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23rd Indian Infantry Division

December 28, 2022

The 23rd Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Burma Campaign. It was then reformed as a division of the independent Indian Army in 1959.

23rd Indian Infantry Division
Formation sign of the 23rd Indian Infantry Division.[1]
Active1942-1947
1959-
Country British India
India
Allegiance British Empire
Branch British Indian Army
 Indian Army
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
EngagementsBattle of Imphal
Commanders
Current
commander		Major General RS Guraya, Vishisht Seva Medal
Notable
commanders		Major-General Reginald Savory
Major General Ouvry Lindfield Roberts

History

The division was raised on 1 January 1942, at Jhansi in Central India. Its badge was a red fighting cock on a yellow circle. (The animal was chosen by Major General Reginald Savory, the division's first commander, as one which would offend neither the Moslem nor Hindu soldiers of the division.

In May that year, while the division was still forming, it was ordered to Imphal in Manipur, where Burma Corps was retreating, having been driven out of Burma by the Japanese. Imphal lay within the mountainous frontier between India and Burma, and the division was ordered to move while the monsoon season was at its height. Movement was difficult, and disease (mainly malaria, but also typhus) was rampant. The division's chief claim to respect lies in holding its positions in these trying conditions, while also trying to undertake basic training.

On 3 June 1943, Major General Savory was promoted and appointed Director of Infantry in India. The division was temporarily commanded by Brigadier Collingridge of 37th Brigade until 15 August, when Major General Ouvry Lindfield Roberts, who had gained widespread respect by his handling of operations in the Middle East, was appointed.

Battle of Imphal

In March, 1944, the Japanese launched a major attack on the British troops at Imphal. At the time, 23rd Division was the reserve unit for Indian IV Corps. After its previous service in Imphal, the division was no less than 5,000 men short of establishment (about 18,500). This was due mainly to disease, and poor administration in the rear areas in 1943, which prevented many recovering sick men from rejoining the division.

When the Japanese offensive began, Indian 17th Infantry Division was cut off in its forward position at Tiddim. One brigade of 23rd division was left to hold Imphal while the remainder of the division was sent to help extricate the 17th Division. Once the two divisions had linked up, they retreated to Bishenpur south of Imphal, being supplied by parachute drops.

The 23rd Division was then sent to Kanglatongbi, north of Imphal, where Japanese troops had cut the road linking Imphal with India and were threatening a major supply dump. The Japanese were held back while the dump was emptied of stores.

In June, all the divisions at Imphal were reorganised and repositioned. 23rd Division defended the Shenam Saddle southeast of Imphal against the last Japanese attacks in this area.

Operation Zipper

After the end of the Battle of Imphal, the division was withdrawn to India. After recuperating, it began training for future operations in Malaya. Major General Roberts was promoted to command Indian XXXIV Corps, and the division was commanded by Major General Douglas Hawthorn. In mid-1945, the division was due to take part in Operation Zipper, a landing on the west coast of Malaya, as part of XXXIV Corps. Although forestalled by the Japanese surrender, the landing took place unopposed, as the quickest means of sending troops to Malaya to enforce the surrender.

Later that year, the division was sent to Java, where the end of the war had brought widespread disorder and conflict between the restored Dutch East Indies colonial regime and pro-independence movements. The division was broken up in Java in 1947,[2] and its units were merged into the Indian 5th Infantry Division.

