Dark Earth Orders of Battle

Surprisingly small; their origin comes from 1898 and the War of the Worlds.

Notes on the German Order of Battle


- The German Armed Forces of 1961 grew out of late 40s studies and debates on the size and form of a rearmed Germany. By mid 1950, there was growing consensus among the Americans and British for a force of 24 regular and 12 reserve divisions, a cruiser/destroyer Navy and ~1800 tactical fighters. This force goal was reached by 1955/56 and then grew in response to the rupture in the Western alliance caused by the 1956 War, concerns over the potential of American withdrawal and other factors to the current force of 32 regular and 16 reserve divisions and ~2900 combat aircraft.

Army
- The Jagdkommando regiments assigned to Special Operations Command are to be deployed with corps, along with 2 assigned to the Alpenkorps in Austria-Hungary. They are broadly equivalent to British Commandos and American Rangers.
- The Guards brigades in Berlin can be augmented by reserves and coordinated into a pair of divisions in wartime for broader operations outside of the capital area, but their primary mission is to serve as the Berlin garrison.
- The Daimler-Benz Wolf is an 8x8 armoured personnel carrier similar to the BTR-60 in role, armed with an MG 131
- The Tiger III heavy battle tank is an evolved version of the Dark Earth Tiger II, an 80t heavy tank armed with a 150mm gun and protected by first generation composite armour (steel and glass fibre) equivalent to 510mm of RHA.
- The Bolkow Bo 100 is an early basic helicopter akin to the MBB Bo 105
- Each regular division is augmented by four reserve Jager battalions to provide rear area security and light protection on mobilisation.
- 1st Feldarmee is deployed to the north of Berlin covering Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and 2nd Feldarmee is deployed to the south, covering Southern Brandenburg and Saxony. I'm going to get around to corps deployment areas at some point when on a more functional computer, but the basic structure has two corps forward, one in operational reserve 100km back and one in strategic reserve in Hanover and Thuringia respectively.
- Strategic Reserve Command is a mixture of a rapid reaction force and reinforcements for Schleswig-Holstein; it would serve as the basis for any eventual force designed to operate beyond Germany's immediate borders.
- Schleswig-Holstein Command faces somewhat less of an immediate threat with the Iron Curtain lying along the Oder, but is still threatened by GDR, Polish and Soviet amphibious and airborne forces.
- The Reserveheer is a force in transition. The two Korps lack heavy units at this time and thus are limited to operating in a support role. The Territorialheer is similarly in flux, with some contending that its divisional formations are unnecessary for its role.

- The reserve forces of the German Army still need a fair bit of work to flesh out. Broadly speaking, each of the Verteidigungsbezirkskommandos is equivalent to a regiment and consists of three Heimat-Schutzen Bataillons.

Luftwaffe
- There are plenty of different aircraft in Luftwaffe service:
The FW-267 is a supersonic (Mach 2.4) twin jet fighter armed with 4 x 30mm cannon and 4 guided missiles and a combat radius of 960km that looks like a twin engine Mirage III.
The Me-526 is a single engine supersonic (Mach 1.8) fighter-bomber, armed with 4 x 30mm and up to 10,000lb of bombs, missiles and rockets; it has evolved from the Me P.1110/II
The Ju-387 is a capable single-engine fighter-bomber and battlefield attack aircraft. It has a top speed of Mach 1.2, is armed with four 30mm revolver cannon and a has a combat radius of 640km. It bears a strong resemblance to the Helwan HA-300.
The Ar-289 is a Mach 1.3 heavy twin jet attack fighter armed with 4 x 30mm cannon, rockets, bombs and guided missiles.
The He-296 is a twin jet medium strike bomber with a heavy bombload of 18,000 lb, looking like an enlarged Vatour.
The Ju-462 is an advanced version of the Junkers EF-132 with a bomb load of 24,000 lb.
The Do-319 is a four turboprop engined transport capable of carrying up to 240 troops.

