1.
Mechanized Infantry Regiment
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The Mechanized Infantry Regiment is a mechanized infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of four battalions and a volunteer battalion. Establish in 2007 by Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka its battalions are equipped with Type 63, the 53-4 brigade which is made up of the newly formed battalions has since been designated as the Mechanized Infantry Brigade
2.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
3.
Indian Army
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The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India serves as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and it is commanded by the Chief of Army Staff, two officers have been conferred with the rank of field marshal, a five-star rank, which is a ceremonial position of great honour. It conducts humanitarian rescue operations during calamities and other disturbances, like Operation Surya Hope. It is a component of national power alongside the Indian Navy. The army has been involved in four wars with neighbouring Pakistan, other major operations undertaken by the army include Operation Vijay, Operation Meghdoot and Operation Cactus. The Indian Army has a system, but is operationally and geographically divided into seven commands. It is a force and comprises more than 80% of the countrys active defence personnel. It is the 2nd largest standing army in the world, with 1,200,255 active troops and 990,960 reserve troops, a Military Department was created within the 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 Departments of the East India Company for the territories under its control. With the Charter Act of 1833, the Secretariat of the Government of the East India Company was reorganised into four Departments, including a Military Department. The army in the Presidencies of Bengal, Bombay & Madras functioned as respective Presidency Army until April 1895, for administrative convenience, it was divided into four commands at that point of time, namely Punjab, Bengal, Madras and Bombay. The British Indian Army was a force for the primacy of the British Empire both in India and across the world. In the 20th century, the Indian Army was an adjunct to the British forces in both the world wars. 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in World War I for the Allies, in 1915 there was a mutiny by Indian soldiers in Singapore. After the United Kingdom made 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. Indian officers given a Kings commission after passing out were posted to one of the eight selected for Indianisation. 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. Their mission was internal security and defence against a possible Soviet threat through Afghanistan, as the war progressed, the size and role of the Indian Army expanded dramatically, and troops were sent to battle fronts as soon as possible
4.
Maharashtra
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Four Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India and is Indias second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. It is the wealthiest Indian state and it is also the worlds second-most populous sub-national entity. It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million, Nagpur is Maharashtras second capital as well as its winter capital. Maharashtras business opportunities along with its potential to offer a standard of living attract migrants from all over India. Ancient and medieval Maharashtra included the empires of the Satavahana dynasty, Rashtrakuta dynasty, Western Chalukyas, Mughals, the major rivers of the state are Godavari, and Krishna. The Narmada and Tapti Rivers flow near the border between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Maharashtra is the second most urbanised state in India. The state has several popular Hindu places of pilgrimage including Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi, other places that attract pilgrims from other parts of India and beyond include Hazur Sahib Gurudwara at Nanded, Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi and Dikshabhumi at Nagpur. Maharashtra is the wealthiest and one of the most developed states in India, as of 2011, the state had a per capita income of ₹1.0035 lakh, more than the national average of ₹0.73 lakh. Its GDP per capita crossed the ₹1.20 lakh threshold for the first time in 2013, however, as of 2014, the GDP per capita reduced to ₹1.03 lakh Agriculture and industries are the largest parts of the states economy. Major industries include chemical products, electrical and non-electrical machinery, textiles, petroleum, Jai Maharashtra The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit, and the word Mahratta is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi and Maratha may have derived from the same root, however, their exact etymology is uncertain. But the Marathas as a people do not seem to be mentioned before the thirteenth or fourteenth century, the most widely accepted theory among the linguistic scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derived from a combination of Maha and rashtrika. The word rashtrika is a Sanskritized form of Ratta, the name of a tribe or dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region. Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha and ratha / rathi, an alternative theory states that the term derives from the word Maha and Rashtra. However, this theory has not found acceptance among scholars who believe it to be the Sanskritised interpretation of later writers. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, around 230 BCE Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty for 400 years. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni, in 90 CE Vedishri, son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty, made Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. The state was ruled by Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before finally
5.
Infantry
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Infantry is the general branch of an army that engages in military combat on foot. As the troops who engage with the enemy in close-ranged combat, infantry units bear the largest brunt of warfare, Infantry can enter and maneuver in terrain that is inaccessible to military vehicles and employ crew-served infantry weapons that provide greater and more sustained firepower. In English, the 16th-century term Infantry describes soldiers who walk to the battlefield, and there engage, fight, the term arose in Sixteenth-Century Spain, which boasted one of the first professional standing armies seen in Europe since the days of Rome. It was common to appoint royal princes to military commands, and the men under them became known as Infanteria. in the Canadian Army, the role of the infantry is to close with, and destroy the enemy. In the U. S. Army, the closes with the enemy, by means of fire and maneuver, in order to destroy or capture him, or to repel his assault by fire, close combat. In the U. S. Marine Corps, the role of the infantry is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy fire and maneuver. Beginning with the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, artillery has become a dominant force on the battlefield. Since World War I, combat aircraft and armoured vehicles have become dominant. In 20th and 21st century warfare, infantry functions most effectively as part of a combined arms team including artillery, armour, Infantry relies on organized formations to be employed in battle. These have evolved over time, but remain a key element to effective infantry development and deployment, until the end of the 19th century, infantry units were for the most part employed in close formations up until contact with the enemy. This allowed commanders to control of the unit, especially while maneuvering. The development of guns and other weapons with increased firepower forced infantry units to disperse in order to make them less vulnerable to such weapons. This decentralization of command was made possible by improved communications equipment, among the various subtypes of infantry is Medium infantry. This refers to infantry which are heavily armed and armored than heavy infantry. In the early period, medium infantry were largely eliminated due to discontinued use of body armour up until the 20th century. In the United States Army, Stryker Infantry is considered Medium Infantry, since they are heavier than light infantry, Infantry doctrine is the concise expression of how infantry forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements. It is a guide to action, not a set of hard, doctrine provides a very common frame of reference across the military forces, allowing the infantry to function cooperatively in what are now called combined arms operations. Doctrine helps standardise operations, facilitating readiness by establishing common ways of accomplishing infantry tasks, doctrine links theory, history, experimentation, and practice
6.
Regiment
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A regiment is a military unit. Their role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, in Medieval Europe, the term regiment denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted in one geographical area, by a leader who was often also the feudal lord of the soldiers. By the 17th century, a regiment was usually about a thousand personnel. In many armies, the first role has been assumed by independent battalions, battlegroups, task forces, brigades and other, similarly-sized operational units. By the beginning of the 18th century, regiments in most European continental armies had evolved into permanent units with distinctive titles and uniforms, when at full strength, an infantry regiment normally comprised two field battalions of about 800 men each or 8–10 companies. In some armies, an independent regiment with fewer companies was labelled a demi-regiment, a cavalry regiment numbered 600 to 900 troopers, making up a single entity. With the widespread adoption of conscription in European armies during the nineteenth century, the regimental system underwent modification. Prior to World War I, a regiment in the French, German, Russian. As far as possible, the battalions would be garrisoned in the same military district, so that the regiment could be mobilized. A cavalry regiment by contrast made up an entity of up to 1,000 troopers. Usually, the regiment is responsible for recruiting and administering all of a military career. Depending upon the country, regiments can be either combat units or administrative units or both and this is often contrasted to the continental system adopted by many armies. Generally, divisions are garrisoned together and share the same installations, thus, in divisional administration, soldiers and officers are transferred in and out of divisions as required. Some regiments recruited from specific areas, and usually incorporated the place name into the regimental name. In other cases, regiments would recruit from an age group within a nation. In other cases, new regiments were raised for new functions within an army, e. g. the Fusiliers, the Parachute Regiment, a key aspect of the regimental system is that the regiment or battalion is the fundamental tactical building block. This flows historically from the period, when battalions were widely dispersed and virtually autonomous. For example, a regiment might include different types of battalions of different origins, within the regimental system, soldiers, and usually officers, are always posted to a tactical unit of their own regiment whenever posted to field duty
7.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
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The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistans Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu, India retaliated by launching a full-scale military attack on West Pakistan. The seventeen-day war caused thousands of casualties on both sides and witnessed the largest engagement of armored vehicles and the largest tank battle since World War II, much of the war was fought by the countries land forces in Kashmir and along the border between India and Pakistan. Most of the battles were fought by opposing infantry and armoured units, with backing from air forces. In spite of shortcomings, the Pakistan Army managed to fight the larger Indian Army. Many details of war, like those of other Indo-Pakistani Wars. Despite the cease-fire rendering the conflict militarily inconclusive, both India and Pakistan claimed victory, most neutral assessments, however, agree that India had the upper hand over Pakistan when the ceasefire was declared. Internationally, the war was viewed in the context of the greater Cold War, before the war, the United States and the United Kingdom had been major material allies of both India and Pakistan, as their primary suppliers of military hardware and foreign developmental aid. As a consequence, India and Pakistan openly developed closer relationships with the Soviet Union and China, the perceived negative stance of the western powers during the conflict, and during the 1971 war, has continued to affect relations between the West and the subcontinent. Since the Partition of British India in 1947, Pakistan and India remained in contention over several issues. Although the Kashmir conflict was the predominant issue dividing the nations, other border disputes existed, most notably over the Rann of Kutch, the issue first arose in 1956 which ended with India regaining control over the disputed area. Pakistani patrols began patrolling in territory controlled by India in January 1965, initially involving border police from both nations, the disputed area soon witnessed intermittent skirmishes between the countries armed forces. In June 1965, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson successfully persuaded both countries to end hostilities and set up a tribunal to resolve the dispute. The verdict, which later in 1968, saw Pakistan awarded 350 square miles of the Rann of Kutch. Pakistan believed that the population of Kashmir was generally discontented with Indian rule, Pakistan attempted to ignite the resistance movement by means of a covert infiltration, codenamed Operation Gibraltar. The Pakistani infiltrators were discovered, however, their presence reported by local Kashmiris. On 5 August 1965 between 26,000 and 33,000 Pakistani soldiers crossed the Line of Control dressed as Kashmiri locals headed for various areas within Kashmir, Indian forces, tipped off by the local populace, crossed the cease fire line on 15 August. Initially, the Indian Army met with success, capturing three important mountain positions after a prolonged artillery barrage
8.
