the ground, from
Uniform
The soldiers of the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan wore standard
Structure
According to the order of battle of the Italian Raggruppamento Centri Militari in May 1942, the unit had the following under its control: comando ("headquarters") commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Massimo Invrea; Centro T consisting of Italians from Tunisia; Centro A consisting of Italians from Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Arabia; plus Arabs and Sudanese ex-prisoners-of-war and lastly; Centro I consisting of Italians from India and Persia and Indian ex-prisoners-of-war. In all, the Raggruppamento Centri Militari collected together approximately 1,200 Italians, 400 Indians and 200 Arabs. In August 1942, the Raggruppamento was renamed Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse ("Red Arrows group") a name chosen by the commanding officer in memory of his service with the Italian Divisione Frecce Nere ("Black Arrows Division") of the Italian Corpo Truppe Volontarie ("Corps of Volunteer Troops") in the Spanish Civil War. The three Centri Militari received new designations at the same time.
According to the order of battle of the Italian Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse in August 1942, the following units comprised the force structure: comando ("headquarters"), Battaglione d'Assalto Tunisia ("Tunisia Assault Battalion"), which was formerly Centro T; Gruppo Italo-Arabo ("Italo-Arab Group"), formerly Centro A; and Battaglione Azad Hindoustan ("Free Indian Battalion"), formerly Centro I.
The Battaglione Azad Hindoustan was created out of Centro I using both the ex-Indian Army personnel (the Indian Army was under British operational command) and Italians previously resident in India and Persia (Iran).[4]
The order of battle of the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan in August 1942 was:[3]
- Compagnia fucilieri ("motorized rifle company")
- Compagnia mitraglieri ("motorized machine gun company")
- Plotone paracadutisti ("parachute platoon")
- Overseas Italian platoon
Disbandment
Despite their investment in training the Indians in infiltration combat, the Italians considered the Indian troops of Battaglione Azad Hindoustan to be of doubtful loyalty and this view was confirmed when the Indians mutinied on learning of the Axis defeat at El Alamein in November 1942. Following this, the battalion was disbanded and the Indians returned to their prisoner-of-war camps.[5]
See also
- Indian National Army
- Indian Legion
- Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind
References
- ^ a b c Lundari 2005, p. 90.
- ^ a b Borra R. Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian National Army, and the war of India's liberation. J Hist Rev.Winter, 1982; vol. 03 no. 4: p. 407.
- ^ a b c d Lundari 2005, p. 99.
- ^ "Indian Volunteers in the German Wehrmacht". Feldgrau.com. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
- ^ "Indian Volunteers in the German Wehrmacht in WWII". Retrieved 6 April 2016.
Bibliography
- Lundari, Giuseppe (2005). I Paracadutisti Italiani 1937-45. Editrice Militare Italiana. ISBN 978-600-01-8031-7.