- The Henschel Sonnenblume is a broad equivalent to the English Electric Thunderbird in performance.
- The F-100s and Deltas are to be replaced by a mixture of FW-267s and SR.187s.
- The G.91s are not seen as particularly satisfactory. Replacing them and the ~500 Thunderstreaks and Hunters is going to be a very big contract that has attracted intense attention from American, British and French aerospace companies, as well as German manufacturers. Aircraft under consideration are the de Havilland Tornado, the McDonnell F-4 Phantom, an evolved version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the Dassault Mirage F2, the Saab Viggen and the Hawker-Siddeley Harrier.
- Luftwaffe training takes place in Bavaria and Western Germany rather than the United States at this point in time, but space is at a premium.
- The Luftverteidigungskraft or Air Defence Force is close to a separate arm of the military in its own right, consisting of over 100,000 personnel manning missile and automatic flak batteries spread across German cities and industrial facilities. I'm still to choose a missile, but it would probably be Nike-Hercules.

German Navy
- German aircraft carriers were quite contentious throughout their development, construction and entry into service. There is a strong school of thought that they are an unnecessary offensive weapon that does not serve the immediate purposes of German defence, but there are also those who argue that they are necessary for modern naval warfare in the North Sea and Atlantic, particularly in combined operations with allied navies. They are medium sized carriers by DE standards, very similar to the proposed RN CV-1952 design, each carrying 18 Tigers and 24 Skyhawks, along with a number of helicopters; the Germans are interested in the P.1154 Harrier as a naval fighter, to allow for more fighters to be put to sea
- The Berlin class cruisers are based on an improved Admiral Hipper class design, displacing 24,000t and carries a gun armament of eight 240mm, twelve 128mm automatic DP guns and 24 88mm automatic AA guns, two Terrier launchers fore and aft and 2 helicopters.
- Destroyers are a 6400t design similar to the Type 101 Hamburgs in general appearance, but with a more balanced hull design and much better seakeeping capabilities. They are armed with eight 128mm guns in four twin mounts, 40mm and 25mm AA guns, two Bofors 375mm ASW mortars and ASROC.
- The DDGs are based on the same hull, but with Tartar missile launchers in place of Bruno and Caesar turrets and one light helicopter.
- The Flottentorpedobooten are 42kt 2400t light destroyers armed with 105mm guns and 24" torpedoes; there are plans to refit them with anti-ship missiles to increase their utility.
- The U-Boats are 1800-2000t versions of the Type 209.
- The Marineflieger are looking for a new modern fighter-bomber/strike fighter to replace the Hunter.
- The Marine Division is an administrative headquarters rather than a field formation; it is a bit of a vestige of early 1950s plans to get around troop restrictions to maximise defensive capacity in the Baltic.

British Orbat Notes


- The RAF and RN orbats are prior to the cuts of the 1961 Defence White Paper kicking in; the Andrew in particular will lose a lot of ships, including the remaining five oldest carriers, most of the light cruisers and large numbers of destroyers and frigates.
- In many ways, this is the apex before the contraction that will be outlined in developing storylines.
- I'm going to get around to full histories of ships, missiles and aircraft in due course, but will outline the basic details of certain Dark Earth original aircraft and missiles if there is interest.

British Army Notes
- The Army Reserve/Ready Reserve providing individual reinforcements to regular units and other associated tasks, or Class A and B reservists, aged 20-23 and 24-28 respectively. In full mobilisation, Class C reservists, made up of former National Servicemen and discharged troops from Korea, Malaya and 1956 aged 29-32 would be liable for being called back to the colours. The Special Reserve extends from 32-40.
- Each infantry regiment has at least four reserve battalions on the rolls spread across the various classes. Armoured and cavalry regiments have 2-4 reserve squadrons. Artillery and Royal Engineers are organised on battery/troop level
- The Territorial Army is made up of a combination of volunteers, professionals and National Servicemen and is split up into several distinct components:

1.) Firstly, there are the combat divisions of the Second Army. Their role is to reinforce the field army in wartime or to be deployed to separate theatres of operations individually or as corps. They are analogous to certain divisions of the US Army National Guard and the German Territorialheer.
2.) Secondly, there are the Home Defence divisions, which lack the support elements and mobility for operations outside of the British Isles.
3.) Eight infantry brigades and four armoured brigades are in separate reserve for the reinforcement of any British Expeditionary Force, home defence contingencies or Imperial deployments.
4.) The somewhat misleadingly named Imperial Service Force reinforces the Field Army, providing rear security troops, reinforcement battalions and general reserves.
5.) Home Service Force battalions and regiments provide regional defence and security for each Military District.

- The Home Guard is a separate volunteer force for local defence.
- The infantry brigades and armoured regiments assigned to London and Aldershot Commands form the Guards Division and Light Division in wartime, with headquarters and support elements for both divisions being kept in reserve.
- There is nominal manpower capacity for the formation of 4 further mobilisation divisions (designated the 24th, 25th, 29th and 40th in the War Book) but not the equipment at this time
- The Special Forces Regiment draws its lineage from the Chindits and lies midway between the SAS and Commandos in their role, with increasing cooperation with the US Army Special Forces.
- The Special Reconaissance Group is the descendant of various wartime mobile recce groups and also supplies strategic reconaissance support.
- The mounted regiments are composite units made up of squadrons from each regular cavalry regiment.
- The FV-432s are larger (25t), due to extra armour and a 25mm Maxim Gun turret.


