Indian IV Corps
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The Indian IV Corps was originally part of Eastern Army in India during World War II, and subsequently formed part of Fourteenth Army. It operated on the central part of the front during the Burma Campaign.
It was commanded first by Lieutenant General Noel Irwin. In April, 1942, it deployed to Assam, and held this part of the front for the next two years. It was subsequently commanded by Lieutenant General Geoffrey Scoones, and under his command it fought the epic Battle of Imphal in 1944. The Corps was surrounded by Japanese forces and had to fight extremely hard before it was relieved. During that period, supplies were flown in from India to help the besieged troops.
In 1945, the Corps was commanded by Lieutenant General Frank Messervy. Reorganised as a mechanised and airborne force, the Corps struck deep into Japanese occupied territory to capture the vital transportation and supply centre of Meiktila. Later, it spearheaded the final drive on Rangoon from the north, being supplied largely from the air again.
Shortly after the fall of Rangoon, IV Corps was withdrawn from the control of Fourteenth Army and placed under the newly activated Twelfth Army. Temporarily commanded by Lieutenant General F. S. Tuker, it was responsible for mopping up the remaining Japanese forces in Burma until the end of the war. The Corps was deactivated shortly after the end of hostilities.
After Indian independence, IV Corps was first reactivated in 1961 to cover the Chinese frontier. As of 2004, IV Corps is based in Tezpur and part of the Eastern Command. Eastern Command consists of III, IV, and XXXIII Corps. IV Corps consists of the 2nd Mountain Division, at Dibrugarh, 5th Mountain Division, and 21st Infantry (or Mountain?) Division at Rangia.
