View Single Post
Old 03-05-2005, 07:40 PM   #4 (permalink)
populus02
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 6
populus02 is an unknown quantity at this point
a lot of battialions from divisions in north afria went to form the indian paracute regiment , 44th indian airborne division which later went on to fight in burma , english regiments would have been used too . here are the formations of it :
01-Nov-44 Orders for the formation of the division were given by
Supreme Allied Commander, SEAC in Oct-44, confirmed by the War
Office in Nov-44. Headquarters formed from 44 Indian Armoured
Division HQ, taking the place of the planned 9 Indian Airborne Division.

01-Nov-45 Redesignated 2 Indian Airborne Division

Commanders

01-Nov-45 Maj Gen EE Down

Divisional Troops

Artillery

Field Regiments

123rd Parachute Field Regiment, RA

LAA/Anti-Tank Regiments

23rd Parachute Light Antiaircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

Light Anti-aircraft Regiments

23rd Light Antiaircraft Regiment, RA Re-designated 23rd Para LAA/Atk Regt

Light Regiments

159th Parachute Light Regiment RA

Engineers

Field Companies

12th Field Company, RE Re-designated 12th Para Sqn

Parachute Field Park Squadrons

40th Indian Field Park Squadron, IE

Parachute Squadrons

12th Parachute Field Squadron, RE

33rd Parachute Squadron, IE

411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers

Recce

44th Indian Airborne Division Reconnaissance Squadron
(Governor General's Bodyguard)

Brigades

14 Airlanding Brigade

2nd Battalion, The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)

2nd Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)

4th Battalion (Outram's), 6th Rajputana Rifles (4/6th Raj Rif)

6th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment (6/16th Punjab)

50 Indian Parachute Brigade 01-Nov-44 01-Nov-45

1st (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment

152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion

153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion

2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment
Re-designated from 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion Re-designated from 3/7th Gurkhas

3rd Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion

411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers

50th Medium Machine Gun Company

77 Indian Parachute Brigade

15th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment formed as 15th (Kings) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

16th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment formed as 16th (Staffords) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment

4th (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment

44th Independent Pathfinder Company


50 Indian Parachute Brigade

01-Oct-41 Formed at Delhi in October 1941

Units

16th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

151st Parachute Battalion

1st (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from151st Parachute Battalion 152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion

153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion

2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 153rd (Gurkha)

Parachute Battalion

3rd Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles (3/7th Gurkha Rifles)

154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion Re-designated from 3/7th Gurkhas

3rd Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 154th (Gurkha)

Parachute Battalion

411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers

50th Independent Parachute Platoon (Brigade Defence Platoon)

50th Medium Machine Gun Company






The Badge of this unit was



The same Badge was used by this unit as that of the British Airborne Division, the well known Pegasus with the addition of the word India in Blue under it's hooves.

History

As the 50th (Indian) Parachute Brigade, it was raised in 1941 and consisted of:-

The 151st British Parachute Battalion
This unit was formed in Delhi in 1941 from volunteers from twenty three British infantry battalions serving in India. In October the Battalion was transfered to the Middle East where it joined 4th Parachute Brigade and was reumbers the 156th Parachute Battalion.

The 152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion
This unit was formed from nineteen Indian infantry regiments

The 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion
This unit was formed from volunteers from nine Gurkha regiments.

The 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion
This unit was formed from the 3rd Btn of the 7th Gurkha Rifles: it joined the Brigade in October 1943

By the summer of 1945, the 50th Parachute Brigade had been expended to full divisional strength and was renamed the 44th Indian Infantry Division.

The 50th Parachute Brigade of this Division was in Action at Imphal (Sangshak) in 1944 & again in May 1945 when it made an Airborne Landing South of Rangoon in support of the26th Indian Division.

The 44th Indian Airborne Division consisted of:-

50th Indian Parachute Brigade made up of:
16th (British) Parachute Btn
1st (Indian) Parachute Btn
3rd (Gurkha) Parachute Btn

77th (Indian) Parachute Brigade made up of:
15th (British) Parachute Btn
4th (Indian) Parachute Btn
2nd (Gurkha) Parachute Btn
44th (British) Independent Pathfinder Company

14th Air Landing Brigade made up of:
2nd Btn The Black Watch
4th Btn Rajputana Rifles
6th/16th Punjab Regiment
4th Btn 5th Mahratta Light Infantry Regt

The Division was renumbered 2nd Indian Airborne Division in January 1947


They were COMMANDED by

Maj/Gen Hope-Thomson


hope its not all usless information .
populus02 is offline   Reply With Quote