BMP-1
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The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty 1, meaning infantry fighting vehicle, the BMP-1 was the first mass-produced infantry fighting vehicle of USSR. It was called the M-1967, BMP and BMP-76PB by NATO before its designation was known. It would increase infantry squad mobility, provide support to them. The BMP-1 was first tested in combat in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, based on lessons learned from this conflict, and early experiences in the Soviet War in Afghanistan, a version with improved fighting qualities was developed, called the BMP-2. It was accepted into service in August 1980, in 1987, the BMP-3, a radically redesigned vehicle with a completely new weapon system, entered service in limited numbers with the Soviet Army. Existing APCs offered little or no protection from nuclear or chemical weapons. Furthermore, the infantry had to disembark to be able to use their weapons, the requirement for the BMP, which was first drawn up in the late 1950s, stressed speed, good armament, and the ability for all squad members to fire from within the vehicle. The armament had to direct support for dismounted infantry in the attack and defense. The vehicle needed to protect the crew from.50 cal machinegun fire and 20–23 mm caliber autocannons across the frontal arc, firepower consisted of the innovative combination of the 73 mm 2A28 Grom gun and a launcher for the 9M14 Malyutka anti-tank wire-guided missile. Requirements were issued to the design bureaus between 1959 and 1960. There was a question as to whether the BMP should be tracked or wheeled, so a number of configurations were explored. The tracked Obyekt 764 was chosen because its front-engine design provided a convenient, the original prototype was built in 1964, followed by the improved Obyekt 765 in 1965, which was accepted by the Army in 1966, under a designation BMP-1. A large number of variants of the BMP-1 were produced, with the most notable IFV variants being, BMP-2, MLI-84, the BMP went into production with the Soviet Army in 1966. The first series was produced until 1969 and it was replaced by the improved production model, the BMP-1, which was produced from 1969 until 1973. This, in turn, was replaced by the Obyekt 765 Sp3, a number of improvements were made to the reliability of the chassis, engine and transmission during mass production. The last version of the BMP-1 IFV, which was produced from 1979 to 1983, was armed with a more powerful ATGM launcher 9P135M-1 for the ATGM Konkurs/Fagot. Upgrades of the BMP-1 were performed by KMZ as well as by tank repair workshops of the Ministry of Defence during scheduled, more than 20,000 BMP-1s and vehicles based on it were built in the USSR
9.
Armoured personnel carrier
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An armoured personnel carrier is a type of armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield. APCs are colloquially referred to as taxis or battle buses. Armoured personnel carriers are distinguished from infantry fighting vehicles by the weaponry they carry, by convention, they are not intended to take part in direct-fire battle, but are armed for self-defence and armoured to provide protection from shrapnel and small arms fire. Examples include the American M113, the French VAB, the Dutch-German GTK Boxer, the genesis of the armoured personnel carrier was on the Western Front of World War I. In the later stage of the war, Allied tanks could break through enemy lines, without infantry support, the tanks were isolated and more easily destroyed. In response, the British experimented with carrying machine-gun crews in the Mark V* tank, britain therefore designed the first purpose built armoured troop transport, the Mark IX, but the war ended before it could be put to use. During World War II, half-tracks like the American M3 and German SdKfz 251 played a similar to post-war APCs. British Commonwealth forces relied on the full-tracked Universal Carrier, over the course of the war, APCs evolved from simple armoured cars with transport capacity, to purpose built vehicles. Obsolete armoured vehicles were also repurposed as APCs, such as the various Kangaroos converted from M7 Priest self-propelled guns and from Churchill, M3 Stuart, during the Cold War, more specialized APCs were developed. Western nations have since retired most M113s, replacing them with newer APCs, the Soviet Union produced the BTR-40, BTR-152, BTR-60, BTR-70, BTR-80 in large numbers. The BTR-60 and BTR-80 remain in production, czechoslovakia and Poland together developed the universal amphibious OT-64 SKOT. A cold war example of a Kangaroo is the heavily armoured Israeli Achzarit, weight can vary from 6 to 40 tons or more, but 9 to 20 tons is typical. Most have a capacity of between 8 and 12 dismountable troops, although some can carry more than 20, in addition, it has a crew of at least one driver, many with a gunner and/or commander as well. An APC is either wheeled or tracked, or occasionally a combination of the two, as in a half-track, both systems have advantages and limitations. Tracked vehicles have more traction off-road and more maneuverability, including a turn radius. Wheeled APCs are faster on road, can cross long distances, and are expensive to develop, produce. However, wheeled vehicles have higher pressure than tracked vehicles with a comparable weight. The higher ground pressure increases the likelihood of becoming immobilized by soft terrains such as mud and their tracks can propel the APC in the water
10.
Cap badge
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A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearers nationality and/or organisation. Cap badges are a form of heraldry and their design generally incorporates highly symbolic devices. In the British Army each regiment and corps has its own cap badge and that of the Grenadier Guards is known as The Grenade Fired Proper The concept of regimental badges appears to have originated with the British Army. Plastic cap badges were introduced during the Second World War, when metals became strategic materials. Nowadays many cap badges in the British Army are made of a material called stay-brite, regimental cap badges are usually cast as one single piece but in a number of cases they may be cast in different pieces. The Royal Corps Of Signals also have a two part badge, the top being a brass crown and the bottom consisting of a silver flying body of Mercury above a brass world and the motto Certa Cito. A regiment or battalion may maintain variations of the cap badge for different ranks. These variations are usually in the material, size and stylization. Variations in cap badges are made for, Officers, usually three-dimensional in design with more expensive materials such as silver, enamel. Most officers beret badges are embroidered rather than metal or stay-brite, there are exceptions such as the Welsh Guards, where all ranks wear a cloth cap badge. Officers wearing an elaborate version to that of soldiers, made using gold thread and has a more three-dimensional design. All ranks of the Special Air Service wear an embroidered capbadge and all ranks of The Rifles, some regiments maintain a blackened or subdued version of their cap badges as shiny brass cap badges may attract the enemys attention on the battlefield. However, since the practice of British soldiers operating in theatre with regimental headdress has all but died out, the back badge is unique in the British Army and was awarded to the 28th Regiment of Foot for their actions at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. Additional items that reflect a regiments historical accomplishments, such as backing cloth and hackles, in Scottish regiments, for instance, it is a tradition for soldiers to wear their cap badges on a small square piece of their regimental tartans. Officer Cadets may wear a white backing behind their badges. For a period leading up to Remembrance Day artificial poppies are worn by people in the United Kingdom. When worn in uniform the plastic stem of the poppy is discarded, on forage caps the paper petals are fitted under the left hand chin strap button. In the Royal Marines, the cap badges of commissioned officers are split into two, the crown and lion atop, but separated from, the globe and laurels, the Canadian Forces utilize a variety of metal and cloth cap badges on their headdress
11.