RAF Notes
- Strike Command operates with the tactical elements of RCAFE and is analogous to Tactical Air Command, with a role of reinforcing Europe, the MEAF and FEAF in wartime. With a renewed focus on Continental operations after a ~5 year period, it is possible that it will gradually decrease in strength and even be reduced to a rump reinforcement component.
- Their Canberras and Hunters are planned to be replaced by the de Havilland Tornado swing-wing strike/interdiction fighter and the Vickers Thunderbolt swing-wing strike bomber, most probably in reduced numbers; the Hunter fighter-bombers in Germany will eventually be replaced by a mixture of Harriers and Spectres, allowing a reduction in numbers and types whilst increasing capability.
- The V-Bombers are slightly differently arranged: the Valiants are analogous to the B-47s and fill the medium role, the Vulcans are the heavier B-52/Tu-95 equivalents and the Handley-Page Vengeance is the supersonic Victor used in penetrating/strategic recon B-58 role. There aren't many Bristol Skytankers, which lag somewhat behind the KC-135 in range; this is a problem for Bomber Command.
- Planned production of the TSR-2 is ~ 240 aircraft based in Britain, 80 each for the Middle East and Far East to replace their Canberras and up to 80 spares, for a total of 480 aeroplanes. It is a larger, extremely capable strike bomber with VG wings, a strategic range, low altitude speed of Mach 1.25 and high altitude speed of Mach 2.5, a heavy nuclear or conventional bomb load and two 32,500lbf Olympus engines; it has some characteristics in common with the Backfire of @.
- The Hawker-Siddeley Merlin P.1121 and the P.1154 Harrier will eventually replace the Hunter in frontline service.
- The de Havilland Spectre is a conventional fighter-bomber based on the DH.127 without the forward lift engines. It fills a similar role to the USAF F-110 Spectre, but doesn't bear a particular physical resemblance to it.
- Fairey Delta = the historical Fairey Delta II and is a 1950s era equivalent to the Mirage III. The Fairey Delta II = the historical Fairey Delta III.
- The Lightning, as detailed in The Red Shadow, is a very different aircraft.
- The Supermarine Sunstar is a further evolution of the Type 545.
- The Avro Arrow is considerably more capable than the historical prototype, with a top speed of Mach 2.5, a ceiling of 60,000ft and a combat radius of 750 miles, and fills the role of all-weather medium interceptor/
- The Saunders-Roe SR.177 Phoenix is on the cusp of service trials and has attracted interest from France and Germany.
- Under development for the 1960s are the Supermarine Victory supersonic heavy bomber, the Avro Vindicator reconnaissance bomber and a Gloster ground attack fighter that will bear a strong resemblance to a heavier armed and armoured Jaguar.
- The 240 Canberras in Bomber Command make up the remaining rump of the old Light Bomber Force, which has been drawn down from its peak of 640 bombers, reached in 1956.
- The Bloodhound/Blue Envoy missile force has a lot of crossover and is one area where cuts will occur over the course of the 1960s.
- The Avro Ashton is an older very heavy transport that evolved from the 100t Avro York strategic bomber of 1944/45. It is being replaced by the four turbofan Shorts Belfast. The Britannia fills the niche of the C-130 Hercules for the RAF and Commonwealth forces.
- Substantial thought is being given to the procurement of a version of the Buccaneer as an attack bomber.
- This Blue Streak is a very long ranged solid fueled 'bloody paralyser of a rocket'.
- The RAF Regiment has quite a larger strength of ~54,000 regular and reserve personnel and is the target of potential cost cutters, particularly for home based units assigned to Fighter Command fields. This is one manifestation of the unwieldy structure that the RAF in particular has inherited from 1950s rearmament and the subsequent Cold War build up.
- Training Command is another area for potential reductions, given the desire of the Air Ministry to make use of Imperial cooperation.
- The distinction between airships and skyships was discussed on the first page of the Korean War thread. As of 1960/61, airships are used almost exclusively in the transport, patrol, refueling and radar picket role and only skyships carry any substantial armament beyond elementary self defence guns and missiles
- Fighter Command skyships are dedicated radar and refueling platforms, Transport Command skyships are dedicated troop and cargo carriers and Bomber Command's skyships combine airborne radar, refueling and a secondary bombing/strike role.
- RAF Regiment Field Squadrons consist of a HQ flight, 3 rifle flights and an air defence flight equipped with guns and missiles.
- In wartime or mobilisation, RAF shadow squadrons and OCUs augment the standing force; trainer squadrons are to be used for point air defence; RAF Home Command and Air Defence of Great Britain are activated; and, if there is enough strategic warning, there are plans for a call up of 80 War Emergency Fighter Squadrons using innactive reserve aircraft and the reserve manpower pool (24 Hunter, 24 Vixen, 16 Javelin, 16 Swift). Some of these plans are perhaps a little too ambitious.
- Over the next 5-10 years, there are plans to reduce the number of aircraft in service through the retirement of the older wartime and 1940s planes such as the Hunters and Canberras, but the RAF remains very much a global power and the third or fourth largest air force in the world after the USA, Soviet Union and perhaps China, depending on estimations.

Royal Navy Notes
- The Royal Naval Division is not a field formation.
- Royal Navy amphibious lift is nominally sufficient for 2 division equivalents, but would need to activate all of the reserve ships to do so.
- There is a general planned move for the replacement of wartime cruisers and destroyers by the late 1960s with missile armed ships.
- The RNAS operates a large variety of aircraft, both familiar and unfamiliar.
- The Armstrong-Whitworth Sealion is a counterpart to the P6 Seamaster.
- The Saro Calypso is a jet seaplane fighter used for defence of naval bases and forward operations from
- The Armstrong-Whitworth Albion fills a similar role to the Breguet Atlantic
- The Shorts Sydney is very similar to the Beriev Be-10.
- Replacement of the legacy Shackleton force with a mixture of Poseidons and Nimrods is the current plan, as a pure Nimrod force would be too expensive and lack the range provided by the Poseidon.
- The Saro flying boat force is a strategic transport asset capable of carrying tens of thousands of men or large amounts of equipment across the Atlantic.
- RN Buccaneers are the supersonic version.
- Perhaps the biggest RN programme of the 1960s will be the Anglo-American-Canadian-Australian frigate programme.
- A number of changes have been planned under the 1961 Defence White Paper:
1. Two further atomic powered aircraft carriers to be laid down in 1961 to replace the remaining five Illustrious class interim conversions, which are to be decommissioned by 1964.
2. Reconstruction of the five Malta class aircraft carriers to allow them to operate modern strike and air defence fighters
3. The ten light aircraft carriers to be disposed of and replaced by a new construction light anti-submarine aircraft carrier design to enter service by 1969/70
4. Two battleships to be placed in reserve upon the commissioning of HMS Queen Elizabeth in 1961
5. Dido class light cruisers, 32 ‘C’ class destroyers, 25 Type 15 anti-submarine frigates and 12 ‘T’ class submarines to be decommissioned by 1963
6. Retirement of the remaining Town and Crown Colony class cruisers by 1967
7. All submarines of the U and V class, U/Z class destroyers and Flower class frigates to be sold by 1963

