159th Liaison Squadron, History, Battle of Luzon
Throughout the spring of 1945, as American forced cleared the Japanese from Luzon, squadron L-5s evacuated the wounded and the sick, dropped food and medical supplies to guerrilla forces as well as American infantry, directed artillery fire and air strikes, ferried officers from place to place, and performed all manner of tasks which it was assigned. A very atypical mission carried out by the 157th was to carry and lay a telephone line between two mountaintop positions, and also on one mission, loudspeakers were mounted to one squadron aircraft to broadcast propaganda to Japanese troops.


159th Liaison Squadron, History, Battle of Luzon
In mid-April, the squadron received some glider pilots who were checked out on the L-5, which enabled the regular squadron pilots to get some much needed rest from their grueling schedules. The Japanese were retreating quickly and the order of the day was to pursue and attack them whenever possible, liberating village after village. However it was not all work and combat for the unit. Softball games were held and other forms of recreation were encouraged. Occasionally movies were shown and on one occasion, the visit of comedian Joe E. Brown was held.


159th Liaison Squadron, History, Battle of Luzon
The news of the surrender of Germany on 7 May was welcomed. Combat continued through May and into June and at the end of the month, General MacArthur declared the Luzon Campaign over at midnight of 30 June/1 July 1945. However, the Japanese were still active in the Cagayan Valley, where the enemy had chosen to gather the remnants of their forces. Mission after mission was flown into the area, and it was not until 25 July that the Cagayen Valley was secured.


159th Liaison Squadron, History, Okinawa
With the war winding down in the Philippines it was evident another move was in store. On 15 July, the squadron was ordered to move to Okinawa. The ground echelon left Mablecat on 15 June for Subic Bay to board an LST for the trip. The pilots were left behind and attached to the 160th LS. Upon arrival, the squadron set up a camp at Yontan Airfield, where the main Fifth Air Force airfield was located. After a few days, they moved to an area just north of the village of Bise on the Motobu Peninsula.


159th Liaison Squadron, History, Okinawa
Back on Luzon, the 157th's pilots began installing 75-gallon belly tanks on their L-5s and UC-64s to make the long over-water flight to Okinawa. The planes took off from Mabalcat and landed at Gabu on the coast, where their tanks were topped off and the planes given a thorough inspection. From there, the planes took off, shepherded by a pair of Air-Sea Rescue PBY Catalinas in a loose formation. After a seven-hour flight, and very low on gasoline, the squadron's planes touched down at Yontan without incident.


159th Liaison Squadron, History, Okinawa
At the end of July, the squadron received orders to move to Ie Shima. However, on 6 August, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan and three days later a second atomic bomb devastated Nagasaki. On 14 August the Japanese announced their surrender. On 19 August, the squadron witnessed a bit of history when a pair of Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" Bombers, painted white with green crosses landed on the island on their way to Manila. They were carrying a surrender delegation to meet General MacArthur for surrender negotiations. The Japanese transferred to a C-54 Skymaster at Yontan while their crews stayed behind to tend to their planes and be observed by curious onlookers. The war ended on 2 September without any combat being seen by the squadron on Okinawa.


159th Liaison Squadron, History, Inactivation
The end of the war found the squadron dispersed between Ie Shima, Yontan Airfield and some personnel still on Luzon. Personnel began to be sent back to the United States to be demobilized, and on 19 September, the remnants of the 159th left for Kanoya, Japan assigned to V Fighter Command to be part of the American occupation force.


159th Liaison Squadron, History, Inactivation
The 159th was assigned the duty of flying into various Japanese Airfields to monitor the ordered disabling of the Japanese aircraft. Some humorous incidents occurred with this operation. S/Sgt. Hankison landed on one field and found all the top Japanese commanders in formation and offering to surrender all the men, 100 aircraft and 50 tanks to him. At another field the pilot saw all the personnel run for cover when he flew over the field. The L-5s were particularly useful, due to its ability to land on roads and other locations where bomb damage had made airfields useless. Eventually, its personnel remained in the theater long enough to have amassed the required number of "points" and by the spring of 1946, most personnel had returned to the United States. The unit itself was inactivated by Fifth Air Force at the end of May 1945.


159th Liaison Squadron, History, Inactivation
. * * Captain Rush H. Limbaugh Jr, (father of the radio talk-show host) was assigned and assumed command of the squadron on 21 May 1944. He had formerly been assigned to the Key Field Replacement Training Unit (TE), Key Field, Meridian, Mississippi. Shortly after the squadron's arrival at Drew Field, Tampa, Florida, he was hospitalized and replaced by Lt. William G. Price III.


159th New York Infantry Regiment
The 159th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


159th New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The 159th New York Infantry was organized at New York City, New York beginning August 28, 1862 and mustered in for three-years service on November 1, 1862 under the command of Colonel Homer Augustus Nelson.


159th New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment was attached to Grover's Division, Department of the Gulf, to January 1863. 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, XIX Corps, Department of the Gulf, to August 1863. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, XIX Corps, to February 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XIX Corps, Department of the Gulf, to July 1864, and Army of the Shenandoah, Middle Military Division, to January 1865. 2nd Brigade, Grover's Division, District of Savannah, Georgia, Department of the South, to March 1865. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, X Corps, Army of the Ohio, to May 1865. District of Savannah, Georgia, Department of the South, to July 1865. District of Augusta, Georgia, Department of Georgia, to October 1865.


159th New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The 159th New York Infantry mustered out of service October 23, 1865 at Augusta, Georgia.


159th New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Left New York for New Orleans, Louisiana, December 4, 1862. Occupation of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, December 17, 1862, and duty there until March 1863. Operations against Port Hudson, Louisiana, March 7–27. Moved to Donaldsonville March 28, then to Berwick April 9. Operations in Western Louisiana April 9 – May 14. Expedition to Franklin and Opelousas, Bayou Teche Campaign, April 11–20. Irish Bend April 14. Bayou Vermillion April 17. Opelousas April 20. Expedition to Alexandria and Simsport May 5–18. Moved to Port Hudson May 22–25. Siege of Port Hudson May 25 – July 9.


159th New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Assaults on Port Hudson May 27 and June 14. Surrender of Port Hudson July 9. Duty at Thibodeauxville until March 1864. Red River Campaign March 25 – May 22. Cane River Crossing April 23. Construction of dam at Alexandria April 30-May 10. Retreat to Morganza May 13–20. Mansura May 16. Duty at Morganza until July. Moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, then to Fort Monroe and Bermuda Hundred, Virginia, July 17–25. Duty in trenches at Bermuda Hundred until July 31. Moved to Washington, D.C., July 31 – August 2. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7 – November 28.


159th New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Near Charlestown August 21–22. Third Battle of Winchester September 19. Fisher's Hill September 22. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Duty at Kernstown and Winchester until January 1865. Moved to Savannah, Georgia, January 5–22, and duty there until March 5. Moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, March 5; then to Morehead City, North Carolina, March 10, and duty there until April 8. Moved to Goldsboro, North Carolina, April 8; then to Savannah, Georgia, May 2. Duty there and in the Department of Georgia until October.


159th New York Infantry Regiment, Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 215 men during service; 10 officers and 74 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 130 enlisted men died of disease.


159th New York State Legislature
The 159th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to May 13, 1936, during the fourth year of Herbert H. Lehman's governorship, in Albany.


159th New York State Legislature, Background
Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1894, re-apportioned in 1917, 51 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators for a two-year term, assemblymen for a one-year term. The senatorial districts consisted either of one or more entire counties; or a contiguous area within a single county. The counties which were divided into more than one senatorial district were New York (nine districts), Kings (eight), Bronx (three), Erie (three), Monroe (two), Queens (two) and Westchester (two). The Assembly districts were made up of contiguous area, all within the same county.


159th New York State Legislature, Background
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Socialist Party and the Communist Party also nominated tickets. In New York City, a "City Fusion" and a "Jeffersonian" ticket were also nominated.


159th New York State Legislature, Elections
The New York state election, 1935, was held on November 5. No statewide elective offices were up for election.


159th New York State Legislature, Elections
Assemblywomen Doris I. Byrne (Dem. ), a lawyer from the Bronx, and Jane H. Todd (Rep.), of Tarrytown, were re-elected.


159th New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 1, 1936; and adjourned on May 13.


159th New York State Legislature, State Senate, Members
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Jacob H. Livingston and Harry F. Dunkel changed from the Assembly to the Senate.


159th New York State Legislature, State Senate, Members
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."


159th New York State Legislature, State Assembly, Assemblymen
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."


159th Ohio Infantry Regiment
The 159th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 159th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 159th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


159th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The 159th Ohio Infantry was organized at Zanesville, Ohio, and mustered in as an Ohio National Guard unit for 100 days service on May 9, 1864, under the command of Colonel Lyman J. Jackson.


159th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment was attached to 3rd Separate Brigade, VIII Corps, Middle Department.


159th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The 159th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service August 24, 1864.


159th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Left Ohio for Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, May 9. At Maryland Heights until May 17. Guard duty in the defenses of Baltimore, Maryland, and guarding bridges along Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad by detachments until July. Battle of Monocacy Junction, Maryland, July 9. Expedition to Parkesville July 12. Companies B, E, G, and I guarded the railroad at Havre de Grace July 28 to August 13. Ordered home August 13.


159th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 10 enlisted men during service, all due to disease.


