Indian Light AA/Anti Tank Regiments

Discussion in 'British Indian Army' started by RobG64, Jan 5, 2016.

  1. RobG64

    RobG64 Well-Known Member

    Hi, can anyone tell me the battery compositions of the four Indian LAA/Anti-Tank Regiments formed in India in August 1943?

    The four that were formed were 1st, 2nd, 7th and 15th and would each have had two LAA batteries and two AT batteries

    Also, when reformed as AT Regiments in 1944 does anyone have the new battery composition of the 1st, 2nd and 7th AT Regiments IA (the 15th was disbanded in November 1944)

    Thanks
    Rob
     
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  2. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    I have checked with both Palit's "History of The Regiment of Artillery Indian Army" and Kempton's "A Register of Titles of the Units of the HEIC & Indian Armies". Palit, in his usual poor showing, does not mention batteries in general.

    Kempton does show batteries, but does not indicated any change to LAA/Anti-Tank status for any of the Anti-Tank Regiments. Here is what he shows for batteries for the four anti-tank regiments you mentioned:

    ‘K’ Anti-Tank Regiment, IA
    Raised
    1 August 1940
    Batteries
    1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Anti-Tank Batteries - 1940-44
    1st, 2nd, 30th Anti-Tank Batteries - 1945
    Title Changes
    1st Indian Anti-Tank Regiment, IA - 2 April 1941

    ‘L’ Anti-Tank Regiment, IA
    Raised
    1 April 1941
    Batteries
    5th , 6th, 7th, 8th Anti-Tank Batteries - 1941-44
    5th, 6th, 29th Anti-Tank Batteries - 1945
    Title Changes
    2nd Indian Anti-Tank Regiment, IA - 2 April 1941

    7th Indian Anti-Tank Regiment, IA
    Raised
    1 May 1942 at Kumbhargaon
    Batteries
    25th, 26th, 27th Anti-Tank Batteries - 1942
    25th, 26th, 27th, 39th Anti-Tank Batteries - 1943-44
    9th, 25th, 26th Anti-Tank Batteries - 1945

    15th Punjab Anti-Tank Regiment, IA
    Raised
    1 August 1942 from the M-G Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment
    Batteries
    28th, 29th, 30th, 31st Anti-Tank Batteries

    My suspicion is that two of the anti-tank batteries were reformed as LAA batteries, but Kempton does not mention this. None of the orders of battle in the Indian and British official histories lists batteries. I am surprised I have not thought about this before.
     
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  3. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Rob:

    I found a few more tidbits, strangely enough in my own series of books "The British Armies in World War Two: An Organizational History". This is from Volume Ten on the Indian Army in the Far East 1944-45.

    December 1943 - 26th Indian Infantry Division - Reorganization
    1st Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment, IA
    1st, 2nd Anti-Tank Batteries, IA
    3rd, 4th Light AA Batteries, IA
    March 1944 - 25th Indian Infantry Division - Arakan
    7th Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment, IA
    27th, 39th Anti-Tank Batteries, IA
    25th, 26th Anti-Tank Batteries, IA
     
  4. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    My last entry seems to confirm my guess that the existing batteries were re-assigned with a new role, at two of the four.
     
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  5. RobG64

    RobG64 Well-Known Member

    Dryan67
    As always, thank you for your prompt responses!

    I agree that there isn't enough history on individual batteries in the Indian Artillery. Looks like the regiments go down to three batteries by early 1945. Do I take it that one of these batteries would be heavy mortar and the other two anti-tank?

    Interesting that 9th Anti-Tank Battery IA shows up under 7th Atk Regt in 1945. I'm assuming that this battery was from 3rd Atk Regt that was itself converted into 8th Field Regiment IA in 1945 after the original 8th Field Regiment IA was converted to a medium regiment!

    So confusing!
    Forever in your debt sir

    RobG
     
  6. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    I forgot to check one more volume: The History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre 1941-46.

    I found the following for 2nd Light AA/Anti-Tank Regiment, IA. It was reorganized in 1943 with 205th and 208th Light AA Batteries and 6th and 7th Anti-Tank Batteries.

    I could not find anything in the volume on the batteries of the 1st, 7th and 15th Regiments. I am not sure where the 205th and 208th Batteries numerics came from but I think they just added 200 onto the 5th and 8th Anti-Tank Batteries, IA.
     
  7. Nordic

    Nordic New Member

    According to my fathers wartime records in September 1944 he was posted to the 43 India L.A.A. regiment from the Royal Artillery (initially signed up with T.A. in 1938) and then in June 1945 to the 15 India L.A.A. The threads above are the first that I have come across that come anywhere near close in my research to establish whether the 43 and/or the 15 remained in India or moved on into Burma. I would indeed be grateful if anyone has any information on the the two regiments or could advise on the best source of information.
     
  8. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    The 43rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA was actually a British unit, not an Indian unit. Here is my summary for the 43rd.


    43rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A. (T.A.)

    RHQ, 147th, 148th

    Raised: 10 November 1939 at London


    198th Battery was added on 20 December 1940, but was replaced by 264th Battery on 4 September 1941. In February 1941, the regiment formed part of 65th AA Brigade in Southampton. 298th Battery served under command from 25 November 1941 to 19 February 1942.

