The 15th Indian Division was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

division of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

that saw active service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It served in the

Mesopotamian campaign The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It did not serve in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but was reformed at

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

in 1964 as part of the post-independence

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

History

;World War I The division was formed on 7 May 1916 to replace the 12th Indian Division on the Euphrates Front. It remained on the Euphrates Front until the end of the war. It took part in the action of As Sahilan (11 September 1916), the Capture of Ramadi (28 and 29 September 1917), the Occupation of

Hīt Hit or Heet (, ''Hīt'') is a city in Al Anbar Governorate of Iraq. Situated on the banks of the Euphrates River, it lies northwest of Ramadi, the provincial capital. The city is administrative capital for Hit District. A major city in the cent ...

(9 March 1918) and the

action of Khan Baghdadi The action of Khan Baghdadi was an engagement during the Mesopotamian campaign in World War I. Khan Baghdadi The 15th Indian Division had been at Ramadi since its Battle of Ramadi (1917), capture of the town in September 1917. On 9 March 1918 ...

(26 and 27 March 1918). The division was not attached to either of the army corps operating in Mesopotamia, the I Corps and

III Corps III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * I ...

. The division was commanded from formation on 7 May 1916 by Brigadier-General Harry T Brooking. Brooking was promoted to Major-General on 5 June 1916. At the end of the war, the division was rapidly run down and it was disbanded in March 1919. ;Post Independence The division was re-raised on 1 October 1964 at Clement Town,

under Major General Niranjan Prasad and assigned to

XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

. The divisional headquarters has been located at

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

since 1965.

Order of battle, First World War

The division commanded the following units, although not all of them served at the same time:

12th Indian Brigade The 12th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. History The 12th Indian Brigad ...

* 1/5th Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) * 2nd Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles * 1st Battalion, 43rd Erinpura Infantry * 90th Punjabis * 128th Machine Gun Company * 12th Light

Trench Mortar ''Minenwerfer'' ("mine launcher" or "mine thrower") is the German name for a class of short range mine shell launching mortars used extensively during the First World War by the Imperial German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engine ...

Battery

34th Indian Brigade

:''Joined the division on formation and left for the 17th Indian Division in August 1917'' * 2nd Battalion,

Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Queen' ...

31st Punjabis The 31st Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1857, as Van Cortlandt's Levy. The regiment was designated as the 31st Punjabis in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was ...

* 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry *

114th Mahrattas The 114th 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 they were attached to the ...

* 129th Machine Gun Company

42nd Indian Brigade

* 1/4th Battalion,

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the World War I, First World War and the World War II, ...

* 1/4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment * 1st Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) * 2nd Battalion, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) * 2nd Battalion,

6th Gurkha Rifles The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Compa ...

* 130th Machine Gun Company * 42nd Light Trench Mortar Battery

50th Indian Brigade The 50th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It was ...

:''Joined from the 17th Indian Division in September 1917'' * 1st Battalion,

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

* 6th Jat Light Infantry * 14th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs * 24th Punjabis * 1st Battalion, 97th Deccan Infantry * 256th Machine Gun Company * 50th Light Trench Mortar Battery

Divisional Artillery

* VII Mountain Brigade, Indian Mountain Artillery ( 21st Kohat and 26th Jacob's Mountain Batteries) * CCXXII Brigade,

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...

(375th, 1070th, 1072th, 77th ( H) and 429th (H) Batteries) * CCXV Brigade, Royal Field Artillery ( 816th, 1087th, 1088th and 524th (H) Batteries} * Volunteer Battery * M, N and O Light Trench Mortar Batteries * X.15 Medium Trench Mortar Battery * 15th Divisional Ammunition Column

Engineers and Pioneers

* 4th Field Company, 1st King George's Own Sappers and Miners *

Malerkotla Malerkotla is a city and the district headquarters of Malerkotla district in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It served as the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj. The state acceded to the Dominion of India, un ...

