When Indian troops came close to killing Hitler

On October 21, 1914, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) mainly comprising of I Corps (Gen Douglas Haig) and IV Corps (Gen Henry Rawlinson), then under the overall command of Field Marshal Sir John French, were just about holding their ground against the 6th German Army of Crown Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria and the 4th Army under the command of Albrecht, Duke of Wurttemberg, on a line running roughly from Yser in the north through Ypres and La Bassee down to Lens and Arras in the south. The fighting was fierce. The Germans sensed a breakthrough to the Channel ports of Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne was within their grasp. Pinned down, the BEF were in danger of being cut off.

Then suddenly the spirits at BEF lifted. Over October 21 and 22, 19 columns of Indian troops arrived. The ‘India Corps’ had reached Flanders Fields. The Germans were faced with a fight on their hands.

The India Corps, comprising of the 3rd Lahore Infantry Div; 7th Meerut Infantry Div, 1st Indian Cavalry Div, and 2nd Indian Cavalry Div, were under the overall command of Lt Gen Sir James Willcocks. Lt Gen CA Anderson commanded the Meerut Division whilst the Lahore Division was commanded by Lt Gen HBB Watkis.

The Lahore Division comprising of troops from the cantonments of Lahore, Jullundur, Amritsar, Multan, Montgomery, Ferozepur, Dalhousie, Dharamsala, Bakloh, Ambala, Solan, Sabathu, Kasauli and Dagshai, arrived at the front to a sort of ‘baptism by fire’. Improperly clad for the already cold weather of Europe and ill equipped in terms of weapons, the division was marched on October 22, 1914, to 30 km northwest of Neuve Chapelle.

Early morning of October 23, 1914, the Lahore Division received orders to march post haste to Estaires, about 5 km, northwest of Neuve Chapelle. The annals of the Jullundur Brigade Association describes the scenario as, “The rushing in of Indian troops into battle without proper plans or equipment was an indication of the desperation of the situation but could hardly be considered an auspicious beginning, with troops split up and pushed in piecemeal by battalions, by half battalions and even companies, in totally strange environment, completely isolated from their own Commanders and Brigades, in appalling weather conditions and facing terrible fire and attack from superior odds.”

On October 25, the positions of the 1st Manchester Battalion, 47th Sikhs, 59th Frontier Force, and 15th Sikhs of the Jullundur Brigade came under a heavy attack. With some reinforcements coming in from the 34th Pioneers, this attack was repulsed. Again, on October 26, 1914, the Germans massed their troops against the Jullundur Brigade with 59th Frontier Force and 15th Sikhs holding the centre. Once again, the attack was beaten back.

Messages of praise and congratulations came pouring in for the extraordinary performance of the Jullundur Brigade. Over a period of two days, without sleep, with little or no food and in terrible weather conditions, the brigade had held off German attacks.

However, on October 26, under the cover of heavily wooded forest of the Bois du Biez, another formation of the Germans managed to infiltrate into the area northeast of Neuve Chapelle. Despite the heroic actions of the British 7th and 9th Brigades of 3rd British Infantry Division, the Germans prevailed. Neuve Chapelle was captured. The German 16th RIR, Bavarian Infantry, now controlled that sector. Further trouble came when the Germans broke through to the south of Neuve Chapelle after mauling the British Army units.

The entire front in that area was now threatened. A breakthrough here by the Germans would require a major retreat to a new defensive position closer to the Channel Ports. An order to counter attack the Germans was issued late on October 27. The attack on Neuve Chapelle was to begin early on October 28, however, dense fog delayed the launch of the attack to 11.15 am.

There was confusion in terms of orders with the British formations not coordinating with the Jullundur Brigade. Although the opening artillery barrage went off on time, the advancing infantry ended up comprising only of four companies of the Indians of the Jullundur Brigade. The support from the 9th Bhopal was checkmated by German firing that restricted them from moving out of their trenches.

With a valiant charge, the four companies of the brigade, covered the nearly 600 metres separating the two armies. There were heavy casualties on both sides, but according to German accounts, the Indians inflicted severe casualties, many as a result of hand-to-hand combat. Quoting from regimental records: “When our men were about 100 metres or so from the outskirts of the village (Neuve Chapelle), the Germans in the front trenches began to bolt, pursued by the gallant Sikhs and the Sappers with the bayonet, a few being killed and others captured. The Indians then tore into the village. Sikhs and Sappers mixed together, and worked in parties up the streets, under a furious fire from the roofs of buildings. By degrees, the houses were cleared after desperate hand-to-hand fighting in which a soldier of the 47th Sikhs is reported to have captured three Germans (of the 16th RIR out of eight, having previously killed the other five.”

Sadly, the brave Indian troops were let down. No reinforcements were sent nor any replenishment of arms and ammunition. As the annals of the brigade record, “The attack was magnificently carried out and was within an ace of success. It is probable that, had reinforcements been available, the 47th Sikhs and the Sappers would have held on to the village (Neuve Chapelle) which they took with such superb ‘elan’ and at such a heavy cost”.

But for some poor British generalship on October 28, the entire history of the world could have been so different, for amongst the 16th Bavarian RIR was a young dispatch rider, a certain Lance Corporal Adolf Hitler! The Indians had almost got him that day — there may have been no World War II and many Jews of Europe would have escaped their terrible fate.

In Hitler’s own words on the encounter written in his book ‘Mein Kampf’, “Four times we went forward, and each time we were forced to retreat. From my company, only one other man was left, and then he too fell. A shot tore off the entire left sleeve of my tunic but, by a miracle, I remained unharmed”.

“Wahe Guru Ji! Rang in his ears, the famous battle,

And since three days Hurnam had seen,

On Flanders plains, from fierce Messines,

To Festubert and Neuve Chapelle,

‘Mid festering bogs and scenes of hell,

How Khalsa soldiers die”.

(From: “Hurnam Singh”, by (the late) Gen Sir James Willcocks – Commander, India Corps; 1914)

(The author, a writer of military history, is a member of the Jullundur Brigade Association).