Dudley Russell
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir Dudley Russell ("the Pasha") KBE
, CB
, DSO
, MC
(1896–1978) was an officer in the British and Indian Armies during World War I
and World War II
.
. In October 1917 he transferred to the British Indian Army
and in November was commissioned as a lieutenant into the 97th Deccan Infantry
serving in Egypt. In March 1919, as an acting captain he was awarded the MC
, the citation for which read
Russell's promotion to substantive captain did not come until 1923 but was antedated to June 1919.
In the 1922 reorganisation of the Indian Army his regiment became the 3rd battalion 19th Hyderabad Regiment
. During the period between the World Wars he attended the Staff College
at Quetta
. In 1935 he transferred to the 6th Royal (Scinde) battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles
. In 1936 he qualified as a higher standard interpreter in Pashto which resulted in his widely-used nickname of The Pasha. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel in April 1938 and commanded the 6th battalion from 1938 to 1940.
and was shipped to the Sudan
. Here he was appointed the division's GSO1 (senior headquarters staff officer) replacing Frank Messervy
who took command of Gazelle Force which was being formed as a mobile strike force to operate against the Italians along the border with Eritrea
.
From October 1940 to August 1941 during the East African Campaign
Colonel Russell continued in this role performing a key function in the campaign fought by 4th and 5th Indian Infantry Division in Eritrea. He negotiated the surrender of the Italian forces commanded by Amadeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta at Amba Alagi
. For his services in East Africa Russell was awarded the OBE
.
in June 1941 and then Iraq
in August, returning to Egypt in October more or less coincidental with Russell's promotion to brigadier and assuming command of Indian 4th Infantry Division's Indian 5th Infantry Brigade, part of XIII Corps
in the newly created Eighth Army
.
On 18 November 1941 Eighth Army launched Operation Crusader
. Initially Russell's brigade, short of transport, was delegated to protect lines of communication. By 26 November it was moving to the front. By mid December the brigade was involved in intense fighting against the armour of Rommel's Afrika Korps at Alem Hamsa where the 1st Buffs were destroyed as a fighting unit and were temporarily replaced by 1st battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles.
In March 1942 4th Indian Division was dispersed and the brigade was sent to Palestine
but hastilly summoned back to the western desert after Rommel's breakthrough at the Battle of Gazala
. Initially attached to 5th Indian Division, the brigade was transferred to Indian 10th Infantry Division
as it withdrew from Libya to the defensive position at Mersa Matruh in Egypt. On 28 June the brigade found its line of withdrawal from Metrsa Matruh cut and was forced to break out southwards into the desert in small parties before turning east and reforming behind the defensive position at El Alamein
. For his leadership of the brigade in the period from November 1941 to April 1942 Russell was awarded in September 1942 the DSO
.
Having reorganised, the brigade was once more attached to 5th Indian Division and during mid July fought in the Battles of Ruweisat Ridge, part of series of engagements now called the First Battle of El Alamein
. The brigade continued to hold positions on or near the Ruweisat Ridge up to November and the Second Battle of El Alamein
. By this time 5th Indian Division had been relieved and the brigade was once more part of 4th Indian Division. For his services between May and October Russell was mentioned in despatches.
4th Indian Division's initial role in the battle was to make diversionary displays from Ruweisat Ridge while the main offensive went in to the north. In early November 2nd New Zealand Division had made a salient into the Axis lines and 5th Indian Brigade were attached to the exhausted 51st (Highland) Infantry Division
to complete the breakthrough. By dawn on 4 November the brigade had secured its objectives opening the way for the British armour.
. When the German defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad
removed the threat to Iraq and Persia from the Caucasus
the division was moved to Syria
for training. In June 1943 the division was ordered to seize the island of Rhodes
but the Armistice with Italy
forestalled the operation.
in southern Italy to become engaged for the rest of the war in the Italian Campaign
. For the next three months the division fought up the eastern side of Italy as part of Eighth Army
's V Corps
, making crossings of the rivers Biferno, Trigno and in late November the Sangro. By mid December they had crossed the Moro but Eighth Army called off offensive operations as deteriorating winter weather and conditions underfoot made further attacks impractical and 8th Indian Division were tasked to hold the front between Orsogna and the Apennine mountains
.
At the beginning of May 8 Indian Division had been attached to XIII Corps and switched in secrecy across the Apennines to the mouth of the Liri valley beneath Monte Cassino
for the fourth Battle of Cassino, Operation Diadem. 8th Indian and British 4th Divisions were given the job to get across the fast flowing Rapido river and establish bridgeheads. The attack went in night of 11 May and by 09.00 the next morning Russell's divisional engineers had erected a Bailey bridge
to allow supporting armour into the bridgehead to repel German armoured counterattacks. By 13 May the Germans fell back and 1st Canadian Infantry Division
passed through the bridgehead to lead the advance. 8th Indian Division now came under X Corps
for a 150 mile advance before being rested at the end of June. In August 1944 Russell was awarded the CBE
.
