The 2nd Indian Infantry Brigade 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 ...
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
formation of the
Indian Army during World War II
The Indian Army during World War II, a British force also referred to as the British Indian Army, began the war, in 1939, numbering just under 200,000 men.Sumner, p.25 By the end of the war, it had become the largest volunteer army in history, ...
. It was formed in
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...
in September 1939. In October 1940, it was renamed 16th (Independent) Indian Infantry Brigade in November 1941, and left India for Burma. The brigade was caught in the
Battle of Sittang Bridge
The Battle of Sittang Bridge was part of the Burma campaign during the Second World War. Fought on 22 and 23 February 1942, the battle was a victory for the Empire of Japan, with many losses for the British Indian Army, which was forced to retrea ...
where it suffered heavy losses. Instead of being reformed in September 1942, it was renamed yet again, this time to 116th Indian Infantry Brigade. Attached to the
39th Indian Infantry Division it now provided specialised jungle conversion training. An infantry battalion would spend from four to six months with the brigade, before being sent to the front to replace a tired battalion in one of the fighting divisions.
Formation
2nd Indian Infantry Brigade
*1st 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, ...
from September 1940
*2nd Battalion,
8th Punjab Regiment
The 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the 10th Baluch Regiment, Baluch Regiment in 1956.
History
Madras Infantry
Th ...
to March 1940
*4th Battalion,
12th Frontier Force Regiment
The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...
to September 1940
*1st Battalion,
East Yorkshire Regiment
The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...
March to September 1940
*2nd Battalion,
8th Punjab Regiment
The 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the 10th Baluch Regiment, Baluch Regiment in 1956.
History
Madras Infantry
Th ...
June to September 1940
16th Indian Infantry Brigade
*1st Battalion,
9th Jat Regiment
The 9th Jat Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1795 and again in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.
World War II
Th ...
October 1940 to March 1941
*2nd Battalion,
1st Gurkha Rifles
1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment), often referred to as the 1st Gorkha Rifles, or 1 GR in abbreviation, is the most senior Gorkha Infantry regiment of the Indian Army, comprising Gurkha soldiers of Indian Gorkha or Nepalese nationality, pa ...
October 1940 to April 1941
*4th Battalion,
12th Frontier Force Regiment
The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...
October 1940 to March 1941
*4th Battalion,
1st Gurkha Rifles
1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment), often referred to as the 1st Gorkha Rifles, or 1 GR in abbreviation, is the most senior Gorkha Infantry regiment of the Indian Army, comprising Gurkha soldiers of Indian Gorkha or Nepalese nationality, pa ...
July 1941 to October 1941
*1st Battalion,
9th Jat Regiment
The 9th Jat Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1795 and again in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.
World War II
Th ...
October 1941 to July 1942
*1st Battalion,
7th Gurkha Rifles
The 7th Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army, following India's independence in 1947 and after 1959 designated as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles.
History
F ...
October 1941 to December 1941
*4th Battalion,
12th Frontier Force Regiment
The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...
October 1941 to January 1942
*7th Battalion,
Burma Rifles
The Burma Rifles were a British colonial regiment raised in British Burma. Founded in 1917 as a regiment of the British Indian Army, the regiment re-used the name of an unrelated earlier unit, the 10th Regiment (1st Burma Rifles) Madras Infantry, ...
December 1941 to January 1942
*4th Battalion,
Burma Rifles
The Burma Rifles were a British colonial regiment raised in British Burma. Founded in 1917 as a regiment of the British Indian Army, the regiment re-used the name of an unrelated earlier unit, the 10th Regiment (1st Burma Rifles) Madras Infantry, ...
January 1942
*1st Battalion,
7th Gurkha Rifles
The 7th Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army, following India's independence in 1947 and after 1959 designated as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles.
History
F ...
January to February 1942
*2nd Battalion,
Burma Rifles
The Burma Rifles were a British colonial regiment raised in British Burma. Founded in 1917 as a regiment of the British Indian Army, the regiment re-used the name of an unrelated earlier unit, the 10th Regiment (1st Burma Rifles) Madras Infantry, ...
February 1942
*2nd Battalion,
King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somers ...
February 1942
*4th Battalion,
12th Frontier Force Regiment
The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. ...
February to September 1942
*4th Battalion,
Burma Rifles
The Burma Rifles were a British colonial regiment raised in British Burma. Founded in 1917 as a regiment of the British Indian Army, the regiment re-used the name of an unrelated earlier unit, the 10th Regiment (1st Burma Rifles) Madras Infantry, ...
