Sepoy Sher Ali

[Dave Danner]

Apparently, the only Indian recipient of the U.S. Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Sepoy Sher Ali served with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment, and was cited for bravery on February 22, 1945 in the campaign in northern Italy. I know there were Indian units such as the 8th Indian Division attached at various times to US corps, but I'm not sure what the circumstances that led to this award were.

The 2nd Punjab Regiment became the Punjab Regiment of the Indian Army on partition. The 1st Punjab Regiment, a mainly Muslim unit, went to Pakistan. Soldiers were then transferred to different units, e.g., Muslim soldiers of Sher Ali's unit went to 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment while 3/1 Punjabis' Sikh soldiers went to the 2/The Sikh Regiment and its Rajputs went to 4/Rajputana Rifles.

Perhaps someone (Ed?) knows what happened to Sher Ali (assuming he survived the war)? His hometown, Ferozepur, ended up on the Indian side of the partition line.

Here is the citation for the Distinguished Service Cross:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Sher Ali, Sepoy, Royal British Indian Army, for for extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy near San Clemente, Italy on 22 February 1945. As a member of a six man patrol sent out to raid an enemy position on the forward slope of a hill, Sepoy Sher Ali charged an enemy trench, bayoneted its occupants and then assisted his patrol in killing two other enemy and capturing two prisoners. On the return journey, the patrol was suddenly attacked by 15 Germans, whereupon Sepoy Sher Ali without hesitating charged the Germans, killed two with his bayonet, and then turned to assist his comrades in killing three more. Upon seeing that there were only two members of his patrol left Sepoy Sher Ali ordered them to withdraw while he exposed himself to enemy fire in order to cover their return to allied lines. His gallantry and unswerving leadership reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the Allied Nations.

[Ed_Haynes]

I have tried to send out "scouts" to see about him, see if he was still alive, get a photo of him and his group, etc. My guess is that he would have gone to Pakistan, and disappeared. Will follow up.

Others (see reference below):

USA awards to Indians in WWII:

Distinguished Service Cross: (the medal and another site and another)

23253 Sepoy Sher Ali, Indian Army (???) - LG 30 May 1946

Silver Star: (the medal and another site)

589 Naik Balbir Pun, 3/6th GR - LG 25 January 1945

4939 Havildar Deolal Pun, 3/6th GR - LG 8 November 1945

IO-13178 Subadar Thangarajh, Indian Army (???) - LG 30 May 1946

18400 Lance/Naik Harnam Singh, 2nd Punjab - LG 23 July 1948

IO-50364 Jemadar Gurnam Singh, Frontier Force Regiment - LG 25 March 1949

30499 Sepoy Kirpa Singh, 3/8th Punjab - LG 29 July 1949

Bronze Star: (the medal and another site)

Rifleman Bandebir Thapa, 8th GR - LG 5 April 1945

IO-28025 Subadar Mian Khan, Indian Army (???) - LG 30 May 1946

21097 Sepoy Seemurgh Khan, Indian Army (???) - LG 30 May 1946

IO-47712 Jemadar Abaji Bhonsle, 5th Maratha LI - LG 15 August 1946

IO-9001 Subadar Shara Khan, 10th Baluch - LG 15 July 1947

IO-26814 Subadar Pahalman Sing Gurung, 2nd GR - LG 15 July 1947

IO-11195 Subadar-Major (acting) Baliram Thapa, Indian Amy (???) - LG 14 May 1948

12509 Sepoy Bishan Singh, 15th Punjab - LG 23 July 1948

Subedar Harbans Lal Gulati,RIASC - LG 19 November 1949

A-8192 Lance/Dafadar Rura Singh, Indian Army (???) - LG 28 January 1949

23489 Lance/Naik Jai Singh, Indian Army (???) - LG 28 January 1949

A-6509 Lance/Naik Mehr Singh, Indian Army (???) - LG 28 January 1949

24242 Sapper Atma Singh, Indian Army (???) - LG 28 January 1949

MTN-944024 Sepoy Parmeshari Pershad, Indian Army (???) - LG 28 January 1949

IO-7260 Subadar Major Pehlwan Khan, Sardar Bahadur, OBI, Indian Pioneer Corps - LG 25 March 1949

11231 Havildar Gheba Khan, 3/8th Punjab - LG 25 March 1949

3155 Subadar Major Nadan Singh, Bahadur, OBI, 1st Jaipur Infantry - LG 29 July 1949

20293 Lance/Havildar Suraj Nath Upadhya, Indian Engineers - LG 29 July 1949

Medal of Freedom, bronze palm:

EC-110066 Major Anker Rentse, Special List (ex Indian Army) - LG 10 March 1950 (???)

From Jeff Floyd's two-volume work. (Which is not the best indexed book in the universe.)

Others? More detail?

Shown above, but not found in Floyd's book:

DHANKAJI GURUNG-67671-L/NAIK-2/6GR-ITALY- -SILVER STAR (USA)-

RIKIRAM ALE- -JEMADAR-3/6GR-BURMA ?- -SILVER STAR (USA)-IOM, BURMA

RATNABAHADUR THAPA-5548-L/NAIK-2/10GR-ITALY- -BRONZE STAR (USA)-

There were also a few Bronze Star awards to Indians for Korea, but Indian policy did not allow their acceptace.

For eye- candy:

PAHALMANSING GURUNG, 2GR. Bronze star is named on reverse.

MBE - 2/2 GR, 1956

IDSM - 1937 - NWF - Chhina p. 234

Bronze Star announced to Supplement to LG 15 July 1947, p. 3319

[From The Gurkha Museum]

(For more details see - http://sagongs.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=242 - where MUCH more info is given.)

Edited April 6, 2006 by Ed_Haynes

[Chris Boonzaier]

Wow, Gurung really got around !!! What a group !

He must have led a charmed life.....