Postwar

Current Divisional HQ is located at Dipatoli Cantonment, Ranchi in Jharkhand. The division was raised 1 September 1959 for the Nagaland insurgency when GOC Assam was redesignated as GOC 23rd Infantry Division.[3]

Current Status of 23 Infantry Division

There are 4 brigades in 23 Infantry Division. They are:

  • 23 Artillery Brigade (Dipatoli Cantt, Ranchi, Jharkhand)
  • 61 Infantry Brigade (Dipatoli Cantt, Ranchi, Jharkhand)
  • 167 Infantry Brigade (Shahjahanpur Cantt, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh)
  • 301 Infantry Brigade (MONUSCO, South Africa)

23 Artillery Brigade

The artillery brigade is situated in Dipatoli Cantt, Ranchi, Jharkhand. The artillery brigade consists of 5 Artillery units they are 1 Field Regiment, 3 Medium Regiments and 1 Surveillance And Target Acquisitions Battery. Currently, assigned units are:

  • 166 Medium Regiment
  • 237 Medium Regiment
  • 299 Medium Regiment (Dhanush Howitzer)
  • 100 Field Regiment
  • 636 SATA Battery

61 Infantry Brigade

The infantry brigade was earlier situated in Namkom Military Station, Ranchi, Jharkhand. On 1 August 2019, the brigade is shifting to Dipatoli Cantt after the moving of 17 Corps to Panagarh, West Bengal. The brigade is assigned with 3 different Infantry Regiment. They are:

  • 3rd Battalion The 8th Gorkha Rifles
  • 2nd Battalion The Mahar Regiment
  • 9th Battalion The Bihar Regiment

167 Infantry Brigade

The brigade is situated in Shahjahanpur Military Station, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The brigade consists of 4 Infantry Regiments. They are:

  • 11th Battalion The Maratha Light Infantry
  • 14th Battalion The Jat Regiment
  • 21st Battalion The Kumaon Regiment
  • 31st Battalion The Rajput Regiment

301 Infantry Brigade

The brigade is situated in South Africa. The brigade is on the MONUSCO Mission from the year 2004 shifting from Ranchi to South Africa.

Order of battle

as of 1 April 1944

Presently Units assigned in 23rd Infantry Division

  • 23 IDSR (Infantry Division Signal Regiment)
  • 23 IDOU (Infantry Division Ordnance Unit)
  • 23 IDPU (Infantry Division Provost Unit)
  • 51 Armoured Regiment
  • 100 (Independent) Tank Transporter Company (ASC)
  • 107 Engineers Regiment (Bombay Sappers)
  • 323 Field Hospital
  • 423 Field Hospital
  • 523 ASC Battalion
  • 623 EME Battalion

Assigned brigades

All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II

References

  1. ^ Cole p. 82
  2. ^ Renaldi and Rikhye 2011, 48
  3. ^ Renaldi and Rikhye, 2011, 48.
  4. ^ . Order of Battle. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2009.

Bibliography

  • Cole, Howard (1973). Formation Badges of World War 2. Britain, Commonwealth and Empire. London: Arms and Armour Press.

Further reading

  • Parrott, J. G. A., Role of the 49 Indian Infantry Brigade in Surabaya, Oct.-Nov. 1945, Australian thesis

External links

  • "23 Indian Infantry Division". Orders of Battle.com.
  • Burma Star organisation site[permanent dead link]

