regiments of the Indian Army List of regiments of the Indian Army PDF generated using the open source mwlib toolkit. See http://code.pediapress.com/ for more information. PDF generated at: Thu, 24 May 2012 07:06:06 UTC Contents Articles Indian Army 1 Regiments of the Indian Army 27 List of regiments of the Indian Army 27 Indian Army Regiments 32 Arunachal Scouts 32 Brigade of the Guards 33 Gurkha regiment 36 Bihar Regiment 37 Parachute Regiment 41 Punjab Regiment 41 The Madras Regiment 43 The Grenadiers 47 Maratha Light Infantry 52 Rajputana Rifles 56 Rajput Regiment 60 Jat Regiment 69 Sikh Regiment 75 Sikh Light Infantry 84 Dogra Regiment 92 The Garhwal Rifles 95 Kumaon Regiment 106 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles 114 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry 117 Assam Regiment 120 Mahar Regiment 124 Mechanised Infantry Regiment 127 Naga Regiment 130 The Ladakh Scouts 133 Assam Rifles 136 Indian Army Armoured Corps 141 Indian Army Armoured Corps 141 Armoured Regiments (62) 144 President's Bodyguard (India) 144 1st Duke of York's Own Skinner's Horse 152 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) 156 3rd Cavalry 159 4th Duke of Cambridge's Own Hodson's Horse 162 7th Light Cavalry 165 8th King George's Own Light Cavalry 169 9th Royal Deccan Horse 172 5th King Edward's Own Probyn's Horse 175 14th Prince of Wales's Own Scinde Horse 179 15th Lancers 181 16th Light Cavalry 184 The Poona Horse 187 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry 192 The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse) 196 41 Armoured Regiment (India) 198 42 Armoured Regiment (India) 199 45th Cavalry Regiment 200 61st Cavalry Regiment 201 62nd Cavalry Regiment 201 67 Armoured Regiment (India) 202 90 Armoured Regiment 202 Regiment of Artillery 203 Regiment of Artillery 203 Engineer Groups 207 Indian Army Corps of Engineers 207 Madras Engineer Group 210 Bengal Engineer Group 214 Bombay Engineer Group 219 Indian Army Corps of Signals 224 Indian Army Corps of Signals 224 Army Aviation Corps 226 Army Aviation Corps (India) 226 Territorial Army 231 Territorial Army (India) 231 Services 235 Corps of Military Police (India) 235 Military Nursing Service (India) 236 References Article Sources and Contributors 240 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 243 Article Licenses License 246 Indian Army 1 Indian Army Indian Army Indian Army Seal Founded 15 August 1947 – Present Country India Type Army Size 1,429,900 Active personnel 960,000 Reserve personnel 158 Helicopters Part of Ministry of Defence Indian Armed Forces Headquarters New Delhi, India Colour Gold, red and black Website [1] indianarmy.nic.in Commanders Chief of the Army Staff [2] General V K Singh Notable Field Marshal Cariappa commanders Field Marshal Manekshaw The Indian Army (IA, Devanāgarī: भारतीय थलसेना, Bhāratīyan Thalasēnā) is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. According to the IISS, in 2010 the army had a strength of 1,129,900 active personnel and 960,000 reserve [3] [2][4] personnel, making the Indian Army the world's largest standing volunteer army. Its primary mission is to ensure the national security and defence of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders. It also conducts humanitarian rescue operations during natural calamities and other disturbances. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), a General, is a four star commander and commands the army. There is typically never more than one serving general at any given time in the Army. Two officers have been conferred the rank of field marshal, a 5-star rank and the officer serves as the ceremonial chief. The Indian Army came into being when India gained independence in 1947, and inherited most of the infrastructure of the British Indian Army that were located in post-partition India. The Indian Army is a voluntary service and although a provision for military conscription exists in the Indian constitution, it has never been imposed. Since independence, the army has been involved in four wars with neighboring Pakistan and one with the People's Indian Army 2 Republic of China. Other major operations undertaken by the army include Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot and Operation Cactus. Apart from conflicts, the army has also been an active participant in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Mission Indian Army Headquarters New Delhi History and traditions Indian military history British Indian Army Indian National Army Army Day (15 January) Equipment Equipment of the Indian Army Components Regiments Personnel Chief of Army Staff Ranks and insignia The Indian Army provides that "The Indian Army is the land component of the Indian Armed Forces which exists to uphold the ideals of the Constitution of India." As a major component of national power, alongside the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, the roles of the Indian Army are as follows: •• Primary: Preserve national interests and safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of