47th Indian Brigade

Discussion in 'British Indian Army' started by bertloo, Nov 3, 2012.

  1. bertloo

    bertloo Junior Member

    Hi all, I am looking for information on the movement of the 3 infantry battalions that served with 47th Indian Brigade after their participation in the First Arakan operation, namely:

    1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
    1/7 Rajput Regiment, and
    5/8 Punjab Regiment

    From what I have read, all 3 never saw front line service again and were posted to various internal security duties around India from 1943 to 1945.

    Where were they subsequently assigned to and where were they based?

    Thanks!
     
  2. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is the 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers:


    1st Battalion, The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

    Madras District – 3 September 1939 to November 1941
    The battalion remained at Wellington in the Madras District until November 1941, when it moved to Meerut

    Meerut Area – Meerut District – November 1941 to 9 March 1942
    It was mobilized at Meerut on February 24th, 1942 and left there for Barrackpore on March 6th, 1942. It left there on March 9th, 1942 by air for Magwe, Burma to come under the command of Army Troops in Burma.

    63rd Indian Infantry Brigade – 9 March 1942 to 1 April 1942
    On arrival it came under the command of the 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade on March 9th while the 17th Indian Infantry Division was at rest in the Thonze-Tharrawaddy-Letpadan line. On March 29th, 1942, one company was involved in an attack from Prome toward Paungde, but it failed and had to fight back to Prome including an action at Schwedaung. It was then withdrawn to Allanmyo and from there to positions south of Yenangyaung near Taungdwingyi.

    1st Burma Infantry Division – 1 April 1942 to 6 April 1942
    The battalion was attached to the 1st Burma Infantry Division.

    13th Indian Infantry Brigade – 6 April 1942 to 20 June 1942
    It moved south from Magwe and joined 13th Indian Infantry Brigade on 6 April. It withdrew to positions seven miles north of Tenangyaung on April 16th and attacked the Japanese there from April 18th-19th. It then withdrew across the Pin Chaung on April 19th to Mount Popa and on, April 23rd, to Taungtha. Two days later, the battalion was at Myingyan and Sameikkon on April 27th. The next night it moved to Ngalondin. It fought at Monywa on May 2nd and then withdrew to Alon. From there it moved to Moksi, Kaduma, and Shwegyin. The brigade crossed the Chindwin near Kalewa on May 9th. It moved to Inbaung by way of Kalemyo and then to Yezagyo, Witok and Tamu. From Tamu, it moved to Lockchau by transport to Imphal on May 19th to rest.

    113th Indian Infantry Brigade – 20 June 1942 to 13 July 1942
    The brigade moved to Ranchi by June and was renumbered as the 113th. The battalion left Ranchi on July 13th, 1942.

    Lahore District – Central Command – 13 July 1942 to September 1942
    The battalion moved to Jullundur to refit for internal security duties on July 13th. In September 1942 the battalion was sent to Fenni, Bengal.

    47th Indian Infantry Brigade – 1 October 1942 to 17 July 1943
    It joined the 47th Indian Infantry Brigade on arrival in the Arakan. It was located at Comilla until October 26th, 1942. It arrived in Chittagong in November 1942 and was at Maungdaw in December. January 1943 found the battalion at Donbaik and from March to April 1943 in was east of the Mayu Range detached to 55th Indian Infantry Brigade. It was withdrawn from the Arakan in April 1943 and moved to Ranchi in May.

    Lucknow District – Central Command – 19 July 1943 to April 1945
    The battalion then moved to Cawnpore on July 19th, 1943 on internal security.

    Meerut District – Central Command – April 1945 to 31 August 1945
    It moved to Dehra Dun in April 1945, where it remained until the end of the war.
     
  3. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is the 1st/7th Rajput Regiment:


    1st (Queen Victoria’s Light Infantry) Battalion 7th Rajput Regiment

    10th (Jubblpore) Infantry Brigade – 3 September 1939 to October 1939
    The battalion was nationalized in 1923. It was part of the 10th (Jubbulpore) Infantry Brigade on September 3rd, 1939 and was located at Kamptee. It left the brigade when the 10th Brigade was reformed in October 1939 in Jhansi and the battalion remained in Kamptee.

    Deccan District – October 1939 to October 1940
    The battalion remained in Kamptee when the 10th Brigade reformed.

    1st Indian Infantry Brigade – October 1940 to October 1941
    It joined the 1st Indian Infantry Brigade in October 1940 at Mansar Camp in the Attock District and served in the Tochi operations in October 1940. From June to October 1941 it served at Miranshah, Degan and Mir Ali. The battalion remained with the brigade on the North-West Frontier until October 1941, when it moved to Secunderabad.

