| 5th Indian Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
Ball of Fire |
|
| Active | 1939 - 1945 |
| Country | India |
| Branch | British Indian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Nickname | "Ball of Fire". |
| Engagements | East African Campaign (World War II) Western Desert Campaign Burma Campaign Battle of Kohima Operation Tiderace Battle of Surabaya |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lewis Heath Harold Rawdon Briggs Geoffrey Evans |
Indian 5th Infantry Division was an infantry division in the Indian Army during World War II which fought in several theatres of war and more than earned its nickname the "Ball of Fire".
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The Division was formed at Secunderabad in India from the Deccan District Headquarters, with two brigades of three Indian infantry battalions each. It moved to the Sudan in 1940 and was joined by three British infantry battalions already there. The division was reorganised into three brigades each with one British and two Indian battalions (as was the prevailing custom).
The divisional sign, of a red circle on a black background which gave the division its nickname, was selected after the first selection of a boar's head was deemed offensive to Moslem soldiers and every other animal suggested had already been selected by other newly-raised divisions.
The division fought in the East African Campaign in Eritrea and Ethiopia during 1940 and 1941, thence moving to Egypt, Cyprus and Iraq. In 1942 the division was heavily engaged in the Western Desert Campaign and in the fighting withdrawal to Alamein. From late 1943 to the Japanese surrender it fought continuously from India through the length of Burma. After the end of the war, it was the first unit into Singapore and then fought pro-Independence forces in Eastern Java.
Lord Louis Mountbatten wrote in his memoirs paying tribute to the division whose record was "second to none", saying:[1]
| “ | When the Division came under my command in South-East Asia towards the end of 1943, it had already had three years' hard fighting in Africa. In 1941 it had played a leading part in the defeat of the Italian Army in the Sudan, Eritrea, and Abyssinia; in the summer of 1942 it had been very heavily engaged with the Germans and Italians in the crucial battle of the Knightsbridge 'Cauldron,' and in the fighting withdrawal across North Africa to the defence of the Alamein line...when I first met the men of this Division, soon after the formation of the South-East Asia Command---indeed it was the first Division that I visited---its reputation was already high...the Division was heavily engaged in the first land battle to be fought since the Command had been set up...and a large share of the credit must go to the Fifth Indian Division for the first decisive victory against the Japanese since they had invaded two years previously...(the) land victory at Kohima and Imphal, in which the Division played an important part, proved to be the turning-point of the Burma Campaign...The Division continued to fight and to advance throughout the rest of the war, except for one period of rest and reorganization...Its record was second to none and I was proud to have such a fine formation under my command. | ” |
The Indian 5th Infantry Division, under the command of Major-General Lewis Heath and comprising only two brigades at the time, was sent from India to the Sudan to reinforce the British forces there under Lieutenant-General Sir William Platt which had been attacked by Italian forces in Eritrea, at the time part of the Italian East African Empire. On 10 June, 1940, before the arrival of the 5th Division, Platt had only three infantry battalions[2] and the machine-gun companies of the Sudan Defence Force.
The 5th Division started to arrive in the Sudan in early September 1940 and absorbed Platt's three British infantry battalions (the 1st battalion Worcestershire Regiment, the 1st Battalion Essex Regiment and the 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment, and formed a third infantry brigade. After these rearrangements, the division consisted of the Indian 9th, 10th and 29th Infantry Brigades.
For the next three months the division was involved in a series of aggressive skirmishing operations to keep the Italian forces off balance and confused as to Platt's longer-term intentions. In early 1941, Platt's forces were further augmented by Indian 4th Infantry Division, rushed from the Western Desert after the breakthrough during Operation Compass, and an attack was launched into Eritrea on 18 January. The climax of the campaign was the Battle of Keren, a fiercely fought series of engagements against superior numbers which ended with victory for Platt's forces on 1 April.
After Keren, 4th Indian Division was withdrawn to Cairo and 5th Indian Division continued the campaign in Eritrea, finally joining up with elements of Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham's forces, which had advanced north from Kenya to capture Italian Somaliland and the Italian capital of Addis Ababba in Ethiopia, to take the surrender of Amadeo, Duke of Aosta, the Italian Viceroy, at Amba Alagi.
- - Lord Louis Mountbatten wrote in his memoirs paying tribute to the division whose record was "second to none", saying:[3]
| “ | When the Division came under my command in South-East Asia towards the end of 1943, it had already had three years' hard fighting in Africa. In 1941 it had played a leading part in the defeat of the Italian Army in the Sudan, Eritrea, and Abyssinia; in the summer of 1942 it had been very heavily engaged with the Germans and Italians in the crucial battle of the Knightsbridge 'Cauldron,' and in the fighting withdrawal across North Africa to the defence of the Alamein line...when I first met the men of this Division, soon after the formation of the South-East Asia Command---indeed it was the first Division that I visited---its reputation was already high...the Division was heavily engaged in the first land battle to be fought since the Command had been set up...and a large share of the credit must go to the Fifth Indian Division for the first decisive victory against the Japanese since they had invaded two years previously...(the) land victory at Kohima and Imphal, in which the Division played an important part, proved to be the turning-point of the Burma Campaign...The Division continued to fight and to advance throughout the rest of the war, except for one period of rest and reorganization...Its record was second to none and I was proud to have such a fine formation under my command. | ” |
At the end of 1943 the division was taking part in the Burma Campaign as one of the Divisions in the British Fourteenth Army under the command of General William Slim. It was facing the Japanese 55th Division on the coastal flank of the Arakan front. The defeat of the Japanese 55th Division, to which a large share of the credit must go to the Indian 5th Division, was the first decisive victory against the Japanese since they had invaded Burma two years previously.
From the victory in the Arakan sector the Indian 5th Infantry Division was air-lifted to the central front. 161 Brigade joined III Corps, which was beginning to arrive at Dimapur, and fought in the Battle of Kohima while the remainder of the division reinforced IV Corps, whose land victory at Kohima and Imphal, in which the Division played an important part, proved to be the turning-point of the Burma Campaign.
Except for one period of rest and reorganization, the Indian 5th Division continued to fight and to advance throughout the rest of the war, and took part in the final thrust by IV Corps down to Rangoon.
After service in Burma the Division was the first unit to be landed in Singapore as part of Operation Tiderace and was later sent to Java as part of the Allied occupation of the Dutch East Indies. It saw heavy fighting during the Battle of Surabaya in November 1945.
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All theses brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II
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