December 28, 2022
23rd, indian, infantry, division, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 23rd Indian Infantry Division news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message The 23rd Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II It fought in the Burma Campaign It was then reformed as a division of the independent Indian Army in 1959 23rd Indian Infantry DivisionFormation sign of the 23rd Indian Infantry Division 1 Active1942 19471959 CountryBritish India IndiaAllegiance British EmpireBranch British Indian Army Indian ArmyTypeInfantrySizeDivisionEngagementsBattle of ImphalCommandersCurrentcommanderMajor General RS Guraya Vishisht Seva MedalNotablecommandersMajor General Reginald SavoryMajor General Ouvry Lindfield Roberts Contents 1 History 1 1 Battle of Imphal 1 2 Operation Zipper 1 3 Postwar 1 4 Current Status of 23 Infantry Division 2 23 Artillery Brigade 3 61 Infantry Brigade 4 167 Infantry Brigade 5 301 Infantry Brigade 6 Order of battle 7 Presently Units assigned in 23rd Infantry Division 8 Assigned brigades 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 Further reading 12 External linksHistory EditThe division was raised on 1 January 1942 at Jhansi in Central India Its badge was a red fighting cock on a yellow circle The animal was chosen by Major General Reginald Savory the division s first commander as one which would offend neither the Moslem nor Hindu soldiers of the division In May that year while the division was still forming it was ordered to Imphal in Manipur where Burma Corps was retreating having been driven out of Burma by the Japanese Imphal lay within the mountainous frontier between India and Burma and the division was ordered to move while the monsoon season was at its height Movement was difficult and disease mainly malaria but also typhus was rampant The division s chief claim to respect lies in holding its positions in these trying conditions while also trying to undertake basic training On 3 June 1943 Major General Savory was promoted and appointed Director of Infantry in India The division was temporarily commanded by Brigadier Collingridge of 37th Brigade until 15 August when Major General Ouvry Lindfield Roberts who had gained widespread respect by his handling of operations in the Middle East was appointed Battle of Imphal Edit In March 1944 the Japanese launched a major attack on the British troops at Imphal At the time 23rd Division was the reserve unit for Indian IV Corps After its previous service in Imphal the division was no less than 5 000 men short of establishment about 18 500 This was due mainly to disease and poor administration in the rear areas in 1943 which prevented many recovering sick men from rejoining the division When the Japanese offensive began Indian 17th Infantry Division was cut off in its forward position at Tiddim One brigade of 23rd division was left to hold Imphal while the remainder of the division was sent to help extricate the 17th Division Once the two divisions had linked up they retreated to Bishenpur south of Imphal being supplied by parachute drops The 23rd Division was then sent to Kanglatongbi north of Imphal where Japanese troops had cut the road linking Imphal with India and were threatening a major supply dump The Japanese were held back while the dump was emptied of stores In June all the divisions at Imphal were reorganised and repositioned 23rd Division defended the Shenam Saddle southeast of Imphal against the last Japanese attacks in this area Operation Zipper Edit After the end of the Battle of Imphal the division was withdrawn to India After recuperating it began training for future operations in Malaya Major General Roberts was promoted to command Indian XXXIV Corps and the division was commanded by Major General Douglas Hawthorn In mid 1945 the division was due to take part in Operation Zipper a landing on the west coast of Malaya as part of XXXIV Corps Although forestalled by the Japanese surrender the landing took place unopposed as the quickest means of sending troops to Malaya to enforce the surrender Later that year the division was sent to Java where the end of the war had brought widespread disorder and conflict between the restored Dutch East Indies colonial regime and pro independence movements The division was broken up in Java in 1947 2 and its units were merged into the Indian 5th Infantry Division Postwar Edit Current Divisional HQ is located at Dipatoli Cantonment Ranchi in Jharkhand The division was raised 1 September 1959 for the Nagaland insurgency when GOC Assam was redesignated as GOC 23rd Infantry Division 3 Current Status of 23 Infantry Division Edit There are 4 