159th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps
159th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (159 RAC) was a short-lived armoured regiment of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps serving in India during World War II.


159th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, Origin
159 RAC was formed on 15 July 1942 by the conversion to the armoured role of the 10th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, a hostilities-only battalion raised two years before in July 1940, and had been assigned to the 212th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), which also included the 6th South Wales Borderers, 18th Welch Regiment (which left in May 1941) and the 9th Royal Sussex Regiment, all of which had also been formed around the same time. In common with other infantry battalions transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps, the personnel of 159 RAC, those not weeded out by psychiatrists, would have continued to wear their Glosters cap badge on the black beret of the RAC.


159th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, Service
159 RAC embarked for passage from the United Kingdom to India on 26 October 1942, arriving on 20 December and moving to Nira Camp near Poona. There it came under command of 255th Indian Tank Brigade. However, there was a change of policy, and on 1 April 1943 the regiment was re-converted to infantry, reverting to its previous title of 10th Glosters and coming under command of 72nd Indian Infantry Brigade and still serving with the 6th SWB and 9th Royal Sussex (both of which had been converted, into 158 RAC and 160 RAC respectively).


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941)
The 159th Rifle Division (Russian: 159-я стрелковая дивизия) was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II, active from 1940 to 1941.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941)
Formed in Ukraine in mid-1940, the division fought in the Battle of Kiev and was destroyed in encirclement in late September.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), Formation
An unrelated 159th Rifle Division, the first Red Army unit to share the designation, was formed in the Ural Military District in September 1939, but was disbanded in January 1940 to form an officer cadet school.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), Formation
The designation of the 159th was reused for a division formed in July 1940 in the Kiev Special Military District, under the command of Colonel Ivan Mashchenko, appointed on the 29th. It included the 491st, 558th, and 631st Rifle Regiments, and the 597th Light and 723rd Howitzer Artillery Regiments, in addition to smaller support units. The 159th was assigned to the 5th Army of the district from 5 July to early August, then transferred to the 6th Army of the district between 3 and 17 August. It returned to the 6th Army in early 1941, assigned to the 6th Rifle Corps of the army. Mashchenko, who had departed for advanced training in July 1940, did not return to the division until 21 May.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), World War II
The division was at roughly 66% of wartime strength with 9,548 personnel when Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June. They were armed with 8,278 Mosin–Nagant rifles, 3,259 semi-automatic rifles, 305 submachine guns, 391 light machine guns, 173 medium machine guns, 54 45 mm anti-tank guns, 35 76 mm guns, 25 122 mm howitzers, nine 152 mm howitzers, and 147 mortars. Equipment included 395 vehicles and 40 artillery tractors.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), World War II
The division was able to hold its positions briefly, utilizing the defenses of the 6th (Rava-Ruska) Fortified Region. Despite its casualties, the 159th only retreated 1–2 kilometers (0.62–1.24 mi) on the first day of the war. On 23 June, the army commander ordered the division to counterattack the German troops in the gap between the 41st and 97th Rifle Divisions of the corps. In the fighting near Magerov on the same day, Mashchenko was killed by a grenade.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), World War II
Lieutenant Colonel Nikolay Semyonov, deputy commander of another division, was appointed commander of the 159th on 28 June. By this time the division and its corps had been transferred to the 26th Army. Semyonov took command of the 159th as it retreated from the vicinity of Tarnopol. The division was then tasked with moving to Volochysk to defend positions there with a tank unit and slow down the German advance. In five days of fighting there, the 159th suffered heavy losses but was able to accomplish its goal.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), World War II
The division was subsequently sent to the city of Belaya Tserkov for rebuilding, and was assigned the 91st Border Detachment, a rifle regiment, and a corps artillery regiment. With these forces, it took up defensive positions west of Belaya Tserkov, and defended them for six days. The division was flanked by the German advance and encircled 15–20 kilometers (9.3–12.4 mi) from the city. For two days the 159th fought to break out and managed to accomplish this, reaching the main forces of the 26th Army in the Staritsy (now around the villages of Velyka Starytsya and Mala Starytsya) area.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), World War II
The 159th was tasked with defending positions west of Rzhyshchiv to prevent a German crossing of the Dnieper. After five days the division handed over its sector to the 45th Tank Division (fighting as infantry) and went to Kaniv to be rebuilt. The division later defended Kaniv for fifteen days against the German advance and covered the crossing of the Dnieper by the 5th Cavalry Corps. The division then crossed the river and defended positions on the opposite bank.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), World War II
In mid-September Semyonov went to the army staff, and was succeeded on 16 September by Colonel Nikolay Fedotov, deputy commander of another division. In the Battle of Kiev in late September the 159th was destroyed in encirclement with most of the 26th Army, with its commander being reported missing. According to one of the army's last reports, on 22 September, the 159th was fighting in encirclement at Kandybovka northwest of Orzhytsia, and repeated breakout attempts had failed.


159th Rifle Division (1940–1941), World War II
On paper, the division, though it had long ceased to exist, was officially disbanded on 27 December 1941.


159th Street (Chicago)
159th Street is a major east-west street in the southern suburbs of Chicago. It runs east from Thornton Street in Lockport, crossing Interstate 355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway) in Lockport, Interstate 57 in Markham, Interstate 294 (Tri-State Tollway) in Harvey and Interstate 94 (Bishop Ford Freeway) in South Holland, on its way to its east end at U.S. Route 6 and Illinois Route 83 (Torrence Avenue) in Calumet City. 159th Street carries Illinois Route 7 from Thornton Street to Wolf Road, and carries U.S. Route 6 from Wolf Road to Torrence Avenue.


159th Street (Chicago), Route description
159th Street begins at Thornton Street in Lockport, where it continues west as 9th Street (Lockport address system). From here until Wolf Road, the street carries Illinois Route 7. It travels east, exactly 19 miles south of Madison Street for its entire route. In Lockport, 159th Street intersects Interstate 355. In Orland Park, Illinois Route 7 continues north on Wolf Road, while 159th Street picks up U.S. Route 6 from Wolf Road, for which it carries for the remainder of its route. Two miles further east (still in Orland Park), the road intersects U.S. Route 45 (LaGrange Road/96th Avenue).


159th Street (Chicago), Route description
On the border between Orland Park and Tinley Park, 159th Street intersects Illinois Route 43 (Harlem Avenue). In Oak Forest, the road intersects Illinois Route 50 (Cicero Avenue). Continuing east, 159th Street intersects major interstate highways. The first is Interstate 57 in Markham. Shortly after, it intersects Interstate 294 (Tri-State Tollway) in Harvey. While still in Harvey, the street intersects Illinois Route 1 (Halsted Street). In South Holland, 159th Street intersects Interstate 94 (Bishop Ford Freeway). 159th Street finally ends at Illinois Route 83 in Calumet City, also known as Torrence Avenue. U.S. Route 6 continues south on Torrence Avenue. The road continues east as River Oaks Drive.


159th Street (Chicago), 162nd Street
From Wallace Street in Harvey to Interstate 94, 159th Street is actually called 162nd Street. Other numbered streets in this area also change designation. For example, 157th Street becomes 160th Street, 158th Street becomes 161st Street, 160th Street becomes 163rd Street, 161st Street becomes 164th Street, 162nd Street becomes 165th Street, 163rd Street becomes Taft Drive (166th Street), and so on.


159th meridian east
The meridian 159° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Australasia, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.


159th meridian east
The 159th meridian east forms a great circle with the 21st meridian west.


159th meridian east, From Pole to Pole
Starting at the North Pole and heading south to the South Pole, the 159th meridian east passes through:


159th meridian west
The meridian 159° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.


159th meridian west
The 159th meridian west forms a great circle with the 21st meridian east.


159th meridian west, From Pole to Pole
Starting at the North Pole and heading south to the South Pole, the 159th meridian west passes through:


15:00 na żywo
15:00 na żywo (Eng. 15:00 Live) is a Polish newscast broadcast by TVN24 from Monday to Friday between 3 and 4 p.m. CET. It is presented by Anna Jędrzejowska and debuted on air on 20 June 2011.


15:00 na żywo
The program continues coverage of stories followed during 9 prior hours of hard-news programs, which consist of Poranek TVN24 and Dzień na żywo. The show often takes a swifter pace compared to the network's other programming, making a larger focus on breaking-news events with live correspondents. Coverage includes correspondents on location and in studio, in addition to analysis from pundits or experts.


15:00 na żywo, The team
Host: Anna Jędrzejowska Guest Hosts: Jakub Porada, Michał Cholewiński, Krzysztof Górlicki


15K run
The 15K run (15 kilometers, or approximately 9.32 miles) is a long distance foot race. It is a rarely held race that is not recognized as an Olympic event. Both the world best for men and women were set at the Zevenheuvelenloop in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The world best for men is held by Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda who ran a time of 41:05. The women's world best is held by Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia who ran a time of 44:20.


15K run
Between 1985 and 1991, the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships was contested over the 15 km distance.


15K run, All-time top 25, Men, Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 41:34:


15K run, All-time top 25, Women, Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 46:34:


15P/Finlay
Comet Finlay is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 6 years discovered by William Henry Finlay (Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa) on September 26, 1886. The next perihelion passage is July 13, 2021 when the comet will have a solar elongation of 54 degrees at approximately apparent magnitude 10. It last came to perihelion on December 27, 2014, at around magnitude 10. Of the numbered periodic comets, the orbit of 15P/Finlay has one of the smallest minimum orbit intersection distances with the orbit of Earth (E-MOID). In 2060 the comet will pass about 6 million km from Earth.


