5th Infantry Division (India)

5th Indian Infantry Division
Ball of Fire insignia of the 5th Indian Infantry Division.
Active	1939–1945
Country	British India
Allegiance	British Empire
Branch	British Indian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Nickname(s)	"Ball of Fire".
Engagements	East Africa Western Desert Campaign Burma Campaign Battle of Kohima Operation Tiderace Battle of Surabaya
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lewis Heath Harold Rawdon Briggs Geoffrey Evans

The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three different armies - the Italian, German and Japanese armies.^[1]

The division was raised in 1939 in Secunderabad with two brigades under command. In 1940, the 5th Indian Division moved to Sudan and took under command three British infantry battalions stationed there and was reorganised into three brigades of three battalions each. The division fought in the East African Campaign in Eritrea and Ethiopia during 1940 and 1941, thence moving to Egypt, Cyprus and Iraq. In 1942, the division was heavily engaged in the Western Desert Campaign and the First Battle of El Alamein. From late 1943 to the Japanese surrender in August 1945, it fought continuously from India through the length of Burma. After the end of the war, it was the first unit into Singapore and then fought pro-Independence forces in Eastern Java.