The 4th Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, it took part in campaigns in East Africa (Eritrea and Sudan), Syria, North Africa and Italy. Post independence, the division is part of the I Corps and headquartered at Prayagraj.

History

North Africa

thumb|left|Men of the 4th Indian Division with a captured German flag at [[Sidi Omar, Egypt.]]

During the war, the 4th Indian Division was in the vanguard of nine campaigns in the Mediterranean theatre. Major-General The Hon. P. Gerald Scarlett appears to have been the division's first commander, from October 1939 to January 1940. The British 14th Infantry Brigade was attached to the division from 1 June to 20 July 1940; the British 16th Infantry Brigade was attached from 9 September 1940 to 14 December 1940. In the first of Archibald Wavell's operations in Egypt, as part of the Western Desert Force, it took part in Operation Compass in December 1940. The division was involved in the battles of that campaign in the camps around Sidi Barrani. Along with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment, the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade of the 4th Indian Infantry Division destroyed the Italian Maletti Group at the Nibiewa Camp.

East Africa

thumb|right|East African campaign northern front: Allied advances in 1941

In December 1940, the division was rushed to the British Sudan to join with the 5th Indian Infantry Division in order to prevent the numerically vastly superior Italian forces (ten divisions in total) from threatening Red Sea supply routes to Egypt as well as Egypt itself and the Suez Canal from the south. The East African campaign culminated in March 1941 with the battles at Keren in Eritrea.

It was at Keren that Subadar Richhpal Ram of the 4/6th Rajputana Rifles, 5th Indian Infantry Brigade, 4th Division, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. In April 1941, Beresford-Peirse was promoted to command the Western Desert Force and Major General Frank Messervy assumed command.

North Africa and Syria

Having returned to Egypt, the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade was hurried across to Syria and participated in the advance on Damascus during the Syria-Lebanon campaign (June 1941). From 14 to 17 June 1941, the British 4th Armoured Brigade was attached to the division.

  • Lovat Scouts

Support units

  • Royal Indian Army Service Corps
  • 4th Indian Division Troops Transport Company
  • 5th, 7th and 11th Brigade Transport Companies
  • 220th Indian DID
  • Medical Services
  • I.M.S-RAMC-I.M.D-I.H.C-I.A.M.C
  • 14th, 17th, 19th, 26th and 32nd Indian Field Ambulances
  • 4th Indian Division Provost Unit
  • Indian Army Ordnance Corps
  • 4th Indian Division Ordnance Field Park
  • Indian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • 117th, 118th and 119th Infantry Workshop Companies
  • 4th Indian Division Recovery Company

Assigned brigades

All these brigades were assigned or attached to the division at some time during World War II.

  • 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
  • 10th Indian Infantry Brigade
  • 22nd British Infantry Brigade
  • 23rd British Infantry Brigade
  • 161st British Infantry Brigade
  • 1st South African Infantry Brigade
  • 161st Indian Infantry Brigade
  • 201st Guards Motor Brigade
  • 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade

Post war

The division, known as Red Eagle due to its badge of a red eagle on a black background, is now a part of the Indian Army. Immediately after the war ended, it was in Greece, but returned to India later in 1945.

In 1947 the division became the nucleus of the Punjab Boundary Force under Major-General T.W. Rees. The Boundary Force was established on 17 July 1947, with its headquarters at Lahore. It became operational 1 August 1947, but was disbanded on 1 September because of its ineffectiveness in controlling the riots breaking out as a consequence of Partition. It had approximately 15 Indian and 10 Pakistani battalions, and comprised 5th Indian Infantry Brigade, 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, 14 Parachute Brigade, which became part of the Pakistan Army, 43 Lorry Brigade (ex 1 Armoured Division) and 114th Indian Infantry Brigade. Also attached were 50th Parachute Brigade and 77th Parachute Brigade (both formerly with 2nd Airborne Division), and 123rd Indian Infantry Brigade. After Rees handed over, Major-General K. S. Thimayya reportedly took over command of the Boundary Force. The division moved to Jullunder after the Boundary Force was disbanded.

Sino-Indian War of 1962

Headquarters 4 Infantry Division, which was located in Ambala prior to the worsening Sino-Indian relations, was moved to the North East in 1959 and was located initially at Tezpur. During the war, its tactical headquarters was based at Zemithang and at Dirang Dzong in Kameng Frontier Division of North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). It was commanded by Major General Niranjan Prasad. Following the defeat at Namka Chu, he was replaced by Major General Anant Singh Pathania.

The constituent brigades of the division before the war were 5, 7, and 11 Infantry Brigades. 11 Brigade was detached for counter-insurgency operations in Nagaland.

