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44th
(Indian) Airborne Division
This
report, from an unknown source, was contributed by
50th
(Indian) Parachute Brigade 
The
50th (Indian) Parachute Brigade was raised in Delhi in 1941 and was made up of
volunteers from the 23 Infantry Battalions serving in India at that time. In
October 1942, 151 Battalion was transferred to the Middle East where it joined
the 4th Parachute Brigade and re-numbered the 156 Parachute Battalion. The
Brigade also consisted of 152 (Indian) Parachute Battalion, 153 (Ghurkha)
Parachute Battalion and 154 (Ghurkha) Parachute Battalion. By
late February 1944, the Japanese Army in Burma had it's sights set on Delhi.
This led to the 50th (Indian) Parachute Brigade being involved in one of the
most ferocious battles of the Burma campaign, which raged for six days without
respite. This was the Battle of Sangshak 19/26 March 1944. Members
of the Parachute Brigade were involved in other battles in the Burma Campaign,
notably one such drop was on Elephant Point. It became a full Division in 1944
and by the summer of 1945 it had been expanded to full Divisional strength and
became the 44th (Indian) Airborne Division, which was made up of the following
:- 159 Para Light Regiment Royal
Artillery
158 Para Field Regiment Royal
Artillery
15th and 16th Parachute
Battalions
1st (Indian) Parachute
Battalion
Army Air
Corps
2nd Battalion Black
Watch
. Royal Corps of
Signals
4th Rajputana
Rifles
Glider PilotRegiment
2nd and 3rd (Ghurkha) Parachute
Battalions
... 6/16 Punjab
Regiment
... Bengal Sappers &
Miners
... R E M E . R A O
C
... Royal Dental
Corps
... Royal
Engineers
... Royal Corps of Military
Police
... Army
Chaplains
... Army Catering
Corps
... G C B G . R A S
C
... Intelligence
Corps
... Physical Training
Corps
... 17th Parachute Field Ambulance
Corps
... 44th British Independent Pathfinder
Company
... RAF Parachute Training
Instructors
... Delhi and Chaklaia Members
of the 44th (Indian) Division were actually on standby and ready for take off
for the invasion of an unknown destination. It was only the atom bomb being
dropped on Hiroshima and the ultimate surrender of the Japanese, that saved the
Division from a fate unknown and, according to Historians, a great loss of life. Members
of the Division remained in India right up to the partition between India and
Pakistan and their ultimate independence in 1947. Others went to Palestine where
they became part of the 6th Airborne Division. Many
illegal ships, carrying Jewish immigrants, arrived on a quite regular basis,
One, the SS Moledoth was launched in 1876. It was a Panamanian registered
vessel, in a condition colloquially known as a 'rust bucket'. It was a miracle
that it floated at all. It had sailed from Marseilles and was listing so
heavily, it was literally leaning on a naval frigate. The passengers could not
be disembarked from the port side and it had to turn sluggishly about in order
to present the starboard side to the quay. Some
other immigrant ships involving the Regiment, included the 'Theodore Heryl' and
the 'President Warfield'. Conditions on the ships were horrendous, the stench
was unbearable, there were faeces everywhere. Most of the women were pregnant;
{apparently, this was to get entry for the greatest number of immigrants.) The
sickening conditions the immigrants suffered on board showed their determination
to get to Palestine by any means possible. It was beyond understanding how they
had managed to survive a journey under such conditions. The
Battery standing on the quay as the ship approached were subjected to shouted
abuse in the most disgusting language. When they forced their way on board, they
were spat upon and hassled. As
soon as they disembarked, the refugees were separated by sex and guided through
delousing tents. Women to tents manned by female RAMC personnel, the men to
tents manned by RAMC male orderlies. They had to blow DDT powder inside their
clothing to ensure complete coverage. On
emerging from the delousing tents, the refugees were escorted to the gangplank
of a Naval Frigate, one of several running a shuttle service to Cyprus. Some of
the refugees tried to rush away into the crowd of on-looking sympathisers; so a
cordon of soldiers had to be formed to apprehend any escapees. The
next ship the Regiment had to deal with was deliberately beached by the Skipper;
he drove it hard onto the beach and dropped climbing nets over the side, for the
refugees to scramble down in their hundreds. Thankfully
for many of the Regiment's personnel, the arrival of the 'Exodus', with 4,500 on
board meant saying farewell to Palestine. They did not know that it was not to
be a routine crossing to Cyprus, followed by a return to Binamina. The 1,500
were divided roughly by three and 1,500 went to each one of the three 10,000 ton
ships, the 'Ocean Vigour', 'Runnymede Park' and 'Empire Rival.' After a few
hours steaming, it became obvious that they were not headed for Cyprus and some
days later the ships anchored off the French port of Martique (about 30 miles
from Marseilles), where 'Exodus' apparently sailed from. All
three ships laid off the port for a total of three weeks, while the cruiser and
destroyer escort vessels remained outside the three mile limit; the escort
troops were divided into three 'watches/ and shore visits were arranged. The
French were not actually hostile but then neither were they friendly; cafe meals
were very expensive and of poor quality and quantity. The immigrants were
provided with free food brought out each day by landing craft and organised by
Haganah. After
three weeks the convoy 'up-anchored' and left for Gibralter, where the escorts
were granted 48 hours ashore, while the Cameronians took over. The security
measures taken by the Gibralter Military was incredible. The Harbour appeared to
be on a war time footing, with searchlights and Guard Posts every few yards. Several
days later the ships sailed up the Elbe to arrive at Hamburg. The Jews on the
'Ocean Vigour' and 'Runnymede Park' went ashore relatively peacefully following
some gentle persuasion. But suspicions were aroused when those on the 'Empire
Rival' showed great anxiety to leave the ship quickly. A search below decks
revealed a bomb; this was taken to a nearby barracks, where the explosion
smashed a number of windows. After
48 hours well earned leave in Hamburg, the units returned to Woolwich via the
Hook of Holland and Harwich. The operation had lasted six weeks.
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