Rajiv , November 1940.
4/6th Rajputana Rifles .
The Indian Army scarcely features in most common perceptions of the British War effort in WW2…. one could be forgiven for thinking that as far as modelmakers are concerned , all British campaigns were fought entirely using British troops ( with a few Gurkhas thrown in because everyone's heard of them ).
The truth was rather different : with a huge Navy and a growing RAF, Britain was strapped for men , and all her armies contained Commonwealth troops in significant numbers , to say nothing of the later contributions of the Free French , Poles and Czechs.
Because of its Imperial history , the British Government still just had had control of India , though already engaged in the politically complex and sometimes tragic process of negotiating its Independence . The Indian Army had served the King-Emperor in WW1 , and when the call came in 1939 immediate use was made of this huge reserve of manpower.
The equivalent of about 20 Divisions served in front-line service, in Burma , North Africa and Italy : by 1945 there were 2.5 million Indians serving in uniform. Senior officers were British , but there was an increasing number of Indian officers taking command in ranks up to Major.
The 4th Indian Division was the first to be sent out , and served at the forefront of the campaigns in N.Africa , with two short but very hard campaigns in Eritrea & Syria , back to N.Africa , then on to Italy. As with all Indian Divisions, it had three Infantry brigades , each brigade containing one British battalion and three or more Indian battalions .
One of its most distinguished battalions was the 4/ 6th
( Outram's ) Rajputana Rifles , from which my figure comes. This regiment was recruited in what is now Rajastan , from Hindu and Muslim volunteers .
He's a Lance-Naik , carrying the Boys anti-tank rifle issued to each platoon HQ. This weapon had a performance much the same as other anti-tank rifles at the time , 20mm of armour at 500 metres in ideal conditions : useful against light tanks ( particularly the Italian ones: it would go straight through their ridiculous tankettes ), but by 1941 largely useless against the DAK Panzers. The model is the rather rare 21st century one : very good , once you scraped off the mould lines.
It was the only hand-held anti-tank weapon available , however , so the troops had to use it in tight corners. Normally carried on a truck or Carrier , it was a heavy and inconvenient thing to carry at 36 lbs , and normally operated by two men .
A pic to catch the evening light coming in through my workshop windows :
The uniform and equipment was essentially identical to that of their British comrades, but much of it was manufactured in India and showed very minor variations from that made back in Blighty , and was often of rather poor quality , particularly the webbing.
Round his neck he has the two-magazine Boys pouch for immediate use : more were carried in a steel box very similar to that used for Bren magazines.
The insignia is typical of the early-war style , with slip-on 6RR titles
( some of this unit may have been still using the old brass version , but I was feeling lazy and just did the easier slip-ons ) and no other badges apart from the rankstripe, which following the style of the 60th Rifles with whom they were associated, was in black on red.
The red Eagle divisional sign appeared on uniforms later.
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Settling down in a position for the night involved getting the large packs and blankets from the truck , and eating after the necessary pickets were detailed.
He's in a sangar roughly made of stones , to which he's added a couple of sandbags . Digging in the rockier bits of desert was impossible, so cover was always in short supply.
Rajiv has charge of the Benghazi cooker , a brilliant local improvisation used throughout the war by veterans : a petrol tin filled with sand , with airholes punched in the side.
You poured petrol into the sand and lit it , and it would cook almost anything rapidly. He's brewing real chai ,which in its Indian version is incredibly strong and sweet , spiced with cardamom if possible , and thickened with the universal favourite , condensed milk .
He has Indian pattern oval messtins ( BBI ), and an old style single-breasted greatcoat remade from a BGT one, some hard biscuits ( Huntly & Palmer ! ) , a tin of stewed lamb , and a packet of bidis to smoke.
I've had to use an amount of guesswork on this figure , since definite pics of them in this campaign have not come to hand… The Sikh battalions of course wore turbans all the time , as their religion dictated , but although the 6RR wore them ( very smart ) as dress and undress, I am not absolutely certain that they were carried in the field .They were worn for dress over a kulla , a sort of conical cap , but I've just imagined him here wearing the turban for comfort rather than swank.
I am always a little wary of making a figure from another
( if closely associated ) culture, so I trust I've got this figure right.. but if I haven't, please forgive .
Incidentally many of their opponents in these early campaigns were Italian colonial troops from Libya and Eritrea .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Rob for the Boys model , and Eric and Lee for info.