15P/Finlay, Description
When the first orbit calculations were made in 1886, there was a similarity between this orbit and that of Francesco de Vico's lost periodic comet of 1844 (54P/de Vico-Swift-NEAT). Lewis Boss (Dudley Observatory, Schenectady, United States) noted large discrepancies between the orbits and after further observations concluded that de Vico's comet could not be the same as Finlay's.


15P/Finlay, Description
During the 1906 apparition the comet brightened to magnitude 6. In 1910 a close pass with Jupiter increased the orbital period, in 1919 the path was off predictions and a new comet discovered by Sasaki (Kyoto Observatory, Japan) on October 25, 1919, was discovered to be Finlay's.


15P/Finlay, Description
The magnitude of the comet declined after 1926, and it was not until 1953 that it has been observed on every return.


15P/Finlay, 2014–2015
During the 2014 perihelion passage the comet outburst on 16 December 2014 from magnitude 11 to magnitude 9 becoming bright enough to be seen in common binoculars with a 50 mm objective lens. On December 23, 2014, 15P and Mars were only 1/6 of a degree apart in the sky after sunset. But by December 23, 2014, the comet had dimmed considerably since the outburst. On 16 January 2015, the comet outburst to magnitude 8.


15P/Finlay, 2060
15P/Finlay currently has an Earth-MOID of 0.009 AU (1,300,000 km; 840,000 mi). The comet will come to perihelion seven more times and then between October 26–28, 2060, the comet will pass roughly 0.04 AU (6.0 million km; 3.7 million mi) from the Earth with an uncertainty region of about ±2.5 million km. This will be one of the closest comet approaches to Earth.


15P/Finlay, Arids meteor shower
Debris ejected during the 1995 perihelion passage generated a meteor shower on 29-30 September 2021 radiating from the southern constellation of Ara. More outbursts are expected on 7 October 2021 from the 2008 and 2014 streams.


15min
15min (Lithuanian: Penkiolika minučių) is one of the largest news websites in Lithuania, and is owned by Estonian media company Postimees Grupp. The website attracts over one million unique users per month and is led by CEO Ramūnas Šaučikovas.


15min
15min was founded in 2005 as a free daily newspaper published in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipėda and was distributed in public buses, streets, and some cafés. In December 2011, it became a weekly newspaper circulating in seven Lithuanian cities. The newspaper was closed in 2013 as the company decided to concentrate its operations on digital platforms only.


15min
In May 2016, 15min disabled anonymous comments, starting an "Internet Hygiene" movement. In 2016, 15min introduced a paywall to ad-blockers.


15min
15min is known for its explanatory journalism and investigative journalism and was an official partner of the Panama Papers investigation team.


15min
In March 2019, in conjunction with the Sarajevo-based Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 15min broke a story regarding a nearly $9 billion global money laundering scheme allegedly constructed by Sberbank CIB (formerly known as "Troika Dialog"). The scheme is known as ŪkioLeaks or Troika Laundromat.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade
The 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade was a brigade-sized formation that served alongside British Empire forces in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, during World War I. Originally called the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade it was formed from Imperial Service Troops provided by the Indian Princely States of Jodhpur, Hyderabad, Mysore, Patiala and Alwar which each provided a regiment of lancers. A maximum of three regiments served in the brigade at any one time. The states of Kashmir, Idar and Kathiawar provided smaller detachments for the brigade, which was at times reinforced by other British Empire regiments and artillery batteries when on operations.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade
In October 1914, the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade was moved by sea to Egypt to become part of the Force in Egypt defending the Suez Canal. In the first three years of the war, the soldiers were involved in several small-scale battles connected to the First Suez Offensive, but spent most of their time patrolling in the Sinai Desert and along the west bank of the canal. It was not until November 1917 as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force that the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade was involved in the Third Battle of Gaza. The following year the brigade joined the 5th Cavalry Division when it became the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade and played an active role in the British victory over Turkish forces in Palestine.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade
In total, eighty-four men from the brigade were killed in action or died of their wounds and another 123 were wounded. Several memorials were erected to commemorate the brigade in the Middle East and in India. The anniversary of the brigade's most famous victory, the Battle of Haifa, is still celebrated today by its successors in the Indian Army.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Background
In 1888, the Indian Government proposed that the independent armies of the Indian Princely states provide the British Empire with troops for service on the North West Frontier and outside the Indian subcontinent. The states' forces were recognised by the Indian Government and the British Indian Army as allies, and their troops were subject to the Indian Army Act when serving alongside the Indian Army. When in the field, the commander of the British Forces alongside which any Imperial Service Troops were serving was recognised as the higher legal authority in accordance with the act.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Background
To eliminate supply problems, states' armies' field uniform and weapons were the same as the regular Indian Army, and the Indian Government appointed a staff of officers designated Military Advisers and Assistant Military Advisers to assist the independent states' rulers in the training and organisation of their forces. Imperial Service Troops were commanded by Indian officers. In contrast, British Indian Army units had British officers in all senior command posts; their own Indian Viceroy's commissioned officers were trained to only a troop or platoon level of command.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Background
The Imperial Service Troops included cavalry, infantry, artillery, sappers and transport regiments or battalions, with several states contributing both men and equipment. The first states to provide troops for active service were Gwalior and Jaipur for the Chitral Expedition in 1895. Hyderabad sent troops to Burma in 1898 and to the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1902. During the 1900 Boxer Rebellion in China, part of the British relief force contingent was an Imperial Service Brigade, raised from the troops of Alwar, Bikaner and Jodhpur. Bikaner also sent troops to serve in the 1901 Somaliland Campaign. By the start of the First World War, the princely states together provided fifteen cavalry regiments, thirteen infantry battalions, seven transport units, four companies of sappers, three camel corps regiments and two batteries of mountain artillery, totalling around 22,500 men.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Brigade organisation
In October 1914, under the command of Brigadier-General William A. Watson of the British Indian Army, the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade, of around 1,700 men, was gathered at Deolali for service in the First World War. The brigade headquarters had an establishment of seven officers and forty-seven men. Including the brigade commander there were five British officers on the brigade staff; also attached were Sir Pratap Singh the Maharaja of Idar and Captain Zorawar Singh the Commandant of the Bhavnagar Imperial Service Lancers.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Brigade organisation
The Kathiawar Imperial Service Signal Troop, commanded by Captain Henry St. George Scott of the 4th Gurkha Rifles, were with brigade headquarters, with an establishment of one Indian officer and twenty-seven men of other ranks, including twelve despatch riders from Idar State. The brigade also included the 124th Indian Cavalry Field Ambulance, commanded by Captain T. O'Leary of the Indian Army Medical Corps, with an establishment of five Indian officers, one British and ten Indians of other ranks.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Brigade organisation
The fighting component of the brigade was formed from three cavalry regiments, each of five squadrons: the 1st


