31st Indian Armoured Division
Encyclopedia
The 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured formation of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, as 1st Indian Armoured Division; it consisted of units of the British Army
and the British Indian Army
. When it was raised it consisted of two Armoured Brigades (1st and 2nd Indian Armoured Brigades) and one Motor Brigade (3rd Indian Motor Brigade
).
In mid-1942, by which time the support group had been disbanded, the 251st brigade was detached and the rest of the division was shipped to join the British Tenth Army and served in Iraq
, Syria
and Lebanon
. The division never saw combat although the motor brigade was detached to Egypt and saw heavy action in the Western Desert Campaign
during 1942 and again in 1944 and 1945 when, reformed as the 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade (Lorried) it was sent to the Italian Campaign
as an independent brigade. The closest the rest of the division came to combat was in April 1944 when it was rushed to Egypt to crush a mutiny among the Greek 1st Infantry Brigade.
The Tank Regiments received M4 Sherman
s in November 1943, thought to be in preparation for a transfer to Italy
which never came about, and only drove them in Iraq, Syria and Egypt
.
The Division is now active as part of the present-day Indian Army
, headquartered at Jhansi
as part of XXI Corps
.
Commander Royal Artillery: Brigadier C.P.B. Wilson
252nd Indian Armoured Brigade
3rd Indian Motor Brigade
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
. When it was raised it consisted of two Armoured Brigades (1st and 2nd Indian Armoured Brigades) and one Motor Brigade (3rd Indian Motor Brigade
3rd Indian Motor Brigade
The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade was a unit of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940. In its short history one of its regiments would be involved in the siege of Tobruk and the brigade was twice overrun during the Western Desert Campaign by units of the Afrika Corps and the Italian...
).
History
At the end of 1941, by which time 1st Indian Support Group had joined the division, it was renamed 31st Indian Armoured Division and its brigades redesignated as the 251st and 252nd Indian Armoured Brigades and 31st Indian Support Group (the Motor Brigade's name remained unchanged).In mid-1942, by which time the support group had been disbanded, the 251st brigade was detached and the rest of the division was shipped to join the British Tenth Army and served in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. The division never saw combat although the motor brigade was detached to Egypt and saw heavy action in the Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
during 1942 and again in 1944 and 1945 when, reformed as the 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade (Lorried) it was sent to the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
as an independent brigade. The closest the rest of the division came to combat was in April 1944 when it was rushed to Egypt to crush a mutiny among the Greek 1st Infantry Brigade.
The Tank Regiments received M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
s in November 1943, thought to be in preparation for a transfer to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
which never came about, and only drove them in Iraq, Syria and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
The Division is now active as part of the present-day Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
, headquartered at Jhansi
Jhansi
Jhansi Hindi:झाँसी, , Marathi: झाशी, is a historical city of India. Jhansi is the administrative headquarters of Jhansi District and Jhansi Division. The original walled city grew up around its stone fort, which crowns a neighboring rock. This district is on the bank of river Betwa.The National...
as part of XXI Corps
XXI Corps (India)
XXI Corps is a corps of the Indian Army. It is the only strike corps in Army’s Poona-based Southern Command. After India's intervention in Sri Lanka, the provisional HQ controlling India's expeditionary force, HQ Indian Peace Keeping Force, became HQ XXI Corps in April 1990. It was then moved to...
.
Formation 1942
Commander: Major General Robert Harley WordsworthRobert Harley Wordsworth
Major-General Robert Harley Wordsworth was an officer in the British Indian Army during World War II.From 1942, major-general Wordsworth commanded the 31st Indian Armoured Division. As part of the British 10th Army, his division was stationed in Persia in 1942...
Commander Royal Artillery: Brigadier C.P.B. Wilson
252nd Indian Armoured Brigade252nd Indian Armoured BrigadeThe 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade was an armoured formation of the Indian Army during World War II.It was formed as the 3rd Indian Cavalry Brigade in September 1939, and then when mechanized renamed the 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade in February 1940, and finally the 252nd in January 1942, when it was...
- Brigade Commander G.Carr-White
- 14th/20th Hussars
- 14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde HorseThe 14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army it can trace its formation back to two regiments of Scinde Irregular Horse raised at Hyderabad in 1839 and 1846 respectively....
- 1/4th Bombay Grenadiers4th Bombay GrenadiersThe 4th Bombay Grenadiers were an infantry regiment of the pre-independence Indian Army, formed on 1 March 1922 as part of the reforms of the Indian Army that took place after the end of the First World War. Following this, the Regiment spent the next fifteen years serving in British Somaliland in...
3rd Indian Motor Brigade3rd Indian Motor BrigadeThe 3rd Indian Motor Brigade was a unit of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940. In its short history one of its regiments would be involved in the siege of Tobruk and the brigade was twice overrun during the Western Desert Campaign by units of the Afrika Corps and the Italian...
- Brigade Commander A.A.E. Filose
- 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)The 2nd Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army raised in 1809. It served in the Nepal and First World Wars. During the reconstruction of the British Indian Army in 1922 it was amalgamated with the 4th Cavalry....
- 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force)11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force)The 11th Cavalry also known as PAVO Cavalry, is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry and was a regular cavalry regiment of the old British Indian Army...
- 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry18th King Edward's Own CavalryThe 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922 by the amalagamation of the 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry and the 7th Hariana Lancers...
- 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
- after January 1943
- 2/6th Gurkha Rifles
- 2/8th Gurkha Rifles
- 2/10th Gurkha Rifles
Divisional Units
-
- 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers
- 15th Field Artillery, Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- 144th Field Artillery, R.A.
- 79th Antitank Regiment, R.A.
- 32nd Field Squadron, QVO Madras Sappers & Miners, Indian Engineers
- 39th Field Park Squadron, QVO Madras Sappers & Miners, I.E.
- 31st Indian Armoured Divisional Signals