XV Corps (India)
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The Indian XV Corps was a British Commonwealth corps. It took part in the initial stages of the Burma Campaign and formed the nucleus of the force which was to grow into the Fourteenth Army during World War II. When their commander General William Slim was promoted to commander of the Fourteenth Army on 15 October 1943 his replacement was Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Christison. The Corps badge was an arrangement of three "V"s (signifying fifteen in Roman numerals) in black on a red background.
XV Corps was responsible for the southern part of the Army's front in the Arakan region. In the early months of 1944, the Corps gained the first significant success against the Japanese in the South East Asia, when they defeated a Japanese offensive in an engagement which came to be known as the Battle of the Admin Box.
After their victories at the Battle of Kohima and the Battle of Imphal, the Fourteenth Army concentrated on the advance on Mandalay. Command of XV Corps passed from the Fourteenth Army to Allied Land Forces South East Asia so that it could conduct an independent campaign through Arakan down the coast of Burma.
When the general offensive to retake Burma began in late 1944, XV Corps advanced through the Arakan, until taken out of the line to mount an amphibious assault on Rangoon the Burmese capital. The assault, Operation Dracula was not needed in the end, as British forces were within a few miles of Rangoon when XV Corps landed.
Following the capture of Rangoon, XV Corps was withdrawn from Burma to prepare for Operation Zipper, an amphibious assault to recapture Malaya. However, the end of the pre-empted assault came with the surrender of the Japanese, and the XV Corps was disbanded shortly after the end of hostilities.
It was reestablished after India gained independence. They took part in all of the wars against Pakistan. As of 2004, it is based at Srinagar.
[edit] Commanders
- Lieut. Gen. Noel Beresford-Peirse
- Lieut. Gen. William Slim
- Lieut. Gen. Philip Christison
