Major General H T Brooking Major General Mohinder Singh MVC Major General BM Bhattacharjee PVSM, MVC
Historyedit
World War I
The division was formed on 7 May 1916 to replace the 12th Indian Division on the Euphrates Front. It remained on the Euphrates Front until the end of the war. It took part in the action of As Sahilan (11 September 1916), the Capture of Ramadi (28 and 29 September 1917), the Occupation of Hīt (9 March 1918) and the action of Khan Baghdadi (26 and 27 March 1918).[2] The division was not attached to either of the army corps operating in Mesopotamia, the I Corps and III Corps.[citation needed]
The division was commanded from formation on 7 May 1916 by Brigadier-General Harry T Brooking. Brooking was promoted to Major-General on 5 June 1916.[3]
At the end of the war, the division was rapidly run down and it was disbanded in March 1919.[2]
Post Independence
The division was re-raised on 1 October 1964 at Clement Town, Dehradun under Major General Niranjan Prasad and assigned to XI Corps.[4][5] The divisional headquarters has been located at Amritsar since 1965.
Order of battle, First World Waredit
The division commanded the following units, although not all of them served at the same time:[6]
The division was fully operational on 31 March 1965 and moved to its headquarters in Amritsar by 1 April 1965. It took part in Operation Ablaze and the Battle of Dograi.[8]
The division consisted of 38 Infantry Brigade, 54 Infantry Brigade and 15 Artillery Brigade.[9] 38 Infantry Brigade consisted of 1 Jat, 1/3 Gorkha Rifles and 3 Garhwal Rifles. 54 Infantry Brigade consisted of 3 Jat, 15 Dogra, 13 Punjab. In addition to the two infantry brigades, the division consisted of 14 Horse (Scinde Horse), 60 Heavy Regiment and 71 Field Company.[10][11] 96 Infantry Brigade, consisting of 6 Kumaon, 7 Punjab and 16 Dogra was initially part of the XI Corps reserve, but subsequently placed under the division's operational command.[9]50 (Independent) Parachute Brigade was placed under the division on 11 September. It was tasked to capture the road and rail bridges in Jallo area, but suffered heavy casualties during 16 and 17 September and had to be withdrawn.
The division was given the task to advance on the Grand Trunk Road axis and capture the bridge on the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal (also called Ichhogil Canal) in Dograi east of Lahore. 3 Jat under Lieutenant Colonel Desmond Hayde captured Dograi on the eastern bank of the Canal on 6 September 1965. The same day, 3 Jat captured the Batapore and Attokeawan localities on the west bank of the Canal. Due to lack of support, the unit had to fall back. 1 Jat managed to reach Bhaini Dhilwan bridge, but could not secure it due to armour and artillery fire and had to withdraw. This bridge was subsequently captured by 96 Infantry Brigade.[12] Following the initial reverses faced by the division, Major General Niranjan Prasad was replaced by Major General Mohindar Singh on 9 September 1965.[9][5] The period of 11 to 18 September was characterised by a series of unproductive actions. The division subsequently plunged in the battle for the Ichhogil canal with zeal and determination. On 21 and 22 September, 3 Jat of the 54 Brigade captured Dograi. The unit won 3 Maha Vir Chakras, 4 Vir Chakras, 7 Sena Medals, 12 Mention in Dispatches and 11 COAS Commendation Cards.[13]
At the end of the war, 15 Division saw 486 killed (26 Officers, 9 JCOs, 451 ORs), 1569 wounded (60 Officers, 57 JCOs, 1450 ORs, 2 NCEs) and 85 missing (3 Officers, 2 JCOs, 79 ORs, 1 NCE).[14]
Awards and honoursedit
The following regiments won the battle honour Dograi-[15][16][17][18]
Major General Mohinder Singh, GOC 15 Infantry Division
Lieutenant Colonel Desmond E Hayde, Commanding Officer, 3 Jat
Major AR Tyagi (Posthumous), 3 Jat
Captain Kapil Singh Thapa (Posthumous), 3 Jat
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971edit
The division was under Major General BM Bhattacharjee MVC during the 1971 war and was responsible for the area between Gurdaspur and the Grand Trunk road opposite Amritsar. It took part in the battles of Dera Baba Nanak and Fatehpur – Burj.[8]
Brigadier Krishnaswamy Gowri Shankar, Commander of 86 Infantry Brigade
Lieutenant Colonel Narinder Singh Sandhu of 10 Dogra
Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat of 10 Dogra
Battle of Burj
Sepoy Pandurang Salunkhe of 15 Maratha Light Infantry
Ranian
Major Basidev Singh Makotia of 9 Punjab
Fathepur
Lieutenant Colonel Harish Chandra Pathak of 8 Sikh Light Infantry
Pul Kanjiri
Lance Naik Shangara Singh of 2 Sikh
Battle Honours
86 Infantry Brigade was awarded the battle honour Dera Baba Nanak.[27]
15 Maratha Light Infantry was awarded the battle honour Burj and the theatre honour Punjab. It was declared as the 'Best Performing Battalion' during the 1971 Indo-Pak War in the XI Corps Zone by the GOC, Lieutenant General N. C. RawlleyPVSM, AVSM, MC.[24][28]
10 Dogra was awarded the battle honour Dera Baba Nanak.[29]
1/9 Gorkha Rifles was awarded the battle honour Dera Baba Nanak and theatre honour Punjab.[30]
^Richard A. Renaldi and Ravi Rikhye, 'Indian Army Order of Battle,' Orbat.com for Tiger Lily Books: A division of General Data LLC, ISBN 978-0-9820541-7-8, 2011, 103-4.