After three week's rest the division re-joined XIII Corps, which by this time formed the right wing of the U.S. Fifth Army, to liberate Florence
before moving into the central Apennines and advance north east to confront the Gothic Line
. Monte Citerna on the Gothic line was taken on 9 September but this only heralded another two and a half months fighting, making slow progress in poor conditions and wild terrain.
In late 1944, as Eighth Army ground its way forward across the division's front from the right, the Germans withdrew from 8th Indian Division's sector to shorten their front line and lines of communication. In late December Russell was ordered to take two brigades to the far western wing of the Fifth Army where the inexperienced U.S. 92nd Infantry Division
was thought by army commander Lucian Truscott
to be very vulnerable. On 26 December the Germans broke through towards Russell's rearguard positions but the attack was not carried through and 8th Indian Division recovered the lost ground. The division was then withdrawn to rest at Pisa
.
In February 8 Indian Division was moved to the Adriatic front once more to join Eighth Army's V Corps once again and take up positions on the river Senio
. The main attack on the Senio
started on 9 April 1945. By the evening 8th Indian Division with the New Zealanders on their left, had in furious fighting against desperate defence created a bridgehead one and a half miles deep. On 11 April they made a strongly opposed crossing of the river Santerno
before allowing 78th Infantry Division to pass through into the Argenta Gap. After a brief pause for rest, during which time 78th Division and 56th Division had forced the Argenta Gap defences, 8th Indian Division were put back in the front line to take Ferrara
and be the first Eighth Army formation to reach the river Po. After crossing the Po the division crossed the river Adige
on 28 April and was ordered to halt.
Following the formal cessation of hostilities on 2 May 8 Indian Division was repatriated to India during June. Russell's temporary rank of major-general was made substantive in November and he was appointed Companion of the Bath (CB)
. He was also mentioned in despatches and received the United States
Legion of Merit
, Degree of Commander.
ed KBE
in the 1950 New Year's honours list at the request of the Indian government and retired in July 1954 retaining the honorary rank of lieutenant-general.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(1896–1978) was an officer in the British and Indian Armies during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early career
Russell received a temporary commission in 1914 and in 1915 joined the 7th battalion of the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) with whom he served during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In October 1917 he transferred to the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
and in November was commissioned as a lieutenant into the 97th Deccan Infantry
97th Deccan Infantry
The 97th Deccan Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origin to 1794, when they were the 3rd Battalion of the Aurangabad Division in the Hyderabad State army...
serving in Egypt. In March 1919, as an acting captain he was awarded the MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, the citation for which read
Russell's promotion to substantive captain did not come until 1923 but was antedated to June 1919.
In the 1922 reorganisation of the Indian Army his regiment became the 3rd battalion 19th Hyderabad Regiment
19th Hyderabad Regiment
The 19th Hyderabad Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed following the post World War I reforms of the Indian Army when they moved from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...
. During the period between the World Wars he attended the Staff College
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
at Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
. In 1935 he transferred to the 6th Royal (Scinde) battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles
13th Frontier Force Rifles
The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions.-History:...
. In 1936 he qualified as a higher standard interpreter in Pashto which resulted in his widely-used nickname of The Pasha. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel in April 1938 and commanded the 6th battalion from 1938 to 1940.
East Africa
In August 1940 his battalion joined Indian 9th Infantry Brigade, part of the newly formed Indian 5th Infantry DivisionIndian 5th Infantry Division
Indian 5th Infantry Division was an infantry division in the Indian Army during World War II which fought in several theatres of war and more than earned its nickname the "Ball of Fire".- History :...
and was shipped to the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. Here he was appointed the division's GSO1 (senior headquarters staff officer) replacing Frank Messervy
Frank Messervy
General Sir Frank Walter Messervy, KCSI, KBE, CB, DSO & Bar, , was a British Indian Army officer in both the First and Second World Wars...
who took command of Gazelle Force which was being formed as a mobile strike force to operate against the Italians along the border with Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
.
From October 1940 to August 1941 during the East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
Colonel Russell continued in this role performing a key function in the campaign fought by 4th and 5th Indian Infantry Division in Eritrea. He negotiated the surrender of the Italian forces commanded by Amadeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta at Amba Alagi
Amba Alagi
Amba Alagi is a mountain, or an amba, in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi Zone of the Tigray Region, Amba Alagi dominates the roadway that runs past it from the city of Mek'ele south to Maychew. Because of its strategic location, Amba Alagi has been the location of several battles...