Punjab, India
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Punjab is a state in North India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state capital is located in Chandigarh, a Union Territory, after the partition of India in 1947, the Punjab province of British India was divided between India and Pakistan. The Indian Punjab was divided on the basis of language in 1966 and it was divided into 3 parts. Haryanvi speaking areas were carved out as Haryana, Hilly regions, Punjab is the only Sikh majority state in India with Sikhs being 57. 69% of the population. Agriculture is the largest industry in Punjab, Punjab has the largest number of steel rolling mill plants in India, which are located in Steel Town—Mandi Gobindgarh in the Fatehgarh Sahib district. The word Punjab is a compound of the Persian words panj, thus Panjāb roughly means the land of five rivers. The five rivers are the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, traditionally, in English, there used to be a definite article before the name, i. e. The name is sometimes spelled as Panjab. During the period when the epic Mahabharata was written, around 800–400 BCE, Punjab was known as Trigarta, the Indus Valley Civilization spanned much of the Punjab region with cities such as Rupar. The Vedic Civilization spread along the length of the Sarasvati River to cover most of northern India including Punjab and this civilisation shaped subsequent cultures in the Indian subcontinent. The Punjab region was conquered by many ancient empires including the Gandhara, Nandas, Mauryas, Shungas, Kushans, Guptas, Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas, the furthest eastern extent of Alexander the Greats exploration was along the Indus River. Agriculture flourished and trading cities such as Jalandhar, Sangrur and Ludhiana grew in wealth, due to its location, the Punjab region came under constant attack and influence from both west and east. Punjab faced invasions by the Achaemenids, Greeks, Scythians, Turks and this resulted in the Punjab witnessing centuries of bitter bloodshed. Its culture combines Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Sikh and British influences, the regions of Azad Kashmir and Jammu have also been historically associated with the Punjab. The Punjab is the Sapta Sindhu region mentioned in the Rig Veda, among the classic books that were wholly or partly composed in this region are the following. The Brahmins of this region are called Saraswata after the legendary Saraswati river region, Hinduism has been prevalent in Punjab since historical times before the arrival of Islam and birth of Sikhism in Punjab. Some of the influential Sikh figures such as Guru Nanak, Banda Singh Bahadur, Bhai Mati Das, many of Punjabs Hindus converted to Sikhism. Punjabi Hindus can trace their roots from the time of the Vedas, many modern day cities in Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab are still named from that period like Lahore, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and so on
12.
Jammu and Kashmir
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Jammu and Kashmir is a state in northern India, often denoted by the acronym J&K. It is located mostly in the Himalayan mountains, and shares borders with the states of Himachal Pradesh, the state has special autonomy under Article 370 of the Constitution of India. A part of the erstwhile Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu, the western districts of the former princely state known as Azad Kashmir and the northern territories known as Gilgit-Baltistan have been under Pakistani control since 1947. The Aksai Chin region in the east, bordering Tibet, has been under Chinese control since 1962, Jammu and Kashmir consists of three regions, Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh. Srinagar is the capital, and Jammu is the winter capital. Jammu and Kashmir is the state in India with a Muslim-majority population. The Kashmir valley is famous for its mountainous landscape. Ladakh, also known as Little Tibet, is renowned for its remote mountain beauty, Maharaja Hari Singh became the ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1925, and he was the reigning monarch at the conclusion of the British rule in the subcontinent in 1947. Jammu and Kashmir had a Muslim majority, following the logic of Partition, many people in Pakistan expected that Kashmir would join Pakistan. However, the predominant political movement in the Valley of Kashmir was secular, so many in India too had expectations that Kashmir would join India. The Maharaja was faced with indecision, on 22 October 1947, rebellious citizens from the western districts of the State and Pushtoon tribesmen from the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan invaded the State, backed by Pakistan. The Maharaja initially fought back but appealed for assistance to the India, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947 in return for military aid and assistance, which was accepted by the Governor General the next day. Once the Instrument of Accession was signed, Indian soldiers entered Kashmir with orders to evict the raiders, the resulting Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 lasted till the end of 1948. At the beginning of 1948, India took the matter to the United Nations Security Council, a ceasefire was agreed on 1 January 1949, supervised by UN observers. A special United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan was set up to negotiate the arrangements as per the Security Council resolution. The UNCIP made three visits to the subcontinent between 1948 and 1949, trying to find a solution agreeable to both India and Pakistan and it passed a resolution in August 1948 proposing a three-part process. It was accepted by India but effectively rejected by Pakistan, in the end, no withdrawal was ever carried out, India insisting that Pakistan had to withdraw first, and Pakistan contending that there was no guarantee that India would withdraw afterwards. No agreement could be reached between the two countries on the process of demilitarisation, India and Pakistan fought two further wars in 1965 and 1971
13.
Operation Vijay (1999)
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In India, the conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay which was the name of the Indian operation to clear the Kargil sector. The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the LOC, which serves as the de facto border between the two states. The Indian Army, later supported by the Indian Air Force, recaptured a majority of the positions on the Indian side of the LOC infiltrated by the Pakistani troops, facing international diplomatic opposition, the Pakistani forces withdrew from the remaining Indian positions along the LOC. The war is one of the most recent examples of high-altitude warfare in mountainous terrain and it is one of the very few instances of direct, conventional warfare between nuclear states. After Pakistans defeat in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the two signed the Simla Agreement promising not to engage in armed conflict with respect to that boundary. The town of Kargil is located 205 km from Srinagar, facing the Northern Areas across the LOC, like other areas in the Himalayas, Kargil has a temperate climate. Summers are cool with frigid nights, while winters are long, an Indian national highway connecting Srinagar to Leh cuts through Kargil. The area that witnessed the infiltration and fighting is a 160 km long stretch of ridges overlooking this only road linking Srinagar, the military outposts on the ridges above the highway were generally around 5,000 metres high, with a few as high as 5,485 metres. Kargil was targeted partly because the terrain was conducive to the seizure of several unoccupied military positions. With tactically vital features and well-prepared defensive posts atop the peaks, Kargil is just 173 km from the Pakistani-controlled town of Skardu, which was capable of providing logistical and artillery support to Pakistani combatants. In an attempt to defuse the situation, both signed the Lahore Declaration in February 1999, promising to provide a peaceful and bilateral solution to the Kashmir conflict. Pakistan also believed that any tension in the region would internationalise the Kashmir issue, yet another goal may have been to boost the morale of the decade-long rebellion in Indian Administered Kashmir by taking a proactive role. Pakistani Lieutenant general Shahid Aziz, and then head of ISI analysis wing, has confirmed there were no mujahideen, there were no Mujahideen, only taped wireless messages, which fooled no one. Our soldiers were made to occupy barren ridges, with hand weapons and ammunition. Some writers have speculated that the objective may also have been retaliation for Indias Operation Meghdoot in 1984 that seized much of Siachen Glacier. According to Indias then army chief Ved Prakash Malik, and many other scholars, some analysts believe that the blueprint of attack was reactivated soon after Pervez Musharraf was appointed chief of army staff in October 1998. Sharif attributed the plan to Musharraf and just two or three of his cronies, a view shared by some Pakistani writers who have stated that four generals, including Musharraf. Musharraf, however, asserted that Sharif had been briefed on the Kargil operation 15 days ahead of Vajpayees journey to Lahore on 20 February, there were three major phases to the Kargil War
14.
Somalia
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Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, Somalia has the longest coastline on Africas mainland, and its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains and highlands. Climatically, hot conditions prevail year-round, with monsoon winds. Somalia has an population of around 12.3 million. Around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis, who have inhabited the northern part of the country. Ethnic minorities are largely concentrated in the southern regions, the official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic, both of which belong to the Afroasiatic family. Most people in the country are Muslim, with the majority being Sunni, in antiquity, Somalia was an important commercial centre. It is among the most probable locations of the fabled ancient Land of Punt, during the Middle Ages, several powerful Somali empires dominated the regional trade, including the Ajuran Empire, the Adal Sultanate, the Warsangali Sultanate, and the Geledi Sultanate. The toponym Somalia was coined by the Italian explorer Luigi Robecchi Bricchetti, Italian occupation lasted until 1941, yielding to British military administration. British Somaliland would remain a protectorate, while Italian Somaliland in 1949 became a United Nations Trusteeship under Italian administration, in 1960, the two regions united to form the independent Somali Republic under a civilian government. The Supreme Revolutionary Council seized power in 1969 and established the Somali Democratic Republic, led by Mohamed Siad Barre, this government later collapsed in 1991 as the Somali Civil War broke out. Various armed factions began competing for influence in the power vacuum, during this period, due to the absence of a central government, Somalia was a failed state, and residents returned to customary and religious law in most regions. A few autonomous regions, including the Somaliland and Puntland administrations emerged in the north, the early 2000s saw the creation of fledgling interim federal administrations. The Transitional National Government was established in 2000, followed by the formation of the Transitional Federal Government in 2004, in 2006, the TFG, assisted by Ethiopian troops, assumed control of most of the nations southern conflict zones from the newly formed Islamic Courts Union. The ICU subsequently splintered into more radical groups such as Al-Shabaab, by mid-2012, the insurgents had lost most of the territory that they had seized. In 2011–2012, a political process providing benchmarks for the establishment of permanent democratic institutions was launched, within this administrative framework a new provisional constitution was passed in August 2012, which reformed Somalia as a federation. Somalia has maintained an informal economy, mainly based on livestock, remittances from Somalis working abroad, Somalia has been inhabited since at least the Paleolithic. During the Stone Age, the Doian and Hargeisan cultures flourished here, the oldest evidence of burial customs in the Horn of Africa comes from cemeteries in Somalia dating back to the 4th millennium BCE
15.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as DR Congo, DRC, DROC, East Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo is a country located in Central Africa. From 1971 to 1997 it was named, and is still called, Zaire. It is the second-largest country in Africa by area and eleventh largest in the world, the Congolese Civil Wars, which began in 1996, brought about the end of Mobutu Sese Sekos 32-year reign and devastated the country. These wars ultimately involved nine African nations, multiple groups of UN peacekeepers and twenty armed groups, besides the capital, Kinshasa, the other major cities, Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi, are both mining communities. DR Congos largest export is raw minerals, with China accepting over 50% of DRCs exports in 2012, as of 2015, according to the Human Development Index, DR Congo has a low level of human development, ranking 176 out of 187 countries. The country was known officially as the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 27 October 1971, in 1992, the Sovereign National Conference voted to change the name of the country to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the change was not put into practice. The countrys name was restored by former president Laurent-Désiré Kabila following the fall of longtime dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997, some historians think that Bantu peoples began settling in the extreme northwest of Central Africa at the beginning of the 5th century and then gradually started to expand southward. Their propagation was accelerated by the transition from Stone Age to Iron Age techniques, the people living in the south and southwest were mostly San Bushmen and hunter-gatherer groups, whose technology involved only minimal use of metal technologies. The development of tools during this time period revolutionized agriculture. This led to the displacement of the groups in the east and southeast. The 10th century marked the expansion of the Bantu in West-Central Africa. Rising populations soon made intricate local, regional and foreign commercial networks that traded mostly in salt, iron. Belgian exploration and administration took place from the 1870s until the 1920s and it was first led by Sir Henry Morton Stanley, who undertook his explorations under the sponsorship of King Leopold II of Belgium. The eastern regions of the precolonial Congo were heavily disrupted by constant slave raiding, mainly from Arab–Swahili slave traders such as the infamous Tippu Tip, Leopold had designs on what was to become the Congo as a colony. Leopold formally acquired rights to the Congo territory at the Conference of Berlin in 1885 and he named it the Congo Free State. Leopolds rėgime began various infrastructure projects, such as construction of the railway ran from the coast to the capital of Leopoldville. Nearly all such projects were aimed at making it easier to increase the assets which Leopold. In the Free State, colonists brutalized the local population into producing rubber, for which the spread of automobiles, rubber sales made a fortune for Leopold, who built several buildings in Brussels and Ostend to honor himself and his country
16.
