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| 5th Indian Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 5th Indian Infantry Division |
| Dates | 1939–1947 |
| Country | British India |
| Branch | British Indian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Infantry operations |
| Size | Division |
| Command structure | Indian XV Corps |
| Battles | North African campaign; Western Desert Campaign; East African Campaign; Syria–Lebanon campaign; Anglo-Iraqi War; Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran; Italian Campaign; Burma Campaign |
| Notable commanders | Major General Lewis Heath; Major General Harold Briggs; Major General Orde Wingate |
5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army formed in 1939 that served in multiple theaters during World War II, including East Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, Italy, and Burma. The division participated in major campaigns such as the East African Campaign, the Syria–Lebanon Campaign, the Western Desert Campaign, the Italian Campaign, and the Burma Campaign, earning a reputation for adaptability across desert, mountain, and jungle environments.
The division was created in September 1939 in Secunderabad within British India under the reorganizations following the outbreak of World War II. Early cadres drew personnel from regiments such as the 11th Sikh Regiment, the 5th Royal Mahratta Light Infantry, the 2nd Punjab Regiment and Indian Army brigade formations then stationed in the Madras Presidency and the Bombay Presidency. Initial leadership networks involved officers who had served in the Third Anglo-Afghan War and the interwar reorganizations influenced by doctrines from the British Army and staff officers trained at the Indian Staff College, Quetta. The formation phase saw coordination with units assigned to the Army in India and liaison with the Royal Air Force in the Persian Gulf and Middle East theaters.
Deployed first to the East African Campaign in 1940, the division fought against Italian East Africa forces in Eritrea and Ethiopia, linking operations with the 4th Indian Infantry Division and elements of the British 1st Army in the region. Subsequent redeployment placed the division in the Syria–Lebanon Campaign against Vichy French forces where it coordinated with the Free French Forces and units of the British V Corps. During the Anglo-Iraqi War and the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran the division protected lines of communication and oil installations, cooperating with formations such as the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade and the 6th Indian Infantry Division. In the Western Desert Campaign the division joined the Eighth Army and engaged in battles near Tobruk and the Gazala Line, operating alongside the 2nd New Zealand Division and the 1st Armoured Division. Transferred to the Italian Campaign, the division took part in operations against the 10th Army and the German Winter Line. Later returned to the Burma Campaign, the division fought in jungle assaults supporting the Fourteenth Army operations including actions linked to the Battle of Kohima and the Battle of Imphal, coordinating with formations like the 14th Army Corps and units trained under the Chindits concept and leaders associated with Orde Wingate.
The division's organization evolved with wartime exigencies, typically comprising three infantry brigades, divisional artillery, engineers, reconnaissance elements, and logistical formations. Brigades attached at various times included the 9th Indian Infantry Brigade, the 10th Indian Infantry Brigade, the 29th Indian Infantry Brigade, the 13th Indian Infantry Brigade, and the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade. Supporting arms included the Royal Indian Artillery regiments, companies from the Royal Indian Army Service Corps, squadrons of the Corps of Royal Engineers, and signals detachments from the Indian Army Corps of Signals. Anti-tank and anti-aircraft responsibilities fell to batteries of the Royal Artillery and detachments of the Royal Indian Army Ordnance Corps, while medical services were provided by the Indian Army Medical Corps units. The division coordinated with armored brigades such as the 254th Indian Tank Brigade and reconnaissance units including the 9th Armoured Brigade when operating in the Western Desert and Italian theaters.
Command of the division changed hands among several senior officers who had reputations in colonial and expeditionary operations. Key commanders included Major General Lewis Heath, who later commanded the Indian III Corps, Major General Harold Briggs, noted for later work with irregular warfare doctrine, and officers who worked closely with leaders like Orde Wingate, Claude Auchinleck, and William Slim. Senior British Army and Indian Army staff who served at divisional level had prior ties to institutions such as the Staff College, Camberley and the Imperial Defence College, and some later advanced to corps and army commands within the British Indian Army establishment.
Following the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II, the division undertook garrison duties in liberated territories and participated in demobilization tasks alongside Royal Navy and Royal Air Force elements during the transition to peacetime. The changing strategic environment after the Indian Independence Act 1947 and the partition of British India led to the reallocation of personnel and units to the successor forces of India and Pakistan. Administrative winding down involved coordination with the War Office (United Kingdom) and the Commander-in-Chief, India as divisions were disbanded or reconstituted into peacetime brigades, culminating in the formal disbandment of the division in the immediate postwar years.
The division's service is commemorated in regimental histories of formations such as the Sikh Regiment, the Mahar Regiment, and the Punjab Regiment, and in campaign narratives covering the East African Campaign, the North African Campaign, and the Burma Campaign. Memorials and rolls of honour appear at sites including Kohima War Cemetery, the Kranji War Cemetery, and regimental museums such as the National Army Museum (United Kingdom) and the Regimental Centre, Mhow. Scholarly works on the British Indian Army and monographs on leaders like William Slim, Claude Auchinleck, and historians of the Second World War analyze the division's operational impact, while veterans' associations and archives preserve personal papers and unit war diaries in institutions such as the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives (United Kingdom). Category:Infantry divisions of the British Indian Army