. For his services in East Africa Russell was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
North Africa
5th Indian Division moved to CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in June 1941 and then Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in August, returning to Egypt in October more or less coincidental with Russell's promotion to brigadier and assuming command of Indian 4th Infantry Division's Indian 5th Infantry Brigade, part of XIII Corps
XIII Corps (United Kingdom)
XIII Corps was a British infantry corps during World War I and World War II.-World War I:XIII Corps was formed in France on 15 November 1915 under Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve to be part of Fourth Army. It was first seriously engaged during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. On the First day on...
in the newly created Eighth Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
.
On 18 November 1941 Eighth Army launched Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader was a military operation by the British Eighth Army between 18 November–30 December 1941. The operation successfully relieved the 1941 Siege of Tobruk....
. Initially Russell's brigade, short of transport, was delegated to protect lines of communication. By 26 November it was moving to the front. By mid December the brigade was involved in intense fighting against the armour of Rommel's Afrika Korps at Alem Hamsa where the 1st Buffs were destroyed as a fighting unit and were temporarily replaced by 1st battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles.
In March 1942 4th Indian Division was dispersed and the brigade was sent to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
but hastilly summoned back to the western desert after Rommel's breakthrough at the Battle of Gazala
Battle of Gazala
The Battle of Gazala was an important battle of the Second World War Western Desert Campaign, fought around the port of Tobruk in Libya from 26 May-21 June 1942...
. Initially attached to 5th Indian Division, the brigade was transferred to Indian 10th Infantry Division
Indian 10th Infantry Division
The Indian 10th Infantry Division was a war formed Infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division traveled over from Tehran to Trieste, fought three little wars, and fought two great campaigns: Anglo-Iraqi War, Invasion of Syria-Lebanon, Anglo-Soviet invasion...
as it withdrew from Libya to the defensive position at Mersa Matruh in Egypt. On 28 June the brigade found its line of withdrawal from Metrsa Matruh cut and was forced to break out southwards into the desert in small parties before turning east and reforming behind the defensive position at El Alamein
El Alamein
El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
. For his leadership of the brigade in the period from November 1941 to April 1942 Russell was awarded in September 1942 the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
.
Having reorganised, the brigade was once more attached to 5th Indian Division and during mid July fought in the Battles of Ruweisat Ridge, part of series of engagements now called the First Battle of El Alamein
First Battle of El Alamein
The First Battle of El Alamein was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought between Axis forces of the Panzer Army Africa commanded by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Allied forces The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert...
. The brigade continued to hold positions on or near the Ruweisat Ridge up to November and the Second Battle of El Alamein
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
. By this time 5th Indian Division had been relieved and the brigade was once more part of 4th Indian Division. For his services between May and October Russell was mentioned in despatches.
4th Indian Division's initial role in the battle was to make diversionary displays from Ruweisat Ridge while the main offensive went in to the north. In early November 2nd New Zealand Division had made a salient into the Axis lines and 5th Indian Brigade were attached to the exhausted 51st (Highland) Infantry Division
British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
For the First World War unit, see 51st Division .The 51st Infantry Division was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War...
to complete the breakthrough. By dawn on 4 November the brigade had secured its objectives opening the way for the British armour.
Iraq and Syria
In January 1943 Russell was appointed acting major-general to command 8th Indian Infantry Division in IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. When the German defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
removed the threat to Iraq and Persia from the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
the division was moved to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
for training. In June 1943 the division was ordered to seize the island of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
but the Armistice with Italy
Armistice with Italy
The Armistice with Italy was an armistice signed on September 3 and publicly declared on September 8, 1943, during World War II, between Italy and the Allied armed forces, who were then occupying the southern end of the country, entailing the capitulation of Italy...
forestalled the operation.
Italy
In September 1943 the division landed in TarantoTaranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
in southern Italy to become engaged for the rest of the war in the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
. For the next three months the division fought up the eastern side of Italy as part of Eighth Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
's V Corps
V Corps (United Kingdom)
V Corps was an army corps of the British Army in both the First and Second World War. It was first organised in February 1915 and fought through World War I on the Western front...
, making crossings of the rivers Biferno, Trigno and in late November the Sangro. By mid December they had crossed the Moro but Eighth Army called off offensive operations as deteriorating winter weather and conditions underfoot made further attacks impractical and 8th Indian Division were tasked to hold the front between Orsogna and the Apennine mountains
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
.
