http://www.sikhs.nl/worldwar2.htm#The_Battle_for_Ypres_and_300_Years_of_the_Khalsa This is Sikh based although it is predominantly about their involvement in Italy. The total Allied casualties killed, wounded and missing were 312,000; of these, 42,000 of the killed belonged to the forces of the Commonwealth in Italy. Gurkhas, Sikhs and Muslims, the traditional warriors has a great history in Italy during that terrible and painful period of war. The forces of British India played a major role in both World Wars. Nearly 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth including some 160,000 from the forces of undivided British India died in the 1914-18 and 1939-45 Wars. In the first World War, the strength of the British Indian Army rose to one million and in the 2nd World War with two and half million. During WW-1, it fought in China, France and Belgium ( Flanders ), Mesopotamia against Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt , Palestine, Gallipoli and in East Africa. In 2nd WW, a company of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps was part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940 campaign which ended in the evacuation from Dunkirk ( France ). Divisions of British Indian Army fought in the Western Desert, in the Middle East, in Eritrea, Ethiopia, they fought in Italy and took part in the liberation of Greece. But against Japan in the east, British Indian Army played its greatest role right through from the reverses of 1942 to the final overwhelming victory of 1945.
In 2nd WW, a company of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps was part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940 campaign which ended in the evacuation from Dunkirk ( France ). Indian & Cypriot Muleteers with the BEF http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/1940/23762-indian-cypriot-muleteers-bef.html
Following on my blurb promoting the BBC Peoples War Archives and after reading this timely article about the Sikh's contribution to WW2 I visited the BBC site and keyed in "Sikh" into the search box and found this article: BBC - WW2 People's War - My Life as a Sikh Soldier In India 14 VC s Say no more ! Ron
Indian & Cypriot Muleteers with the BEF http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/1940/23762-indian-cypriot-muleteers-bef.html That's why I highlighted it. I remember something be posted not long ago.
Cheers for bringing it up as it lead me to Google something on there that lead to a great extract about steel helmets v turbans that I posted on the 4th Indian Div headgear thread. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/north-africa-med/6469-headgear-4th-indian-division.html
Manning claimed in an interview on British television some years ago that "there were no Pakis at Dunkirk".
Ignorant twat was shown on TV recently saying that in the Sikh Remembrance prog I mentioned in the 'What's On TV' thread.
Following on my blurb promoting the BBC Peoples War Archives and after reading this timely article about the Sikh's contribution to WW2 I visited the BBC site and keyed in "Sikh" into the search box and found this article: BBC - WW2 People's War - My Life as a Sikh Soldier In India 14 VC s Say no more ! Ron Actually of the 40 Vcs awarded to Indian soldiers 1911-47, only 6 were Sikhs. However the community won a disproportionate share of gallantry awards during British rule and an even more disproportionate share in free India. Disproportionate considering their small share in India's population.
Young Gurkha buried in Berlin CWGC. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-grave-photographs/22493-16-year-old-gurkha-soldiers-grave-berlin.html My father saw the Gurkha's when serving in Italy. He told me that he felt safe when he knew that they were out at night in front of the Allied lines. Regards Tom
The Germans and Italians on the other hand felt not just nervous but distinctly unsafe with the thought of Gurkhas lurking in the neighbourhood. Their penchant for beheading their enemies with their curved Khukri knives scared their enemies no end !