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{{Use Indian English|date=December 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=19th Indian Infantry Division
|image=File:19th indian division.svg
|caption=Formation sign of the 19th Indian Infantry Division.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cole|first1=Howard|title=Formation Badges of World War 2. Britain, Commonwealth and Empire|date=1973|publisher=Arms and Armour Press|location=London|page=81}}</ref>
|dates=1941– postwar
|country={{flagicon|British Raj}} [[British Raj|British India]] {{flag|India}}
|allegiance={{flag|British Empire}}
|branch={{army|British India}} {{army|India|23px}}
|type= [[Infantry]]
|role=
|size= [[Division (military)|Division]]
|command_structure=
|garrison=
|equipment=

|current_commander=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|notable_commanders=[[Sir John Smyth, 1st Baronet|Jackie Smyth VC]] [[Thomas Wynford Rees]]

|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_2=

|nickname="Dagger Division"
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=[[Burma Campaign]]
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
}}
The '''19th Indian Infantry Division''' was an [[infantry]] [[Division (military)|division]] of the [[Indian Army during World War II]], and played a prominent part in the final part of the [[Burma Campaign]].

==History==
[[File:British 3-inch mortar detachments support the 19th Indian Division's advance along the Mawchi Road, east of Toungoo, Burma.jpg|thumb|left|British [[ML 3-inch mortar|3-inch mortar]] detachments support the 19th Indian Division's advance along the Mawchi Road, east of Toungoo, Burma. The mortar proved the most effective weapon in [[jungle warfare]].]]

The 19th Indian Infantry Division was raised in [[Secunderabad]], [[British Raj|India]] in October 1941 during the [[World War II|Second World War]] and became part of [[Southern Command (India)|Southern Army]], which was mainly concerned with defence against a possible seaborne invasion by the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]]. The division originally consisted of the [[47th Indian Infantry Brigade|47th]], [[48th Indian Infantry Brigade|48th]] and [[49th Indian Infantry Brigade]]s. The divisions' first [[General officer commanding|General Officer Commanding]] (GOC) was [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]] [[Sir John Smyth, 1st Baronet|Sir Jackie Smyth VC]], who left in December to take command of the [[17th Infantry Division (India)|17th Indian Infantry Division]], then fighting in Burma. Between January and April 1942 all three brigades were reassigned and replaced by the [[62nd Indian Infantry Brigade|62nd]], [[64th Indian Infantry Brigade|64th]] and [[98th Indian Infantry Brigade]]s.<ref name="Kempton">{{cite book| first=Chris| last=Kempton| title='Loyalty & Honour'. The Indian Army September 1939 - August 1947. Part I: Divisions| year=2003| publisher=The Military Press| location=Milton Keynes, U.K.| pages=101–105| isbn=0-85420-228-5}}</ref>

[[File:The British Army in Burma 1945 SE3271.jpg|thumb|right|Troops of the 19th Indian Division and a Lee tank in action during street fighting in [[Mandalay]], 9–10 March 1945.]]

[[File:The British Army in Burma 1945 SE3268.jpg|thumb|left|Casualties of the 19th Indian Division being treated in Mandalay, March 1945.]]

After short periods under the command of Major General [[Geoffry Scoones]] and [[Douglas Stuart (British Indian Army officer)|Douglas Stuart]] the division in October 1942 came under the command Major General [[Thomas Wynford Rees]], who was to become GOC until December 1945. The division spent an extended period on [[internal security]] duties and in training before being committed to the [[Fourteenth Army (United Kingdom)|Fourteenth Army]], commanded by [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant General]] [[William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim|Sir William J. "Bill" Slim]], on the [[Burma Campaign 1944–45|Burma front]] in July 1944.<ref name="Kempton"/> From October the division concentrated on the Imphal plain under [[IV Corps (United Kingdom)|IV Corps]] and from November its brigades were involved in operations on the Chindwin River advancing to establish contact with the [[36th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 36th Infantry Division]] advancing from the north on their left.<ref name="Kempton"/> Concentrating once more at Sinlamaung the division came under [[XXXIII Corps (British India)|Indian XXXIII Corps]], and played the major role in the [[Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay|capture of Mandalay]] which was completed on 20 March.<ref name="Kempton"/> Transferred to IV Corps, it guarded the Fourteenth Army's [[line of communication|lines of communication]] and mounted an offensive towards [[Mawchi]], in the [[Kayah State]].

[[File:The British Army in Burma 1945 SE3453.jpg|thumb|right|[[Stuart tank]] of 19th Indian Division passes a destroyed jeep on the outskirts of [[Mandalay]] shortly after the fall of [[Mandalay Palace|Fort Dufferin]], 19 March 1945.]]