Angola
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Angola /æŋˈɡoʊlə/, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country in Southern Africa. It is the seventh-largest country in Africa and is bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to west. The exclave province of Cabinda has borders with the Republic of the Congo, the capital and largest city of Angola is Luanda. In the 19th century, European settlers slowly and hesitantly began to themselves in the interior. As a Portuguese colony, Angola did not encompass its present borders until the early 20th century, following resistance by groups such as the Cuamato, the Kwanyama and the Mbunda. Independence was achieved in 1975 under a communist one-party state backed by the Soviet Union, however, the country soon descended into an even lengthier civil war that lasted until 2002. It has since become a relatively stable presidential republic. Angola has vast mineral and petroleum reserves, and its economy is among the fastest growing in the world, Angolas economic growth is highly uneven, with the majority of the nations wealth concentrated in a disproportionately small sector of the population. Angola is a state of the United Nations, OPEC, African Union, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the Latin Union. A highly multiethnic country, Angolas 25.8 million people span various tribal groups, customs, Angolan culture reflects centuries of Portuguese rule, namely in the predominance of the Portuguese language and the Catholic Church, combined with diverse indigenous influences. The name Angola comes from the Portuguese colonial name Reino de Angola, the toponym was derived by the Portuguese from the title ngola held by the kings of Ndongo. Ndongo was a kingdom in the highlands, between the Kwanza and Lukala Rivers, nominally tributary to the king of Kongo but which was seeking greater independence during the 16th century, modern Angola was populated predominantly by nomadic Khoi and San prior to the first Bantu migrations. The Khoi and San peoples were neither pastoralists nor cultivators, following a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and they were displaced by Bantu peoples arriving from the north, some of whom likely originated in northwestern Nigeria. Bantu speakers introduced the cultivation of bananas and taro, as well as large herds, to Angolas central highlands. During this time, the Bantu established a number of entities in most of what today comprises Angola. To its south lay the Kingdom of Ndongo, from which the area of the later Portuguese colony was known as Dongo. The region now known as Angola was reached by the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão in 1484, the year before, the Portuguese had established relations with the Kongo, which stretched at the time from modern Gabon in the north to the Kwanza River in the south. The Portuguese established their primary trading post at Soyo, which is now the northernmost city in Angola apart from the Cabinda exclave
17.
Sierra Leone
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Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north-east, Liberia to the south-east, Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests. Sierra Leone has an area of 71,740 km2. Sierra Leone is divided into four regions, the Northern Province, Eastern Province, Southern Province and the Western Area. Freetown is the capital, largest city and its economic and political centre, Bo is the second largest city. The other major cities are Kenema, Makeni and Koidu Town, Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic with a directly elected president and a unicameral legislature. Sir Milton Margai built his government based on democratic principles. Throughout his time in power, Sir Milton Margai was very popular across Sierra Leone, the main opposition APC, led by its leader Siaka Stevens, narowly defeated the ruling SLPP under the leadership of Albert Margai in the 1964 general elections. Stevens ruled for eighteen years in a government, in which his critics. Soldiers and politicians convicted of plotting a coup to topple Stevens were executed, under president Stevens, the APC was made the only legal political party in Sierra Leone, and all other political parties were banned, including the main opposition. Stevens handpicked successor, retired major general Joseph Saidu Momoh, lacked the political dominance of Stevens, Momoh reestablished the country as a multi party democracy in 1991. The current constitution of Sierra Leone was adopted in 1991 during the presidency of Joseph Saidu Momoh, the rebels started the civil war in 1991 in the eastern part of the country during Momohs presidency. Momoh was very unpopular, and Public anger against the Momoh government increasingly grew due to corruption, poor economy. In 1992 a group of officers in the army led by a 25-year-old captain, Valentine Strasser. In 1996 during the war, another military coup of soldiers within Strassers inner circle, led by a 32 year old Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio, toppled Strasser. Since independent to present, Sierra Leones politics has been dominated by two political parties, the Sierra Leone Peoples Party and the All Peoples congress. From 1991 to 2002, the Sierra Leone civil war was fought and this proxy war left more than 50,000 people dead, much of the countrys infrastructure destroyed, and over two million people displaced as refugees in neighbouring countries. In January 2002, then Sierra Leones president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, fulfilled his promise by ending the civil war, with help by the British Government, ECOWAS
18.
Indian Navy
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The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India serves as Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy, the Chief of Naval Staff, usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the navy. The Indian Navy is the fifth largest in the world and it played an important role in Indias victory in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. The Indian Navy can trace its lineage back to the East India Companys Marine which was founded in 1612 to protect British merchant shipping in the region. In 1793 the East India Company established its rule over eastern part of the Indian subcontinent i. e. Bengal, in 1858, East India Company rule gave way to the British Raj which lasted until India became independent in 1947. When India became a republic in 1950, the Royal Indian Navy as it had been named since 1934 was renamed to Indian Navy, the 17th-century Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is considered as the Father of the Indian Navy. India has a history dating back 5,600 years. The first tidal dock is estimated to have built at Lothal around 2300 BC during the Indus Valley Civilisation. The Rig Veda written around 1500 BC, credits Varuna with knowledge of the routes and describes naval expeditions. There is reference to the wings of a vessel called Plava. A compass, the Matsya Yantra, was used for navigation in the fourth and fifth century AD, the earliest known reference to an organisation devoted to ships in ancient India is to the Mauryan Empire from the fourth century BCE. Emperor Chandragupta Mauryas Prime Minister Kautilyas Arthashastra devotes a chapter on the state department of waterways under navadhyaksha. The term, nava dvipantaragamanam appears in book in addition to appearing in the Sanskrit text, Baudhayana Dharmasastra as the interpretation of the term. Sea lanes between India and neighbouring lands were the form of trade for many centuries, and are responsible for the widespread influence of Indian Culture on other societies. Powerful navies included those of the Chola dynasty, Maurya Empire, Satavahana, Gupta Empire, Pala, Pandya, Vijayanagara Empire, Kalinga, Mughal, the Palas and the Chola]s excelled in foreign trade and maritime activity, extending their influence overseas to China and Southeast Asia. The Maratha naval power dominated the scene in India for three centuries. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Maratha and Kerala fleets were expanded, the Pal was a three masted fighter with guns peeping on the broadsides. Kanhoji Angre and Kunjali Marakkar, the Naval chief of Saamoothiri, were two notable naval chiefs of the period
19.