This is a barebones version of the Indian orbat that I've put together; a full one will follow the superpowers.

Indian Order of Battle 1960

The armed forces of India consist of the Indian Army, the Royal Indian Navy and the Royal Indian Air Force. These forces have been the subject of modernization and enlargement since 1945 as a result of the vital role played by the Indian Armed Forces in the Second World War, where they comprised the largest volunteer force in history at over 7.5 million personnel, and India's growing global profile and strategic importance

Indian Army: 2,584,967
Royal Indian Navy: 364,589
Royal Indian Air Force: 528,496
Total: 3,478,052 (~0.58% of population)

Indian Army: 72 divisions, 2,584,967 men
40 Infantry Divisions (9 I)
12 Armoured Divisions (6A, 4 I)
8 Mountain Divisions (9 I)
4 Airborne Divisions (9 ABN)
4 Cavalry Divisions
2 Artillery Divisions
2 Commando Divisions

8 Infantry Brigades (3 I)

568 Infantry Battalions (480 Div, 24 Bde, 24 Reserve, 24 Independent,  16 Public Duties)
124 Armoured Regiments (72 Div, 24 Corps/Army, 12 Armd Recce, 12 Reserve, 4 Public Duties)
560 Artillery Regiments (216 Divisional Artillery, 24 Artillery Divisions, 68 Divisional AT, 68 Divisional LAA, 16 Corps MAA, 16 Corps AT, 64 Corps Medium/Heavy/Superheavy, 32 Army Medium/Heavy/Superheavy, 32 MAA, 12 HAA, 12 Coastal Artillery)
36 Parachute Battalions
24 Commando Battalions

Central Command (New Delhi)
53rd Artillery Division
54th Artillery Division

60th Cavalry Division
65th Cavalry Division

39th, 41st, 40th, 42nd Airborne Divisions

Western Command (Bombay)
First Army: 4 Corps
1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 9th, 13th, 64th, 69th Infantry Divisions
27th, 29th Armoured Divisions

Northern Command (Rawalpindi)
Second Army: 4 Corps
5th, 10th, 12th, 16th, 20th, 37th, 44th, 50th Infantry Divisions
26th, 30th, 32nd, 51st Armoured Divisions

North West Frontier Force (Kabul)
43rd, 45th, 46th, 59th Mountain Divisions
67th, 70th Cavalry Divisions

24 Corps of Guides Battalions

Eastern Command (Calcutta)
Third Army: 4 Corps
8th, 11th, 14th, 22nd, 31st, 35th, 38th, 55th, 63rd, 71st Infantry Divisions
33rd, 52nd Armoured Divisions

North East Frontier Force (Imphal)
47th, 48th, 49th, 58th Mountain Divisions

24 Assam Rifles Battalions

Southern Command (Madras)
Fourth Army: 4 Corps
3rd, 6th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 56th, 62nd, 68th Infantry Divisions
28th, 34th Armoured Divisions

Burma Command (Rangoon)
57th Commando Division
66th Commando Division
61st Infantry Division
72nd Infantry Division