The division's successes were due to its fitness and high morale. It had a high proportion of pre-war [[Regular army|regular]] soldiers among its [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]]s and senior [[Non-commissioned officer|Non-Commissioned Officers]]. The 19th Indian Division was occasionally referred to as the "Dagger Division", from its divisional sign, which was a hand thrusting a dagger overhand, in yellow on a red background.

During the Second World War, a large number of brigades were assigned or attached to the division. The included at various points the [[9th Indian Infantry Brigade|9th]], [[47th Indian Infantry Brigade|47th]], [[48th Indian Infantry Brigade|48th]], [[49th Indian Infantry Brigade|49th]], [[62nd Indian Infantry Brigade|62nd]], [[64th Indian Infantry Brigade|64th]], [[98th Indian Infantry Brigade|98th]] and [[99th Indian Infantry Brigade]]s as well as the [[22nd (East Africa) Infantry Brigade]].<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2009-10-22|publisher=Order of Battle|title=19 Division units|url=http://www.ordersofbattle.com/UnitData.aspx?UniX=6011&Tab=Su}}{{Dead link|date=July 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Order of Battle 1 March 1945==
[[General officer commanding|General Officer Commanding]]: ''[[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]] [[Thomas Wynford Rees]]'' 
Commander, Royal Artillery: ''[[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brigadier]] John Alexander MacDonald'' 
[[Chief of Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of Staff]] (GSO1): ''[[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[John Masters]]''

'''[[62nd Indian Infantry Brigade]]''' ''(Brigadier James Ronald Morris)''
* 2nd Battalion, [[Welch Regiment]]
* 3rd Battalion, [[6th Rajputana Rifles]]
* 4th Battalion, [[6th Gurkha Rifles]]
'''[[64th Indian Infantry Brigade]]''' ''(Brigadier John Godfrey Flewett)''
* 2nd Battalion, [[Worcestershire Regiment]]
* 5th Battalion, [[10th Baluch Regiment]]
* 1st Battalion, [[6th Gurkha Rifles]]
'''[[98th Indian Infantry Brigade]]''' ''(Brigadier Charles Ian Jerrard)''
* 2nd Battalion, [[Royal Berkshire Regiment]]
* 8th Battalion, [[12th Frontier Force Regiment]]
* 4th Battalion, [[4th Gurkha Rifles]]
'''Divisional Troops'''
* [[7th Light Cavalry]] (attached) ''Stuart Tanks''
* 1st Battalion, [[Assam Regiment]] (attached)
* 1st Battalion, [[15th Punjab Regiment]] (''Divisional reconnaissance regiment'')
* MG Battalion, [[11th Sikh Regiment]] (''Divisional Machine Gun Battalion'')
* 134th Medium Regiment, [[Royal Artillery]]
* 4th Field Regiment, [[Royal Indian Artillery]]
* 5th Field Regiment, Indian Artillery
* [[115th (North Midland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery]]
* 20th Mountain Regiment, Indian Artillery
* 33rd Anti-tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (''mixed anti-tank and light anti-aircraft batteries'')
* [[Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers & Miners]], [[Indian Engineers]]
* 64th Field Company, Indian Engineers
* 65th Field Company, Indian Engineers
* 327th Field Park Company, Indian Engineers
* [[Bombay Engineer Group|Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners]], Indian Engineers
* 29th Field Company, Indian Engineers
* 9th Bridging Platoon, Indian Engineers

==Postwar==

Just before the Indian/Pakistani war of 1965 began, 19th Infantry Division was at [[Baramula]] under [[XV Corps (India)]]. Its brigades were the 104th Brigade, Tithwal, the 161st Brigade, Uri and the [[268th Indian Infantry Brigade]], Baramula.

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Latimer, Jon ''Burma: The Forgotten War'', London: John Murray, 2004 {{ISBN|0-7195-6576-6}}
* [[John Masters|Masters, John]] ''The Road Past Mandalay'' London:Cassell Military, Reprinted 2002 {{ISBN|0-304-36157-7}}

==External links==
*{{oob unit | id = 6011 | name = 19 Indian Infantry Division }}

{{Indian Divisions in World War II}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:19 Indian Infantry Division}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=Indian World War II divisions, Divisions of the Indian Army, British Indian Army divisions, Military units and formations established in 1941, Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II
|description=
}}

[[Category:Indian World War II divisions]]
[[Category:Divisions of the Indian Army]]
[[Category:British Indian Army divisions]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1941]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in Burma in World War II|D]]

19th Indian Infantry Division - Revision history

Delinker at 11:11, 31 July 2023