Indian Army during World War I

Indian Army
Indian bicycle troops at Battle of the Somme
Active1895–1947
Country India
Allegiance British Empire
TypeArmy
Size1,780,000
EngagementsSecond Boer War
British expedition to Tibet
World War I
Waziristan campaign (1919–20)
Waziristan campaign (1936–39)
World War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener

The Indian Army, also called the British Indian Army, was involved in World War I as part of the British Empire. More than one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom more than 60,000 died during the war.[1]

In World War I the Indian Army fought against the German Empire on the 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 Egypt, Gallipoli, German East Africa and nearly 700,000 served in Mesopotamia against the Ottoman Empire.[2] While some divisions were sent overseas others had to remain in India guarding the North West Frontier and on internal security and training duties.[3][4]

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 II if they hadn't had the Indian Army."[5][6]

  1. ^ "India's contribution to the First World War". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Participants from the Indian subcontinent in the First World War". Memorial Gates Trust. Retrieved 12 September 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference su9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "The Indian Army in the Second World War". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012.
  6. ^ "Armed and ready". Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.