    47th Indian Infantry Brigade – October 1941 to August 1943
    On arrival in Secunderabad in October 1941, it came under command of the 47th Indian Infantry Brigade. The battalion entrained at Trimulgherry on March 20th, 1942 and moved by train to Comilla, where it arrived on March 26th. On April 1st, it moved to the Fenni area in East. In late October 1942, the brigade moved to Chittagong and at the end of November to Cox’s Bazaar. The battalion left Chittagong on December 13th and entered the Arakan at Ukhia on December 18th, 1942 and began to advance west of Mayu down the peninsula on December 22nd. The battalion moved east of the range and was maintained by the 123rd Indian Brigade until it reached Atet Nanra. The battalion repulsed a series of attacks on December 31st, 1942 and then met resistance at Kondan. It reached Thitkado and Atet Nanra on January 1st, 1943 and rejoined the 47th Brigade. The battalion was then ordered to attack south from Thitkado but was held up in the Thitkado area. By January 11th, the battalion (less a company) was in the Sanganchaung area. The 47th Brigade was in position for an attack on Donbaik on January 17th and attacked this position from January 18th-19th, but failed to take it. The brigade was relieved at Donbaik on January 20th by the 55th Indian Brigade. The 47th Brigade then withdrew to Ukhia to rest.
    The battalion had remained in the Donbaik area under command of the 55th Indian Brigade and was located at Indin. At the end of January, the battalion, still under the 55th Brigade, relieved the 1/17th Dogra Regiment on the coastal area near Donbaik. It then joined the 55th Brigade in the second attack on Donbaik on February 18th, 1943 but this attack again failed. The 7/15th Punjab Regiment relieved the battalion in the Donbaik area on February 21st and rejoined the 47th Indian Brigade, which was called forward from Ukhia and moved to the area outside the Mayu Range to protect the lines of communications of the 71st Indian Brigade. The 47th Brigade was given the task of taking Laungchaung. The brigade concentrated at Hparabyin on March 27th for the attack but, since the Japanese took Atet Nanra and cut the brigades lines of communications, the attack was cancelled. The brigade failed to dislodge the Japanese from Atet Nanra on March 28th and was ordered to withdraw west of Mayu the next day. The battalion was forced to withdraw to Thitkado on April 1st and, on April 2nd it was ordered to strengthen the defence of Sinoh, where the 47th Brigade was concentrating. By April 7th, the brigade was withdrawn to concentrate in the Lambaguna area and by the 11th; three-quarters of the brigade were located there. It had ceased to exist as a fighting force and was withdrawn to Ranchi to refit by May.

    3rd Indian Infantry Brigade – August 1943 to October 1943
    The 1st Battalion left Ranchi in August 1943 for the North West Frontier. The battalion served under the 3rd Indian Infantry Brigade from August 1943 until October 1943 at Landi Kotal. The battalion then moved to Kakul with the brigade, where the brigade was renamed as the Frontier Reserve Brigade.

    Frontier Reserve Brigade – October 1943 to December 1944
    It moved to Kakul in October 1943 as the demonstration battalion at the Frontier Warfare School. It left the brigade in December 1944.

    Nowshera Brigade – December 1944 to February 1945
    The battalion was located at Nowshera until February 1945, when it moved to Ranchi

    116th Indian Infantry Brigade – February 1945 to 31 August 1945
    It moved to Ranchi in February 1945 and came under command of the 116th Indian Infantry Brigade for the rest of the war.
     
  4. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is the 5/8th Punjab Regiment:


    5th (Burma) Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment

    Kohat Brigade – 3 September 1939 to November 1940
    The battalion was designated to be Indianised in 1933. It was located at Kohat under the Kohat Brigade at the start of the war. It left the Kohat Brigade in November 1940.

    Razmak Brigade – November 1940 to October 1941
    In November 1940 it moved to Razmak and joined the Razmak Brigade. The battalion served in an expedition against the Dhars at Boga and Datta Khel in mid-June 1941. It left Razmak in October 1941.

    47th Indian Infantry Brigade – October 1941 to June 1943
    The 5th Battalion joined the newly raised 47th Indian Infantry Brigade in Secunderabad in October 1941 and remained with the brigade until June 1943. The brigade was mobilized at Secunderabad in February 1942 and moved to Fenni in Eastern Bengal at the end of March 1942. It remained in East Bengal until late October 1942, when it moved to Chittagong and then to Cox’s Bazaar at the end of November along the line of communications from Ukhia and Cox’s Bazaar to Dohazari.
    Starting in December, the brigade advanced down the Arakan coast west of the Mayu Range with the battalion in the lead. The battalion occupied Indin on December 27th and then took Sinoh. Carriers of the battalion actually reached Foul Point at the end of the Mayu Peninsula on January 1st, 1943. The battalion was then ordered to cross the Mayu Range on January 4th and attacked toward Kondon and the line of the Gwedauk Chaung from Myinba. It was to attack to the tip of the Mayu Peninsula on January 5th but was stopped at Laungchaung on January 8th. The battalion was detached to 55th Indian Infantry Brigade on January 24th while at Laungchaung and attacked Donbaik with the brigade on February 1st and again on February 18th. Since the attacks were unsuccessful, the battalion returned to 47th Brigade and the battalion operated between the Mayu Hills and the Mayu Range on line of communications. The Japanese now took the offensive and the battalion was attached to 6th British Infantry Brigade on March 18th for another attack on Donbaik. This attack took place on March 18th-20th and again failed to take Donbaik. The battalion then returned to 47th Brigade on March 25th-29th and was strung out over eleven miles based on Thayetpyin. The brigade withdrew on April 1st to cover Sinoh and, by April 7th, it had infiltrated across the Mayu Range to the Lambaguna area. It was in poor shape when it arrived on April 11th and by April 15th the brigade was withdrawn to Ranchi to rest and refit. The battalion left 47th Indian Infantry Brigade in June 1943 at Ranchi, since the brigade was to become a training brigade.

    Peshawar Brigade – June 1943 to January 1945
    The battalion moved to the North West Frontier at Peshawar in June 1943 from Ranchi. It served there until January 1945.

    23rd Indian Infantry Division – February 1945 to 31 August 1945
    The battalion left Peshawar and moved to the Bombay area, where it came under command of 23rd Indian Infantry Division in February 1945 as its Reconnaissance Battalion. It moved to Madras at the end of August with the division and embarked for Malaya on September 3rd, 1945. The battalion was still in existence in March 1947.
     
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  5. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    The service of these three battalion bear out your comment about their service after the Arakan campaign.
     

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