2/13th Frontier Force Rifles or 2/13 Frontier Force Rifles

davidbfpo · Feb 14, 2026

Whilst looking around the site I found a couple of references to the 2/13th Frontier Force Rifles and that it did not have a separate thread. So, this is one! Thanks to dryan67 for the documents he has.

In June 2021 :

I have been studying the time period in November 1944 when the 26th Indian Infantry Division was withdrawn from the Arakan operations to rest and train for operations against Akyab and Ramree.....2/13th Frontier Force Rifles - Colaba beach
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From: "Colabar" beach near Bawli Bazaar - Location

In November 2021 dryan67 posted (relevant sentences only):

I think that the 2nd DWR left Ranchi in March 1943 ... Probably leaving at the same time 2/13th Frontier Force Rifles to 113th Indian Brigade, though these are not confirmed.
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From: 2nd Duke of Wellington's Regiment 18/9/42 to 19/10/43

This arrived two weeks ago:

Abdur Rahim was commissioned in July 1939. He spent first year with The Royal Warwickshire Regiment before joining 2nd Battalion of 13th Frontier Force Rifles (now 8 Frontier Force Regiment of Pakistan army). The class composition of the battalion was one company each of Sikh, Pathan, Dogra and Punjabi Muslim. Battalion was stationed in Madras from 1937 to 1940 when it moved to Waziristan. In 1941, Rahim was posted to Tochi Scouts, North Waziristan where he remained till the end of 1942. He re-joined the battalion in December 1942 before battalion was moved to Burma in March 1943.

Officers of 2/13 FFR who went to Burma included Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel N. G. Guy, Second in Command Major Robert Elsmie, adjutant Captain A.H. Catterill, Captains Rahim, Walker, Sutherland, Penty, Ferard and Lieutenants Smyth, Law, Khattak, Rakhman Gul, and Gilani.

In First Burma campaign, battalion was part of 63rd Brigade and immediately after arrival suffered a disaster. A party of the brigade officers was on a reconnaissance mission when it was ambushed and Commanding Officer and adjutant were killed. Second in Command Major Robert Elsmie took over command and on 06 March A and B companies under the command of Captain Rahim were sent towards Pegu but used for a roadblock to counter Japanese infiltration before falling back to Taukkyan to help C and D companies. Captain Rahim took command when Major Elsmie was called to brigade headquarters. In addition to CO and adjutant, Lieutenants Law and Khattak were killed, and Captains Walker, Sutherland and Lieutenant Smyth were wounded. Unit served as reconnaissance battalion of 39th Division and trained in East Bengal for jungle warfare. It was part of 4th Brigade in second Arakan campaign. After the war, unit returned to Avadi camp in Madras where Lieutenant Colonel J.T.C. Parson Smyth was in command. He was frequently on leave and in his absence, Rahim commanded the battalion.
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From correspondence with a historian of the Pakistani Army

davidbfpo · Feb 15, 2026

From dryan67

A partial war diary for the 51st Indian Special Training Brigade @ Ranchi, using material from the NAI.

A history of the 2/13th FFR in WW2.

See: Ranchi - Wikipedia

davidbfpo · Feb 15, 2026

There are a number of online sources id'd with: "2/13th Frontier Force Rifles" and "2/13 Frontier Force Rifles"

It is important to note IMHO the 2/13th was a multi-ethnic battalion, each had one company each of Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs, Dogras and Pathans. In WW2 they had just arrived at Rangoon, Burma when the Japanese invaded and fought their way back to India. After the war ended they were deployed to the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia), to Sumatra.

I note there is an unpublished book, privately published: Unofficial War History, 2/13th Frontier Force Rifles by Brigadier Arthur Blair Gibson; it is not available online or to buy, it has been cited by academics and one copy is in the Liddell Hart Archives and the Centre of South Asian Studies, part of Kings College London.

There is this too: 13th Frontier Force Rifles - Wikipedia

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2/13th Frontier Force Rifles or 2/13 Frontier Force Rifles

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Attached Files:

51st Indian Special Training Brigade-1.pdf

2nd Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles.pdf

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2/13th Frontier Force Rifles or 2/13 Frontier Force Rifles

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Attached Files:

51st Indian Special Training Brigade-1.pdf

2nd Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles.pdf

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