India against any external threats by deterrence or by waging war. • Secondary: Assist Government agencies to cope with ‘proxy war’ and other internal threats and provide aid to [5] civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose." Indian Army 3 History British Indian Army Further information: List of regiments of the Indian Army (1903) A Military Department was created within the Supreme Government of the East India Company at Kolkata in the year 1776. Its main function was to sift and record orders relating to the Army that were issued by various [6] Departments of the Government of the East India Company With the Charter Act of 1833, the Secretariat of the Government of the East India Company was reorganized into four Departments, including a Military Department. The army in the Presidencies of Bengal, Bombay & Madras functioned as respective Presidency Army until April 1895, when the Presidency Armies were unified into a single Indian Army. For administrative convenience, it was divided into four commands at that point of time, namely Punjab (including the North West Frontier), Bengal, Madras (including Burma) and Bombay (including Sind, Quetta [7] and Aden). The British Indian Army was a critical force for the primacy of the British Empire both in India and across the world. Besides maintaining the internal security of the British Raj, the Army fought in many other theaters - Anglo-Burmese Wars, First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars, First, Second and Third Anglo-Afghan Wars, First and Second Opium Wars in China, Abyssinia, Boxer Rebellion in China. First World War In the 20th century, the British Indian Army was a crucial adjunct to the British forces in both the World Wars. 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in World War I (1914–1918) for the Allies, after the United Kingdom made vague promises of self-governance to the Indian National Congress in return for its support. Britain reneged on its promises after the war, following which the Indian Independence movement gained strength. 74,187 Indian [8] troops were killed or missing in action in the war. The "Indianisation" of the British Indian Army began with the Indian Army personnel during Operation formation of the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College at Crusader in Egypt, 1941. Dehradun in March 1912 with the purpose of providing education to the scions of aristocratic and well to do Indian families and to prepare selected Indian boys for admission into the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Indian officers given a King's commission after passing out were posted to one of the eight units selected for Indianisation. Political pressure due to the slow pace of Indianisation, just 69 officers being commissioned between 1918 and 1932, led to the formation of the Indian Military Academy in 1932 and [9] greater numbers of officers of Indian origin being commissioned. Second World War In World War II Indian soldiers fought for the Allies. In 1939, British officials had no plan for expansion and training of Indian forces, which comprised about 130,000 men (in addition there were 44,000 men in British units in India in 1939.) Their mission was internal security and defense against a possible Russian threat through Afghanistan. As the war progressed, the size and role of the Indian Army expanded dramatically, and troops were [10] sent to battle fronts as soon as possible. The most serious problem was lack of equipment. With the fall of Singapore in 1942, about 40,000 Indian soldiers were captured. They were given a choice and 30,000 [11] joined the Indian National Army. Those who refused became POWs and were mostly shipped to New Guinea. [12] Japan's Indian National Army had little effect on the war. Indian Army 4 In the African and Middle-Eastern Campaigns, captured Indian troops were given a choice to join the German Army to eventually "liberate" India from Great Britain instead of being sent to POW camps. Those along with Indian students who were in Germany when the war broke out made what was called the Free India Legion. They were originally intended as pathfinders for German forces in Asia but they soon were sent to help guard the Atlantic Wall. Few who were part of the Free India Legion ever saw any combat and very few were ever stationed outside of [13] Europe. At its height the Free India Legion had over 3,000 troops in its ranks. Indian units served in Burma, where in 1944-45 five Indian divisions were engaged along with one British and three African divisions. Even larger numbers operated in the Middle East. Some 87,000 Indian soldiers died in the war. Inception Upon independence and the subsequent Partition of India in 1947, four of the ten Gurkha regiments were transferred to the British Army. The rest of the British Indian Army was divided between the newly created nations of Republic of India and Republic of Pakistan. The Punjab Boundary Force, which had been formed to help police the Punjab [14] during the