44th Airborne Division (India)
| 44th Indian Airborne Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1944–1947 |
| Country |
 British India
|
| Allegiance |
 British Empire
|
| Branch |
 British Indian Army
|
| Type | Airborne forces |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Ernest Edward Down |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |
Winged Pegasus on a Scarlet background with India underneath |
The 44th Indian Airborne Division was an airborne forces division of the Indian Army during World War II, created in 1944. It provided a parachute battalion for one minor airborne operation but the war ended before the complete formation could take part. (However, most of its subordinate formations and units had already seen action before the division formed).
The division's creation was a protracted affair. The division was first converted from the 9th Airborne Division (itself built around the core of the disbanded 44th Indian Armoured Division), at Secunderabad in India, on 15 April 1944.
Within a fortnight, the division HQ and such supporting units as had been allocated were used to form the 21st Indian Infantry Division, as an emergency measure during the Japanese invasion of India (which was codenamed Operation U-Go, and which resulted in the battles of Imphal and Kohima). By 15 July, the crisis was clearly over, and the airborne division's formation was resumed.
On 15 September 1944, the existing 50th Indian Parachute Brigade was allocated to the division. Later in the year, it was decreed that the Chindit formations were to be broken up and some of them were to be converted to airborne formations. The 14th British Airlanding Brigade became part of the division on 1 November 1944, and the Indian 77th Indian Parachute Brigade on 1 March 1945.
The conversion of 77th Brigade to a parachute formation was accompanied by the creation of the Indian Parachute Regiment which absorbed the existing Indian and Gurkha parachute battalions, and the formation of two British battalions of the Parachute Regiment around the cadre of troops which had already fought as Glider infantry during the Chindit campaign; 15th (King's) Battalion, Parachute Regiment from 1st Battalion King's Regiment (Liverpool), and 16th (Staffords) Battalion, Parachute Regiment from 1st Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment.
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