During the war, the division consisted of -

  • 7 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier John Parashuram Dalvi). It consisted of 9 Punjab and 1 Sikh, both at Tawang and 1/9 Gorkha Rifles – at Misamari. 2 Rajput, 4 Grenadiers, 5 Assam Rifles and a company of 6 Mahar also saw operations under the brigade.
  • 5 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Shiv Charan Singh) of the division was removed from operational control of 4 Division and was directly under Headquarters, 33 Corps. It arrived in the foothills of the sector only on 19 November 1962.
  • 4 Artillery Brigade (Brigadier Kalyan Singh , replaced by Brigadier GS Gill). Artillery units which were part of the war include elements from 34 Heavy Mortar Battery (from 36 (Maratha) Heavy Mortar Regiment), 17 Parachute Field Regiment, 5 Field Regiment (95, 96 and 97 Field Batteries), 6 Field Regiment (86, 87 and 88 Field Batteries), 22 Mountain Regiment (7 (Bengal) and 2 (Derajat) Mountain Batteries) and 116 Heavy Mortar Battery (from 33 Medium Regiment).

Other brigades involved in the operations in this sector included

The tactical Headquarters of 4 Infantry Division withdrew from Zemithang on the morning of 21 October 1962. Tawang Garrison with two infantry Battalions and three artillery batteries was abandoned on 23 October 1962. The second phase of the Chinese attack commenced on 17 November 1962, after a lull of 23 days. The division faced further defeat and withdrew from Dirang Dzong in the forenoon of 18 November. The Chinese announced a unilateral cease-fire on 20 November, effective from the midnight of 21/22 November.

  • Param Vir Chakra
  • Subedar Joginder Singh, 1 Sikh
  • Maha Vir Chakra
  • Lieutenant Colonel Bejoy Mohan Bhattacharjea, 4 Garhwal Rifles
  • Major Gurdial Singh, 2 Rajput
  • Major Mahander Singh Chaudhary, Punjab
  • Major Sher Pratap Singh Shrikent, 1/9 Gorkha Rifles
  • Captain Mahabir Prasad, (Sikh Regiment) attached to Gorkha Rifles
  • Second Lieutenant Bhagwan Dutt Dogra, 1/9 Gorkha Rifles
  • Second Lieutenant Gopalkrishna Venkatesa Prasanna Rao, 4 Grenadiers
  • Naik Chain Singh, 9 Punjab
  • Sepoy Kanshi Ram, 9 Punjab
  • Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, 4 Garhwal Rifles
  • Sepoy Kewal Singh, (Sikh Regiment) attached to Gorkha Rifles

It was converted to a mountain division in 1963.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The Red Eagles, less 33 Mountain Brigade were part of the XI Corps tasked to defend Punjab. Being a mountain division, it was inadequately equipped for warfare in the plains. The divisional plan was as under -

4 Mountain Division (Major General Gurbaksh Singh)

  • 9 Horse (Deccan Horse)
  • 37 Battalion Punjab Armed Police

7 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier DS Sidhu)

  • 1/9 Gorkha Rifles
  • 4 Grenadiers
  • 7 Grenadiers
  • 4 Sikh (after 12 September)
  • 2 Mahar (after 12 September)

62 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier HC Gahlaut)

  • 13 Dogra
  • 9 JAK LI
  • 18 Rajputana Rifles

4 Mountain Artillery Brigade (Brigadier Jhanda Singh Sandhu)

  • 1 Field Regiment (Self Propelled) (from 2 Independent Armoured Brigade)
  • 40 Medium Regiment (from 21 Independent Artillery Brigade)
  • 91 Mountain Composite (Towed) Regiment
  • 84 Light Regiment
  • B Troop, 72 Composite Battery, 20 Locating Regiment
  • Battery, 45 Air Defence Regiment
  • Air OP

Engineers

  • 1 Field Company
  • 77 Field Company
  • 100 Field Company
  • 41 Field Park Company

2 Independent Armoured Brigade (Brigadier TK Theogaraj) (XI Corps reserve)

  • 3 Cavalry
  • 7 Light Cavalry
  • 8 Light Cavalry
  • 1 Field Regiment (Self Propelled)
  • 74 Assault Field Company
  • 1 Dogra

29 Infantry Brigade (from 16 September 1965) (7 Infantry Division)

  • 2 Maratha Light Infantry
  • 3/9 Gorkha Rifles
  • 4 (Independent) Squadron
  • 144 Field Regiment (TA)