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Brigade organisation
Hyderabad Lancers commanded by Major Mahomed Azmatullah Bahadur with twenty-seven officers (one British) and 533 other ranks, the Mysore Lancers (including two troops of Bhavnagar Lancers and one troop of Kashmir Lancers) commanded by Regimentdar B. Chamraj Urs Bahadur with thirty-two officers (one British) and 487 other ranks,a company unit of Alwar Lancers were commanded by Captain Fateh Naseeb Khan with 7 officers and 135 other ranks and the Patiala Lancers commanded by Colonel Nand Singh Sardar Bahadur with twenty-six officers and 528 other ranks.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Brigade organisation
This formation remained the same until May 1916, when the Patiala Lancers were transferred to serve in the campaign in Mesopotamia. The brigade regained its own third regiment in May 1918 when the Jodhpur Lancers, commanded by Colonel Thakur Pratap Singh Sardar Bahadur, which had been serving on the Western Front in France, arrived in the theatre. The final unit assigned to the brigade was the Imperial Service Machine-Gun Squadron formed on 10 June 1918 by amalgamating the three cavalry regiment's machine-gun sections into one unit. Some sources refer to the squadron as the 15th Imperial Service Brigade Machine-Gun Squadron.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Brigade organisation
Even though the brigade was an Imperial Service unit, the cavalry regiments and brigade headquarters included attached British Indian Army Special Service Officers (SSO), but only as advisors. In 1914, the three cavalry regiments had two SSOs attached, and Colonel J. Desaraj Urs Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore State Forces accompanied the Mysore Lancers as an observer. The Jodhpur Lancers joined the brigade with seven SSOs attached. Throughout the war the establishment of British officers assigned to the cavalry regiments was gradually increased; in February 1915 there were four in each regiment, in 1917 another two were assigned and in mid-1918 a full complement of twelve British officers in each of the regiments was reached.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1914
While waiting at Deolali to embark for Egypt, the brigade conducted regimental and brigade training programmes during which all ranks and animals were inspected, and those found unfit for service were returned to their regimental depots. Between 27 and 29 October the brigade moved to Bombay for embarkation; six transport ships carrying most of the brigade sailed on 1 November, while a seventh ship carrying two squadrons of Mysore Lancers remained behind with mechanical problems and finally set sail a fortnight later.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1914
The main body of the brigade arrived at Suez on 16 November, travelled by train to Ismailia two days later and started their first war-time patrols along the banks of the Sweet Water Canal. The brigade was not assigned to a higher formation at this time but were Army Troops under command of General Headquarters. The Bikaner Camel Corps, another Imperial Service unit, was attached to the brigade at Ismailia for administrative purposes, but was not operationally attached. To expand the area the brigade could patrol, squadrons were detached to El Kubri, Kantarah and the Ferry Post crossing at Ismailia.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1914
At the same time, the brigade became responsible for patrolling the length of the Suez Canal. The other British forces defending the canal were more static infantry formations, comprising the 42nd (East Lancashire), and the 10th and 11th Indian Divisions, the latter included the Imperial Service Infantry Brigade as one of its three brigades. Their Turkish opponents had around 25,000 men in the region, including the 25th Division.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1915
By the end of 1914, no contact had been made with any Turkish forces. In January 1915 the brigade was informed that a large Turkish force had moved into the Sinai. The out-stations were reinforced and the squadron at Kantarah was involved in a small action at Bir El Dueidar, between Kantarah and Katia which was the brigade's first involvement in combat. Towards the end of the month, several small battles occurred until the night of 2/3 February, when their Turkish opponents tried to cross the canal in force.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1915
The attempt failed and on 4 February the brigade moved into the Sinai with infantry in support. About seven miles (11 km) east of Toussoum they located the Turkish forces, estimated to be between three or four brigades in strength, and captured twenty-five men and ninety camels. By 10 February the Turkish had withdrawn to the east and the canal was no longer in immediate danger, so the brigade returned to the canal and resumed their normal patrolling routine. At the end of February 1915 the Mysore and Hyderbad Lancers were ordered to return to the Sinai and destroy the water sources used by the Turkish during their advance.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1915
The brigade's next action was on 22 March when two squadrons of Hyderabad Lancers were included in a force sent to assault a Turkish formation of 800 infantry and 200 cavalry supported by artillery, entrenched ten miles (16 km) east of El Kubri. After a short fight the Turkish withdrew; it had been intended that the Lancers would move to cut off their retreat but the soft terrain prevented them getting into position in time. On 7 April, patrols from Kantara reported a force of about 1,200 men had opened fire on them. To counter this new threat to the canal, the whole brigade was moved to Kantarah and the next day advanced into the Sinai, but failed to locate any Turkish troops and returned to Ismailia.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1915
On 28 April a patrol from the Bikaner Camel Corps was attacked by an estimated 400 men with artillery support. In response the brigade crossed the canal that night supported by infantry and Egyptian artillery and advanced on El Hawawish, where the Turkish were believed to be located. By daybreak however their guide reported he was lost, so the brigade continued alone. Bypassing El Hawaish, they made for Bir Mahadat, arriving at midday they discovered the Turkish were withdrawing to the north. Setting off in pursuit they caught up with the Turkish rearguard, which was forced to stop and fight.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1915
For the loss of two killed and eight wounded the brigade killed twenty Turkish soldiers and captured thirteen. At 20:00 on 29 April, the pursuit was called off and the brigade returned to Ferry Post on the canal. Several times in the following months the brigade responded to reports of Turkish incursions, but nothing came of them until 23 November when a Mysore Lancers squadron located a Turkish camel force of about sixty men fifteen miles (24 km) east of Kantarah. Pursued by the Lancers, the Turkish withdrew, during which the Lancers killed seven men, captured twelve and wounded several more. Among the dead was the Bedouin leader Rizkalla Salim who had led most of the Turkish raids on the canal, and with his death the attacks ceased.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917
From January 1916, all patrolling east of the Suez Canal was left to the British yeomanry and the Australian Light Horse formations. The Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade concentrated on patrolling the Sweet Water Canal, the railway line between Suez and Port Said, and the Suez Canal Zone to the west of the canal, which was a restricted area for non-military personnel. On 31 March, Major-General W.A. Watson assumed command of the Nile Delta region and was replaced as brigade commander by Brigadier-General M.H. Henderson. In May 1916, the brigade was reduced to two cavalry regiments when the Patiala Lancers left for Mesopotamia. The brigade also carried out weapons and signal training, but the year ended without them being involved in any contact with the Turkish.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917
In February 1917, the brigade was ordered to relieve the British 6th Mounted Brigade on the east bank of the Suez canal. The Mysore Lancers moved to Gebel-Geneffe, the Hyderabad Lancers to Ayun Musa, with the brigade headquarters at El Shatt. For the next few weeks the brigade sent patrols out into the Sinai until 14 April, when they were ordered to relocate to Kantarah, where two days later Brigadier-General Cyril Rodney Harbord took over command. To help counter an expected Turkish attack in early May, the brigade was ordered to Khan Yunis in Gaza.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917
The brigade marched the 150 miles (240 km) in nine days, arrived on 25 April and came under command of the Imperial Mounted Division. The division was the army reserve under orders to counter-attack the Turkish left flank. The expected attack never came, but instead of moving back to the canal, the brigade became lines of communication troops, based at Khan Yunis and Rafah. For the next three months, the brigade was deployed on rear area security and patrolling duties.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917
In May 1917, the cavalry regiments received the Vickers machine-gun to replace their older Maxim Guns and all ranks were put through training courses on the Vickers and a newer version of the Lee–Enfield Rifle, which had also just been issued. In September, the cavalry regiments' pack horses started to be replaced by horse-drawn wagons and each of the regiments was issued with twelve Hotchkiss machine-guns; one per troop.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917, Third battle of Gaza
On 27 September, the brigade was once again moved to the front line and given responsibility for patrolling the area between the Desert Mounted Corps and the XXI Corps, taking under command the XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment on 20 October. At the time the brigade was the only mounted formation not under the direct command of the Desert Mounted Corps, remaining Army Troops.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917, Third battle of Gaza
The next British attack was the capture of Gaza in November 1917; the plan was for the infantry to capture their initial objectives, then the brigade would be released to advance along the Mediterranean coastline, turn right and attack the Turkish rear and their headquarters at Nuzzle. When the battle started, the British infantry captured all but one of their objectives, but as the brigade started to move out, a Turkish counter-attack regained their previous positions, so the brigade's advance was called off.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917, Third battle of Gaza
However, by the night of 6/7 November, continued British attacks forced the Turkish to withdraw from Gaza and the brigade was ordered forward to pursue them. By 13:00 the brigade was north of Gaza when the Mysore Lancers' leading squadron located the Turkish rearguard, which included a heavy machine-gun position. At 15:00 the Hyderabad Lancers and the XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment attacked Beit Hanun, while the rest of the brigade attacked Beit Lahi. As the Hyderabad Lancers approached their objective, they came under a heavy artillery bombardment. Leaving one squadron and their machine-guns behind to provide fire support, the rest of the Lancers attacked, capturing the Wadi Safieh line. The Lancers, still under artillery fire, held out until 16:30, when they were ordered to withdraw and rejoin the rest of the brigade now concentrated at Beit Lahi.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917, Third battle of Gaza
The brigade now came under command of XXI Corps and at 01:45 on 8 November was ordered to move west of Beit Hanun and link up with the Australian Mounted Division, which was advancing from the east. As they moved to the east of Beit Hanun, the XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment, which was still attached to the brigade, came under heavy machine-gun and artillery fire, preventing the brigade from advancing further. The Turkish bombardment continued until 12:20, when they were observed withdrawing.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917, Third battle of Gaza
The XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment and Mysore Lancers were ordered to encircle and cut off their retreat, however dug in Turkish positions at the Wadi Hesi once again halted the brigade advance. At 15:00 that day the brigade eventually made contact with the 4th Light Horse Brigade, completing the link up with the Australian Mounted Division.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917, Third battle of Gaza
The morning of 9 November was spent trying to water the horses, some of which had had no water for over twenty-four hours, so the brigade did not move after the now retreating Turkish until after 11:20. Moving at their best speed, the brigade reached the high ground east of El Medjel by 14:30, capturing two artillery guns, rifles and ammunition en route. Two troops were sent forward to locate the Turkish rearguard, which they found at 16:30 crossing the plain at El Tine.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1916–1917, Third battle of Gaza
Early the next morning, patrols were again sent to locate the Turkish forces but at 07:00, the brigade was unexpectedly ordered back to Gaza. Despite the heavy fire the brigade had been subjected to, their casualties during the battle were light; only four officers and ten other ranks had been wounded, sixteen horses killed and another fifty wounded. The Turkish casualties were estimated at 100 dead; forty-nine were taken prisoner and five artillery guns were captured.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918
In early January, the brigade trained and re-equipped, which included the first issue of bayonets to the Lancers. On 2 April, the Hyderabad Lancers were detached from the brigade, coming under the command of the ANZAC Mounted Division, then the Desert Mounted Corps and finally the 60th Division. The rest of the brigade moved to the Jordan Valley, arriving at Jericho on 29 April. The next day the brigade was designated the Desert Mounted Corps reserve and concentrated two miles (3.2 km) to the west of the Ghoraniyeh bridgehead over the River Jordan.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918
On the final day of the raid on Es Salt, on 4 May, the brigade, with the New Zealand Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment attached, was ordered to cross the Jordan and form a defensive screen on the east bank to cover the withdrawal of the ANZAC Division. They remained in place until 5 May, when the ANZAC Division reached and crossed the Jordan safely at 16:00. The brigade, less some patrols, was back within the bridgehead by 18:00.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918
In the following twelve days, the brigade patrolled to the east of the River Jordan, resulting in numerous contacts with the Turkish defenders, during which several prisoners and deserters were captured. On 11 May, the Jodhpur Lancers were assigned to the brigade and the Wellington Mounted Rifles returned to the command of their parent New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918
