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By the time the Second World War began, the British army disbanded its animal transport companies in favour of mechanised vehicles. In October 1939, however, the need was felt for animals that could transport arms, ammunition and other supplies over non-motorable terrain in France.
Britain turned to India (and Cyprus) for help after deciding that all British Expeditionary Force divisions in France must have an animal transport company each. The then Royal Indian Army responded by dispatching four animal transport companies of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps.
The contingent - called Force K6 - sailed from then Bombay and reached Marseille in France sometime towards the end of 1939. According to one estimate, the entire force, which was commanded by Lt Col RRW Hills, consisted of 1,800 men and 2,000 animals (mules or horses). The Indian soldiers were from Rawalpindi in today's Pakistan.
Archival footage hosted by French film production company Pathe shows Indian troops arriving in France along with their own priests and doctors. The footage also has shots of the Indian soldiers cooking and eating rotis.
Soon after Force K6's arrival in France, three of the four Indian Army transport companies -- numbers 25, 29 and 32 -- were dispatched to the French coast in order to aid the British Expeditionary Forces that were fighting against the Germans in the Battle for France. The 22nd company initially stayed back in Marsellies and was later sent to a region a little inland of Dunkirk.
The 25, 29 and 32 companies ended up being part of the allied brigade that was forced to retreat to Dunkirk in face of the rapid German onslaught that saw the troops trapped on northern French coast. Providence in the form of a controversial German decision to briefly pause the offensive allowed most of the allied troops to fall back to Dunkirk.
On May 26, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave the go-ahead to launch Operation Dynamo that employed naval and civilian vessels to transport the trapped troops across the English Channel to mainland Britain.
During the eight days of evacuation, men 25, 29 and 32 of three Indian Army companies were successfully rescued from Dunkirk. They, however, had to leave their animals behind.
The 22 company, on the other hand, was not as lucky, with most of its men getting captured by German forces just short of Dunkirk. They were taken prisoners of war and most of the men are believed to have died in captivity.
AFTERMATH
After being rescued from Dunkirk, the Royal Indian Army Service Corps men were initially stationed in different parts of the United Kingdom. The animals they lost during the Dunkirk evacuation were replaced with fresh horses and they were later joined by three more animal transport companies from back home.
One of the junior officers even received a medal for his bravery in Dunkirk. Jemadar Maula Dad Khan was awarded Indian Distinguished Service Medal, the citation for which, according to the Dunkirk evacuation's online museum, read:
"On 24 May 1940 when approaching Dunkerque, Jemadar Maula Dad Khan showed magnificent courage, coolness and decision. When his troop was shelled from the ground and bombed from the air by the enemy he promptly reorganised his men and animals, got them off the road and under cover under extremely difficult conditions. It was due to this initiative and the confidence he inspired that it was possible to extricate his troop without loss in men or animals."
The Royal Indian Army companies spent a few years in the UK, coming back to India only in 1944. Once back, they were quickly requisitioned for the war in Burma in another theatre of the Second World War.
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