partition period, was disbanded, and Headquarters Delhi and East Punjab Command was formed to administer the area. Conflicts and Operations First Kashmir War (1947) Immediately after independence, tensions between India and Pakistan began to boil over, and the first of three full-scale wars between the two nations broke out over the then princely state of Kashmir. Upon the Maharaja of Kashmir's eagerness to accede to India against the will of the 95% Muslim population of Kashmir, a 'tribal' invasion [15] of parts of Kashmir began with mostly people from the NWFP region helping out the local Kashmiri population. The men included Pakistan army regulars. Soon after, Pakistan sent in more of its troops to prevent Indian annexation by force. The Maharaja, Hari Singh, appealed to India, and to Lord Mountbatten of Burma, the Governor General, for help. He signed the Instrument of Accession which was largely seen as a deal by the Kashmiri population and Kashmir acceded to India (a decision ratified by Britain). Immediately after, Indian troops were [15] airlifted to Srinagar. This contingent included General Thimayya who distinguished himself in the operation and in years that followed, became a Chief of the Indian Army. An intense war was waged across the state and former comrades found themselves fighting each other. Both sides made some territorial gains and also suffered significant losses. An uneasy UN sponsored peace returned by the end of 1948 with Indian and Pakistani soldiers facing each other directly on the Line of Control, which has since divided Indian-held Kashmir from Pakistan-held Kashmir. A host of [16] UN Resolutions (38-47) were passed calling for a plebiscite to be held in Kashmir to determine accession to India [16] or Pakistan. These Resolutions however were never accepted by India. Tensions between India and Pakistan, largely over Kashmir, have never since been entirely eliminated. Indian Army 5 Inclusion of Hyderabad (1948) After the partition of India, the State of Hyderabad, a princely-state under the rule of a Nizam, chose to remain independent. The Nizam, refused to accede his state to the Union of India. The following stand-off between the Government of India and the Nizam ended on 12 September 1948 when India's then deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ordered Indian troops to secure the state. With 5 days of low-intensity fighting, the Indian Army, backed by a squadron of Hawker Tempest aircraft of the Indian Air Force, routed the Hyderabad State forces. Five infantry battalions and one armoured squadron of the Indian Army were engaged in the operation. The following day, the State of Hyderabad was proclaimed as a part of the Union of India. Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri, who led the Operation Polo was appointed the Military Governor of Hyderabad (1948–1949) to restore law and order. Major General El Edroos (at right) offers his surrender of the Hyderabad State Forces to Major General (later General and Army Chief) Joyanto Medical Assistance during Korean War (1950-1953) Nath Chaudhuri at Secunderabad During the Korean War, India sent the 60th (Parachute) Field Ambulance unit to aid the UN troops fighting against the Chinese and North Korean invasion of South Korea, though they decided against sending combat forces. The 60th PFA was included in the 1st Commonwealth Division. In the aftermath of the war, Indian soldiers were also sent to Korea to peace-keep. Liberation of Goa, Daman and Diu (1961) Even though the British and French vacated all their colonial possessions in the Indian subcontinent, Portugal refused to relinquish control of its Indian colonies of Goa, Daman and Diu. After repeated attempts by India to negotiate with Portugal for the return of its territory were spurned by Portuguese prime minister and dictator, Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, India launched Operation Vijay on 12 December 1961 to evict the Portuguese. A small contingent of its troops entered Goa, Daman and Diu to liberate and secure the territory. After a brief conflict, in which 31 Portuguese soldiers were killed, the Portuguese Navy frigate NRP Afonso de Albuquerque destroyed, and over 3,000 Portuguese captured, Portuguese General Manuel António Vassalo e Silva surrendered to the Indian Army, after twenty-six hours and Goa, Daman and Diu joined the Indian Union. Sino-Indian Conflict (1962) The cause of the war was a dispute over the sovereignty of the widely-separated Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh border regions. Aksai Chin, claimed by India to belong to Kashmir and by China to be part of Xinjiang, contains an important road link that connects the Chinese regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. China's construction of this road was one of the triggers of the conflict. Small-scale clashes between the Indian and Chinese forces broke out as India insisted on the disputed McMahon Line being regarded as the international border between the two countries. Chinese troops claim to