Battaglione Azad Hindoustan
Encyclopedia
The Battaglione Azad Hindoustan (Azad Hindoustan translates as 'Free India') was a foreign legion unit formed in Fascist Italy
under the Raggruppamento Centri Militari in July 1942. The unit, raised initially as the Centro I, was headed by Mohammad Iqbal Shedai
- a long term Indian resident of Rome
- and was formed of Indian ex-prisoners-of-war and Italians from India.
Raised along with units dedicated to Tunisia (Centro T) , the Arabs (Centro A), it was tasked to intelligence gathering and sabotage
operations behind enemy lines. By the time of its disbandment in November 1942, the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan came to be between three hundred and fifty to four hundred strong. A part of the Centro I was renamed Battaglione Azad Hindoustan in August 1942 when the Raggruppamento Centri Militari itself was redesignated as Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse (Red Arrows Group)
The modus operandi of infiltration of the units of the Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse were intended to be means of infiltration on the ground, via submarine
and by parachute
. Accordingly, a further unit was raised within the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan to form the Plotone Paracadutisti or the Parachute Platoon. The chosen troops were sent for Paratroop combat training to the Parachute School at Tarquinia
.
military uniforms. However - unlike the troops of the Legion Freies Indien, who had peaked field-caps - all the troops of the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan wore a turban
of the colour of the Italian Sahariana Tunic. Additionally, the troops wore on their tunics collar patches with three vertical stripes in the saffron, white
and green
(reflecting the colours of the Indian National Congress
that was at the time the focus of the nationalist movement
). Italians serving in the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan were distinguished by stars on the collar patches that was not worn by the Indian troops. The Tarquinia detachment sent for parachute training wore their own collar patches above paratroop-pattern patches, as well as the paratroop badge depicting an open yellow parachute embroidered in rayon thread on the left upper arm.
According to the order of battle of the Italian Ragruppamento Frecce Rosse in August 1942, the following units comprised the force structure: A Comando (Headquarters), Battaglione d'Assalto Tunisia (Tunisia Assault Battalion) which was Ex-Centro T, Gruppo Italo-Arabo (Italo-Arab Group) from ex-Centro A, and Battaglione Azad Hindoustan (Free Indian Battalion) from Ex-Centro I.
The Battaglione Azad Hindoustan was created out of Centro I using both the ex-Indian Army personnel (The Indian Army was under British operational command) and Italians previously resident in India and Persia (Iran)
The order of battle of the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan in August 1942 was
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
under the Raggruppamento Centri Militari in July 1942. The unit, raised initially as the Centro I, was headed by Mohammad Iqbal Shedai
Mohammad Iqbal Shedai
Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Shedai, A revolutionary, who spent his entire life fighting against British imperialism.The best part of his life was spent in self-exile in Asian and European countries – away from his homeland –-Early life:...
- a long term Indian resident of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
- and was formed of Indian ex-prisoners-of-war and Italians from India.
Raised along with units dedicated to Tunisia (Centro T) , the Arabs (Centro A), it was tasked to intelligence gathering and sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
operations behind enemy lines. By the time of its disbandment in November 1942, the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan came to be between three hundred and fifty to four hundred strong. A part of the Centro I was renamed Battaglione Azad Hindoustan in August 1942 when the Raggruppamento Centri Militari itself was redesignated as Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse (Red Arrows Group)
The modus operandi of infiltration of the units of the Raggruppamento Frecce Rosse were intended to be means of infiltration on the ground, via submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
and by parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
. Accordingly, a further unit was raised within the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan to form the Plotone Paracadutisti or the Parachute Platoon. The chosen troops were sent for Paratroop combat training to the Parachute School at Tarquinia
Tarquinia
Tarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy.- History :Tarquinii is said to have been already a flourishing city when Demaratus of Corinth brought in Greek workmen...
.
Uniform
The soldiers of the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan wore standard ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
military uniforms. However - unlike the troops of the Legion Freies Indien, who had peaked field-caps - all the troops of the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan wore a turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
of the colour of the Italian Sahariana Tunic. Additionally, the troops wore on their tunics collar patches with three vertical stripes in the saffron, white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
and green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
(reflecting the colours of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
that was at the time the focus of the nationalist movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
). Italians serving in the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan were distinguished by stars on the collar patches that was not worn by the Indian troops. The Tarquinia detachment sent for parachute training wore their own collar patches above paratroop-pattern patches, as well as the paratroop badge depicting an open yellow parachute embroidered in rayon thread on the left upper arm.
Structure
According to the order of Battle of the Italian Ragruppamento Centri Militari, May 1942, the unit had the following under its control: a Comando (Headquarters) with CO Tenente Colonello di Stato (Staff Lieutenant Colonel) Massimo Invrea, Centro T consisting of Italians from Tunisia, Centro A consisting of Italians from Egypt, Palastine, Syria and Arabia; plus Arabs and Sudanese ex-prisoners-of-war and lastly, Centro I consisting of Italians from India and Persia (Iran) and Indian ex-prisoners-of-war. In all, the Ragruppamento Centri Militari collected together approximately 1,200 Italians, 400 Indians and 200 Arabs. In August 1942 the Ragruppamento was renamed as Ragruppamento Frecce Rosse (Red Arrows Group) a name chosen by the commanding officer in memory of his service with the Italian Divisione Frecce Nere (Black Arrows Division) of the Italian Corpo Truppo Volontarie in the Spanish Civil War. The three Centri Militari received new designations at the same timeAccording to the order of battle of the Italian Ragruppamento Frecce Rosse in August 1942, the following units comprised the force structure: A Comando (Headquarters), Battaglione d'Assalto Tunisia (Tunisia Assault Battalion) which was Ex-Centro T, Gruppo Italo-Arabo (Italo-Arab Group) from ex-Centro A, and Battaglione Azad Hindoustan (Free Indian Battalion) from Ex-Centro I.
The Battaglione Azad Hindoustan was created out of Centro I using both the ex-Indian Army personnel (The Indian Army was under British operational command) and Italians previously resident in India and Persia (Iran)
The order of battle of the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan in August 1942 was
- Compagnie Fucilieri, a motorized rifle company.
- Compagnie Mitraglieri, a motorized machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
company. - Plotone Paracadutisti, Parachute Platoon
- Overseas Italian Platoon