The 20th 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, ...

History

The brigade was formed in September 1940, by the conversion of the Khojak Brigade and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry Division. In April 1941, they were transferred to the 10th Indian Infantry Division and took part in the

Anglo-Iraqi War The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allies of World War II, Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq, then ruled by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani who had seized power in the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état with assista ...

, Syria-Lebanon campaign and the

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, also known as the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia, was the joint invasion of the neutral Imperial State of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in August 1941. The two powers announced that they w ...

. Moving to Egypt in June 1942, the brigade was overrun and largely destroyed at Gambut 18 June 1942. The brigade was reformed in the Nile Delta and returned to the 10th Division. The brigade then took part in the Italian Campaign with 10th Division and ended the war in Italy.

Order of battle

*2nd Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles September 1940 to July 1941 and September 1941 to April 1942 *3rd 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 ...

September 1940 to June 1941 *2nd 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 ...

October 1940 to June 1941, July 1941 to January 1942 and October to November 1944 *1st Battalion,

King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the ...

June 1941 *2nd Battalion, 4th Gurkha Rifles June 1941 *3rd Field Regiment,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

June to September 1941 *5th Battalion,

13th Frontier Force Rifles The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakista ...

June to July 1941 *3rd Battalion,

August 1941 to March 1942 *1st Battalion,

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...

December 1941 to August 1942 *3rd Battalion, 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles March to July 1942 *1st 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 ...

April to June 1942 *2nd Battalion,

August 1942 to October 1943 *2nd Battalion, 3rd Gurkha Rifles January 1943 to August 1945 *4th Battalion,

February to June 1943 * Mewar Bhopal Infantry June 1943 *3rd Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry June 1943 to August 1945 *8th Battalion,

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th R ...

July 1943 to September 1944 * 1st Battalion,

Royal Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution and ...

(machine gun) attached 30 October to 19 November 1943 for training on Cyprus *1st Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment October 1944 to May 1945 * Nabha Akal Infantry October 1944 to August 1945 *2nd Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) May to August 1945

Officers commanding

The following officers commanded the brigade during the war. :Brigadier D. Powell (September 1940 to March 1942) :Brigadier L.E. MacGregor (March 1942 to June 1943) :Brigadier J.B. MacDonald (June 1943 to end of war)

References

British Indian Army brigades {{WWII-stub

History

Order of battle

Officers commanding

See also

References