THE 25th INDIAN INFANTRY DIVISION

Locations of Division during 1944, please Click Here

CLICK HERE to go to the structure of the Division

CLICK HERE to go to the Personnel Pages

S.E.A.C. Report on Division after Victory

The Badge of this unit was

A Black Ace of Spades on a Green background was the Badge of this Formation.              

History

The Division was formed in Southern India in August 1943, under the Command of Maj/Gen H.L. Davies (C.B.E. D.S.O. M.C.).

They were part of  15th Corps, The Division first saw action in the Arakan in March 1944 where it fought with distinction notably at Kangau which was one of  the fiercest fought Battles in the Arakan Campaign. 

In January 1945 the Division took part in the first large scale Amphibious Operations in South=East Asia, They were ferried across the Four Mile wide Mayu Estuary to land on the Northern beaches of Akyab Island, in the course of the following weeks they Occupied Myrbaw, & Ruywa. 

They were COMMANDED by

Maj/Gen H.L. Davies (C.B.E. D.S.O. M.C.)

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STRUCTURE OF THE DIVISION
 DIVISIONAL COMMANDERS
MAJ/GEN.  H.L. Davies (C.B. C.B.E. D.S.O. M.C.) 
MAJ/GEN.  G.N. Wood (C.B.E. D.S.O. M.C.)

Headquarters Brigade
  19th Lancers
     7th Btn 16th Punjab Regt

Divisional Artillery
8th. 27th. Field Regt (Royal Artillery)
5th Indian Field Regt (Indian Artillery)
33rd Indian Mountain Regt (Indian Artillery)
7th Indian A/Tank Regt (Indian Artillery)

51st Indian Infantry Brigade
8th Btn York & Lancs Regt
2nd Btn 2nd Punjab Regt
16th Btn 10th Baluch Regt
8th Btn 19th Hyderabad Regt
COMMANDED by
Brig. T.H. Angus (D.S.O. M.C.)
Brig. R.A. Hutton (D.S.O. & Bar O.B.E.)

53rd Indian Infantry Brigade
9th Btn York & Lancs Regt
12th Btn 5th Maharatta Light Infantry
        9th Btn 9th Jat Regt
4th Btn 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles
COMMANDED by
Brig. G.A.P. Coldstream (D.S.O.)
Brig. A.G. O'Carroll=Scott
Brig. B.C.H. Gerry (D.S.O.)

74th Indian Infantry Brigade
4th Btn Ox & Buck's Light Infantry
14th Btn 10th Baluch Regt
3rd Btn 2nd K.E.O. Gurkha Rifles
COMMANDED by
Brig. J.E. Hirst (D.S.O.)
Brig. J.C.W. Cargill (D.S.O.)

3rd Commando Brigade
42nd. 44th. Royal Marine Commando's
1st. 3rd. Army Commando's

Royal Indian Army Service Corps
18th. 39th. 59th.  Animal Trt Coy's (Mule)
68th. 81st. 101st G.P.Trt Coy's

Composite Supply Unit's
Inland Water Trt Coy

Medical Services
I.M.S R.A.M.C. I.M.D. I.H.C. I.A.M.C.
51st. 52nd. 53rd. Indian Field Ambulances

25th Indian Division Provost Unit
25th Indian Division Signals Unit

Indian Army Ordnance Corps
125th Ordnance Sub-Park

Indian Electrical & Mechanical Engineers
76th. 77th. 78th. Infantry W/Shop Coy's
25th Indian Division Recovery Coy

 Indian Engineers Sappers & Miners
63rd. 425th. Field Coy's (Q.V.O. Madras)
93rd Field Coy (Royal Bombay)
325th Field Coy (Q.V.O. Madras)

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Locations of division: - From the official history of the 25th Indian Division, they spent June, July and August 1944 in and around its base at Maungdaw, while it waited for the monsoons to abate.  The history includes a detailed map showing where the units were around Maungdaw.  The only action appears to have been some raids by Bolster Force (a company of the 6^th Ox and Bucks LI and a platoon of the 3/2^nd Gurkha Rifles from 74 Ind Inf Brigade) to prevent reprisal attacks by the Japanese on the coastal villages. 

As for the York & Lancs.  The map has the 8^th battalion at Waybin near the Ngakyedauk Pass and the 9^th battalion inland at Htindaw on the Buthidaung road during the period.

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MAPS OF BURMA
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Diary 1941-46

Battle Memories
 

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