BMP-2
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The BMP-2 is a second-generation, amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s. Although the BMP-1 was a design, its main armament, the 2A28 Grom. Therefore, the Soviet Union decided to produce an updated and improved version of the BMP-1, the main emphasis was put on improving the main armament. In 1972, work got under-way to develop a version of the BMP-1. During its combat debut in the Yom Kippur War, Egyptian and Syrian BMPs proved vulnerable to.50 calibre machine-gun fire in the sides and rear, and to 106 mm recoilless rifles. The 73 mm gun proved inaccurate beyond 500 metres, and the AT-3 Sagger missile could not be guided effectively from the confines of the turret, several Soviet technical teams were sent to Syria in the wake of the war to gather information. These lessons, combined with observations of western AFV developments, resulted in a replacement program for the original BMP in 1974, the first product of this program was the BMP-1P upgrade, which was intended as a stopgap to address the most serious problems with the existing design. Smoke grenade launchers were added to the rear of the turret, the BMP-1P was in production by the late 1970s and existing BMP-1s were gradually upgraded to the standard during the 1980s. The BMP-2 is broadly similar to the BMP-1, the commander now sits with the gunner in an enlarged turret. Only seven troops can be carried instead of eight, two rear infantry roof hatches instead of four. In the centre of the vehicle is the welded steel turret, the gunner sits to the commanders left and has a smaller rectangular hatch with a rearward-facing day periscope, additionally there are three other day periscopes facing forward and left. The gunner has a BPK-1-42 binocular sight with a vision range of 650 metres, or 350 metres using the infra-red searchlight. An FG-126 infra-red searchlight is mounted coaxially to the 30 mm cannon, the driver sits in the front left of the vehicle, with the engine in a separate compartment to his right. The driver has his own entry hatch above him, with three day periscopes, the centre TNPO-170A periscope can be replaced with either a TNPO-350B extended periscope for amphibious operation or a TVNE-1PA night vision scope. An infantryman sits immediately behind the driver, and has a firing port, TNPO-170A periscopes are used throughout the vehicle and are electrically heated. The BMP-1 and BMP-2 share the same chassis and have almost identical road performance, the BMP-2 is heavier, but also has a more powerful engine to compensate. The BMP-2 is amphibious with little preparation, using hydrodynamic fairings to convert track momentum into water jets. Peacetime regulations require that any BMPs entering water must have a radio set, since its bearings are not airtight
20.
BTR-60
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The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen in public for the first time in 1961. The BTR-152 and BTR-40, the first two Soviet mass-produced APCs developed after the Second World War, gave the Soviet Army useful experience with wheeled armoured personnel carriers. However, even as they were designed, they werent suited for the needs of the Soviet Army as they lacked a roof, the low combat values of the BTR-152 and BTR-40 were exposed when the Egyptian Army used them during the Suez Crisis. This was one of the reasons why the new APC was developed, between 1956 and 1957, a decision was made to convert all rifle and mechanized divisions into motor rifle divisions and a requirement for a new transport vehicle was drawn up. Two design bureaus were given the requirements, GAZ led by V. A. Dedkov, the vehicle was also supposed to be amphibious. The GAZ design team started to work on the new APC during the winter of 1956, despite the fact that the army wanted a fully roofed vehicle with NBC protection system, the GAZ design did not have those features. It was argued that firing from the interior would be difficult. The prototype was built between 1957 and 1958, ZiL developed a 6x6 design, the ZiL-153, similar in hull shape to the GAZ design. There were also three other 8x8 prototypes, Obyekt 560, Obyekt 1015, Obyekt 1015B and Obyekt 1020B, all prototypes were submitted to and passed state trials in 1959. Even though the Obyekt 1015B performed best, the GAZ design was selected, officially, the committee that made the decision did so because of the GAZ plants production capabilities and experience. The main reason was that the GAZ design was the simplest and cheapest one and introduced the lowest amount of technological advancements, BTR-60P had open-roofed crew and troop compartments, which was deemed to be a serious disadvantage. Accordingly, a new version with a roof, designated BTR-60PA. This new versions capacity was reduced from 16 soldiers to 14 soldiers, the appearance of the German HS.30 APC, which was armed with a 20 mm cannon, prompted the addition of the conical BPU-1 turret. This turret, which was developed for the BRDM-2 amphibious armoured scout car, was armed with the KPVT14.5 mm heavy machine gun. The new vehicle was designated the BTR-60PAI and entered production in 1965 and it was, however, quickly replaced by the BTR-60PB, which had a better sighting system for the machine guns. BTR-60 was a design for its time. It had a layout for an APC, the crew compartment was in the front, the troop compartment in the middle
21.
BTR-70
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The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier originally developed by the Soviet Union during the late 1960s under the manufacturing code GAZ-4905. On August 21,1972, it was accepted into Soviet service, large quantities were also produced under license in Romania as the TAB-77. The BTR-70 was developed as a successor for the earlier BTR-60 series of Soviet wheeled armored personnel carriers, specifically the BTR-60PB. It evolved out of an earlier, unsuccessful project known as the GAZ-50 to design a new wheeled infantry fighting vehicle on the chassis and it initially received the NATO reporting name BTR M1970. In 1971, the Soviet Armed Forces began investigating the possibility of an updated BTR-60PB redesigned to make the more compatible with the BMP-1 in terms of tactical training. This resulted in the development of a BTR-60PB prototype essentially converted into an infantry fighting vehicle. Despite retaining the original BTR-60PB chassis, the GAZ-50 incorporated several elements of the BMPs design, the revised internal layout reduced the number of passengers to nine. New hatches were provided for debarking in the lower hull. Other modifications included a slightly thicker hull, increased power-to-weight ratio and this alteration was to allow the vehicle to continue moving even if one engine failed. The prototype was armed with a turret resembling that of the BMP-1, there was some debate as to the GAZ-50s viability in its intended role, for example, projected manufacturing costs were high due to the incorporation of the BMP-1 turret and armament. Furthermore, while the prototype would allow motorized units to emulate the tactics of Soviet mechanized infantry, it simply did not offer the protection, mobility. Most of the funding earmarked for the program was diverted into producing larger numbers of BMPs instead. In Soviet service, the new BTRs received the designation BTR-70, compared to the earlier BTR-60PB, relatively small numbers of BTR-70s were produced. The design was regarded as suffering from some of the same disadvantages. These flaws became especially evident when the vehicle was tested in combat during the Soviet–Afghan War. As a result, in 1984 the Soviet Army took delivery of a new wheeled armored personnel carrier, the BTR-80, which was powered by a single 260 horsepower diesel engine, production of the BTR-70 was terminated that year. The Soviet Union only exported BTR-70s to four states, Afghanistan, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, and Romania. However, many have since been inherited by the armies of various post-Soviet republics or re-exported, the BTR-70 is powered by two petrol engines
22.
Madras Regiment
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The Madras Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, and one of its oldest, tracing its origins to units formed in the 1750s. The Madras Regiment was initially formed as the Madras European Regiment in the 1660s by the East India Company as the company established in India. However, it was formed as a battalion in 1748 under the command of Major Stringer Lawrence, the battalion was involved in all the battles against the French forces in India. Lawrence structured the regiment to include two battalions, one European and one Sepoy, both battalions were similar in structure and included seven companies each, with each company including three officers in command and seventy privates. Also part of the companies were four sergeants and corporals and three drummers, the oldest Battalion in the Madras Regiment was the 9th Battalion, formerly known as the Nair Brigade. This militia was raised in 1704 at Padmanabhapuram as body guards for the Maharajah of Travancore, the army was made up of soldiers from Nair warrior clans, however after the 1940s, non-Nairs were permitted to join. The Nayar Army became incorporated into the Indian Army on April 1951, in 1748 Major Stringer Lawrence, a veteran of action in Spain, Flanders and the Highlands, was hired by the East India Company to take charge of the defence of Cuddalore. He laid the foundations of what was to become the Indian Army, training the levies to become a militia, the Madras Levies were formed into companies and trained to become a disciplined and fine fighting force. In 1758 Lawrence raised the Madras Regiment, forming the several Companies of Madras Levies into two battalions,2 Madras was raised in 1776 as the 15th Carnatic Infantry at Thanjavur. The regiment has been through many campaigns with both the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, many well-known British officers have commanded this regiment, among them Robert Clive. This regiment fought in the Carnatic wars, which were fought in South India, the elephant crest symbolises its gallantry in the Battle of Assaye under Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington. There after the British annexed the Indian sub-continent, largely with the help of the Madras Regiment sepoys, the coming of the British rule and merging the Presidency armies into a British Indian Army led the erstwhile regiments to be reorganised. After conquest of India, the perceived threat to British was from Russia. So recruitment was re-oriented towards north Indians of Punjab and Nepal and this resulted in the British reducing the strength of the Madras Regiment since the southern borders were relatively peaceful. After many years, this regiment was re-raised with fresh recruits, the newly reborn Madras Regiment performed very creditably during the Burma Campaign. After independence, the battalions of the Travancore Nair Pattalam, Cochin. Two battalions of the Regiment have been awarded citations by the COAS in recognition of their splendid service in combating insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir. Further two battalions served the nation, in the worlds highest battlefield in the temperatures of Siachen Glacier
23.