*******************************************************************
4/6th Rajputana Rifles .
The Indian Army scarcely features in most common perceptions of the British War effort in WW2…. one could be forgiven for thinking that as far as modelmakers are concerned , all British campaigns were fought entirely using British troops ( with a few Gurkhas thrown in because everyone's heard of them ).
The truth was rather different : with a huge Navy and a growing RAF, Britain was strapped for men , and all her armies contained Commonwealth troops in significant numbers , to say nothing of the later contributions of the Free French , Poles and Czechs.
Because of its Imperial history , the British Government still just had had control of India , though already engaged in the politically complex and sometimes tragic process of negotiating its Independence . The Indian Army had served the King-Emperor in WW1 , and when the call came in 1939 immediate use was made of this huge reserve of manpower.
The equivalent of about 20 Divisions served in front-line service, in Burma , North Africa and Italy : by 1945 there were 2.5 million Indians serving in uniform. Senior officers were British , but there was an increasing number of Indian officers taking command in ranks up to Major.
The 4th Indian Division was the first to be sent out , and served at the forefront of the campaigns in N.Africa , with two short but very hard campaigns in Eritrea & Syria , back to N.Africa , then on to Italy. As with all Indian Divisions, it had three Infantry brigades , each brigade containing one British battalion and three or more Indian battalions .
One of its most distinguished battalions was the 4/ 6th
( Outram's ) Rajputana Rifles , from which my figure comes. This regiment was recruited in what is now Rajastan , from Hindu and Muslim volunteers .
He's a Lance-Naik , carrying the Boys anti-tank rifle issued to each platoon HQ. This weapon had a performance much the same as other anti-tank rifles at the time , 20mm of armour at 500 metres in ideal conditions : useful against light tanks ( particularly the Italian ones: it would go straight through their ridiculous tankettes ), but by 1941 largely useless against the DAK Panzers. The model is the rather rare 21st century one : very good , once you scraped off the mould lines.
It was the only hand-held anti-tank weapon available , however , so the troops had to use it in tight corners. Normally carried on a truck or Carrier , it was a heavy and inconvenient thing to carry at 36 lbs , and normally operated by two men .
A pic to catch the evening light coming in through my workshop windows :
The uniform and equipment was essentially identical to that of their British comrades, but much of it was manufactured in India and showed very minor variations from that made back in Blighty , and was often of rather poor quality , particularly the webbing.
Round his neck he has the two-magazine Boys pouch for immediate use : more were carried in a steel box very similar to that used for Bren magazines.
The insignia is typical of the early-war style , with slip-on 6RR titles
( some of this unit may have been still using the old brass version , but I was feeling lazy and just did the easier slip-ons ) and no other badges apart from the rankstripe, which following the style of the 60th Rifles with whom they were associated, was in black on red.
The red Eagle divisional sign appeared on uniforms later.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Settling down in a position for the night involved getting the large packs and blankets from the truck , and eating after the necessary pickets were detailed.
He's in a sangar roughly made of stones , to which he's added a couple of sandbags . Digging in the rockier bits of desert was impossible, so cover was always in short supply.
Rajiv has charge of the Benghazi cooker , a brilliant local improvisation used throughout the war by veterans : a petrol tin filled with sand , with airholes punched in the side.
You poured petrol into the sand and lit it , and it would cook almost anything rapidly. He's brewing real chai ,which in its Indian version is incredibly strong and sweet , spiced with cardamom if possible , and thickened with the universal favourite , condensed milk .
He has Indian pattern oval messtins ( BBI ), and an old style single-breasted greatcoat remade from a BGT one, some hard biscuits ( Huntly & Palmer ! ) , a tin of stewed lamb , and a packet of bidis to smoke.
I've had to use an amount of guesswork on this figure , since definite pics of them in this campaign have not come to hand… The Sikh battalions of course wore turbans all the time , as their religion dictated , but although the 6RR wore them ( very smart ) as dress and undress, I am not absolutely certain that they were carried in the field .They were worn for dress over a kulla , a sort of conical cap , but I've just imagined him here wearing the turban for comfort rather than swank.
I am always a little wary of making a figure from another
( if closely associated ) culture, so I trust I've got this figure right.. but if I haven't, please forgive .
Incidentally many of their opponents in these early campaigns were Italian colonial troops from Libya and Eritrea .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Rob for the Boys model , and Eric and Lee for info.
*******************************************************************