brigades in 23 Infantry Division They are 23 Artillery Brigade Dipatoli Cantt Ranchi Jharkhand 61 Infantry Brigade Dipatoli Cantt Ranchi Jharkhand 167 Infantry Brigade Shahjahanpur Cantt Shahjahanpur Uttar Pradesh 301 Infantry Brigade MONUSCO South Africa 23 Artillery Brigade EditThe artillery brigade is situated in Dipatoli Cantt Ranchi Jharkhand The artillery brigade consists of 5 Artillery units they are 1 Field Regiment 3 Medium Regiments and 1 Surveillance And Target Acquisitions Battery Currently assigned units are 166 Medium Regiment 237 Medium Regiment 299 Medium Regiment Dhanush Howitzer 100 Field Regiment 636 SATA Battery61 Infantry Brigade EditThe infantry brigade was earlier situated in Namkom Military Station Ranchi Jharkhand On 1 August 2019 the brigade is shifting to Dipatoli Cantt after the moving of 17 Corps to Panagarh West Bengal The brigade is assigned with 3 different Infantry Regiment They are 3rd Battalion The 8th Gorkha Rifles 2nd Battalion The Mahar Regiment 9th Battalion The Bihar Regiment167 Infantry Brigade EditThe brigade is situated in Shahjahanpur Military Station Shahjahanpur Uttar Pradesh The brigade consists of 4 Infantry Regiments They are 11th Battalion The Maratha Light Infantry 14th Battalion The Jat Regiment 21st Battalion The Kumaon Regiment 31st Battalion The Rajput Regiment301 Infantry Brigade EditThe brigade is situated in South Africa The brigade is on the MONUSCO Mission from the year 2004 shifting from Ranchi to South Africa Order of battle Editas of 1 April 1944 GOC Major General Ouvry Roberts 1st Indian Infantry Brigade Brigadier A King 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders 1st Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment 1st Battalion Patiala Infantry Regiment State forces 37th Indian Infantry Brigade Brigadier P C Marindin 3rd Battalion 3rd Gurkha Rifles 3rd Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles Frontier Force 3rd Battalion 10th Gurkha Rifles 49th Indian Infantry Brigade Brigadier F Esse 4th Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry 6th Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry 5th Battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles Divisional Units 2nd Battalion 19th Hyderabad Regiment divisional reconnaissance unit 4th Battalion 12th Frontier Force Regiment divisional machine gun unit 158th Field Assault Regiment Royal Artillery The Fighting Cock 23rd div history 3rd Field Regiment Royal Indian Artillery IA 28th Mountain Regiment IA 2nd Anti Tank Light Anti Aircraft Regiment IA 23rd Indian Infantry Division Provost Unit 23rd Indian Infantry Division Signal Unit 69th 71st 91st Field Companies Royal Indian Engineers IE 305th Field Park Company IE 21st 24th 50th 61st Animal Transport Companies Indian Army Service Corps IASC 121st 122nd 123rd General Purpose Transport Companies IASC 12th 13th 14th 15th Composite Units IASC 24th 47th 49th Indian Field Ambulances Indian Army Medical Corps IAMC 23rd Ordnance Field Park Indian Army Ordnance Corps IAOC 38th 61st Infantry Workshop Companies Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers IEME 23rd Indian Division Recovery Company IEMEPresently Units assigned in 23rd Infantry Division Edit23 IDSR Infantry Division Signal Regiment 23 IDOU Infantry Division Ordnance Unit 23 IDPU Infantry Division Provost Unit 51 Armoured Regiment 100 Independent Tank Transporter Company ASC 107 Engineers Regiment Bombay Sappers 323 Field Hospital 423 Field Hospital 523 ASC Battalion 623 EME BattalionAssigned brigades EditAll these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade 98th Indian Infantry Brigade 64th Indian Infantry Brigade 23rd Indian Infantry Brigade 1st Indian Infantry Brigade 49th Indian Infantry Brigade 123rd Indian Infantry Brigade 37th Indian Infantry Brigade 50th Indian Parachute Brigade 32nd Indian Infantry Brigade 37th Indian Infantry Brigade 268th Indian Infantry Brigade 4 References Edit Cole p 82 Renaldi and Rikhye 2011 48 Renaldi and Rikhye 2011 48 23 Division units Order of Battle Archived from the original on 26 September 2011 Retrieved 22 October 2009 Bibliography EditCole Howard 1973 Formation Badges of World War 2 Britain Commonwealth and Empire London Arms and Armour Press Further reading EditParrott J G A Role of the 49 Indian Infantry Brigade in Surabaya Oct Nov 1945 Australian thesisExternal links Edit 23 Indian Infantry Division Orders of Battle com Burma Star organisation site permanent dead link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 23rd Indian Infantry Division amp oldid 1115864331, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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