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Module - III Indian Army in World War I and II

Military History of the
allies to gain victory over the Germans.
Colonial Era
(ii) Role In France
With Britain entering the War on 4 August 1914, the Indian Army was soon
drafted to fight in the battlefields of France and Flanders on 6 September 1914,
this being the first time that Indian soldiers were deployed in Europe. The Indian
Corps comprising of the Lahore and Meerut Divisions fought in the Battle of
Note
Somme, Passchendaele, Ypres, Neuve Chapelle where they provided half the
attacking force for the British. Indian troops fought in Flanders where the bravery
of Sepoy Khudadad Khan earned him the prestigious Victoria Cross (VC), the
highest decoration for bravery in war awarded by the Queen of England. He
became the first Indian to receive this honour.

(iii) Battle of Neuve Chapelle
The Battle of Neuve Chapelle, which took place in March 1915 was a British
offensive in the Artois region of France and broke through at Neuve Chapelle.
On 10 March, the British began a thirty-five minute Artillery bombardment by
90 x 18 pdr field guns of the Indian Corps and the IV Corps, on the German
wire, which was destroyed within ten minutes. The bombardment was followed
by an infantry assault.

The Garhwal Brigade of the Meerut Division, Indian Corps attacked with all
four battalions on a 600 yards front, from Port Arthur to Pont Logy. The Indian
troops forced their way through the German wire and took 200 yards of the
German front trench, despite many casualties. 40,000 Allied troops took part
during the battle and 7,000 British and 4,200 Indian suffered casualties. The 7th
Division had 2,791 casualties, the 8th Division 4,814 losses, the Meerut Division
2,353 casualties and the Lahore Division 1,694 losses. German casualties from
9-20 March were 10,000 men. Indian army soldiers won many Victoria Cross.
Khudadad Khan (129 Duke of Connought's Own Baluchis), Rfn Gabar
SinghNegi, (2nd Battalion 39 Garhwal Rifles), Subedar Mir Dast (55 Coke's
Rifles Frontier Force), Naik Darwin Singh Negi (1st Battalion 39 Garhwal
Rifles), Lance Dafadar Gobind Singh (2nd LANCERS), and Rifleman Kulbir
Thapa (2nd Battalion 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles) are few of
them.

(iv) Role in Gallipoli Peninsula

The first Indian troops involved in the initial landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula in
th
st
April 1915 were the 21 Kohat Mountain Battery and the 26 Jacob's Mountain
th
Battery. On 4 June 1915, the 14 Sikhs comprising 15 British Officers, 14

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MILITARY HISTORY