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{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=5th Indian Armoured Brigade 255th Indian Armoured Brigade 255th Indian Tank Brigade 1st Armoured Brigade
|abbreviation=
|image=British commander and Indian crew encounter elephant near Meiktila.jpg
|caption=[[9th Deccan Horse]], Burma.
|dates= 1941–1946
|country= {{flag|British India}}
|allegiance= {{flag|British Empire}}
|branch= {{army|British India}}
|command_structure=
|equipment= [[Stuart tank]] [[M4 Sherman|M4 Sherman tank]]

|Past Commanders=
|notable_commanders=

|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_2=

|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=[[Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay]] [[Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations]]
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=[[Burma Campaign 1944–45|Burma 1944–1945]]
}}
The '''255th Indian Tank Brigade''' was an [[Armoured warfare|armoured]] [[brigade]] of the [[Indian Army during World War II]]. It was part of the [[Fourteenth Army (United Kingdom)|Fourteenth Army]] and saw action in the [[Burma Campaign]]. The 255th Tank Brigade's tactical sign was a black bull, with yellow horns and red eyes, on a [[royal blue]] triangle. The brigade fought with the [[17th Infantry Division (India)|17th Indian Infantry Division]] in [[Burma]] and was involved in the [[Battle of Meiktila]], the [[Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations]] and during [[Operation Dracula]].<ref>M3 Lee/Grant Medium Tank 1941-45 By Steven J. Zaloga, Hugh Johnson</ref>

The brigade was raised in June 1941 as 5th Indian Armoured Brigade and redesignated '''255th Indian Armoured Brigade''' in October 1941.
The name was changed again to the '''255th Indian Tank Brigade''' in August 1944. In October 1944 it moved to the Imphal plain and came under command of [[IV Corps (United_Kingdom)|IV Corps]]. The brigade crossed the Irrawaddy under command of the 17th Indian Infantry Division in February 1945.<ref name=LH3>{{cite book| title=Loyalty & Honour The Indian Army September 1939 – August 1947 volume 2 Brigades| page=3}}</ref>

The brigade was redesignated in June 1946 as the '''1st Armoured Brigade''' and assigned to the [[1st Armoured Division (India)|1st Armoured Division]], with which it was serving at [[Secunderabad]] when the [[Partition of India]] took place in August 1947.<ref>Renaldi and Rikhye (2011), p.166</ref>

==Component units (February 1945) ==

*[[16th Light Cavalry]], Armoured Cars
*[[5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse]], [[Stuart tank]]s
*[[9th Royal Deccan Horse]], Sherman tanks
*116th Royal Armoured Corps (Gordon Highlanders), Sherman tanks
*4th Battalion, [[4th Bombay Grenadiers]] (motor infantry battalion)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fireandfury.com/orbats/paccommonwealth_burma.pdf|title=fireandfury|last=|first=|date=|publisher=|access-date=|work=www.fireandfury.com}}</ref>
*6th Battalion, [[7th Rajput Regiment]] (HQ/Defence battalion 17th Indian Division, attached)
*36th Field Squadron, Q.V.O. Madras Sappers & Miners Group, Indian Engineers
*3rd Independent Bridging Troop, R.A.C
*9th Light Field Ambulance, I. A. M. C.
* Elements of 18th Field Regiment RA - SP Guns
<ref name=LH4>{{cite book| title=Loyalty & Honour The Indian Army September 1939 – August 1947 volume 2 Brigades| page=4}}</ref>

==Commander==
*Brigadier H. H. Stable (June 1941 - November 1943)<ref name=LH4/>
*Brigadier [[Claude Ernest Pert|C. E. Pert]] (November 1943 - May 1945)<ref name=LH4/>
*Brigadier [[Ralph Younger|R. Younger]] (May - November 1945)<ref name=LH4/><ref>The Army Gradation List February 1956. He was appointed second in command of the 255th Indian Tank Brigade August 1944.</ref>
*Brigadier J. M. W. Martin (November 1945 - November 1947)<ref>The Army Gradation List February 1956. Appointed second in command 255th Indian Tank Brigade May 1945</ref>
*Brigadier Tara Singh Bal (November 1947 - March 1948)

==See also==
{{portal|World War II}}
* [[List of Indian Army Brigades in World War II]]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book| last=Moreman| first=Tim| year=2005| title=The Jungle, the Japanese and the British Commonwealth Armies at War, 1941–45| publisher=Routeledge| isbn=978-0-7146-4970-2}}

[[Category:Armoured brigades of the British Indian Army]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1942]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1946]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in Burma in World War II]]

255th Indian Tank Brigade - Revision history

Bot at 23:09, 25 November 2022