have not [17] retaliated to the cross-border firing by Indian troops, despite sustaining losses. China's suspicion of India's [18] involvement in Tibet created more rifts between the two countries. In 1962, the Indian Army was ordered to move to the Thag La ridge located near the border between Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh and about three miles (5 km) north of the disputed McMahon Line. Meanwhile, Chinese troops too had made incursions into Indian-held territory and tensions between the two reached a new high when Indian forces discovered a road constructed by China in Aksai Chin. After a series of failed negotiations, the People's Indian Army 6 Liberation Army attacked Indian Army positions at the Thag La ridge. This move by China caught India by surprise and by 12 October, Nehru gave orders for the Chinese to be expelled from Aksai Chin. However, poor coordination among various divisions of the Indian Army and the late decision to mobilize the Indian Air Force in vast numbers gave China a crucial tactical and strategic advantage over India. On 20 October, Chinese soldiers attacked India in both the North-West and North-Eastern parts of the border and captured vast portions of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. As the fighting moved beyond disputed territories, China called on the Indian government to negotiate, however India remained determined to regain lost territory. With no peaceful agreement in sight, China unilaterally withdrew its forces from Arunachal Pradesh. The reasons for the withdrawal are disputed with India claiming various logistical problems for China and diplomatic support to it from the United States, while China stated that it still held territory that it had staked diplomatic claim upon. The dividing line between the Indian and Chinese forces was named the Line of Actual Control. The poor decisions made by India's military commanders, and, indeed, its political leadership, raised several questions. The Henderson-Brooks & Bhagat committee was soon set up by the Government of India to determine the causes of the poor performance of the Indian Army. The report of China even after hostilities began and also criticized the decision to not allow the Indian Air Force to target Chinese transport lines out of fear of Chinese aerial counter-attack on Indian civilian areas. Much of the blame was also targeted at the incompetence of then Defence Minister, Krishna Menon who resigned from his post soon after the war ended. Despite frequent calls for its release, [19] [20] the Henderson-Brooks report still remains classified. Neville Maxwell has written an account of the war. Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 A second confrontation with Pakistan took place in 1965, largely over Kashmir. Pakistani President Ayub Khan launched Operation Gibraltar in August 1965, during which several Pakistani paramilitary troops infiltrated into Indian-administered Kashmir and attempt to ignite an anti-India agitation in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani leaders believed that India, which was still recovering from the disastrous Sino-Indian War, would be unable to deal with a military thrust and a Kashmiri rebellion. India reacted swiftly and launched a counter offensive on Pakistan. Pakistan launched Operation Grand Slam in reply on 1 September, invading India's Chamb-Jaurian sector. In retaliation, the India's Army launched a major offensive throughout its border with Pakistan, with Lahore as its prime target. Tanks of 18th Cavalry of the Indian Army take Initially, the Indian Army met with considerable success in the charge at Pakistani positions during the 1965 war. northern sector. After launching prolonged artillery barrages against Pakistan, India was able to capture three important mountain positions in Kashmir. By 9 September, the Indian Army had made considerable in-roads into Pakistan. India had its largest haul of Pakistani tanks when the offensive of Pakistan's 1st Armoured Division was blunted at the Battle of Asal Uttar, which took place on 10 September near [21] Khemkaran. The biggest tank battle of the war came in the form of the Battle of Chawinda, the largest tank battle [21] in history after World War II. Pakistan's defeat at the Battle of Asal Uttar hastened the end of the conflict. At the time of ceasefire declaration, India reported casualties of about 3,500 killed. On the other hand, it was [22][23][24] estimated that about 3,800 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the battle. About 190 Pakistani tanks were either destroyed or captured by India. India lost a total of 175 tanks during the conflict and about 100 more had to [21][25] undergo repair. the decision to return back to pre-war positions, following the Tashkent Declaration, caused an outcry among the polity in New Delhi. It was widely believed that India's decision to accept the ceasefire was due to political factors, and not military, since it was facing considerable pressure from the United States and the UN to