    The regiment arrived in Colombo, Ceylon on 4 March 1942 from the United Kingdom and came under 23rd AA Brigade. It came under 24th AA Brigade there in September 1943, but returned to 23rd AA Brigade by December 1944. The regiment and batteries were disbanded on Ceylon on 15 March 1945.
     
  9. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is what I have on the 15th Punjab Light AA/Anti-Tank Regiment, IA:


    15th Punjab Anti-Tank Regiment, IA

    Raised

    1 August 1942 from the M-G Battalion, 15th Punjab Regiment

    Batteries

    28th, 29th, 30th, 31st Anti-Tank Batteries


    The regiment served under command of IV Indian Corps from January to July 1944 in Imphal as a Light AA/A-T Regiment. The regiment was disbanded on 7 November 1944.
     
  10. Nordic

    Nordic New Member

    Dryan67,
    Thank you very much for your reply above. Your information has made me readdress the document from the Army Personnel Centre as the dates for disbanding the two regiments don't tie in with my fathers records however I may well and on reflection I may well have misinformed you. He was in fact after attending 14 Army training school he was transferred to the "B158/43 Indian Battery" either in September or November 1944, there are two conflicting dates. On 30.06.45 it appears he was then attached to the "15 LAA Regt. I.A." until 13.08.45 when he was released to H.B.T.D. for repatriation in September 1945.
    Judging by the records and conversations we had it does appear that most of his time during WWII was with LAA.
    I do apologise for the error and if you can shed any further light on his progress after after September or November 1944 I would indeed be grateful.
    Nordic (Roger)
     
  11. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    It looks like he served with the 43rd Indian Light AA Battery, IA, which was part of the 15th Indian Light AA Regiment, IA. This regiment was different than the 15th Punjab Light AA/Anti-Tank Regiment, IA. Here is its history, which fits in with his service:


    15th Indian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, IA

    Raised
    1 June 1944 form 15th Indian Heavy AA Regiment

    Batteries
    43rd, 48th, 49th (Madrassi) Light AA Batteries


    The regiment served in Assam as a light anti-aircraft regiment and in the Arakan under 13th AA Brigade from late 1944.
     
  12. Nordic

    Nordic New Member

    Dryan67,
    Thank you very much indeed for your response above which for me has now completed his movements whilst in active service. Initially I had approached the Records at Kew and the British Library but it was knowing where to start and thankfully your posting came up on the Internet.
    All the very best.
     
  13. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    No problem. Unfortunately, the topic of the Indian Artillery in the war had been sadly neglected.
     
  14. GrizzlyBear

    GrizzlyBear New Member

    Ok was does 112/28 Lt A A Regiment, India Command actually mean? 28th LAA Regt, RA, India Command, also the same in South East Asia Command. I have photo printed by Myoma Photo Studio, Rangoon BHQ, 112 Battery July 1945 Ted 2 001.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

  15. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    That is the British 28th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. Here is its service:

    28th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A. (T.A.)
    HQ, 112th Bty: Nottingham
    113th Bty: Warwick
    53rd Bty: Derby

    The regiment formed part of 57th AA Brigade at the start of war and was serving under 50th AA Brigade in the Derby/Nottingham area in February 1941. In early 1940, 106th Battery joined and 113th Battery left. On 22 July 1941, 250th Battery joined and 53rd Battery left for the Middle East. The regiment was then sent to India on 6 January 1942 and arrived there on 10 March 1942, moving to Calcutta under 1st Indian AA Brigade. It moved to the Manipur Road area, Imphal under IV Corps in 17 May 1942. The regiment then came under command of 23rd Indian Infantry Division on 31 July 1942 with one section under 1st Indian Infantry Brigade and 250th Battery under 9th Anti-Aircraft Brigade. It reverted to IV Corps on 1 October 1943 and operated in the Imphal area. On 16 July 1944 it came under command of XXXIII Indian Corps at Imphal. It left the front and arrived at Ranchi on 17 September 1944 and came under IV Corps temporarily. It transferred to RA Training HQ No. 40 on 3 October 1944.

    The regiment left for Imphal on 7 January 1945 and arrived on 25 January, coming under 17th Indian Infantry Division. It crossed into Burma on 5 February under IV Corps. It continued with the corps in Burma until it came under 3rd Indian Anti-Aircraft Brigade on 20 June. It moved to Rangoon on 24 June and remained there for the rest of the war.
     
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  16. GrizzlyBear

    GrizzlyBear New Member

    Thank you, so much information, more than I have ever found out before.
     
  17. GrizzlyBear

    GrizzlyBear New Member

    If I add some photos would the senior members be able to shed any light on them, there is nothing on reverse of photos (except for one). Regiment/cadet/anything that might give me a little information. ted8 002.jpg ted10 001.jpg ted11 001.jpg ted9 001.jpg ted4 001.jpg ted5 001.jpg
     
  18. Lewis Dobney

    Lewis Dobney Member

    My great grandad served in the 28th LAA RA. I hope he is in them pictures!
     
  19. Lewis Dobney

    Lewis Dobney Member

    Also a massive thank you for putting this info up about the 28th LAA RA. I now know more about my Great Grandads time in the RA!
     
  20. Lewis Dobney

    Lewis Dobney Member

    If anyone comes across more 28th LAA pics, feel free to send me them. Thanks
     

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