british indian army

The Indian Army in the time of the British Raj (1857–1947)

See Indian Army for the post-independence (and post-partition) army of the Republic of India.

Administrative Name

The Indian Army is the name for the Indian Armed forces of that country; the meaning of that name changed over time:

he Indian Army meant the "army of the government of India" and included British and Indian (sepoy) units.
895–1902	The Indian Army was a collective term for the armies of the presidencies; the Bengal Army, Madras Army and Bombay Army.
903–1947	Following Kitchener's reforms: The Indian Army was "the force recruited locally and permanently based in India, together with its expatriate British officers."1 The British Army in India consisted of British Army units posted to India for a tour of duty, and which would then be posted to other parts of the Empire or back to the UK. The Army of India consisted of both the Indian Army and the British Army in India.

History

The Indian Army was formed after the Indian Mutiny in 1857 by the British. Prior to this time the British East India Company had their own army units, paid for by their profits. During the days of British rule, the Indian Army proved a very useful adjunct to British forces not only in India but also in other places, particularly during World Wars I and II.

Internal Security

North West Frontier

Afghan Wars

World War I

In World War I the Indian Army saw extensive service including:

World War II

During World War II the Indian Army became the largest all-volunteer force in history, rising to over 2.5 million men in size. These forces included airborne forces. On October 18, 1941 the 151st Parachute Battalion was formed from soldiers serving in the Indian Army. Later this unit was joined by the 152nd (Indian) and 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion. Particularly notable contributions of the Indian Army during that conflict were in the campaigns in Burma, Middle East,Africa, Italy; see also British Eighth Army, First and Second Battles of El Alamein and the Battle of Monte Cassino. See also the Indian National Army

Post World War II

Following the war, the British formations that had been part of the Army of India were withdrawn. Upon independence the British Indian Army was split: most units went to the Indian Army, four Gurkha regiments were transferred to the British Army, (they formed the Brigade of Gurkhas and were stationed in Malaya,) and the remainder of the army went to the Pakistan Army.