At the beginning of May 8 Indian Division had been attached to XIII Corps and switched in secrecy across the Apennines to the mouth of the Liri valley beneath Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
for the fourth Battle of Cassino, Operation Diadem. 8th Indian and British 4th Divisions were given the job to get across the fast flowing Rapido river and establish bridgeheads. The attack went in night of 11 May and by 09.00 the next morning Russell's divisional engineers had erected a Bailey bridge
Bailey bridge
The Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. It was developed by the British during World War II for military use and saw extensive use by both British and the American military engineering units....
to allow supporting armour into the bridgehead to repel German armoured counterattacks. By 13 May the Germans fell back and 1st Canadian Infantry Division
1st Canadian Infantry Division
The 1st Canadian Infantry Division was a formation mobilized on 1 September 1939 for service in the Second World War. The division was also reactivated twice during the Cold War....
passed through the bridgehead to lead the advance. 8th Indian Division now came under X Corps
X Corps (United Kingdom)
The X Corps was a British Army formation in the First World War and was later reformed in 1942 during the North African campaign of the Second World War as part of the Eighth Army.- First World War :...
for a 150 mile advance before being rested at the end of June. In August 1944 Russell was awarded the CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
After three week's rest the division re-joined XIII Corps, which by this time formed the right wing of the U.S. Fifth Army, to liberate Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
before moving into the central Apennines and advance north east to confront the Gothic Line
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
. Monte Citerna on the Gothic line was taken on 9 September but this only heralded another two and a half months fighting, making slow progress in poor conditions and wild terrain.
In late 1944, as Eighth Army ground its way forward across the division's front from the right, the Germans withdrew from 8th Indian Division's sector to shorten their front line and lines of communication. In late December Russell was ordered to take two brigades to the far western wing of the Fifth Army where the inexperienced U.S. 92nd Infantry Division
U.S. 92nd Infantry Division
The 92nd Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. Organized in October 1917 at Camp Funston, Kansas, the unit was formed with African American soldiers from all states...
was thought by army commander Lucian Truscott
Lucian Truscott
Lucian King Truscott, Jr. was a U.S. Army General, who successively commanded the 3rd Infantry Division, VI Corps, U.S. Fifteenth Army and U.S. Fifth Army during World War II.-Early life:...
to be very vulnerable. On 26 December the Germans broke through towards Russell's rearguard positions but the attack was not carried through and 8th Indian Division recovered the lost ground. The division was then withdrawn to rest at Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
.
In February 8 Indian Division was moved to the Adriatic front once more to join Eighth Army's V Corps once again and take up positions on the river Senio
Senio
The Senio is a 92 km river of Romagna in Italy, the final right-sided tributary of the river Reno. The mean discharge at its mouth is about 10 m³/s; however this can vary from a minimum of 0.3 m³/s to a maximum of 500 m³/s....
. The main attack on the Senio
Spring 1945 offensive in Italy
The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the Allied attack by Fifth United States Army and British 8th Army into the Lombardy Plain which started on 6 April 1945 and ended on 2 May with the surrender of German forces in Italy....
started on 9 April 1945. By the evening 8th Indian Division with the New Zealanders on their left, had in furious fighting against desperate defence created a bridgehead one and a half miles deep. On 11 April they made a strongly opposed crossing of the river Santerno
Santerno
The Santerno is a river of Romagna, in northern Italy, the major tributary of the Reno River. In Roman times, it was known as the Vatrenus , although, in the Tabula Peutingeriana, it was already identified as the Santernus....
before allowing 78th Infantry Division to pass through into the Argenta Gap. After a brief pause for rest, during which time 78th Division and 56th Division had forced the Argenta Gap defences, 8th Indian Division were put back in the front line to take Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
and be the first Eighth Army formation to reach the river Po. After crossing the Po the division crossed the river Adige
Adige
The Adige is a river with its source in the Alpine province of South Tyrol near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland. At in length, it is the second longest river in Italy, after the River Po with ....
on 28 April and was ordered to halt.
Following the formal cessation of hostilities on 2 May 8 Indian Division was repatriated to India during June. Russell's temporary rank of major-general was made substantive in November and he was appointed Companion of the Bath (CB)
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. He was also mentioned in despatches and received the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
, Degree of Commander.
Post war
The 8th Indian Division was disbanded in April 1946 and Russell was appointed to command 5th Indian Division. In 1947 Russell became C-in-C Delhi and East Punjab Command in the acting rank of lieutenant-general before in 1948 becoming Chief Advisor to the Indian Army. He was knightKnight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the 1950 New Year's honours list at the request of the Indian government and retired in July 1954 retaining the honorary rank of lieutenant-general.
Honours and decorations
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 2 January 1950 (CBE 31 August 1944, OBE, 30 December 1941
- Companion of the Order of the Bath 5 June 1945
- Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
9 September 1942 - Military CrossMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
8 March 1919 - Mention in Despatches 24 June 1943, 23.06.1945
- Commander, Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(United States) 2 August 1945