Jat Regiment
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The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is one of the longest serving and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 to 1947 and post independence 5 battle honours, eight Mahavir Chakra, eight Kirti Chakra,32 Shaurya Chakras,39 Vir Chakras and 170 Sena Medals. Numerous battalions of the Jat Regiment fought in the First World War including the 14th Murrays Jat Lancers, the Jat is the agriculturist par excellence and the quintessential soldier who dominates the area comprising the Punjab States, Sindh, Haryana, Jammu, Rajasthan, and Western Uttar Pradesh. Whether Hindu, Sikh, or Muslim he constitutes the most important peasantry in both India and Pakistan, although so near to the seat of Mughal power in Delhi, the Jats managed to preserve a semblance of independence. Primarily tillers, they are par excellence and as fighting men have established for themselves a reputation of being determined, sturdy, fierce. Their background makes them simple, hard working, honest and loyal - the essential qualities of good soldiers, primarily farmers throughout history, the first opposition to Aurangzebs autocratic rule came from the Jats of Mathura. In 1669, the sturdy and hard working peasantry of Jats under the leadership of Gokla, zamindar of Tilpat, rose against and it took more than one year for the powerful Mogul forces to subdue the Jats. Gokul was killed and his family converted to Islam. But this did not deter the Jats and they again rose in rebellion in 1685 under the leadership of Raja Ram. Akbars tomb in Sikandra was plundered by them in 1688, finally the Jats were defeated and Raja Ram slain in 1691. But the brave Jats again got organized under the leadership of Churamal and they continued a strong armed resistance against the Mughals after Aurangzebs death. Towards the end of Aurangzebs reign, bands of Jats under individual leaders like Rajaram, Bhajja and Churamal carried out depredations around Delhi, but whatever they had achieved was lost when Sawai Jai Singh II captured Churamans stronghold of Thun in 1721. Till this time Jats were never united and they followed their individual village headsmen, but all this was changed by Badan Singh, the son of Churamans brother, Bhao Singh. Even in the face of difficulties, Badan Singh established his authority over almost of Agra and Mathura by wisdom, versatility. Badan Singh died on 7 June 1756, the Sikh religion was founded by Baba Guru Nanak, whose prime aim was to increase communal harmony between the Muslims and the Hindus. Initially the Sikhs were confined to the north West Indian region of Punjab and were mostly peasants from the sturdy & fierce Jat caste and it is not until the decay of the Mogul Empire that the Jats again appear in history. One branch of them, settled south of Agra, mainly by bold plundering raids founded two dynasties at Bharatpur and Dholpur and it was from this latter branch that the Sikh regiments of the Indian army were recruited
24.
8 Gorkha Rifles
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The 8 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company, the regiment served in World War I and World War II, before being one of the six Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independence in 1947. Since then it has served in a number of conflicts including the Sino-Indian War of 1962, military assignments commenced as soon after the raising of the regiment when the first battalion formed the spearhead for operations in the First Anglo–Burmese War of 1824-25. The services of the regiment were to be requisitioned again when the British went to war with Bhutan in 1864, two battalion columns of the regiment sallied forth, shoulder to shoulder to crush the Bhutanese revolts and the stronghold of Devnageri. The first Victoria Cross, awarded to Richard Ridgeway, came to the regiment in October 1879 in its first ever operational mission when its units were summoned to deal with Nagaland Rebels. This was the first time that an army unit was ever been employed in the Naga hills. Following the disaster at Manipur, Grant volunteered to attempt the relief of the British who were being held captive with a force of 80 Gurkhas. Inspiring his men with his example of daring and resource. For the next ten days Grant and his small force held Thobal, before on 9 April 1891, having run out of food and having almost no ammunition left and this recommendation was later accepted and all of Grants men were also rewarded with six months pay and allowances. Braving the high altitude climes of Tibet, the force successfully stormed the Tibetan fortress of Gyantse at 18,000 feet. World War I testified to the valour and heroism of the Regiment during the course of combat service in Italy, France, Mesopotamia. Having mustered almost eight hundred men to begin with, by the end of the day they had a frontage of just one officer, following the war, it also participated in the Third Afghan War, earning the Afghanistan 1919 battle honour. During the years between the two World Wars, the 8th Goorkhas were based in India, where they undertook garrison duties. It was whilst the 2/8th was based at Quetta in the mid-1930s that a member of the Regiment would display outstanding courage, in 1935 a series of powerful earthquakes rocked north-west India and thousands of people were killed. The men of the 2/8th worked tirelessly in their efforts to free many of the civilians that were caught beneath the ruins. Nandlal Thapa received the Empire Gallantry Medal for repeatedly risking his life entering buildings that were in danger of collapsing amidst the aftershocks in order to rescue injured survivors, lachhiman Gurung was awarded the VC during the Burmese Campaign. The brigade and its Gurkha battalions were sent to Italy in mid 1944 as an Independent brigade, the 8th Gurkha Rifles, along with the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 9th Gurkha Rifles, was transferred to India on independence in 1947. The regiment became one of the Gorkha regiments when the spelling was changed for all of the transferred regiments, soon after partition, the 2/8 Gorkha Rifles saw action in the Leh operations of 1948
25.
Sikh Regiment
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The Sikh Regiment is a 19 battalion strong, infantry regiment of the Indian Army, drawing a bulk of its recruits from the Sikh community. It is the most decorated regiment in the Indian army and was at one one of the highest decorated regiments in the British Empire. The first battalion of the regiment was raised just before the annexation of the Sikh Empire on August 1,1846. The Sikh Regimental Centre is located in Ramgarh Cantonment,30 km from Ranchi, the Centre was earlier located in Meerut in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The modern Sikh Regiment traces its roots directly from the 11th Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army, when transferred to the Indian Army like its sister regiments, the numeral prefix was removed and extra battalions were raised, transferred or disbanded to meet army needs. With a humble beginning of two battalions, today the fraternity has grown to a regiment of 19 regular infantry and two battalions strong. Enlisted soldiers are recruited from the Sikh community from Punjab & her surrounding states. They trained internally by the regiment, in which they tend to spend most of their careers, the war cry of regiment, taken from Sikh scriptures is, Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal. In a departure from the class composition, a battalion,13 Sikh was raised with multiple class composition. However these units were reverted to their class composition later. 9th Battalion was disbanded in 1984 The Museum of the Regimental Centre displays a record of the Sikh Regiment in four halls viz, the Religious/motivational Hall, The Hall of Heritage, The Regimental Glory Hall The Peripheral Gallery. During Operation Vijay 1999 during Indo-Pak Kargil War, the units of the regiment displayed sterling performance marked with exceptional valour and grit in the face of the enemy. In all, the Regiment has to its credit 1652 gallantry awards, subedar Joginder Singh during the Sino-Indian War of 1962. 14 Maha Vir Chakras 68 Vir Chakras, the Sikh regiment is the highest decorated regiment of the Indian army as per Defence review annual as on 1995-1996. The Sikh regiment had many supporters including Prince Charles, united Kingdom - The Duke of Lancasters Regiment 1st King George Vs own battalion, The Sikh Regiment A Legacy of Valour - An Illustrated History of the Sikh Regiment. Ramgarh, The Sikh Regiment Officers Association,2011, ISBN 978-81-905619-7-6, globalsecurity. org, The Sikh Regiment Bharat-Rakshak. com, The Sikh Regiment Sikh Light Infantry
26.
