Approach to Battle

Approach to Battle
Author: Alan Jeffreys
Publisher: Helion and Company
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2017-01-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1913336913

The Indian Army was the largest volunteer army during the Second World War. Indian Army divisions fought in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy - and went to make up the overwhelming majority of the troops in South East Asia. Over two million personnel served in the Indian Army - and India provided the base for supplies for the Middle Eastern and South East Asian theatres. This monograph is a modern historical interpretation of the Indian Army as a holistic organisation during the Second World War. It will look at training in India - charting how the Indian Army developed a more comprehensive training structure than any other Commonwealth country. This was achieved through both the dissemination of doctrine and the professionalism of a small coterie of Indian Army officers who brought about a military culture within the Indian Army - starting in the 1930s - that came to fruition during the Second World War, which informed the formal learning process. Finally, it will show that the Indian Army was reorganised after experiences of the First World War. During the interwar period, the army developed training and belief for both fighting on the North West Frontier, and as an aid to civil power. With the outbreak of the Second World War, in addition to these roles, the army had to expand and adapt to fighting modern professional armies in the difficult terrains of desert, jungle and mountain warfare. A clear development of doctrine and training can be seen, with many pamphlets being produced by GHQ India that were, in turn, used to formulate training within formations and then used in divisional, brigade and unit training instructions - thus a clear line of process can be seen not only from GHQ India down to brigade and battalion level, but also upwards from battalion and brigade level based on experience in battle that was absorbed into new training instructions. Together with the added impetus for education in the army, by 1945 the Indian Army had become a modern, professional and national army.

The Indian Army and the End of the Raj

The Indian Army and the End of the Raj
Author: Daniel Marston
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2014-04-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1139915762

The Partition of British India in 1947 resulted in the establishment of the independent states of India and Pakistan and the end of the British Raj. The decision to divide British India along religious lines led to widespread upheaval and communal violence in the period leading up to and following the official day of independence, 15 August 1947. In this book, Daniel Marston provides a unique examination of the role of the Indian army in post-World War II India. He draws upon extensive research into primary source documents and interviews with veterans of the events of 1947 to provide fresh insight into the vital part that the Indian Army played in preserving law and order in the region. This rigorous book fills a significant gap in the historiography of the British in India and will be invaluable to those studying the British Empire and South Asia more generally.

Historical Dictionary of Pakistan

Historical Dictionary of Pakistan
Author: Shahid Javed Burki
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 727
Release: 2015-03-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1442241489

Pakistan is unlike most other countries in the emerging world. It is one of the two nations – the other being the state of Israel – founded on the basis of religion. Although it was created to provide a homeland for the Muslim community of British India, in its original form it was able to accommodate only about half of the people of Islamic faith who lived in the subcontinent. Pakistan’s birth in 1947 resulted in one of the largest movements of people in human history when some 14 million people left their homes, with 8 million Muslims leaving India for what is now Pakistan and 6 million Hindus and Sikhs moving in the opposite direction. This was the first large-scale incidence of ethnic cleansing the world was to witness. This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Pakistan covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Pakistan.

God Save the Queen

God Save the Queen
Author: US Army Military History Institute
Publisher:
Total Pages: 410
Release: 1979
Genre: Commonwealth countries
ISBN:

The Kaiser's Last General

The Kaiser's Last General
Author: R.G. Gladding
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2022-02-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1476685991

At the outbreak of World War I, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, military commander of Germany's East African Colony, planned to divert British troops from Europe to East Africa. Knowing he could not defeat them in pitched battle, he led a small force--never more than 15,000 men--familiar with bush-fighting and the harsh environment, on raids into British territory. A gifted tactician, von Lettow-Vorbeck attacked only when odds were in his favor, then fought defensive withdrawals into the German Colony, maintaining short lines of supply while drawing the enemy deeper into hostile territory. The British and their allies committed 160,000 troops in East Africa. He led them in a game of "catch me if you can," punishing them for every mistake. Promoted to major-general by the Kaiser in 1917, von Lettow-Vorbeck led the only undefeated German force to surrender to the Allies, well after the end of hostilities in Europe. This history follows what began as a campaign of conquest and devolved into a hunt for a single general and his small, loyal command.

The First Victory

The First Victory
Author: Andrew Stewart
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2016-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300208553

A riveting new account of the long-overlooked achievement of British-led forces who, against all odds, scored the first major Allied victory of the Second World War Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops. This compelling book draws on an array of previously unseen documents to provide both a detailed campaign history and a fresh appreciation of the first significant Allied success of the war. Andrew Stewart investigates such topics as Britain's African wartime strategy; how the fighting forces were assembled (most from British colonies, none from the U.S.); General Archibald Wavell's command abilities and his difficult relationship with Winston Churchill; the resolute Italian defense at Keren, one of the most bitterly fought battles of the entire war; the legacy of the campaign in East Africa; and much more.

The Commonwealth Armies

The Commonwealth Armies
Author: Frederick William Perry
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 1988
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780719025952