On 23 May, the brigade came under command of the Australian Mounted Division and moved to a position four miles (6.4 km) north of Jericho, remaining with the Australians until 4 June, when they left for Ras Dieran, becoming part of the newly raised 2nd Mounted Division. For almost a month the brigade was involved in training and staff exercises, during which time the brigade machine-gun squadron was formed. On 5 July, the brigade left for the Jordan Valley to resume their place in the front line.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918
On 14 July, the brigade's squadrons were involved in several small battles in the Hajlah, Henu and Abu Tellul bridgehead area, which included a charge by the Jodhpur Lancers on the Turkish positions followed by a separate charge by a squadron of Mysore Lancers on those retreating from the Jodhpur's action. Accumulatively, the day's fighting resulted in over 100 Turkish dead and seventy prisoners taken, twenty of them wounded, from the 9th and 11th Cavalry Regiments. The brigade's casualties were twenty-five dead, seven wounded and six missing.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918
For their part in the battles the Jodhpur Lancers were mentioned in army despatches. On 24 July, the 2nd Mounted Division was renamed 5th Cavalry Division and the brigade became the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade. In early August, the brigade carried out several patrols, crossing the bridgehead and into the Jordan Valley until 4 August, the Turkish were found to have withdrawn overnight. A small Turkish force returned on 15 August but withdrew before the brigade could move up and engage them. The brigade remained in the area until the night of the 17/18 August, when they were relieved by the 10th Cavalry Brigade from the 4th Cavalry Division.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haifa
The next three weeks were taken up with regimental and brigade training, until 17 September when the brigade started returning to the front line. The Hyderabad Lancers were detached from the brigade on 22 September to escort 12,000 prisoners to Kerkur, and on 23 September, B Battery, Honourable Artillery Company was attached to the brigade for the forthcoming operations. At 03:00 on 23 September, the brigade leading the 5th Cavalry Division left Afule for Haifa and Acre.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haifa
The advance was unopposed until 10:00 that day when the Mysore Lancers reached the village of Beled Esh Sheikh where the leading squadron was shelled from Mount Carmel and came under small-arms fire from the region of the village. The Turkish had four artillery guns on the heights overlooking the brigade's line of approach and another six to the east of Haifa, supported by machine-gun posts and infantry to the west of the main Haifa road.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haifa
The brigade deployed its forces, with one squadron from the Mysore Lancers supported by two machine-guns to capture Mount Carmel. A second Mysore squadron would cover the main road while the remainder of the regiment with two machine-guns would advance along the Acre railway line. The Jodhpur Lancers would deploy in the open and wait further orders, while brigade headquarters and the remainder of the machine-gun squadron and the artillery battery would be to the north of Beled Esh Sheikh. When in position, the Jodhpur Lancers—supported by covering fire from the artillery—and the Mysore Lancers would charge the guns.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haifa
At 11:45 the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry caught up with the brigade and one squadron was detached to support the Mysore Lancers on Mount Carmel. The attack was scheduled to start at 14:00 but before that, the artillery battery and reconnaissance patrols sent out to look for the Turkish positions kept up suppressing fire on them, to which the Turkish responded with counter-battery fire. The attack commenced on time; the Jodhpur Lancers advanced in squadron columns in the face of heavy Turkish rifle and machine-gun fire.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haifa
The Lancers charged towards the railway line, but the terrain forced them to move to their left into a wadi, which was impassable and forced the Lancers even further left. The leading squadron crossed the railway line, captured the machine-gun positions and cleared the way for the remainder of the regiment to charge into the town. At the same time the regiment's second squadron had moved right, capturing three artillery guns and two machine-guns, while the two remaining squadrons charged through the town virtually unopposed, facing only sporadic rifle fire.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haifa
As they reached the other side of the town they were soon joined by the two other squadrons which had made their way around the outskirts, capturing another two artillery guns en route. Elsewhere, one of the Mysore Lancers squadrons that had been giving covering fire came under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire from the mouth of the River Nahr el Mukutta. The squadron mounted and charged the Turkish positions, capturing two artillery guns, two machine-guns and 110 prisoners.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haifa
With the town secure the Mysore squadron on Mount Carmel charged a Turkish position at Karmelheim, capturing a 6-inch naval gun, two mountain artillery guns, two machine-guns and seventy-eight prisoners. During the charge they were joined by a squadron from the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, who captured another fifty prisoners. Prisoners taken inside the town were two German officers, twenty-three Turkish officers and 664 other ranks. Two 6-inch naval guns, four 4.2-inch guns, six 77 mm guns, four 10-pound camel guns, ten machine-guns and a large quantity of ammunition were captured in Haifa. The brigade's own casualties were relatively light; one Indian officer and two other ranks were killed, and six Indian officers and twenty-eight other ranks were wounded. Sixty horses were killed and eighty-three were wounded.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Advance to Homs
The brigade rested for the next two days and was rejoined by the Hyderabad Lancers on 25 September. At 05:00 the next day they resumed the advance, arriving at Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) at 11:00 on 27 September. After watering the horses the brigade advanced again, reaching Kasr Atra at 22:30, where they halted for the night. They were to start again early the next day, but had to wait as the Australian Mounted Division to their right had been stopped by the Turkish forces and at 11:00 the brigade resumed their advance.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Advance to Homs
Because of the delay, they did not reach El Kuneitra until midnight on 28/29 September. The next day the brigade was designated as the Desert Mounted Corps reserve, responsible for guarding their own and the Australian Mounted Division's transport columns. During the day, the two divisions were held up for fourteen hours by a small, well-placed Turkish detachment. On 30 September the brigade was ordered to head for Kiswe to round up Turkish stragglers from the Ottoman Fourth Army.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Advance to Homs
By 09:30 on 1 October, the brigade was two miles (3.2 km) to the north of Kiswe but were then ordered to move to a new position two miles (3.2 km) east of Damascus, where they were to be the division reserve, while the 14th Cavalry Brigade was made responsible for the capture of Kiswe.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Advance to Homs
The next day, 2 October, was the day that British Empire forces officially entered Damascus. This was marked by a short period of rest for the British forces and the brigade advance did not resume until 05:30 on 5 October. Their first objective was Khan Meizelun then Moallaka which they reached unopposed on 6 October. The next day Lieutenant-Colonel Hyla Holden, a SSO with the Jodhpur Lancers, became the first Allied officer to enter Beirut, the Arab Revolt forces commanded by Sherif Hussein bin Ali arrived that same afternoon and assumed control of the local government. The brigade continued their advance capturing several villages in the following days. Tell Esh Sherif on 11 October, Baalbek on 13 October, Lebwe on 14 October, El Kaa on 15 October, Kusseir on 16 October and Homs was reached at midday 17 October.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
At Homs, the brigade rested for two days and on 19 October headed for Er Rastan, with orders to repair a bridge over the River Orontes, which had been destroyed by retreating Turkish forces. The next day, assisted by No. 5 Field Squadron Royal Engineers, was spent repairing the bridge, after which the brigade advanced, reaching Hama on 21 October. The brigade had expected to rest there for several days but were ordered to continue the advance to Aleppo. The brigade was preceded by seven light armoured cars, but the remainder of the division was following a day behind.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
On 24 October the armoured cars' advance was stopped by Turkish defences near Khan Tuman. The Turkish held a strong defensive line on a ridge line to the south and west of Aleppo. The brigade was ordered to occupy a position on the Aleppo-Alexandretta road and to clear Turkish trenches on the ridge to the west of Aleppo, but when they reached the ridge line on 26 October, the position had been evacuated.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
Intelligence from locals suggested that a force of 1,000 men with two small artillery guns were heading north out of Aleppo, so the brigade set off in pursuit. At 11:00, the leading two Jodhpur Lancers squadrons and a machine-gun section reached a position overlooking Haritan to the north of Aleppo when they came under Turkish small arms fire.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
Harbord ordered an immediate brigade attack; the Mysore Lancers would move around to the east of the ridge and charge the village, followed by the other two Jodhpur Lancer squadrons while the remainder of the brigade machine-gun squadron would move onto the ridge to provide covering fire, with the two other Jodhpur squadrons. The armoured cars of No. 12 Light Armoured Motor Battery arrived at 11:30 and were ordered along the main road to support the attack.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
As the attack started, the leading armoured car developed a fault and returned to their start position, due to a misunderstanding, the rest of the battery followed them, taking them out of the attack. The Mysore Lancers had also started their advance but moved further east to get into a position to charge after discovering the Turkish line was longer than expected, taking them out of range of their supporting machine-guns.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
At 12:00 the Lancers charged the Turkish position, killing fifty men and capturing twenty, but without any fire support from their machine-gun squadron they were unable to penetrate the Turkish defences and were forced to withdraw to the rear, dismount and keep the Turkish position under observation. The extent of the Turkish position had not been fully appreciated, and was now estimated to be held by a force of 3,000 infantry, 400 cavalry, up to twelve artillery guns and between thirty and forty machine-guns.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
One group of Turkish soldiers started towards the Mysore Lancers position, but halted about 800 yards (730 m) short and started to dig new defensive trenches. Unable to progress against the larger force, the brigade kept the position under observation and at 21:00, the Turkish were seen to be withdrawing and had completely evacuated their positions by midnight. At 23:15 the 14th Cavalry Brigade arrived, setting up their own observation lines, until daylight when they took over the 15th Brigade's positions.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
In the day's battle, Turkish casualties were estimated to be around 100 men, while the brigade lost four British officers, including Holden attached to the Jodhpur Lancers, one Indian officer and sixteen other ranks. Twelve officers, six of them British, and forty-four other ranks were wounded, and three other ranks were reported missing.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Service history, 1918, Haritan
That night, the Turkish forces withdrew twenty miles (32 km) to Deir el Jemel to the north-west of Aleppo. The 5th Cavalry Division was not strong enough by itself to continue the advance and halted, waiting for the Australian Mounted Division to catch up with them. On 27 October, the day after their unsuccessful charge, the brigade became the division reserve and was ordered back to Aleppo. Events now overtook them; at noon on 31 October, after the Armistice of Mudros had been agreed the previous day, the war with the Ottoman Empire ended.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Disbandment
After the Armistice of Mudros, the brigade remained with 5th Cavalry Division in Palestine as part of the occupation forces. However, demobilization began immediately and the brigade was broken up by January 1920. Although they did not suffer the same casualties associated with the Western Front in France, its units did not escape without loss. The Mysore Lancers had twenty-three men killed in action, one man died as a result of his wounds, another two were reported missing believed killed, three wounded men were taken prisoner and released at the end of the war, and forty-nine men were wounded.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Disbandment
The Hyderabad Lancers had twelve men killed in action, four died as a result of their wounds, seven were reported missing believed killed and forty-three were wounded. The casualties for the Jodhpur Lancers, while serving with the brigade, were seventeen men killed in action, five died as a result of their wounds, five missing believed killed, two were taken prisoner and thirty-one were wounded. The casualties for the Patiala Lancers were not recorded in the brigade history, but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that while attached to the brigade from 1914 to May 1916 they had seven dead.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Disbandment
For their service, several men of the brigade were given orders or were decorated; the brigade received six Distinguished Service Orders, three Order of the Nile, one Order of the British Empire, six Order of British India, fourteen Military Crosses, two Military Medals, forty-nine Indian Distinguished Service Medals, twelve Indian Order of Merits and sixty-six were mentioned in despatches.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Disbandment, Memorials
The main memorial to the brigade is the Teen Murti (three soldiers) memorial in New Delhi, a stone and bronze sculpture inscribed with the names of those members of the brigade killed in action. The three statues represent soldiers from the Indian States of Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur. A memorial on the site of the fighting at Haritan is inscribed with the date of the battle, the units involved and details of the casualties.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Disbandment, Memorials
The Port Tewfik Memorial was erected at the Suez Canal to commemorate the 4,000 Indian officers and soldiers killed during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign who have no known grave. The brigade's capture of Haifa on 23 September is remembered by the present Indian Army as Haifa Day, and the Mysore and Jodhpur Lancers part in its capture was recognised by the British government, which awarded them the battle honour Megiddo.