Kumaon Regiment
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The Kumaon Regiment is one of the most decorated infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to the 18th century and has fought in every campaign of the British Indian Army. Kumaon gets its recruits from Kumaonis of Kumaon division and Ahirs from the plains, soldiering has been an important profession of the Kumaonis and the region has a long history of warfare with neighbours, including the Garhwalis and the Gorkhas. The Kumaonis were never subjugated by the powerful Muslim dynasties of Delhi. They often offered their services as mercenaries, and fought on both the British as well as Gurkha sides in the Anglo-Nepalese War. The Kumaonis were in the military of the East India Company from the early 19th century and they often moved to other states in search of military service, including in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad. His first action, on arriving in India in 1798, was to effect the disbandment of the Indian units of the Nizam under the command of Monsieur Raymond and officered by non-British Europeans. These soldiers were formed into the British officered Nizams Contingent that fought at the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799 against Tippu Sultan in the battle of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. In 1813, Sir Henry Russell, then British Resident in the court of Nizam of Hyderabad, later, four more battalions were raised and they were known as the Berar Infantry. In addition, two known as the Elichpur Brigade, were raised by Nawab Salabat Khan, Subedar of Berar. The men of the Russell Brigade were chiefly Hindus, recruited from Oudh, Kumaonis, along with other North Indian classes served in the Hyderabad contingent which was raised, trained and led by British officers under Russell, but paid for by the Nizam of Hyderabad. By 1853, at the time of the signing of a treaty between the Nizam and the British, the Nizams forces consisted of 8 battalions. The force was renamed as the Hyderabad Contingent, and became part of the British Indian Army, subsequently, over time, the class composition changed to Kumaonis and Ahirs. During World War I, a Kumaon Battalion was raised at Ranikhet on 23 October 1917 as 4/39th Kumaon Rifles, in 1918, it was redesignated as 1st Battalion, 50th Kumaon Rifles and a second battalion was raised. These were merged with the Hyderabad Contingent into the 19th Hyderabad Regiment in 1923, the first battalion of the 50th Kumaon Rifles survived to become the 1st Kumaon Rifles, and is today the 3rd Battalion, Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army. Some units of the Berar and Elichpur infantry were demobilized after World War I, however, the Hyderabad Regiment was again expanded during World War II. On 27 October 1945, after the Second World War, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment was renamed as 19th Kumaon Regiment, post-independence, it has been known as the Kumaon Regiment. Two state forces battalions, 4th Gwalior Infantry and Indore Infantry were allocated to the Kumaon Regiment becoming 14 Kumaon and 15 Kumaon respectively, the Kumaon Regiment has produced three Indian Army Chiefs, General Satyawant Mallannah Shrinagesh, General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya and General Tapishwar Narain Raina
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The Garhwal Rifles
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The Garhwal Rifles is one of the most decorated infantry regiments of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1887 as the 39th Regiment of the Bengal Army and it then became part of the British Indian Army, and after the Independence of India, it was incorporated into the Indian Army. It served during the Frontier campaigns of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, mainly made up of Garhwali soldiers, this regiment has a distinguished record and a unique identity. The 1st Battalion has since converted to mechanised infantry and forms part of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment as its 6th battalion. The regimental insignia incorporates a Maltese Cross and is based on the defunct Rifle Brigade as they are a designated rifle regiment, unlike regular rifle regiments, they are one of 10 such units marching in the regular paces used in Indian Armys ceremonies. Up to 1887, Garhwális had been enlisted in the five regiments of Gurkhas belonging to the Bengal Infantry, the Sirmoor Battalion, which won fame in the siege of Delhi in 1857, had 33% Garhwális on their rolls at that time. The first proposal to raise a separate Regiment of the Garhwális was initiated by His Excellency Lieutenant General, Sir F. S. Roberts, VC, then Commander-in-Chief, India, in January 1886. Accordingly, in April 1887, the raising of the Second Battalion of the Third Gurkha Regiment was ordered, with its class composition as six companies of Garhwális and two of Gurkhas. Based on this decision, recruiting commenced in the area of upper Garhwál and Tehri state by Major L Campbell, the battalion was raised by Lieutenant Colonel E P Mainwaring of the 4th Gurkhas. Major LRD Campbell was the second in Command and Lieutenant J T Evatt, Mainwaring raised the First Battalion at Almora on 5 May 1887 and moved it to Kaludanda, which was later renamed as Lansdowne after the then Viceroy of India, on 4 November 1887. In 1891, the two Gurkha companies moved away to form the nucleus of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Gurkha Rifles, the official title of ‘Rifles’ was received in 1892. The ‘Phoenix’ was later dropped, and the Maltese Cross which was in use by the Rifle Brigade was adopted, the Regimental Centre was established at Lansdowne on 1 October 1921. The Great War saw the Garhwalis in France, part of the Garhwal Brigade of the Meerut Division, plunging into action in Flanders, the regiment had the distinction of winning two Victoria Crosses, Nk Darwan Singh Negi at Festubert and Rfn Gabar Singh Negi at Neuve Chapelle. The extent of casualties being very high, the battalions were amalgamated and designated The Garhwal Rifles. The Garhwalis suddenly sprang to the front rank of our best fighting men. Nothing could have better than their elan and discipline. Later, in 1917, the re-constituted 1st and 2nd Battalions saw action against the Turks in Mesopotamia, at Khan Baghdadi on 25-26 Mar 1918, they encircled and forced a Turkish column to surrender. The 3rd Battalion was raised in 1916 and the 4th in 1918, in Oct 1919, the 4th Battalion was dispatched to Kohat for action against the Waziris and Mashuds
28.
Dogra Regiment
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The Dogra Regiment is an infantry unit of the Indian Army, formerly the 17th Dogra Regiment when part of the British Indian Army. The regiment recruits from the Dogra people of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, the current regiment was formed in 1922 through the amalgamation of three separate regiments of Dogras as the 17th Dogra Regiment. It could trace its origins to 1900, when it was raised as the 41st Bengal Infantry, after World War I, the Indian government reformed the army, moving from regiments with a single battalion to multi battalion regiments. It dropped 17th from its title in 1945 and was allocated to India upon its independence in 1947, enlisting in the army is seen as an honourable pursuit for Dogras, with the earnings of the soldiers of the regiment forming a sizeable part of the local economy. The regiment currently has 18 battalions, the 1st Battalion was reroled in 1981 to become the 7th Battalion, Mechanised Infantry Regiment. Soldiering has not only become a part of the economic structure of the Dogra Hills. The regiment has produced one Army Chief, General Nirmal Chander Vij, the General also served as the 10th Colonel-in-Chief of the Dogra Regiment and the Dogra Scouts. In the pre-Independence era, the Dogras had to their credit three Victoria Crosses and 44 Military Crosses besides 312 other awards, two battalions of the 17th Dogra Regiment, also fought in the Malayan Campaign. After the Fall of Singapore, a number of the captured troops later went on to join the Indian National Army. The Highest Gallantry Award with the Dogra Regiment in post-independence era is the Ashok Chakra that was conferred posthumously to Major Sandeep Shankla in 1992 by then President of India Shri, maj. Sandeep Shankla belonged to the 18th Regiment of the Dogras. The total collapse of the Pakistan Armys resistance is one of the most intriguing puzzles of the war in the East wrote the Sunday Times on December 7,1971 as Pakistan surrendered. The credit for the fall of Suadih, a village but a strong bastion of the Pakistan armys most fortified position in Bangladesh. This led to the liberation of East Pakistan and a victory for the Indian Army. For this herculean task, the battalion was awarded the honour of Suadih. The Dogra Regiment also fought in 1999 Kargil war for tiger hill mission, which is also called as OPERATION VIJAY. The 5TH DOGRA Regiment was part of it. History of the Dogra Regiment The Dogra Regiment - Bharat Rakshak Commonwealth Regiments Site
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Punjab Regiment (India)
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The Punjab Regiment of India was formed from the 2nd Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army in 1947. It is one of the oldest regiments still in service in the Indian Army and has part in various battles. It is one of the most acclaimed regiments of the Indian Army, prior to independence and partition there were a number of Punjab regiments in the British India. At the onset of independence in 1947, the 1st, 8th, 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiment went over to the newly raised Pakistan army, troops were transferred between regiments based on whether the soldiers would be a part of Pakistan or India. The Punjab Regiment is one of the oldest in the Indian Army, the first battalion which today constitutes this regiment was raised in 1805. This was done by the then Maharaja of Patiala, the first and second battalions have been converted to other regiments and the fourth battalion was disbanded. The third battalion still continues as part of the regiment, the names changed from Coast Sepoys to Carnatic Infantry, Madras Native Infantry, Punjabis and finally to the Punjab Regiment. After 1857, the British applied the Martial Races theory and north Indian troops replaced the South Indians, the unit retained Punjab Regiment uniform except donning the maroon beret, qualification wings and allied insignias of the airborne. In 1952, when the Parachute Regiment was raised and a Regimental Centre formed, 1st Punjab, became the 1st Bn of the Parachute Regiment and known as the 1st Battalion, the uniform changed to the Parachute Regiment but retained the Punjabs hackle on its headgear. In 1951, four battle experienced battalions of the princely states of Punjab. These were a battalion each from the Jind and Nabha State Forces and they are now designated as the 13,14,15 and 16 PUNJAB. Additional battalions were raised since 1963, fifteen Punjab, is one of the finest units of Indian Army, completed 300 years of service to the nation on April 13,2005. Currently deployed somewhere in the sector, the battalion was raised on the auspicious baisakhi day in 1705 by Baba Alla Singh. It was the first battalion of the forces of the Maharaja of Patiala. The battalion took part in campaigns in India and abroad. In May 1900, the battalion was re-designated as First Patiala Imperial Service Infantry, during World War-I, it took part in operations in the Middle East under the British Expeditionary Force. In 1932, the battalion was re-designated as First Patiala Rajindra Sikh Infantry, during World War-II, the battalion participated in the Burma Campaign. It successfully cut off the Japanese lines of communication, thus halting their advance towards India, thereafter, the battalion sailed to Port Dickson for action in Malaya and Batavia
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The Grenadiers
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The Grenadiers are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly part of the Bombay Army and later the pre-independence Indian Army, when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers. It has distinguished itself during the two wars and also since the Independence of India. The regiment has won many honours and gallantry awards, with three Param Vir Chakra awardees in three different conflicts. The oldest grenadier regiment of the armies in the Commonwealth belongs to the Indian Army, the concept of Grenadiers evolved from the practice of selecting the bravest and strongest men for the most dangerous tasks in combat. The Grenadiers have the longest unbroken record of existence in the Indian Army, the history of the Indian Grenadiers is linked to the troops recruited for the Army of the Bombay Presidency. In 1710, the Bombay Army consisted of five companies of Europeans, topasses and this company was merged into the Bombay European Regiment, which was later disbanded. It had only native officers and all wore red coats faced with blue. Later on, an adjutant was appointed to the corps, later the Bombay Army comprised a number of sepoy battalions, each having one or two grenadier companies. These were clubbed together as a battalion comprising the grenadier companies of the Bombay sepoy battalions. Of note also, is the fact that prior to independence, members of the Regiment have also received a number of other decorations prior to independence, including the Indian Order of Merit. Captain George Murray Rolland,22 April 1903, Daratoleh, Somaliland Subedar Rahim Khan, Palestine, naik Shivlal Dalal Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid, 4th Grenadiers –1965. Major Hoshiar Singh, 3rd Grenadiers –1971, grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav, 18th Grenadiers –1999. Order of Battle British Army 1914, valour and sacrifice, famous regiments of the Indian Army. Official History of the War, Mesopotamia Campaign, Imperial War Museum. com – The Grenadiers Indian Grenadiers Regiment The Bombay Grenadiers
31.
