31st Indian Armoured Division

1st Indian Armoured Division 31st Indian Armoured Division
Active	1940–present
Country	British India  India
Allegiance	British Empire  India
Branch	British Indian Army  Indian Army
Type	Armoured
Size	Division
Equipment	Stuart tank M3 Lee M4 Sherman
Engagements	World War II
Commanders
Notable commanders	Thomas Corbett Robert Wordsworth

The 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, originally as the 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).

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, Syria and Lebanon. The division never saw combat although the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade was detached to Egypt and saw heavy action in the Western Desert Campaign during 1941 & 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 Shermans 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.^[1][2]

The Division is now active as part of the present-day Indian Army, headquartered at Jhansi as part of XXI Corps.

Formation 1942

Commander: Major General Robert Wordsworth
Commander Royal Artillery: Brigadier C.P.B. Wilson

252nd Indian Armoured Brigade

• Brigade Commander G.Carr-White
  • 14th/20th Hussars
  • 14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse
  • 1/4th Bombay Grenadiers

3rd Indian Motor Brigade

An Indian Pattern Carrier Mk IIA named 'Dhar IV', North Africa of the type used by 3rd Indian Motor Brigade

• Brigade Commander A.A.E. Filose
  • 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)^[3]
  • 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force)^[3]
  • 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry^[3]
• 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 Artillery
  • 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 ^[4]

Citations

References

• Mackenzie, Compton (1951). Eastern Epic. London: Chatto & Windus. 623 pages. OCLC 1412578.