Sappers and Miners, ISF * 448th (Northumbrian) Field Company, Royal Engineers * 450th (Northumbrian) Field Company, Royal Engineers * 451st (Northumbrian) Field Company, Royal Engineers * 15th Division Signal Company, Royal Engineers Signal Service * 48th Pioneers

Divisional troops

* D Squadron 1/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry (6 August 1917 to May 1918) * 275th Machine Gun Company * 3rd, 19th, 23rd, 24th, 34th, 105th and 108th Combined Field Ambulances,

RAMC The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

* No. 16 (renumbered No. 6) Mobile Veterinary Section, AVC * 15th Division Train, ASC

Battles and engagements during World War I

The division was involved in the following actions: * Action of As Sahilan ''(11 September 1916)'' * Capture of Ramadi ''(2829 September 1917)'' * Occupation of

''(9 March 1918)'' *

Action of Khan Baghdadi The action of Khan Baghdadi was an engagement during the Mesopotamian campaign in World War I. Khan Baghdadi The 15th Indian Division had been at Ramadi since its Battle of Ramadi (1917), capture of the town in September 1917. On 9 March 1918 ...

''(2627 March 1918)''

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The division was fully operational on 31 March 1965 and moved to its headquarters in Amritsar by 1 April 1965. It took part in Operation Ablaze and the Battle of Dograi. The division consisted of 38 Infantry Brigade, 54 Infantry Brigade and 15 Artillery Brigade. 38 Infantry Brigade consisted of 1

Jat The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...

, 1/

3 Gorkha Rifles The 3rd Gorkha Rifles or Third Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 3 GR is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It was originally a Gurkha regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1815. This regiment recruit mainly Magars and Gurung tribes. They wer ...

and 3

Garhwal Rifles The Garhwal Rifles, are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. It then became "The Royal Garhwal Rifles" as part of the British Indian Army, and after the Inde ...

. 54 Infantry Brigade consisted of 3

, 15

Dogra __NOTOC__ Dogras, or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic community of Pakistan and India. Dogra, Dogras or Dogri may also refer to: * Dogra dynasty, a Hindu dynasty of Kashmir * Dogri language, a language spoken by Dogras and other ethnic commu ...

, 13

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. In addition to the two infantry brigades, the division consisted of 14 Horse (Scinde Horse), 60 Heavy Regiment and 71 Field Company. 96 Infantry Brigade, consisting of 6 Kumaon, 7

and 16

was initially part of the XI Corps reserve, but subsequently placed under the division's operational command. 50 (Independent) Parachute Brigade was placed under the division on 11 September. It was tasked to capture the road and rail bridges in Jallo area, but suffered heavy casualties during 16 and 17 September and had to be withdrawn. The division was given the task to advance on the

Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It r ...

axis and capture the bridge on the

Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal __NOTOC__ Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian Canal (BRB Canal), also called Ichogil Canal (by Indian authors), is a manmade waterway in Pakistan that takes off from the Marala Headworks, Upper Chenab Canal near the Bambanwala village (to the west of Daska), ...

(also called Ichhogil Canal) in Dograi east of

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. 3 Jat under Lieutenant Colonel Desmond Hayde captured Dograi on the eastern bank of the Canal on 6 September 1965. The same day, 3 Jat captured the Batapore and Attokeawan localities on the west bank of the Canal. Due to lack of support, the unit had to fall back. 1 Jat managed to reach Bhaini Dhilwan bridge, but could not secure it due to armour and artillery fire and had to withdraw. This bridge was subsequently captured by 96 Infantry Brigade. Following the initial reverses faced by the division, Major General Niranjan Prasad was replaced by Major General Mohindar Singh on 9 September 1965. The period of 11 to 18 September was characterised by a series of unproductive actions. The division subsequently plunged in the battle for the Ichhogil canal with zeal and determination. On 21 and 22 September, 3 Jat of the 54 Brigade captured Dograi. The unit won 3 Maha Vir Chakras, 4

Vir Chakra The Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa, ) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of gallantry on the battlefield, on land or in the air or at sea. It is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and ...

s, 7

Sena Medal The Sena Medal () is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for ...

s, 12

Mention in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

and 11 COAS Commendation Cards. At the end of the war, 15 Division saw 486 killed (26 Officers, 9 JCOs, 451 ORs), 1569 wounded (60 Officers, 57 JCOs, 1450 ORs, 2 NCEs) and 85 missing (3 Officers, 2 JCOs, 79 ORs, 1 NCE).