^ ab"Army ad errs on 1965 war history, makes amends". 17 August 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
^ ab"15 Infantry Division, Golden Jubilee Cover". 1 October 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
^ abcSingh, Harbaksh (2012). War Despatches: Indo-Pak Conflict 1965. Lancer Publishers LLC. ISBN 978-8170621171.
^"The Scinde Horse". 9 January 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
^"Recalling epic tank battles of 1965 war: When Pakistan Army began avoiding Indian Army tanks". 4 January 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
^Rao, KVK (1991). Prepare or Perish: A Study of National Security. Lancer Publishers. pp. 131–132. ISBN 978-8172120016.
^ ab"GOLDEN JUBILEE OF 1965 WAR, The Battle of Dograi". 1 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
^Singh, Jogindar (1993). Behind the Scene: An Analysis of India's Military Operations, 1947–1971. Lancer Publishers. p. 152. ISBN 978-1897829202.
^"8 MECHANISED INFANTRY (7 PUNJAB ICHHOGIL WARRIORS". 1 October 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
^"Battle Honour Day Celebrated". 1 November 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
^"INDO – PAK WAR OF 1965, Valour of Punjab Regiment and Brigade of Guards". 1 October 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
^"BATTLES THAT MADE HISTORY". 1 January 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
^"Gazette of India, No 41, page 661" (PDF). 8 October 1966. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
^Gill, JH (2003). An Atlas Of 1971 India Pakistan War – Creation of Bangladesh. National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. p. 86.
^Praval, KC (2009). Indian Army After Independence. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-1935501107.
^"Guts, Grit and Glory – Braveheart's Victory". Retrieved 14 September 2021.
^Singh, Jagjit (1994). Indian Gunners at War: The Western Front 1971. Spantech & Lancer. p. 164. ISBN 978-1897829554.
^ ab"Guts, Grit and Glory – Braveheart's Victory – How Major Ranbir Singh won the landmark Battle of Burj, 1971". Retrieved 17 September 2021.
^ abSingh, Jagjit (1994). Indian Gunners at War: The Western Front 1971. Spantech & Lancer. p. 162. ISBN 978-1897829554.
^"Gazette of India, No" (PDF). 12 February 1972. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
^"DBN Brigade celebrates anniversary". 6 December 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
^"Baatcheet, April 2021" (PDF). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
^Prasad, Shankar (2008). The Gallant Dogras-An Illustrated History of the Dogra Regiment. Lancer International. ISBN 978-8170622680.
^"A Saga of Valour – 200 Years of First Nine Gorkhas". 1 April 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
Bibliographyedit
Kempton, Chris (2003a). 'Loyalty & Honour', The Indian Army September 1939 – August 1947. Vol. Part I Divisions. Milton Keynes: The Military Press. ISBN 0-85420-228-5.
Moberly, F.J. (1923). Official History of the War: Mesopotamia Campaign. London: Imperial War Museum. ISBN 1-870423-30-5.
Perry, F.W. (1993). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5B. Indian Army Divisions. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books. ISBN 1-871167-23-X.
External linksedit
"15th Indian Division on The Regimental Warpath 1914–1918 by PB Chappell". Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 2015-06-13.
British Empire has list of all Indian Army regiments with pictures of their regimental badges.