Brigade Headquarters 1 command stand, 1 jeep, 1 infantry stand, 1 staff radio light truck Machinegun Company 1 command stand, 3 MMG stands 152 (Indian) Parachute Battalion, each with: Battalion Headquarters, with: 1 command stand, 1 3" mortar stand, 1 porter 3 Parachute Infantry Companies, each with: 1 command infantry stand, 2 parachute stands 153 (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion, with: as 152 Battalion 154 (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion, each with: as 152 Battalion 411 Squadron, Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners, with: 1 command engineer stand, 2 engineer stands "D" Troop, 582nd Battery, 158th Field Regiment, with: 1 command stand, 1 3" mortar stand, 1 porter stand Notes 1. Typical practice was to attach one British battalion to each Indian brigade. However, the British 151 st Infantry Battalion originally attached to the 50th was detached for service in North Africa. The 151 st was replaced by the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Regiment Gurkha Rifles, later redesignated the 154 (Gurkha) Para Battalion. The Gurkha recruits of the 50th gave rise to the famous story of the Gurkha soldiers who thought 600 feet too high an altitude to jump from--until it was explained that, yes, they'd have parachutes. 2. The 50th was an all-volunteer force composed of the best troops in the Indian Army. Use the following troop quality ratings: 153 (Gurkha) Para-Elite, Morale 11, 154 (Gurkha) Para-Regular, until first combat, then Veteran, Morale 10, 152 (Indian) Para and the rest of 50th Brigade, Experienced, Morale 8. 3. Most of the brigade (152 and 153 Battalions, plus supporting assets) was decimated in the March 1944 Japanese offensive against Imphal and Kohima. The 50th was used as a blocking force against two crack, full-strength, Japanese infantry regiments. In a four-day siege, the 50th broke the Japanese 58th Regiment and caused heavy casualties to the 3/60th Infantry Regiment. Sources Seaman, Harry, The Battle at Sangshak: Burma, March, 1944, London, Leo Cooper, 1989. Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Quarterly # 8 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 by Greg Novak. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com