Middle East Command (Cairo)
15th Infantry Division
24th Infantry Division
36th Armoured Division

Far East Command (Singapore)
18th Infantry Division
21st Infantry Division
25th Armoured Division

Special Forces Command
Indian SAS Regiment
Long Range Patrol Group
Indian Rangers
Indian Scouts

Independent Infantry Brigade Deployments
Aden
Persia
Hong Kong
Korea (due to withdraw mid 1961)
East Africa
Ceylon
Nepal
Bhutan

Indian Army Reserves: 48 divisions, 3,834,965 men

Indian Army Reserve
73rd, 74th, 75th, 76th, 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st, 92nd, 93rd, 94th, 95th, 96th Infantry Divisions

8 Independent Infantry Brigades

240 Infantry Battalions (216 Division, 24 Brigade)
32 Armoured Regiments (24 Division, 8 Brigade)
24 Cavalry Regiments
120 Artillery Regiments (72 Div, 24 DivAT, 24 DivLAA)

Indian Territorial Army
97th, 98th, 99th, 100th, 101st, 102nd, 103rd, 104th, 105th, 106th, 107th, 108th, 109th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 113th, 114th, 115th, 116th, 117th, 118th, 119th, 120th Infantry Divisions

296 Infantry Battalions (216 Div, 80 Independent)
48 Armoured Regiments (24 Div, 24 Independent)
24 Cavalry Regiments
160 Artillery Regiments (72 Div, 24 DivAT, 24 DivLAA, 24 Independent FA, 16 HAA)

Auxiliary Force (India)

24 Infantry Battalions
8 Armoured Regiments

Royal Indian Navy: 65 ships, 397 aircraft, 364,589 personnel
The Royal Indian Navy is perhaps the most powerful and advanced arm of the Indian Armed Forces, capable of projecting power on a global basis in support of British Empire, Commonwealth and League of Nations interests.

3 Battleships (125,000t, 8 x 24", 24 x 5.25", 96 x 42mm, 128 x 25mm, 4 Sea Cat, 32.5kts)
HMIS Hindustan
HMIS India
HMIS Asia

3 Aircraft Carriers (45,000t, 12 x 4.5", 24 x 3.75", 64 aircraft, 35kts)
HMIS Vikramaditya (ex HMS Eagle; 'Brave as the Sun')
HMIS Vikrant (ex HMS Centaur; 'Courageous')
HMIS Viraat (ex HMS Hermes; 'Giant')

2 Commando Carriers (29,000t, 8 x 4.5", 24 x 42mm, 32 helicopters, 30kts)
HMIS Plassey
HMIS Assaye

2 Battlecruisers (72,000t, 8 x 18", 24 x 5.25", 64 x 42mm, 96 x 25mm, 2 x Thunderbolt LR SAM, 4 x Templar SR SAM , 4 x Sea Cat, 35kts)
HMIS Arjuna
HMIS Chandragupta Maurya

4 Cruisers (24000t, 4 x 9.2", 12 x 3.75", 2 x Thunderbolt, 4 x Sea Cat, 2 helo, 35kts)

HMIS Bengal
HMIS Punjab
HMIS Bombay
HMIS Madras

16 destroyers (4800t, 4 x 5.25", 16 x 42mm, 1 x Limbo, 8 x 24" TT, 2 x Sea Cat, 1 helo, 36kts)
Built 1952-1960

HMIS Delhi
HMIS Calcutta
HMIS Karachi
HMIS Lahore
HMIS Hyderabad
HMIS Mysore
HMIS Srinagar
HMIS Benares
HMIS Lucknow
HMIS Kanpur
HMIS Nagpur
HMIS Agra
HMIS Jaipur
HMIS Indore
HMIS Meerut
HMIS Gwalior

