Indian 8th Infantry Division
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| 8th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 1940 - |
| Country | India |
| Branch | Indian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Nickname | The Clovers |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Monte Cassino |
| Battle honours | North Africa Italy |
The 8th Indian Infantry Division is a division of the Indian Army which specialised in tactics and operations in mountainous territory.
Orinally formed in Meerut on 25th October 1940 under Maj General C.O. Harvey, C.B., C.B.E., C.V.O., M.C. as part of the British Indian Army the Division was disbanded at the end of World War II but re-formed again in 1962 as a specialist mountain Division.
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[edit] HISTORY: World War II
8th Indian Div was one of the most formidable fighting units of the war. Despite its relatively late introduction into the mainstream of battle its members won nearly 600 awards and honours including 4 Victoria Crosses.
[edit] Iraq and Iran
When originally formed the Division's main fighting formations were 17th, 18th and 19th Brigades.
On June 9, 1941 17 Brigade arrived in Basra to join the Brirish Forces which had landed in Iraq in April to secure thr British-owned oilfields. These oilfields were perceived to be threatened when a coup d'etat brought into power Rashid Ali el Gailani who was sympathetic to the Axis powers[1]. By the second half of June the brigade had moved to Mosul to defend British-owned oilfields from an anticipated thrust by Axis forces south through the Caucasus.
At the end of June 1 Battalion Frontier Force Regiment and 5 Battalion Frontier Force Rifles were detached from 17 Brigade to join 20 Indian Brigade (part of 10th Indian Division) to take the Duck's Bill area in north east Syria and secure the Mosul to Aleppo railway.[2]
On July 17 General Harvey and the divisional HQ arrived in Basra and had 24th Indian Brigade (which had arrived on June 16) assigned to the division. 18 Brigade arrived in Iraq on July 26. The British, having secured the Iraqi oilfields, now focused their concern on Persia (now Iran) where it had been estimated there were some 3000 German nationals working as technicians, commercial agents and advisors[3]. The division first saw shots fired in anger in August 1941 when 24th Brigade made a made a night-time amphibious assault across the Shatt al Arab to capture the oil refinery at Abadan in South Persia. Meanwhile 18 Brigade had crossed into Persia between Basra and Abadan to take Khorramshahr and became part of a three brigade advance towards Ahwaz, 75 miles north east of Basra. The fighting ended on August 28 when the Shah ordered his forces to cease hostlities.
19 Brigade arrived in Iraq in August and by October 17, 18 and 19 Brigades had concentrated at Kirkuk in northern Iraq and moved north of the oilfields where they were joined by the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (6th DCO Lancers).
[edit] North Africa
In June 1942 18 Brigade, having been rushed over to North Africa from Mosul, and with only two days to prepare defensive positions, was over-run by Rommel's tanks at Deir el Shein in front of the Ruweisat Ridge. In the process, however, they gained valuable time for British Eighth Army to organise the defenses for what was to be the first battle of Alamein halting Rommel's advance towards Egypt. The Brigade was never re-formed.
[edit] Iraq and Syria
From August 1942 the Division, still a Brigade short, became part of Paiforce when Persia and Iraq became a separate command under General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson in Baghdad (General Quinan's Tenth Army in Iraq and Persia having previously come under Middle East Command in Cairo). As the threat from the North faded following the Axis defeats at Alamein and Stalingrad the Division withdrew in October 1942 to Kifri near Baghdad where it was joined by 21st Brigade and the 3rd, 52nd and 53rd Field Regiments, Royal Artillery. It spent the winter in intensive training.
In January 1943 command of the Division passed to Major General (later Lieut Gen) Dudley Russell , D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C. (The Pasha), the highly successful commander of Indian 5 Brigade, part of the famous "Red Eagles" 4th Indian Division. The Division moved in March 1943 to Damascus and continued to spend much of its time training, notably in mountain warfare and combined operations.
In June 1943 the Division received orders to seize the Italian-occupied island of Rhodes, the chief Axis stronghold in the Aegean Sea. After frantic preparation and having loaded the first wave of ships, the operation was cancelled when the Italian government surrendered and the Division was redirected to Italy which the German army continued to occupy.
[edit] Italy
In 24th September 1943 the Division landed in Taranto (Italy), to take its part in the Italian Campaign , and for 19 months was almost continuously in action advancing through mountainous country, crossing river after river.
From October 1943 to April 1944 the Division was part of the Allied thrust up the Adriatic front on the Eastern side of Italy. This involved opposed river crossings of the Biferno, Trigno (October 1943), Sangro (November 1943)and Moro (December 1943). The following three months proved almost as arduous for, although there was little fighting, holding the line in abominable winter weather was physically hugely demanding and stressful.
When the spring came the Division was switched 60 miles west across the Central Apennine mountains to concentrate along the River Gari at a part of the river better known as the Rapido. The Rapido crossing in May 1944, supported by Canadian tanks (1st Canadian Armoured Brigade)with which the Division had formed a particularly close fighting relationship over the previous six months, pierced the Gustav Line, turning the Cassino defenses and causing the Germans finally to pull out of Cassino. Following this, the Division advanced some 240 miles in June across mountainous country fighting many actions against rearguards and defended strongpoints. In late June they had reached Asissi and the Division was rested. It was during the fighting on the Rapido that Kamal Ram of the 3/8th Punjab Regiment won his Victoria Cross, at 19 years of age, the youngest recipient of the war.
