The 25th Infantry Division is 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

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 ...

which was raised during the

World War II 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 ...

and fought in the

Burma Campaign The Burma campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of British rule in Burma, Burma as part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II. It primarily involved forces of the Allies of World War II, Allies (mainly from ...

. It was re-raised within the post-independence

in 1948.

History

Originally formed in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

in South

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

on 1 August 1942 under Major-General Henry Davies the Division was disbanded at the end of World War II. The division's original role as conceived by Army Commander General Sir W. J. Slim was to meet any attempted Japanese invasion while at the same time training actively for

jungle warfare Jungle warfare or woodland warfare is warfare in forests, jungles, or similar environments. The term encompasses military operations affected by the terrain, climate, vegetation, and wildlife of densely-wooded areas, as well as the strategies a ...

. It first saw action, having become part of Indian XV Corps, at the onset of the third Arakan Campaign in March 1944 where it held and enlarged the Maungdaw Base and established superiority over the enemy. In May 1944 command of the division was assumed by Major-General George Wood, previously commanding British 4th Infantry Brigade in India. In November 1944, supported by destroyers of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

, the division cleared the Mayu Range down to Foul Point and occupied Akyab Island. Following this, with

3 Commando Brigade United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), is the UK's special operations-capable commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel f ...

under command, it made a series of successful seaborne attacks down the coast, supported by sloops of the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British Raj, British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the British Indian Army, Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the ...

and winning four Victoria Crosses in the process. These actions included the decisive Battle of Kangaw and landings at Myebon and Ruywa to intercept the retreating Japanese. In April 1945 the division was withdrawn to South India to prepare for ' Operation Zipper', the invasion of

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

, having been chosen for the assault landing ( amphibious) role. Although hostilities then ceased, the operation proceeded as planned and 25th Division was the first formation to land in Malaya, occupying the capital,

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, and then accepting the surrender of the Japanese Army. The division was disbanded in Malaya in February and March 1946.

Post-independence

The division was re-raised within the post-independence

in 1948. In October 1962 the division was under XV Corps in the Army's Western Command. Its headquarters were at Poonch, and it included the 80th, 93rd and 120th Infantry Brigades.

Composition During World War II

* 19th King George's Own Lancers (Divisional Reconnaissance Regiment) * Commander, Royal Artillery: **Brigadier G.H. Johnstone (August 1942 - June 1943) **Brigadier A.G. O'C. Scott (June 1943 - August 1944) **Brigadier A.J. Daniell (August 1944 - April 1945) **Brigadier Nigel Tapp (April 1945 - 1946) **HQ **8th & 27th Field Regts,

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 ...

**5th Indian Field Regt Indian Artillery ** 33 Indian Mountain Regt IA **7 Indian Anti-Tank Regt IA *Indian Engineers: Sappers & Miners **63rd & 425th Field Coys Q.V.O. Madras **93rd FD Company Royal Bombay **325th FD Park Coy Q.V.O. Madras *25th Indian Div Signals *7th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment

51st Indian Infantry Brigade

Commanders: *Brigadier T.H. Angus ( - Nov 1944) *Brigadier R.A. Hutton (May 1944 - ) **HQ **8th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment (until October 1944) **2nd Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment (from September 1944) **16th Battalion, 10th Baluch Regiment **17th Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry (until March 1945) **8th Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment (from March 1944)

53rd Indian Infantry Brigade

Commanders: *Brigadier G.A.P. Coldstream (to August 1944) *Brigadier A.G.O'C. Scott (August 1944 to December 1944) *Brigadier B.C.H. Gerty (from December 1944) **HQ **9th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment **17th Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry **9th Battalion, 9th Jat Regiment **4th Battalion, 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles

74th Indian Infantry Brigade

Commanders: *Brigadier J.E. Hirst (to March 1945) *Brigadier J.C.W. Cargill (from March 1945) **HQ **6th 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 ...

**14th Battalion, 10th Baluch Regiment **3rd Battalion, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles)

3rd Commando Brigade

Commanders: *Brigadier **HQ ** No. 44 (Royal Marine) Commando ** No. 42 (Royal Marine) Commando ** No. 1 Army Commando ** No. 5 Army Commando

Support Units

*Royal Indian Army Service Corps **18th, 39th and 59th Animal Transport Coys (Mules) **68th, 81st and 101st Gp Tpt Coys **Comp Supply Units **Inland Water Tpt *Medical Services **I.M.S-R.A.M.C-I.M.D-I.H.C-I.A.M.C **51st, 52nd, 53rd and 56th Indian Field Ambulances *25th Indian Div Provost Unit *Indian Army Ordnance Corps **125th Ordnance sub-Park *Indian Electrical & Mechanical Engineers **76th, 77th & 78th Infantry Workshop Companies **25th Indian Div Recovery Company

Assigned brigades

All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II * 51st Indian Infantry Brigade * 53rd Indian Infantry Brigade * 74th Indian Infantry Brigade * 22nd (East Africa) Infantry Brigade *

* 2nd (West Africa) Infantry Brigade

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

British Military History - Indian Divisional Histories
{{DEFAULTSORT:25 Indian Infantry Division Indian World War II divisions Divisions of the Indian Army British Indian Army divisions Military units and formations established in 1942 D Military units and formations disestablished in 1946