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Disbandment, Memorials
The British army commander Edmund Allenby in his despatches also commented on the contribution of the men in the brigade:


15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, Disbandment, Memorials
"I take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the valuable services and high soldierly qualities of the following contingents of Indian Imperial Service Troops which, through the generosity of their respective Ruling Chiefs, were placed at my disposal: — Hyderabad Lancers, Jodhpur Lancers, Kathiawar Signal Troop, Mysore Lancers."


15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion
The 15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, originally raised as 15th (King's) Parachute Battalion by the British Army in World War II.


15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion
The 15th Parachute Battalion was formed in India during 1945 from the 1st Battalion the King's Regiment (Liverpool). Prior to this the 1st Battalion King's had been part of the Chindits special force and taken part in the second Chindit expedition, Operation Thursday, of 1944. It was assigned to the 77th Chindit Brigade, taking part in the Battle of Mogaung in June 1944. It then became part of the 44th Indian Airborne Division.


15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion
The war ended before the battalion was committed to any combat but a number of officers and sergeants parachuted into Japanese Prisoner of War Camps in Java, Sumatra, Bangkok and Singapore to provide aid to the prisoners. After the war, the battalion was reconverted to standard line infantry as the 1st King's Regiment (Liverpool).


15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion
During the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of February 1946, HMIS Hindustan was berthed at Karachi, and occupied by mutineers. When ordered to debark the mutineers refused, but finally surrendered after a brief firefight with the 15th (King's) Parachute Battalion, supported by four 75mm pack howitzers of C Troop, 159 Parachute Light Regiment, Royal Artillery.


15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion, Territorial Army
The battalion was reformed by the Territorial Army in 1947 as the 15th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion (TA). In 1967 it was re-designated 15 PARA (SV) and came under command of the 44th Parachute Brigade.


15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion, Territorial Army
In June 1974, Warrant Officer Class 2 John Gordon McRae, became the first territorial to be awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. During a practice parachute jump from a C-130 the parachute of one of his men failed to open. The man crashed through McRae’s rigging and as he did so McRae managed to keep a hold of him and they both descended safely on the one parachute.


15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion, Territorial Army
During September 1974 the battalion suffered the highest loss of TA soldiers during a major NATO exercise. Dropped off course six men landed in the Kiel canal and drowned. Defence cuts in April 1993, resulted in the amalgamation of the three remaining TA parachute battalions. The battalion numbered 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, retains a rifle company (15th (Scottish initially, now re-designated A Company) based in Scotland.


15th (Scottish) Division
The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served in both the First World War. The 15th (Scottish) Division was formed from men volunteering for Kitchener's Army, and served from 1915 to 1918 on the Western Front. The division was later disbanded, after the war, in 1919.


