1st Indian Cavalry Division

The 1st Indian Cavalry Division was a wartime formation of the British Indian Army created at the outbreak of the First World War. It brought together British and Indian cavalry regiments for service overseas and was commanded initially by Major General Hew Fanshawe. The division sailed from Bombay on 16 October 1914 and was sent to France, arriving during a period when the Western Front was rapidly becoming a largely static trench-war theatre. Although organized as cavalry, the division spent much of its operational life performing dismounted duties. Its regiments supplied parties for trench service and were held in reserve for a possible breakthrough that never materialized on the scale anticipated by Allied planners. Service in France and Belgium placed Indian soldiers in a very different physical, linguistic, climatic, and tactical environment from the conditions in which many of them had trained. The loss of experienced British officers early in the war also affected the division's ability to communicate effectively with its Indian personnel and to maintain established regimental relationships. The division's principal brigades included the 2nd (Sialkot), 3rd (Ambala), and 8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigades. A further 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade joined in September 1915 after transferring from the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. Its order of battle combined Indian cavalry regiments such as Hodson's Horse, the 30th Lancers, the 29th Lancers, the 36th Jacob's Horse, the Central India Horse, and the 2nd Lancers with British cavalry formations and Royal Horse Artillery batteries. Machine-gun squadrons were added as the war progressed, reflecting the increasing importance of automatic weapons in trench operations. The division took part in the Battle of Cambrai during the German counter-attack from 30 November to 3 December 1917. It was employed as a formed division in that operation, although its broader wartime role remained closely associated with dismounted trench duty and reserve support. On 26 November 1916, the formation had been redesignated the 4th Cavalry Division. In March 1918, the 4th Cavalry Division was broken up. Its British units remained in France, while its Indian regiments were transferred to Egypt, where they were combined with the Yeomanry Mounted Division to form the 1st Mounted Division, later also known as the 4th Cavalry Division. The division therefore existed as a named wartime formation rather than as a continuing institution or commercial organization. Its historical significance lies in the overseas deployment of Indian cavalry during the First World War, the adaptation of mounted regiments to industrialized trench warfare, and the reorganization of Indian and British units as strategic requirements changed.

The 1st Indian Cavalry Division was established in 1914 as part of the British Indian Army's contribution to the First World War. Under Major General Hew Fanshawe, it departed Bombay on 16 October 1914 and proceeded to France. The division's brigades incorporated a mixture of Indian cavalry regiments, British cavalry units, Royal Horse Artillery batteries, and later machine-gun squadrons. Once deployed to France and Belgium, the division encountered a battlefield dominated by trenches, artillery, barbed wire, and machine guns. The mounted role for which its regiments had been organized was consequently limited. Cavalrymen were frequently employed as infantry, supplying dismounted parties for trench duty and being retained in reserve for a hoped-for breakthrough. The division's performance was also affected by the deaths of experienced officers and the difficulty of replacing officers familiar with the languages, customs, and internal organization of Indian regiments. The unfamiliar Western Front environment added to these challenges. The division's structure changed during the war. The 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade transferred to the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division in September 1915, while the 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade joined the 1st Division from that formation on the same date. Machine-gun squadrons were incorporated from 1916, and the composition of some brigades changed further as British and Indian units were reassigned. On 26 November 1916, the formation was renamed the 4th Cavalry Division. It continued to serve in France and Belgium, including participation in the Battle of Cambrai during the German counter-attack of 30 November to 3 December 1917. In March 1918, the division was disbanded. Its British components remained on the Western Front, whereas the Indian regiments were moved to Egypt and combined with the Yeomanry Mounted Division. This reorganization produced the 1st Mounted Division, which was later known as the 4th Cavalry Division. The division's history illustrates how imperial military formations were adapted to the realities of industrial warfare. It also records the overseas service of Indian cavalry regiments whose traditional mounted functions were frequently subordinated to infantry and reserve duties.

• 1918

  Disbandment and transfer of Indian units

  [1]1st Indian Cavalry Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The 4th Cavalry Division was dissolved in March; Indian units went to Egypt to help form the 1st Mounted Division.

• 1917

  Battle of Cambrai

  [1]1st Indian Cavalry Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division fought during the German counter-stroke at Cambrai from 30 November to 3 December.

• 1916

  Redesignation as 4th Cavalry Division

  [1]1st Indian Cavalry Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The formation was renamed the 4th Cavalry Division on 26 November.

• 1915

  Brigade reallocation

  [1]1st Indian Cavalry Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The 3rd (Ambala) Cavalry Brigade transferred to the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division, while the 5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade joined from that division.

• 1914

  Formation and mobilization

  [1]1st Indian Cavalry Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division was formed at the outbreak of the First World War as a British Indian Army cavalry formation.

• 1914

  Departure from Bombay

  [1]1st Indian Cavalry Divisionen.wikipedia.org

  The division sailed from Bombay on 16 October for deployment to France.

A wartime cavalry formation of the British Indian Army, designed to provide mounted military capability but used extensively in dismounted trench and reserve roles on the Western Front.

• 1917Battle of Cambrai

  France

  The division was committed as a formed cavalry division during the German counter-attack at Cambrai from 30 November to 3 December 1917. Its participation reflected the continuing use of cavalry formations in a battlefield where mounted operations were heavily constrained.

  Outcome. The division remained in service after the operation but was later disbanded during the 1918 reorganization of British and Indian forces.

  Source

• 1918

  Dissolution and reconstitution of unitsStrategy

  Background

  The changing strategic requirements of the war led to the separation of British and Indian elements of the division.

  Action taken

  The division was broken up; British units remained in France and Indian regiments moved to Egypt to join the Yeomanry Mounted Division.

  Aftermath

  The Indian units helped form the 1st Mounted Division, later known as the 4th Cavalry Division.

  Source

• 1916

  Redesignation as the 4th Cavalry DivisionStrategy

  Background

  The wartime organization of Indian cavalry formations was revised as units and brigades were transferred between divisions.

  Action taken

  The 1st Indian Cavalry Division was renamed the 4th Cavalry Division on 26 November 1916.

  Aftermath

  The formation continued its Western Front duties under the new designation until it was dissolved in March 1918.

  Source

1. 11st Indian Cavalry Divisionen.wikipedia.org