10 frigates (Type 12 Frigates)
Built 1950-1960

HMIS Indus
HMIS Ganges
HMIS Sutlej
HMIS Brahmaputra
HMIS Jumna
HMIS Krisnavarti
HMIS Jhelum
HMIS Chenab
HMIS Godavari
HMIS Krishnveni
HMIS Kavari
HMIS Sabarmati

8 Submarines (2500t SSK; 25kts, 8 x 24" TT)
Built 1954-1959

HMIS Rajput
HMIS Rana
HMIS Ranjit
HMIS Ranvir
HMIS Agranika
HMIS Ajeya
HMIS Bhagavat
HMIS Bhairava

Royal Indian Navy Fleet Air Arm: 537 aircraft

124 Hawker Sea Hunters
100 de Havilland Sea Vixens
92 Fairey Rangers
68 Blackburn Buccaneers
65 Supermarine Sceptres

32 Fairey Rotodynes
56 Westland Wessex


Royal Indian Naval Air Service: 583 aircraft

67 Short Sealands
80 Supermarine Seagulls

60 Saunders-Roe Calypso jet seaplane fighters

32 Saro Princess flying boats
14 Saro Duchess flying boats
6 Saro Queen flying boats

98 Avro Shackleton
60 Armstrong-Whitworth Albions
45 Short Stirling

59 Fairey Rotodynes
62 Westland Whirlwinds

Royal Indian Marines
1st Division (Bombay)
2nd Division (Calcutta)
3rd Division (Alexandria)
4th Division (Singapore)


Royal Indian Air Force: 4862 aircraft, 528,596 personnel

87 English Electric Lightnings
129 Supermarine Sunstars
132 de Havilland Spectres
210 Gloster Javelins
284 Fairey Deltas
382 de Havilland Venoms
468 Hawker Hunters

485 Hawker Super Tempests
387 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XXV

320 Avro Lancasters
267 English Electric Canberras
124 Vickers Valiants
112 de Havilland Mosquitoes
64 Supermarine Eagle TSR-2s

228 Vickers Victorias
123 Handley Page Hastings
60 Bristol Britannias

65 Fairey Rotodynes
125 Saunders-Roe Sprites
160 Westland Whirlwinds
187 Bristol Sycamores

186 Miles Masters
87 Airspeed Oxfords
90 Folland Wasps

The RIAF has, on average, aircraft of 1 to 1.5 generations less advanced than the RAF. This is due to funding constraints, production limitations and the greater suitability of certain more robust airframes to rough conditions. Recent studies have recommended a wholesale modernization of the RIAF as it takes over more responsibilities for the air defence of India.

Thank you for the swift reply, as it let me notice a few errors which I've since corrected in the initial post.

It is large and powerful, but numbers can be deceptive.

The Indian Army essentially has 40 motorised infantry divisions that lack even a divisional tank regiment, 14 light infantry divisions, 4 cavalry divisions and only a dozen modern heavy armoured divisions. There will be increasing pressure in the 1960s to mechanise a number of infantry divisions, but this comes at a great cost. The force level that the Indian Army would like to move towards is one of 12 mechanised, 20 light infantry, 12 armoured, 8 mountain, 4 airborne, 2 commando and 2 artillery, but even that is going to be extremely expensive.

It would involve shifting the 16 armoured regiments attached to each of corps, the 12 independent armoured regiments and the 8 attached to field armies into mechanised divisions, but even then, a further dozen units would need to be raised and equipped from scratch, with a cost in the tens of millions of pounds.

The RIN has excellent cruisers and capital ships, but its destroyer, frigate and submarine forces are increasing obsolescent due to the rapid pace of technological advance in the 1950s and early 1960s.

AAlmost 2000 of the Royal Indian Air Force inventory consists of Second World War piston-engined planes, with a further 1344 jet fighters requiring replacement very soon. Their helicopter force will also need to be replaced in a few years, again at great cost. Block obsolescence will be a major issue.

Does the Royal Indian Army operate separate Gurkha and Sikh divisions ore are they like OTL regiments assigned to the divisions.