Awards and honours

*The following regiments won the battle honour ''Dograi''- **14 Horse **3 Jat **15 Dogra **7 Punjab **13 Punjab *During the campaign, four

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

s were awarded for conspicuous bravery- **Major General Mohinder Singh, GOC 15 Infantry Division **Lieutenant Colonel Desmond E Hayde, Commanding Officer, 3 Jat **Major AR Tyagi (Posthumous), 3 Jat **Captain Kapil Singh Thapa (Posthumous), 3 Jat

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The division was under Major General BM Bhattacharjee during the 1971 war and was responsible for the area between

Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the Majha region of the Indian state of Punjab, between the rivers Beas and Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the district, which shares a bord ...

and the Grand Trunk road opposite Amritsar. It took part in the battles of

Dera Baba Nanak Dera Baba Nanak is a town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district, in the state of Punjab (India), Punjab, India. It is the sub-district headquarters of Dera Baba Nanak (Sub-district), Dera Baba Nanak tehsil. It is 36 km away from Gurdaspur ...

and Fatehpur – Burj.

Order of battle

66 Armoured Regiment 66 may refer to: *66 (number) *One of the years 66 BC, AD 66, 1966, 2066 * "66", a song by Lil Yachty featuring Trippie Redd, 2018 * "66", a song by Felo Le Tee and Myztro, 2021 * ''66'' (album), a 2024 album by Paul Weller *"66", a song by the Af ...

*86 Infantry Brigade ** 71 Armoured Regiment (from 14 (Independent) Armoured Brigade) **10

**1/ 9 Gorkha Rifles **4/ 8 Gorkha Rifles **17

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

**21 BSF *58 Infantry Brigade (detached from 14 Infantry Division) **24

*96 Infantry Brigade **15

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. Recruitment The class composition o ...

**8

Sikh Light Infantry The Sikh Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army.Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

**9 Punjab **11

Grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...

**23 BSF **27 BSF *38 Infantry Brigade **16 Grenadiers **4

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

**8

*15 Artillery Brigade ** 42 Field Regiment ** 175 Field Regiment **177 Field Regiment **74 Medium Regiment ** 84 Light Regiment **202 Divisional Locating Battery *Additional Artillery Regiments ** 163 Field Regiment ** 71 Medium Regiment **49 AD Regiment (two troops) **3 Air Observation Post Flight ** 20 Locating Regiment

Awards and honours

15 Infantry Division won numerous gallantry awards during the war. Prominent among them are: ;

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

awardee- *Major General BM Bhattacharjee ;

awardees- *Battle of Dera Baba Nanak **Brigadier Krishnaswamy Gowri Shankar, Commander of 86 Infantry Brigade **Lieutenant Colonel Narinder Singh Sandhu of 10 Dogra **Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat of 10 Dogra *Battle of Burj **Sepoy Pandurang Salunkhe of 15 Maratha Light Infantry *Ranian **Major Basidev Singh Makotia of 9 Punjab *Fathepur **Lieutenant Colonel Harish Chandra Pathak of 8 Sikh Light Infantry *Pul Kanjiri **Lance Naik Shangara Singh of 2 Sikh ;Battle Honours *86 Infantry Brigade was awarded the battle honour ''Dera Baba Nanak''. *15 Maratha Light Infantry was awarded the battle honour ''Burj'' and the theatre honour ''Punjab''. It was declared as the 'Best Performing Battalion' during the 1971 Indo-Pak War in the XI Corps Zone by the GOC, Lieutenant General N. C. Rawlley . *10 Dogra was awarded the battle honour ''Dera Baba Nanak''. *1/9 Gorkha Rifles was awarded the battle honour ''Dera Baba Nanak'' and theatre honour ''Punjab''.

Other Operations

Operation Blue Star Operation Blue Star was a military operation by the Indian Armed Forces conducted between 1 and 10 June 1984 to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), a holy site of Sikhism, and i ...

* Operation Vijay *

Operation Parakram Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

*
British Empire
has list of all Indian Army regiments with pictures of their regimental badges. {{Indian Expeditionary Forces Divisions of the Indian Army British Indian Army divisions Indian World War I divisions Military units and formations established in 1916

History

Order of battle, First World War

12th Indian Brigade The 12th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. History The 12th Indian Brigad ...

34th Indian Brigade

42nd Indian Brigade

50th Indian Brigade The 50th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It was ...

Divisional Artillery

Engineers and Pioneers

Divisional troops

Battles and engagements during World War I

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Awards and honours

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

Order of battle

Awards and honours

Other Operations

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links