15th (Scottish) Division, First World War
The division was a New Army unit formed in September 1914 as part of the K2 Army Group. The division moved to France in July 1915 and spent the duration of the First World War in action on the Western Front. The division fought in the Battle of Loos in which it seizing the village of Loos and Hill 70, the deepest penetration of the German positions by the six British divisions involved in the initial day. It later fought in the Battle of the Somme (1916) which included the battles of Pozières and Flers–Courcelette, the Battle of Arras 1917 and the Third Battle of Ypres.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division
The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served during the Second World War. It was raised on 2 September 1939, the day before war was declared, as part of the Territorial Army (TA) and served in the United Kingdom and later North-West Europe from June 1944 to May 1945.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Background
During the 1930s, tensions increased between Germany and the United Kingdom and its allies. In late 1937 and throughout 1938, German demands for the annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia led to an international crisis. To avoid war, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in September and brokered the Munich Agreement. The agreement averted a war and allowed Germany to annexe the Sudetenland. Although Chamberlain had intended the agreement to lead to further peaceful resolution of issues, relations between both countries soon deteriorated. On 15 March 1939, Germany breached the terms of the agreement by invading and occupying the remnants of the Czech state.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Background
On 29 March, British Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore-Belisha announced plans to increase the part-time Territorial Army (TA) from 130,000 to 340,000 men and double the number of TA divisions. The plan was for existing TA divisions, referred to as the first-line, to recruit over their establishments (aided by an increase in pay for Territorials, the removal of restrictions on promotion which had hindered recruiting, construction of better-quality barracks and an increase in supper rations) and then form a new division, known as the second-line, from cadres around which the divisions could be expanded.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Background
This process was dubbed "duplicating". The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was to be a second-line unit, a duplicate of the first-line 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division. In April, limited conscription was introduced. This resulted in 34,500 twenty-year-old militiamen being conscripted into the regular army, initially to be trained for six months before deployment to the forming second-line units. It was envisioned that the duplicating process and recruiting the required numbers of men would take no more than six months. Some TA divisions had made little progress by the time the Second World War began in September; others were able to complete this work within a matter of weeks.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Formation
The embryo of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was formed on 26 August 1939, administered by the 52nd Division, and became an independent formation on 2 September 1939. It took control of the 44th, the 45th and the 46th Infantry Brigades. Due to the lack of official guidance, the newly formed formations were at liberty to choose numbers, styles, and titles. The division adopted the number, title, and divisional insignia of their First World War counterpart, the 15th (Scottish) Division. The brigades did likewise. The divisional insignia, the letter 'O' (being the 15th letter of the alphabet), differed slightly from the original, by not including a triangle inside the circle.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Formation
On formation, the 44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade consisted of the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots; the 6th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers; and the 7th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers. The 45th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade comprised the 6th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers; and the 9th and the 10th Battalions, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). The 46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade had the 10th and the 11th Battalions, Highland Light Infantry; and the 2nd Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders. The division was initially assigned to Scottish Command, and Major-General Roland Le Fanu became the general officer commanding. Le Fanu's prior experience included staff appointments, and he had fought in the 1937 Waziristan campaign. While primarily made up of Scots, recruits were posted to the division from across the United Kingdom, particularly England.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Home defence
The war deployment plan for the TA envisioned that its divisions would be deployed overseas, as equipment became available, to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that had already been dispatched to Europe. The TA would join regular army divisions in waves as its divisions completed their training, the final divisions deploying one year after the war began. However, during the opening months of the war, the division lacked the required equipment and personnel. September saw the division drained of manpower.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Home defence
Soldiers, aged 19, were reassigned to other formations; the Ministry of Labour allocated other men to essential industries; and medical standards weeded out those considered unfit. The division was initially scattered across southern Scotland without access to training facilities. On 30 September, after the requisition of civilian transport, the division moved to the Scottish Borders, south of Edinburgh, to start training.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Home defence
In October 1939, the Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, General Walter Kirke, was tasked with drawing up a plan, codenamed Julius Caesar, to defend the United Kingdom from a potential German invasion. The division's role in this was largely to defend the Edinburgh and Forth areas. It was not until December that the division moved to undertake this role, with the 44th Brigade positioned astride the Firth of Forth. The rest of the division was based around Glasgow, on either side of the Firth of Clyde. On paper, an infantry division was to have seventy-two modern 25-pounder field guns. By November, the divisional artillery comprised just eight First World War-vintage 4.5 inches (110 millimetres) howitzers. By January, this had increased to sixteen 4.5 in (110 mm) howitzers, in addition to eight First World War-era 18-pounder field guns.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Home defence
In April 1940, the division marched back to the Borders, and used the move as a training exercise. Elements of the division were then used to provide logistical support for units en route to fight in the Norwegian Campaign. On 9 April, following the start of the campaign, the second-line infantry divisions were requested to each form an independent infantry company of 289 volunteers, who would be deployed to Norway. The 15th Division formed No. 10 Independent Company, but it was not deployed.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Home defence
When the campaign ended in failure, the division was ordered to move south into England to make room for the returning troops. This move promoted Kirke to complain that the division was being moved against his wishes, despite the defensive role assigned to it for southern Scotland. The move took the division to Wiltshire, with the intent to intensively prepare for its deployment to France. Following the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, the English east coast was seen as the area most under threat from German invasion.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Home defence
The division then moved to Essex to defend the coast from Harwich, in the north, to Southend-on-Sea, in the south. To prevent a German invasion, including potential tank attacks, the divisional artillery now comprised twelve 4.5 in (110 mm) howitzers, six 18-pounder field guns, and four Ordnance QF 2-pounder anti-tank guns (compared to an establishment of 48). This was roughly on par with the other eight divisions that had been assigned to defend the coast, although the 15th was one of only two that included anti-tank guns. Additional equipment included 47 Boys anti-tank rifles (against an establishment of 361), 63 Universal Carriers (establishment of 140), and 590 Bren light machine guns (establishment of 644). The division co-operated with the forming Local Defence Volunteers, laid landmines, and erected anti-invasion obstacles within its operating area.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Home defence
On 9 July, George VI inspected elements of the division at Colchester. The next month, on 2 August, Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke, now Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, visited the division. Brooke recorded in his diary "Do not think much of [Le Fanu], and doubtful whether he is good enough." Regarding the division's rank and file, he wrote they were "good but [require] a great deal more training." On 23 August, Le Fanu was replaced by Major-General Robert Cotton Money. On 31 October, George VI visited the divisional headquarters, and provided authorization for the lion rampant, from Royal Arms of Scotland, to be added within the 'O' of the divisional insignia. The division remained on the coast, and trained through to the end of the year.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Home defence
On 30 January 1941, Major-General Oliver Leese took command of the division. Later in the month, the division moved northeast to Suffolk, in East Anglia. The division maintained a coastal defence role, with the 44th Brigade based at Lowestoft, the 45th Brigade situated between Dunwich and Aldeburgh, and the 46th Brigade between Orford and Felixstowe. This left a gap between the 44th and the 45th Brigades, which was filled by the 37th Independent Infantry Brigade. This brigade reported directly to XI Corps, and was not part of the division. On 17 June 1941, Major-General Philip Christison replaced Leese. By September, the division's artillery regiments had all been outfitted with a full complement of 25-pounder field guns.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Divisional changes
Due to the large number of men allocated to the infantry, in 1941, the British Army instituted reforms to build-up other arms and formations. As a result, several divisions were to be disbanded or reduced. This included the 15th (Scottish), which was placed on the lower establishment in November 1941. This meant that the division was detailed for home defence, compared to a higher establishment division that were intended to be deployed overseas for combat. The division was stripped of artillery and engineer units, and used as a source of reinforcements for oversea units. After being downgraded, the division moved north to Northumberland. It took up position at Newcastle and along the coast north of the city, as well as continued training. On 14 May 1942, Major-General Charles Bullen-Smith took command.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Divisional changes
On 5 January 1943, the 45th Brigade was removed from the division and replaced by the 6th Guards Tank Brigade. This brought the division inline with the 'mixed division' concept. Lieutenant-General Giffard Le Quesne Martel, head of the Royal Armoured Corps, described this as "the absorption of the armoured forces into the rest of the army", which required a division to decrease from three to two infantry brigades, and have a tank brigade, equipped with infantry tanks, assigned in place of the lost infantry.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Divisional changes
On 28 March 1943, the division was raised to the higher establishment, officially as a 'mixed division'. It was intended to bring the division up to strength, an establishment of 16,119 men and 205 tanks, by June. Accordingly, additional units were transferred to the division. Training now had an emphasis on combined arms warfare. The division was assigned to the VIII Corps, on 20 June 1943. The following month, on 14 July, the division was brought back up to a strength of three infantry brigades, while still retaining the tank brigade, when the 227th (Highland) Infantry Brigade joined. On 27 August 1943, Major-General Gordon MacMillan arrived from commanding a brigade in combat in North Africa, to take command of the division.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Divisional changes
On 5 September, the 'mixed division' concept was abandoned as it was considered to have not been successful, and the 6th Guards Tank Brigade left on 9 September. The division then moved to Yorkshire, and was based around Bradford, Harrogate, and Leeds. The remainder of the 1943 and the opening of 1944 was used to conduct extensive training and divisional exercises, as the division had been assigned to partake in Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied France.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Home Service, Divisional changes
In February 1944, General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the 21st Army Group, the main Allied formation in Operation Overlord, visited the division and addressed the men. In the following weeks, the division was visited by George VI, Queen Elizabeth, their daughter Elizabeth, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the VIII Corps commander Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor. In April, the division moved to Sussex, and was concentrated in camps in the Brighton area. The division's advanced parties departed for London on 8 June, and moved to France on 13 June. On 11 June, the division proper started to move to marshalling areas in London and Southampton, and were transported to France piecemeal with the last unit not arriving until 24 June.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
The Norman city of Caen was the primary British objective during the Normandy landings, and was seen as key for future operations. However, the city did not fall on 6 June, and was not taken in follow-up fighting. The recently assembled VIII Corps was assigned to a renewed effort to capture the city. Operation Epsom intended for the corps to attack to the west of Caen, cross the Odon and Orne rivers, capture an area of high ground near Bretteville-sur-Laize and thereby encircle the city.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
The operation was the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division's baptism of fire, and it was assigned a key role in the opening phases: to clear several villages that stood between them and the Odon, and to capture bridges to allow the 11th Armoured Division to cross the river and race for Bretteville-sur-Laize. Afterwards, the 15th Division would clear the Odon river valley.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
Phase I of the attack was conducted by the 44th and the 46th Brigades, supported by Churchill tanks from the 31st Tank Brigade and specialist tanks from the 79th Armoured Division. Both brigades attacked at 07:30 behind a rolling barrage. German mortar fire responded immediately. Despite delays caused by minefields and German holdouts in the forward area, the brigades captured most of their objectives before noon: La Gaule, Le Haut, and Cheux. An effort by the 46th Brigade to advance 2,000 yards (1,800 m) to the southeast of Cheux, to capture a hill, was partially successful.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
They seized the northern slope, but the Germans retained the southern. Elements of the 44th Brigade were engaged in an all day struggle to capture and hold St Mauvieu, which they did after fending off several counterattacks. Both brigades suffered mounting losses. The historian Carlo D'Este highlighted the 46th Brigade's 2nd Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders, who suffered around 200 casualties including 12 officers. This represented 24 per cent of the battalion's officers and "nearly 25% of the entire rifle battalion."


