Army of India consisted of both the
Indian ArmyThe Indian Army , now sometimes called the British Indian Army to distinguish it from the modern army of the Republic of India, was the principal army of the British Raj in India during the last half-century before the partition of India in 1947.The Indian Army served both in India and,...
and the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
in India between 1903 and 1947.
Lord Kitchener was appointed
Commander-in-Chief, IndiaThe British Commander-in-Chief in India was the chief military commander for the British administration in India and liaisoned with the civilian Governor-General of India...
between 1902 and 1909. He instituted large-scale reforms of the military units in the
British RajThe British Raj was the British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule...
(India), including merging the three armies of the three presidencies into a unified force and forming higher level formations, eight army divisions, and brigading Indian and British units.
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Army of India consisted of both the
Indian ArmyThe Indian Army , now sometimes called the British Indian Army to distinguish it from the modern army of the Republic of India, was the principal army of the British Raj in India during the last half-century before the partition of India in 1947.The Indian Army served both in India and,...
and the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
in India between 1903 and 1947.
Lord Kitchener was appointed
Commander-in-Chief, IndiaThe British Commander-in-Chief in India was the chief military commander for the British administration in India and liaisoned with the civilian Governor-General of India...
between 1902 and 1909. He instituted large-scale reforms of the military units in the
British RajThe British Raj was the British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule...
(India), including merging the three armies of the three presidencies into a unified force and forming higher level formations, eight army divisions, and brigading Indian and British units. Following Kitchener's reforms:
- The Indian Army was "the force recruited locally and permanently based in India, together with its expatriate British officers."
- The British Army in India consisted of British Army
The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
units posted to India for a tour of duty, and which would then be posted to other parts of the EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was...
or back to the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
- The Army of India consisted of both the Indian Army and the British Army in India.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, after the fall of
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
and the ending of ABDACOM in early 1942, until the formation of
SEACSouth East Asia Command was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II.-Background:...
in August 1943 some American and Chinese units were placed under the Army of India command.
The officer commanding the Army of India was the Commander-in-Chief in India who reported to the civilian
Governor-General of IndiaThe Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
. His command was known as
India CommandGeneral Headquarters, India was the headquarters of the British Indian Army from its formation to Partition in 1947. Most of the C-in-C's staff were based at the headquarters, which was located in New Delhi....
and his staff were based at GHQ India.
After the independence of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
in 1947, the Army of India was renamed as the
Indian Armed ForcesThe Indian Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Republic of India encompassing the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy, and various other inter-service institutions.With an estimated total active force of 1,414,000 personnel, India maintains the world's third largest...
.