The 21st Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was converted from the Quetta Brigade in September 1940, and assigned to the 9th Indian Infantry Division. In March 1941, it was transferred to the 10th Indian Infantry Division and took part in the Anglo-Iraqi War

Anglo-Iraqi War

The Anglo-Iraqi War was the name of the British campaign against the rebel government of Rashid Ali in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. The campaign resulted in the re-occupation of Iraq by British armed forces and the return to power of the...

 in May 1941. The brigade then moved to Egypt and came under command 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....

 between July and November 1942. It returned to Iraq, assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division, in November 1942 and moved with to Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

 in March 1943. In September the division arrived in Taranto

Taranto

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 and the brigade remained with 8th Indian Division throughout the rest of 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...

 apart from short attachments to the British 78th Infantry Division

British 78th Infantry Division

The British 78th Infantry Division, also known as the Battleaxe Division, fought in the Second World War in North Africa and Italy.- History :...

 in November 1943, and the British 6th Armoured Division

British 6th Armoured Division

The 6th Armoured Division was a Second World War, British Army formation, created on 12 September 1940. The unit was initially supplied with Matilda and Valentine Tanks, which were replaced by Crusader tanks and then finally with the M4 Sherman Tank...

 between April and May 1944.

Formation

• 2/10th Gurkha Rifles September 1940 to October 1941
• 2/4th Gurkha Rifles September 1940 to March 1942
• 4/13th 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:...
  
   March 1941 to June 1942
• 3/11th Sikh Regiment
  11th Sikh Regiment
  The 11th Sikh Regiment were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments....
  
   June 1941
• 157th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
  Royal Artillery
  The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
  
   June to July 1941
• 1st Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
  Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
  The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles....
  
   December 1941 to July 1942
• 1/6th Rajputana Rifles
  6th Rajputana Rifles
  The 6th Rajputana Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army. They moved away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...
  
   June to November 1942
• /8th Gurkha Rifles June 1942 to January 1943
• 1st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
  Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
  The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
  
   July to August 1942
• 3/7th Rajput Regiment
  7th Rajput Regiment
  The 7th Rajput Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government decided to reform the army moving away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...
  
   September to December 1942
• 1/5th Mahratta Light Infantry
  5th Mahratta Light Infantry
  The 5th Mahratta Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, whenthe Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment fought in World War II and raised 30 battalions...
  
   November 1942 to August 1945
• 5th Queen's Own West Kent Regiment November 1942 to June 1945
• 3/15th Punjab Regiment
  15th Punjab Regiment
  The 15th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 14th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956 to form the Punjab Regiment....
  
   January to April 1943 and September 1943 to August 1945
• 1st King's Dragoon Guards
  1st King's Dragoon Guards
  The 1st King's Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1685 as The Queen's Regiment of Horse, named in honour of Queen Mary, consort of King James II. It was renamed The King's Own Regiment of Horse in 1714 in honour of George I...
  
   August 1944
• 1st Jaipur Infantry April to June 1945
• 9th Field Company, Indian Engineers June to July 1941