62 Brigade commenced its attacks on 6 September and secured its objectives, except for the far bund in Rohi Nallah area. 7 Brigade met with stiff opposition. 4 Grenadiers secured the line of Ichhogil canal, but 7 Grenadiers could not secure its objective of capturing Ballanwala. This was followed by heavy enemy shelling. Some units suffered heavy casualties and desertions. Anticipating an armour thrust, the GOC decided to pull back to Asal Uttar on 7 September and hold the enemy. It assumed a ‘horse shoe’ shaped defensive position with Asal Uttar as its focal point. The Pakistani forces, consisting of the 1 Armoured Division and 11 Infantry Division attacked on 8 September. Though some positions of 1/9 Gorkhas and 18 Rajputana Rifles were overrun, 7 and 62 Brigades supported by Deccan Horse and 3 Cavalry were able to repulse the attacks. The Pakistanis launched a second attack on the night of 8 September. This attack was held back by the units of 7 Brigade, supported by armour and artillery and the enemy lost many tanks. Anticipating a wide outflanking manoeuvre from the west, Brigadier Theogaraj moved the major part of his brigade to cover the Lakhna-Mahmudpura-Chima area and flooded part of the approaches to guide the enemy tanks to a trap. As expected, in the morning of 10 September, the Pakistani M-47 and M48 Patton tanks were lured inside the horse-shoe shaped defensive position. They were first held back by the 4 Grenadiers. The battalion held out with great gallantry. This was when Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid destroyed three tanks with his recoilless gun (for which he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra). The Pakistanis made multiple attempts to overrun the Indian defences. However, the swampy grounds and the tactical planning of the Indians meant that they suffered heavy losses - which included a total of 97 tanks and many men and senior officers. At the same time, the Indian Army lost only 10 tanks. The bulk of the Pakistani offense withdrew to Khemkaran. The division then made many unsuccessful attempts to capture Khemkaran, without success.

  • 9 Horse (Deccan Horse)
  • 3 Cavalry
  • 91 Mountain Regiment
  • 40 Medium Regiment
  • 4 Grenadiers
  • 18 Rajputana Rifles (now 11 Mechanised Infantry Regiment)
  • 1 Dogra (now 7 Mechanised Infantry Regiment)
  • 2 Mahar
  • 9 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

thumb|right|An illustration showing military units and troop movements during operations in the Eastern sector

The division along with 9 Infantry Division was part of the II Corps on the eastern sector. The order of battle (ORBAT) for the division was as follows-

4 Mountain Division (Major General Mohinder Singh Barar)

  • 45 Cavalry (A Squadron)

7 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier Zail Singh)

  • 22 Rajput
  • 5 Jat
  • 1 Naga Regiment

41 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier A.H.E. "Tony" Michigan)

  • 5 Guards
  • 9 Dogra
  • 5/1 Gorkha Rifles

62 Mountain Brigade (Brigadier Rajendra Nath)

  • 5 Maratha Light Infantry
  • 4 Sikh Light Infantry
  • 2/9 Gorkha Rifles

4 Mountain Artillery Brigade (Brigadier Baljeet Singh)

  • 22 Mountain Regiment
  • 194 Mountain Regiment
  • 7 Field Regiment
  • 181 Light Regiment
  • 78 Medium Regiment (1 battery)

Engineers

  • 63 Engineer Regiment

Before the outbreak of full-fledged war, 4 Mountain Division had captured the border areas of Jibannagar, Uthali (by 62 Brigade) and Darshana (by 41 Brigade). The divisional plan was to advance on Magura by way of Majdia, Jibannagar, Kotchandpur and Jhenaidah, so as to secure the ferry on the Madhumati river. By this time, IV Corps had reached Dacca, forcing a Pakistani surrender on 16 December 1971. On 16 December, Major General M.H. Ansari, GOC, Pakistan’s 9 Infantry Division and his divisional staff surrendered to Major General M.S. Barar at Kamarkhali, while his 3,000-strong garrison laid down arms before Brigadier Rajendra Nath at Faridpur.

  • Maha Vir Chakra
  • Brigadier A.H.E. Michigan
  • Lieutenant Colonel Chittoor Venugopal, 5/1 Gorkha Rifles
  • Havildar Bir Bahadur Pun, 5/1 Gorkha Rifles
  • Rifleman Pati Ram Gurung, 5/1 Gorkha Rifles
  • The battle honour Darsana was awarded to the following units-
  • 45 Cavalry
  • 5/1 Gorkha Rifles

Present day

The 4 Infantry Division is under the I Corps and headquartered at Prayagraj. The division presently consists of -

  • 7 Infantry Brigade at Kanpur
  • 41 Infantry Brigade at Lucknow
  • 62 Infantry Brigade at Kanpur
  • 4 Artillery Brigade at Prayagraj

Notes

References

  • British Military History – British Troops in The Sudan 1930–47