February to March 1942
*3rd Battalion,
Burma Rifles
The Burma Rifles were a British colonial regiment raised in British Burma. Founded in 1917 as a regiment of the British Indian Army, the regiment re-used the name of an unrelated earlier unit, the 10th Regiment (1st Burma Rifles) Madras Infantry, ...
February to March 1942
*8th Battalion,
Burma Rifles
The Burma Rifles were a British colonial regiment raised in British Burma. Founded in 1917 as a regiment of the British Indian Army, the regiment re-used the name of an unrelated earlier unit, the 10th Regiment (1st Burma Rifles) Madras Infantry, ...
February to March 1942
*2nd Battalion,
Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.
In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...
February to May 1942
*7th Battalion,
10th Baluch Regiment
The 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After independence, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments. During more ...
February to May 1942
*7th Battalion,
9th Jat Regiment
The 9th Jat Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1795 and again in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.
World War II
Th ...
July to September 1942
116th Indian Infantry Brigade
*7th Battalion,
9th Jat Regiment
The 9th Jat Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1795 and again in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.
World War II
Th ...
September 1942 to September 1943
*7th Battalion,
14th Punjab Regiment
The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India, independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st Punjab Regiment, 1st, 15th Punjab Regiment, 15 ...
December 1942 to August 1943
*1st Battalion,
Assam Regiment
The Assam Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment consists of 25 battalions: 15 regular battalions, 3 Rashtriya Rifles battalions, 5 Territorial Army battalions (including 2 ecological battalions) and 2 Arunachal Scouts ...
March to August 1943
*1st Battalion,
8th Gurkha Rifles
The 8th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I ...
April to November 1943
*2nd Battalion,
7th Rajput Regiment
Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven.
Seventh may refer to:
* Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
* A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts
Film and television
*"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...
August to December 1943
*2nd Battalion,
8th Punjab Regiment
The 8th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947 and merged with the 10th Baluch Regiment, Baluch Regiment in 1956.
History
Madras Infantry
Th ...
August 1943 to March 1944
*6th Battalion,
11th Sikh Regiment
The 11th Sikh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.S ...
August to December 1943
*2nd Battalion, Ajmer Regiment
IAS March to September 1944
*5th Battalion,
3rd Madras Regiment
The 3rd Madras Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army formed after the World War I reforms of the Indian Army. The infantry regiments were converted into large regiments with four or five battalions in each regiment plus a t ...
March to September 1944
*4th Battalion,
Jammu and Kashmir Infantry
The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. Its origins lay in the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After the accession of the state to the Indian Union in October 1947, t ...
IAS April to September 1944
*2nd Battalion,
Green Howards
The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under variou ...
May to September 1944
*1st Battalion,
3rd Madras Regiment
The 3rd Madras Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army formed after the World War I reforms of the Indian Army. The infantry regiments were converted into large regiments with four or five battalions in each regiment plus a t ...
September 1944 to January 1945
*6th Battalion,
6th Rajputana Rifles
The 6th Rajputana Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Formed in 1921, it initially consisted of five active battalions and one training battalion.
History Formation and class composition
In 1921, the British Indian Army ...
September 1944 to April 1945
*6th Battalion,
19th Hyderabad Regiment
The 19th Hyderabad Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed at the time of reforms of the Indian Army after the First World War, when it moved from single-battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. The reg ...
September 1944 to April 1945
*16th Battalion,
6th Rajputana Rifles
The 6th Rajputana Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Formed in 1921, it initially consisted of five active battalions and one training battalion.
History Formation and class composition
In 1921, the British Indian Army ...
September 1944 to March 1945
*1st Battalion,
Cameronians October 1944 to March 1945
*1st Battalion,
Royal Warwickshire Regiment
The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...
October 1944 to April 1945
*8th Battalion,
6th Rajputana Rifles
The 6th Rajputana Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Formed in 1921, it initially consisted of five active battalions and one training battalion.
History Formation and class composition
In 1921, the British Indian Army ...
February to August 1945
*1st Battalion,
Gloucestershire Regiment
The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...
April to August 1945
*
18th King Edward VII's Own Cavalry May to August 1945
*1st Battalion,
7th Rajput Regiment
Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven.
Seventh may refer to:
* Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
* A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts
Film and television
*"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...
June to August 1945
See also
*
List of Indian Army brigades in World War II
References
British Indian Army brigades
Military units and formations in Burma in World War II
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