Indian Army during World War I: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}

{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}

The '''[[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] during World War I''' contributed a large number of divisions and independent brigades to the European, Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres of war in [[World War I]]. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

In World War I the Indian Army fought against the [[German Empire]] on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]. At the [[First Battle of Ypres]], [[Khudadad Khan]] became the first Indian to be awarded a [[Victoria Cross]]. Indian divisions were also sent to [[Sinai and Palestine campaign|Egypt]], [[Gallipoli campaign|Gallipoli]], [[German East Africa]] and nearly 700,000 served in [[Mesopotamian campaign|Mesopotamia]] against the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.mgtrust.org/ind1.htm|title=Participants from the Indian subcontinent in the First World War|publisher=Memorial Gates Trust|access-date=12 September 2009}}</ref> While some divisions were sent overseas others had to remain in India guarding the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier]] and on internal security and training duties.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Field-Marshal Sir [[Claude Auchinleck]], Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from 1942 asserted that the British "couldn't have come through both World War I and [[World War II|II]] if they hadn't had the Indian Army."<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404114825/http://www.cwgc.org/foreverindia/context/indian-army-in-2nd-world-war.php|title=The Indian Army in the Second World War|archive-date=April 4, 2012|url=http://www.cwgc.org/foreverindia/context/indian-army-in-2nd-world-war.php|publisher=[[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/article1433642.ece?service=print |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-05-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524192004/http://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/article1433642.ece?service=print |archive-date=24 May 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The normal annual recruitment for the Indian army was 15,000 men, during the course of the war over 800,000 men volunteered for the army and more than 400,000 volunteered for non-combatant roles. In total almost 1.3 million men had volunteered for service by 1918.<ref>Pati, p.31</ref> Over one million Indian troops served overseas during the war. In total, at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died in World War I.<ref name="CWrepdirect"/> Child soldiers, some as young as 10 years old, were enlisted to fight in the war.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/British-enlisted-Indian-children-during-World-War-I-new-book-reveals/articleshow/49527450.cms | title=British enlisted Indian children during World War I, new book reveals | newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | date=25 October 2015 | access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

{{Main article|Hindu–German Conspiracy}}

In 1901 oil had been discovered in commercial quantities at [[Masjed Soleyman|Masjid-e-Suleiman]] at the head of the [[Persian Gulf]].<ref>Kinzer, p.48</ref>  At the start of the war in 1914, the privately owned [[Anglo-Persian Oil Company]] which owned the concessions for these fields was about to be bought by the British Government, primarily to fuel the British Fleet. It soon became clear that the [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turkish Army]] was being mobilised and in August the Indian Government was instructed to prepare contingency plans to protect these strategic assets. The plans dictated that in the event of the Turkish Army coming out in support of the Germans, the Indian Army was to act to secure the oilfields. As a contingency, the Indian Expeditionary Force D (see below) under command of [[Arthur Barrett (Indian Army officer)|Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Barrett]] sailed from Bombay on 16 October 1914 for Bahrain.<ref>Ford, pp.23–24</ref> They, together with Expeditionary Force A who had been hurriedly sent to Europe at the end of September<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/india_wwone_01.shtml|title=India and the Western Front|last=Omissi|first=David |access-date=18 October 2009}}</ref> in response to a request from the Imperial General Staff for men to support the war effort— became the first Indian elements committed to war outside of India.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

Upon arrival in [[Marseilles]] on 30 September 1914, only six weeks after the declaration of war, they were moved to the [[Ypres Salient]] and took part in the [[Battle of La Bassée]] in October 1914.<ref name=su5>Sumner, p.5</ref>  In March 1915, the [[7th (Meerut) Division]] was chosen to lead the assault in the [[Battle of Neuve Chapelle]].<ref name=su5/> The Expeditionary Force was hampered by a lack of familiarity with new equipment, only being issued [[Lee–Enfield]] rifles on their arrival in France and they had almost no artillery, relying on support from their neighbouring corps when in the front line.<ref name=su5/> They were not accustomed to the continental weather and were poorly equipped to resist the cold, leading to low morale which was further compounded by the reserve system, whereby reinforcements were drafted in from any regiment and had no affiliation to their new units. Officer casualties were even more of a handicap, as replacements were unfamiliar with the Indian Army and could not speak the language.<ref name=su5/> <ref>{{cite web |last1=Basu |first1=Shrabani |title=Britain Owes a Debt to Indian Soldiers |url=https://newpolitic.com/2021/11/britain-owes-a-debt-to-indian-soldiers/ |website=New Politic |publisher=New Politic |access-date=20 February 2022}}</ref>  With morale low, many soldiers fled the scene of the battle and the infantry divisions were finally withdrawn to Mesopotamia in October 1915, when they were replaced by the new British divisions of Kitchener's Army.<ref name=su5/><ref>{{Cite book|title=Gentlemen of the Raj|last=Barua|first=Pradeep|publisher=Praeger Publishing|year=2003|location=Westport, CT|page=15|isbn=0-275-97999-7}}</ref>

