"The fame of this Division will surely go down as one of the greatest fighting formations in military history, to be spoken of with such as The Legio X Equestris (Tenth Legion), The Light Division of the Peninsular War and Napoleon's Old Guard"- Field Marshall Lord Wavell
The legendary formation insignia of the 4th Indian Division, as worn by the division from 1943 onwards.
Raised as part of the British-Indian Army in October 1939, the "Red Eagles" of the 4th Indian Division served valiantly in East Africa, North Africa, Italy, and Greece during the Second World War. Comprised of men from all corners of the globe and all walks of life, the unit included Hindus, Sikhs, Gurkhas, Scots, Welshmen, Englishmen and even a small contingent of Yugoslavians. Whether they were "Kilties" of the Cameron Highlanders, or the Gurkhas of the 2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles, they melded together as one of the most effective combat units of the war. The division would be responsible for the capture of nearly 150,000 Axis prisoners throughout four different campaigns. They would pay heavily for this reputation, particularly in North Africa with the destruction of their 11th Brigade at Tobruk. In remembrance of the loss of their 11th Brigade, the legs of their "Red Eagle" insignia would forever be shaved off. By the war's end, the unit would suffer over 25,000 casualties, more than their entire strength at the beginning of the war. In the aftermath of Indian independence, the 4th Indian Division would continue to serve the Indian Army in several major wars, earnestly perpetuating the legacy of the original Red Eagles.
These reproduced battle slip-on epaulettes are based of original wartime examples, and intended to be worn with our reproduction British khaki-drill (KD) Aertex shirts. These battle slip-ons would allow for the individually soldier to quickly attach or remove identifying markers of their parent division, while in the field. The difficult nature of the Italy Campaign especially necessitated the wear of these quickly interchangeable slip-ons for reasons of operational security, and the somewhat ad hoc nature of certain British Army brigade organization resulting in the need for regular "re-badging" among individual soldiers.
Sold as a pair, with the distinctive Red Eagle to face forward!
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