The 268th Indian Infantry Brigade is an infantry formation 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 ...

, previously 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 ...

History

It was initially formed as 268th Indian Armoured Brigade at

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

in July 1942, with three regiments of the Indian Armoured Corps. 51 Regiment IAC had been formed from the 7/

5th Mahratta Light Infantry The 5th Mahratta Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, when the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment fought in World War ...

, 53 Regiment IAC had been formed from the MG/

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 ...

, and 54 Regiment IAC had been formed from 9/

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 ...

. It was converted to the 268th Indian Infantry Brigade in October 1942. It was then assigned to the 43rd Indian Armoured Division until March 1943, and subsequently the 44th Indian Armoured Division until March 1944. In May 1944, the brigade moved to the 21st Indian Infantry Division followed by a move to the

23rd Indian Infantry Division The 23rd Infantry Division is an infantry Division (military), division of the Indian Army. It was raised as a part of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Burma Campaign. History The division was raised on 1 January 1942, at J ...

in July 1944. In November 1944, it was the corps reserve for

IV Corps 4 Corps, 4th Corps, Fourth Corps, or IV Corps may refer to: France * 4th Army Corps (France) * IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * IV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperi ...

and from December 1944, for XXXIII Indian Corps. In April 1945, it was attached to the British 2nd Infantry Division and the

7th Indian Infantry Division The 7th Infantry Division is a war-formed infantry Division (military), division, part of the British Indian Army that saw service in the Burma Campaign. History The division was created on 1 October 1940 at Attock, under the command of Major-ge ...

. It was Fourteenth Army reserve between April and May 1945, before returning to 7th Division command until the end of the war. Following the war the brigade served with the BRINJAP Division of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan.Richard A. Renaldi and Ravi Rikhe, 'Indian Army Order of Battle,' Orbat.com for Tiger Lily Books: A division of General Data LLC, , 2011, 169 The division moved by sea to Japan 1 March-19 May 1946, stopping at Singapore and Hong Kong en route. In Japan the units of the brigade included 5/1st Punjab Regiment, 2/ 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force), and 1

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 ...

. The division was disbanded on 1 May 1947 in Japan, at which time 268th Infantry Brigade was reorganised as a brigade group. It left Japan August–October 1947 for India. The brigade then fought in

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947; it was the third brigade to enter Jammu and Kashmir. In 1962, just before the outbreak of a further war between India and Pakistan, it formed part of the

19th Infantry Division (India) The 19th Infantry Division is an infantry Division (military), division of the Indian Army. History The 19th Indian Infantry Division was raised in Secunderabad, British Raj, India in October 1941 during the World War II, Second World War and ...

with both divisional and brigade headquarters at

Baramula Baramulla (), also known as Varmul () in Kashmiri, is a city and municipality of the Baramulla district of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various r ...

. 19th Division was part of XV Corps in Western Command.

World War II units

*8th Battalion,

*17th Battalion,

*17th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment *2nd Battalion, 4th Bombay Grenadiers *5th Battalion, 4th Bombay Grenadiers *1st Battalion, Assam Regiment *1st Battalion, Chamar Regiment *4th Battalion, 3rd Madras Regiment * Kalibahadur Regiment, Nepal * Mahindra Dal Regiment, Nepal *1st Battalion, 3rd Madras Regiment *2nd Battalion,

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Royal Highland Fusiliers ...

*2nd Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment *429th Field Company,

Indian Engineers The Indian Army Corps of Engineers is a combat support arm which provides combat engineering support, develops infrastructure for armed forces and other defence organisations and maintains connectivity along the borders, besides helping the civi ...

* 45th Cavalry

References

{{Reflist

External links

British Military History - Burma 1930 - 47 (Independent Brigades)

DYER Major General G. J. - Biographies D
British Indian Army brigades Infantry brigades of the Indian Army after 1947 Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations in Burma in World War II British Commonwealth Occupation Force

History

World War II units

See also

References

Further reading

External links