In 1914, the Governor of [[British East Africa]] requested assistance to deal with the German forces in [[German East Africa]] and the problem was handed to the [[India Office]], which assembled two forces and shipped them to his aid.<ref name=ch11>Chappell (2005), p.11</ref> Indian Expeditionary Force B consisted of the [[27th (Bangalore) Brigade]], commanded by Brigadier General Richard Wapshare, from the [[9th (Secunderabad) Division]], and an [[Imperial Service Infantry Brigade]], commanded by Brigadier General [[Michael Tighe (Indian Army officer)|Michael Tighe]], together with a pioneer battalion, a mountain artillery battery and engineers.  It was shipped across the [[Indian Ocean]] to invade [[German East Africa]].<ref>Chappell (2005), pp.11–12</ref><ref name="Paice">{{cite book |last1=Paice |first1=Edward |title=Tip and Run: The Untold Tragedy of the Great War in Africa |date=2007 |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |location=London |isbn=9 780297 847090 |page=406}}</ref>

The force under the command of Major General [[Arthur Aitken]] landed at [[Tanga, Tanzania|Tanga]] on 2–3 November 1914. In the following [[Battle of Tanga]], Aitkens' 9,000 men were badly beaten by the 1,000 men under their German commander [[Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck]].<ref name=ch12>Chappell (2005), p.12</ref> The force re-embarked on 5 November 1914, having suffered 4,240 casualties and the loss of several hundred rifles, 16&nbsp;machine guns and 600,000&nbsp;rounds of ammunition.<ref name=ch12/>

In 1917, the British force, under [[Frederick Stanley Maude]], which now included one cavalry and seven infantry divisions from the Indian Army, in the [[III Corps (India)]]<ref name=su6/> advanced towards [[Baghdad]] which was captured in March.{{Clarify|This sentence is hard to interpret, probably because of the punctuation. Is it saying III Corp India was composed of one cavalry and seven infantry divisions? The sentence should be re-worded or punctuated differently for clarity.|date=November 2010}} The advance continued in 1918, and after the [[Battle of Sharqat]] in October, the Turkish forces surrendered and the [[Armistice of Mudros]] was signed.<ref>Karsh, p.327</ref> The Mesopotamian campaign was largely an Indian Army campaign as the only British formations involved were the [[13th (Western) Division]] and British battalions assigned to Indian brigades.<ref name=Mesopotamia>{{cite web|last=Baker|first=Chris|access-date=4 September 2009|title=Mesopotamia|url=http://www.1914-1918.net/mespot.htm|work=The Long, Long Trail}}</ref> In the campaign, 11,012&nbsp;were killed, 3,985&nbsp;died of wounds, 12,678&nbsp;died of disease, 13,492&nbsp;were either missing or prisoners (including the 9,000&nbsp;prisoners from Kut), and 51,836&nbsp;were wounded.<ref>"Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire" (London: [[HMSO]], 1920)</ref>

Indian soldiers had not been eligible for the Victoria Cross until 1911, instead they received the [[Indian Order of Merit]], an older decoration originally set up in the days of [[East India Company]] rule in India. The honour of being the first Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) in any conflict went to [[Khudadad Khan]], [[129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=4 September 2009 |publisher=Mod Uk |url=http://www.wewerethere.defencedynamics.mod.uk/ww1/k_khan.html |title=Subadar Khudadad Khan, Victoria Cross (VC) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610032042/http://www.wewerethere.defencedynamics.mod.uk/ww1/k_khan.html |archive-date=10 June 2009 }}</ref> When on 31 October 1914, at [[Hollebeke]], Belgium, the British Officer in charge of the detachment having been wounded, and the other gun put out of action by a shell, Sepoy Khudadad, though himself wounded, remained working his gun until all the other five men of the gun detachment had been killed.<ref name=gaz1>{{London Gazette|issue=28999|page=10425 |supp=y|date=4 December 1914}}</ref>

*[[Darwan Singh Negi]], [[39th Garhwal Rifles]]

**For great gallantry on the night of the 23–24 November 1914, near Festubert, France, when the regiment was engaged in retaking and clearing the enemy out of our trenches, and, although wounded in two places in the head, and also in the arm, being one of the first to push round each successive [[Traverse (trench warfare)|traverse]], in the face of severe fire from bombs and rifles at the closest range.<ref name=gaz1/>

*[[Frank Alexander de Pass]], [[34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse]]

**For conspicuous bravery near Festubert on 24 November 1914, in entering a German sap and destroying a traverse in the face of the enemy's bombs, and for subsequently rescuing, under heavy fire, a wounded man who was lying exposed in the open.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Army Museum|title=The Victoria Cross|access-date=15 September 2009|url=http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/exhibitions/vc/page4-2.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820033615/http://national-army-museum.ac.uk/exhibitions/vc/page4-2.shtml|archive-date=20 August 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

**On 19 December 1914, near Givenchy, during a night attack, Lt. Bruce was in command of a small party which captured one of the enemy's trenches. In spite of being severely wounded in the neck, he walked up and down the trench, encouraging his men to hold on against several counter-attacks for some hours until killed. The fire from rifles and bombs was very heavy all day, and it was due to the skilful disposition made, and the example and encouragement shown by Lt. Bruce that his men were able to hold out until dusk, when the trench was finally captured by the enemy.<ref>''[[London Gazette]]'' 4 September 1919</ref>

**On 2 September 1918 on the west bank of the [[River Jordan]], Palestine, when his squadron was charging a strong enemy position, Ressaidar Badlu Singh realised that heavy casualties were being inflicted from a small hill occupied by machine-guns and 200 infantry. Without any hesitation he collected six other ranks and with entire disregard of danger he charged and captured the position. He was mortally wounded on the very top of the hill when capturing one of the machine-guns single handed, but all the guns and infantry had surrendered to him before he died.<ref>''[[London Gazette]]'' 23 September 1918</ref>