By the end of July 1944 the Division was back in the line with 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade in front of Florence pushing towards the River Arno. Florence was occupied by 21 Brigade on 12th August where they had the unusual task to recover some of the world's greatest art treasures and arrange safe custody. By mid September the Division was in the mountains again breaking through the Gothic Line and then spending two months of grim battling in foul weather towards the plains of Northern Italy together with the British 1st, British 78th Divisions and the 6th Armoured Division. It was during this time that Thaman Gurung of the 1/5 Royal Gurkha Rifles won his Victoria Cross.
In December 1944 the New Zealand 2nd Division took Faenza and the resistance on the 8th Division's front weakened. In late December 1944 19 and 21 Brigades were rapidly switched across the Apennines to reinforce the US 92nd Division in front of Lucca. By the time they had arrived the Germans had broken through but decisive action by Maj-Gen Russell halted their advance and the situation was stabilised by the New Year. The Division then moved to Pisa for a period of rest.
In mid-February 1945 the Division was back in the line on the Adriatic front in front of the River Senio. The main assault on the Senio started on 9th April. In desperate fighting two members of the Division, Namdeo Jadav and Ali Haidar, won the Victoria Cross. By 11th April the Division reached and crossed the River Santerno breaking open a hole for the 78th Division and 6th Armoured Divisions to push through to join 56th Division to engage the enemy and defeat them in the Argenta Gap, opening the way to Ferrara and the Po River. The 10th Indian Division also used 8th Division's crossing of the Santerno to link with and New Zealand 2nd Division and loop westward around the flooded area surrounding Argenta. In the aftermath of the Argenta fighting, the Division drove on rapidly through to Ferrara and across the Po and shortly therefter to their last river crossing of the war, the Adige.
In April 1945 the campaign ended. The 6th DCO Lancers marked the occasion with a special mission, sending an officer and nine men far up the road towards Austria and arranged the surrender of 11,000 men of their old enemy the First German Parachute Division.
[edit] Formation During World War II
According to the booklet issued to mark the inauguration of the Indian Divisions Memorial 1939-1945 at the UK Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in June 1982 the Formation of the Division during WW2 was as follows:
[edit] Headquarters
- 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Div Reconnaissance Reg)
- Royal Artillery
- HQ
- 3, 52 & 53 FD Regts RA
- 26 Light A.A. Regt RA
- 4 Mahratta Anti-Tank Regt
- Indian Engineers: Sappers & Miners
- 7, 66 69 FD Coys K.G.O Bengal
- 47 FD Park Coy K.G.O. Bengal
- 8 Indian Div Signals
- 5 Royal Bn MG 5TH Maharatta Regiment
[edit] 17 Indian Infantry Brigade
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- HQ
- 1 BN Royal Fusiliers
- 1 BN (Prince of Wales Own Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regt
- 1 BN 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles
[edit] 18 Indian Infantry Brigade (up to June 1942)
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- HQ
- 2 BN 5th Essex Regiment
- 4 BN 11th Sikh Regiment
- 2 BN 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles
[edit] 19 Indian Infantry Brigade
-
- HQ
- 1/5 BN The Essex Regt (up to early 1944)
- 1 BN Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (from early 1944)
- 3 BN 8th Punjab Regt
- 6 Royal BN 13th Frontier Force Rifles
[edit] 21 Indian Infantry Brigade (from October 1942)
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- HQ
- 5 BN The West Kent Regt
- 1 BN 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
- 3 BN 15th Punjab Regt
- 1 Jaipur Infantry, State Forces (from late 1944)
[edit] Support Units
- Royal Indian Army Service Corps
- 8 Ind Div Troops Tpt Coy
- 17, 19 & 21 Brigade Tpt Coys
- Div Supply Units
- Medical Services
- I.M.S-R.A.M.C-I.M.D-I.H.C-I.A.M.C
- 29, 31,& 33 Indian Field Ambulances
- 8 Indian Div Provost Ubit
- Indian Army Ordnance Corps
- 8 Indian Div Ordnance FD Park
- Indian Electrical & Mechanical Engineers
- 120,121 & 122 Infantry Workshop Coys
- 8 Indian Div Recovery Coy
[edit] HISTORY: Post World War II
Re-raised in 1962, the Division differs from more conventional infantry divisions in the emphasis that is placed on infantry tactics and the limited role that armour can be expected to take in operations. The armour that is used may differ from that used by other infantry divisions, for example, specialised mountain guns are required in many areas where the Division might be expected to operate.
The Division was initially created for operations against insurgents fighting for a separate state of Nagaland. In the mid-1990s, the formation was moved to the Kashmir valley in response to conflict there.
During the early summer of 1999, the Division was moved north to the Kargil District to augment the beleaguered 3rd Division, which was based in Leh, during Operation Vijay II. It is now permanently based in that sector as part of XIV Corps.
The Division has been constantly involved in operations since its creation.
[edit] Badge
During World War II the insignia of the Division was a yellow four-leafed clover (some versions appear as three-leafed -see images) flanked on each side by a yellow three-leafed clover, their stalks forming a "V", all on a red background. The Division and its members were thus referred to as "clovers".
In its second incarnation the formation sign of the Division depicts a red dagger superimposed on two overlapping gold circles on a black background.
[edit] Sources
MacKenzie, Compton (1951), Eastern Epic. Chatto & Windus, London
Anon (1946), The Tiger Triumphs: The Story of Three Great Divisions in Italy. HMSO
Yeats-Brown, F (1945), Martial India. Eyre and Spottiswoode, London
Anon (1946?), One More River: The Story of The Eighth Indian Division. H.W. Smith, Times of India Press, Bombay
P.B. Kirrage (1947), War Experiences. Unpublished
