The Indian Army on the Western Front: India's Expeditionary Force to France and Belgium in the First World War (Cambridge Military Histories)

The Indian army fought on the western front with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from 1914 to 1918. The traditional interpretations of its performance have been dominated by ideas that it was a failure. This book offers a radical reconsideration by revealing new answers to the debate's central questions, such as whether the Indian army 'saved' the BEF from defeat in 1914, or whether Indian troops were particularly prone to self-inflicting wounds and fleeing the trenches. It looks at the Indian army from top to bottom, from generals at headquarters to snipers in no man's land. It takes a global approach, exploring the links between the Indian army's 1914–18 campaigning in France and Belgium and its pre-1914 small wars in Asia and Africa, and comparing the performance of the Indian regiments on the western front to those in China, East Africa, Mesopotamia and elsewhere. Cover 1 Half title 3 Series 5 Title 7 Copyright 8 Contents 9 Acknowledgements 11 Note on Names and Places 13 Introduction 15 Indian Expeditionary Force A 15 How Has IEFA’s Indian Army Tactical Performance Been Judged? 23 How Has IEFA’s Operational Performance Been Seen? 33 How Has IEFA’s Administrative Performance Been Seen? 38 What Is ‘New’ About This Book? 40 1 The Army in India 42 Brahmans to Baluchis 42 The Field Army and the Defence Force 51 Commanders and Staff 52 Civilians and Soldiers 53 2 Small Wars and Regular Warfare 56 Small Wars 56 Regular Warfare 60 3 Strengths 67 The Indian Regiments 67 Mobilising 121 Deploying Overseas 124 4 Weaknesses 129 Combined Arms Capability 129 Administration 139 5 To Flanders 148 Mobilisation on the Subcontinent 148 From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean 153 To Flanders 156 To Mombasa, Mesopotamia and Tanga 159 6 ‘Saving’ the BEF 162 The BEF’s Reinforcements 162 ‘Filling a Gap’ 166 7 Climate, Casualty Replacements and Departure 168 The Flemish Winter 168 Casualty Replacements 173 ‘The Pasha of Baghdad’ 182 8 Self-Inflicted Wounds and Fleeing the Trenches 185 Self-Inflicted Wounds 185 Fleeing the Trenches 189 9 Old Tactics 201 Marching 202 Grenade and Mortar Making 203 Small Group Tactics 204 Scouting 215 Trench Digging and Explosives 218 Recovering Rifles, Rescuing Casualties and Taking Prisoners 219 The BEF’s British Battalions 223 From Tsingtao to Tanga 225 10 New Tactics 234 The Indian Corps 234 ‘I Knew These Troops Would Be No Good’ 259 The Indian Cavalry Corps 261 Victory in Mesopotamia 264 11 Commanders and Staff 271 The Indian Corps 273 The Indian Cavalry Corps 291 From Flanders to India 293 12 Administration 295 Curries, Hospitals and Post Offices 297 ‘Where all those Nice Things?’ 309 Conclusion 313 Bibliography 321 Index 339 The Indian Army Fought Alongside The British Expeditionary Force On The Western Front From 1914 To 1918, But Analysis Of Its Performance Tends To Deem This A Failure. Examining The Tactical, Operational And Administrative Performance Of The Indian Army, This Study Reconsiders Its Contribution And Combat Effectiveness. The Army In India -- Small Wars And Regular Warfare -- Strengths -- Weaknesses -- To Flanders -- 'saving' The Bef -- Climate, Casualty Replacements And Departure -- Self-inflicted Wounds And Fleeing The Trenches -- Old Tactics -- New Tactics -- Commanders And Staff -- Administration. George Morton-jack. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Recasts the role of the Indian Army on the Western Front, questioning why its performance was traditionally deemed a failure