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
Phase II of the attack started late, around 18:00, as the 227th Brigade was delayed by traffic congestion at Cheux. As it moved south, the brigade was engaged by German tanks and made little progress. However, one company broke through the German lines and reached Colleville. On the morning of 27 June, the 46th Brigade secured the northern slope of the hill that had been previously denied to them. Afterwards, both the 44th and the 46th Brigades were relieved by the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
Part of the 227th Brigade made little progress pushing south beyond Cheux, due to mortar fire and German tanks, although they repulsed one attack and destroyed four tanks. The rest of the brigade cleared Colleville, captured Tourville-sur-Odon, destroyed additional German tanks, and by the afternoon had seized the bridge across the Odon at Tourmauville. This allowed the 11th Armoured Division to cross and proceed with the operation.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
Fighting continued the next day, with most of the division involved. Additional bridges and villages were secured along the Odon valley. This included Gavrus, which was taken by the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and who were then left isolated. The Germans also began a counterattack on the north side of the Odon into the division's western flank. The back and forth fighting, which spread to both sides of the Odon, continued through 29 June and resulted in the division fending off the attacks and was able to secure additional territory.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
The historian Lloyd Clark placed the division's defensive success on "careful positioning", taking advantage of terrain, as well as "excellent leadership and tactical prowess at the small unit level." Due to heavy casualties suffered by the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, they withdrew and the division ceded control of Gavrus on 30 June. During the course of the day, additional counterattacks on the division were repulsed. The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division then relieved the 15th, although the 44th Brigade remained engaged through July 1. They repulsed further German counterattacks, and were relieved by the Welsh division on 2 July.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Operation Epsom
Hugh Martin, the author of the divisional history, described Epsom as the "fiercest fighting that the Division was to know in the whole war", which captured 10 square miles (26 km2) of territory, and resulted in "one-quarter" of all casualties suffered by the division through the entire campaign. The division suffered 288 men killed, 1,638 wounded, and 794 men missing. D'Este commented that the number of riflemen in a division was around 4,600, and the losses suffered by the division represented "in excess of 50%" of the division's infantry.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Normandy, July
The next divisional action was limited to artillery support, with the artillery supporting a Canadian effort to capture the Carpiquet airfield during Operation Windsor on 4 July. By 7 July, the division had been reinforced to make up most of its Epsom losses. The 44th and the 46th Brigades were then assigned to support the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division during Operation Jupiter. The 44th Brigade occupied positions along the Odon river, previously held by the 227th Brigade during Operation Epsom. This freed up the 43rd Division, for their attack on the dominant high ground south of the river.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Normandy, July
The 44th Brigade supported this effort by engaging in mutual mortar bombardments with the Germans on the heights. The 46th Brigade, supported by elements of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment, cleared the area between the Odon and Orne near Eterville. They also supported the 43rd Division by taking control of several hamlets that the latter had captured, and fended off several counterattacks. By 10 July, both brigades had been relieved.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Normandy, July
On 12 July, the division was assigned to XII Corps, and three days later attacked towards Bougy, Evrecy, and Maizet, as part of Operation Greenline; a diversionary attack in support of Operation Goodwood. German resistance and counterattacks, heavy fighting, flanking fire, and a direct hit on one of the brigade's tactical headquarters caused delays and communication breakdowns. In the end, the division captured Bougy, fell short of taking Evrecy, and failed to advance on Maizet. However, the fighting had attracted German armour reserves away from the Goodwood battle area, and thus achieved the operation's objective.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Breakout from Normandy
On 23 July, the division relocated to Caumont and relieved the 5th US Infantry Division. This was part of a strategic realignment of the Normandy beachhead, as the British Second Army shifted three divisions west to allow the American First Army to launch a breakout offensive. In support, the British Army launched Operation Bluecoat that aimed to secure the American flank and reach the town of Vire. The division was faced by the recently arrived 326th Infantry Division, who took over well-prepared defenses that were behind a minefield.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Breakout from Normandy
For Bluecoat, the division reverted to the command of VIII Corps and was supported by mine-clearing tanks, Churchill tanks, and Churchill Crocodiles. On 30 July, the division attacked through the Normandy bocage, with the goal of reaching Hill 309 by the end of the day. The infantry were soon subjected to heavy artillery fire, while terrain and mines resulted in the infantry and tanks separating. The division's first objective was Sept-Vents and a nearby wood.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Breakout from Normandy
It was intended to be captured by 09:55, but it took six-hours to achieve this due to mines, traffic jams, heavy fighting, and the methodical clearing of the village. In the meantime, the supporting tanks pressed forward alone and captured Hill 309 in the mid-afternoon, around the same time Sept-Vents was cleared. They then held the hill until relieved by the advancing Scottish infantry, around 22:00.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Breakout from Normandy
The following day, the division consolidated their captured positions, while two armoured divisions continued the corps' attack. On 1 August, the division fended off numerous counterattacks that were launched upon its positions, primarily by the 21st Panzer Division, over a 12-hour period. Over the following days, while most of the division retained their defensive position, elements were used to clear territory captured or bypassed by the advancing armour. During this period, MacMillan was wounded by shell fire and was replaced by the 46th Brigade commander, Colin Muir Barber, who was made a major-general. On 6 August, the leading elements of the division reached Estry and the nearby Hill 208, and fought a back and forth battle for both locations over the following days. On 13 August, the division was transferred to near Caen, and ended its participation in the Normandy fighting.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Breakout from Normandy
The Allied advance culminated in the defeat of the German military in Normandy at the Falaise Pocket. Afterwards, the Second Army advanced towards the Seine, in pursuit of the retreating German forces, with XII Corps spearheaded by the 15th Division. Late on 26 August, the division crossed the river largely unopposed. Additional crossings, meeting light resistance, were made under the cover of darkness the next morning. The bridgehead was then consolidated.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
On 2 September, one battalion moved east from the Seine and was followed by the rest of the division the next day. Four days later, the bulk of the division arrived at Courtrai, Belgium, and immediately shelled retreating German forces. Over the following days, the division cleared the area between the Scheldt and the Lys rivers, and took several hundred prisoners. The Glasgow Highlanders (46th Brigade) were dispatched to reinforce the effort to take Ghent. They fought an opposed crossing of the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal on 9 September, and spent the following two days engaged in close fighting in and around the northern section of the city as they cleared it building by building, and took several hundred more prisoners.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
The division then moved into the bridgehead that had been established over the Albert Canal, at Gheel. From this foothold, on 14 September, the division launched several assaults to cross the Meuse-Escaut Canal (referred to as the 'Junction Canal' in the divisional history). They were only able to secure one bridgehead, at Aart, and battled to hold it over the next six days. The bridgehead, around 400 yards (370 m) in depth, was heavily contested by the Germans and caused the division 700 casualties.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
This action was credited with diverting German resources away from Joe's Bridge, where XXX Corps began their assault from at the start of Operation Market Garden. On 20 September, the 7th Armoured Division relieved the 15th Division, which (minus the 227th Brigade) moved east to Lommel, and took up position in a bridgehead that had been secured by the 53rd Division.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
Operation Market Garden intended to land the First Allied Airborne Army behind German lines to seize six bridges and other key areas, to facilitate an advance by XXX Corps through the Netherlands and across the Rhine and into Germany. XII Corp was assigned to protect the left flank of XXX Corps' advance. Consequently, the 15th Division crossed the Wilhelmina Canal (nl:Wilhelminakanaal), unopposed on 21 September, and advanced towards the village of Best, on the northwest outskirts of Eindhoven. 'D' Company of the 7th Seaforth Highlanders (46th Brigade) entered the village the next day and believed it to be unoccupied.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
However, their arrival had surprised the German garrison, and after the loss of 33 men, 'D' Company withdrew. The 46th Brigade and the divisional reconnaissance regiment the launched further attacks, which turned into a five-day battle for control of the village. It saw methodical house to house fighting, and repeated assaults to clear German forces out of the train station and cement factory on the south side of the village. Meanwhile, the 44th Brigade was initially held in reserve, to be used to clear the road that XXX Corps had advanced along, if needed.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
But on 24 September, it was released from this duty. It and the 227th Brigade (which had now rejoined the division) attacked northwards, and cleared the area up to the river Dommel and captured several hamlets. Martin recounted that a medical officer from the 44th Brigade strayed into German lines while searching for wounded soldiers, during this period. After giving his word not to provide intelligence to the division, he was released to continue his search for the wounded. Operation Haggis followed, which was the relief of the division by the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and was finalized on 3 October. Afterwards, the division was then given a three-week break at Helmond, east of Eindhoven. This time was used to rest, reinforce, train, and a 'Battle School' was formed.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
The division was then assigned to VIII Corps, which was tasked with defeating three German divisions that were based west of the Meuse along the eastern flank of the corridor captured during Operation Market Garden. Prior to the 15th (Scottish) being committed to this, Montgomery assigned the division back to XII Corps that been tasked with attacking west from the corridor. This operation, codenamed Operation Pheasant, was designed to support the ongoing effort to clear the Scheldt estuary. The division's task was to capture the town of Tilburg.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
On 20 October, the division moved back to Best, and started their advance three days later. German forces had largely abandoned the area in front of the division, so the initial move was unopposed. On 26 October, a brief action was fought to capture the town of Oisterwijk. The next day, the division (now supported by the 4th Armoured Brigade and the Dutch Princess Irene Brigade) advanced into the Tilburg, and seized key points throughout the city. Martin claimed that the division skirmished with Dutch Waffen SS units in Tilburg. The following day, the division conducted a clearing operation, and then declared the city liberated. On 30 October, the division entered Asten, south of Helmond, in response a German counterattack launched to the east of Eindhoven.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Belgium and the Netherlands
The division then fought at Meijel, Blerwick, the Battle of Broekhuizen.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Germany
The division then entered Germany, and fought in Operation Veritable, crossed the Rhine, took part in Operation Plunder in late March 1945,  part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Germany
The particular distinction for the 15th Scottish was to be selected to lead the last set piece river crossing of the war, the assault across the River Elbe (Operation Enterprise) on 29 April 1945 spearheaded by the 1st Commando Brigade, after which they fought on to the Baltic occupying both Lübeck and Kiel. The 15th (Scottish) was the only division of the British Army during the Second World War to be involved in three of the six major European river assault crossings; the Seine, the Rhine and the Elbe.


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Overseas service, Germany
On 10 April 1946, the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was finally disbanded. Its battle casualties– killed, wounded and missing – in nearly eleven months of fighting were 11,772 with over 1,500 men killed. According to D'Este, the "15th (Scottish) Division was considered to be the most effective and best led infantry division in 21st Army Group."


15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, Order of battle
6th Guards Tank Brigade (from 15 January, left 9 September 1943)