Maratha Light Infantry
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The Marattha Light Infantry is a regiment of the Indian Army. It was formed as the 103rd Mahrattas in 1768, making it the most senior infantry regiment of the Army. The class composition of the regiment was and is formed by hardy, frugal. The men are drawn from all over the state of Maharashtra. Their regimental centre has been Belgaum, Karnataka, since 1922, the battle cry of Maratha Light Infantry is, Bol Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai. The Marathas were a potent force in 16th, 17th, Maratha armies, comprising both infantry and light cavalry, with the Maratha naval power had dominated the military scene in India for three centuries. The second battalion known as Kali Panchwin followed the year as the 3rd Battalion Bombay Sepoys. These two battalions were at the forefront of every major engagement fought on the west coast from Surat to Cannanore during the last quarter of the 18th century. Prominent amongst these were the battles of Seedaseer and Seringapatam where in the words of Lord Wellesley their conduct and success were seldom equaled. The turn of the 19th century was witness to the expansion of the Regimental group with the raising of 3rd Battalion as 2nd Battalion the 5th Regiment of the Bombay Native Infantry in 1797. In the second half of the 19th century, the fought in various campaigns from the Middle East to China. Later, this honour was bestowed on the 3rd and 10th Regiments of the Bombay Infantry for their gallantry in Sir Robert Napier’s Abyssinian Campaign of 1867-1868. The Regiment assumed the title 5th Mahratta Light Infantry in 1922, three Marhatta battalions distinguished themselves during the First World War in the long drawn-out Mesopotamia campaign. The 114th Marhattas was awarded 28 gallantry awards for their performance in the battle of Sharquat, the other Maratha battalions the 105th Marhatta Light Infantry, 110th Maratha Light Infantry, 116th Marhattas also acquitted themselves in Palestine and Mesopotamia. The war also saw the expansion of the regiment when thirteen new war service battalions were raised, most of these were later demobilised after the war, whilst two were converted into artillery regiments. During the war Naik Yeshwant Ghadge and Sepoy Namdeo Jadhav were decorated with the Victoria Cross in the Italian campaign, later, it earned the Indian Armys first Ashoka Chakra in the North-East. With the integration of the princely states, the 19th, 20th, 22nd battalions were amalgamated, from the state forces of Satara, Kolhapur, Baroda. The Ashoka Chakra awarded to Captain Eric Tucker and Colonel N. J. Gen J. J, Singh became the first Chief of Army Staff from the Maratha Light Infantry in February 2005
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Rajputana Rifles
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The Rajputana Rifles is the most senior rifle regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1921 as part of the British Indian Army, in 1945 the numeral designation was dropped from the title and in 1947 the regiment was transferred to the newly independent Indian Army. The name Rajputana Rifles is derived from the Rajput a Hindu clan and it is based on the Sanskrit word Rajaputra meaning son of a king. Rajputana is a region in NW India, roughly coextensive with the modern Indian state of Rajasthan. The name means land of the Rajputs, Rajput tribal power rose here between the 7th and 13th centuries, and the princes resisted the early Muslim incursions, which began in the 11th century. Rajput power reached its peak in the early 16th century, from their seat at Ajmer the Mughals ruled Rajputana until the early 18th century. The Marathas held feudatories in the region from c.1750 to 1818, under the British, Rajputana included more than 20 princely states, notably Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Ajmer. The internal autonomy of many of the states was guaranteed, most of these states were incorporated into Rajasthan after India gained independence in 1947. Region of northwestern India that now comprises Rajasthan state and small sections of Madhya Pradesh, the Aravalli Range crosses the southern part of the region from northeast to southwest. The northwestern part is largely the Thar desert, but to the southeast the land is extremely fertile, the Rajput princely states came under British protection by treaties in the early 19th century, most of the area was formed into Rajasthan state in 1948. The catchment area or recruitment area for the regiment is mostly from Rajputs from all over the state of Rajasthan, Jats are also recruited in the same strength. Nearly, 80% of the Regiments strength is of Rajputs and Jats, others recruited are Ahir, Sikh, Gurjar and Muslims. The regiments origins lie in the 18th century when the East India Company recruited Rajputs to protect its operations, the impressive performance of French local units which were composed of local recruits mixed with French officers, helped the HEIC to decide that it needed to do something similar. In January 1775, it raised its first local infantry units included the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys. It thus became the first rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, in 1899 the battalion was once more renamed as 4th Regiment Bombay Infantry and again in 1901 as 4th Bombay Rifles. In Kitcheners 1903 reorganisation of the Indian Army, 4th Bombay Rifles became 104th Wellesley’s Rifles, in 1945 the regiments of the British Indian Army dropped the numeral in their titles and so the Rajputanas assumed their current name. In 1947 the regiment was allocated to India and the newly formed Indian Army when the sub-continent became independent from the British Empire, in 1949, the 1st Battalion was elevated to the status of guards, becoming 3rd Battalion, Brigade of the Guards. In 1817 the 4th Battalion met the Marathas at the Battle of Khadki, the defence earned the regiment the battle honor of Khadki
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Parachute Regiment (India)
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The Parachute Regiment is the airborne infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The first Indian airborne formation was the 50th Parachute Brigade raised on 29 October 1941, consisting of 151 British,152 Indian, and 153 Gurkha parachute battalions alongside other support units. Lt. AG Rangaraj, MVC, of the Indian Medical Service and RMO of the 152 Indian Para battalion,154 Gurkha Para battalion had not completed its air training, so stayed back to attain the airborne status. The breakout on the night of 26 March 1944 saw the remnants of the parachute brigade fight its way south. It achieved its task of preventing the flanking Japanese forces from surrounding Imphal, the two ad hoc brigades from the Chindit operations, 14th and the 77th, were included to form the division. 14th was later to be converted for the airborne role, the Governor Generals Body Guard joined the airborne fraternity and was named the 44th Airborne Division Reconnaissance Squadron. 9 Field Regiment and other support units too were inducted, 60th Indian Parachute Field Ambulance which till then had been in Burma and performed well, was selected to augment the medical element for the formation. The 44th Indian Airborne Division was finally designated the 2nd Indian Airborne Division in 1945, the plan was to raise an entire airborne corps with the 6th British Airborne Division to be brought to India as the second divisional formation, but the war ended before it could materialize. The battalion performed well earning the respect of all, including the critics of airborne warfare, the Indian Parachute Regiment was formed on 1st March 1945, consisting of four battalions and an equal number of independent companies. Despite the performance in Operation Dracula, the Indian Parachute Regiment was disbanded in late 1945 as part of the reduction, however, they retained their airborne role and formed part of the airborne division. In the post independence restructuring, the Indian government retained only one formation,50 Independent Parachute Brigade. This brigade consisted of three distinguished battalions personally nominated by the then Commander-in-Chief, namely 1 Para,2 Para and 3 Para,1961 saw the raising of the 4th battalion to augment the strength of the regiment. After the debacle of 1962, the regiment, as with the rest of the forces, saw expansion on an unprecedented scale, with the 5th, 6th, 7th. The force had been disbanded and the reverted to their parent units. Major Megh Singh was tasked to raise a battalion for the purpose, the unit was originally raised as part of the Guards, but paratrooping being an integral part of commando/special operations, became the 9th battalion of the Parachute Regiment. One year later, on 1 July 1967, the battalion was split into two and 10 Para was raised. Currently, the regiment has nine special forces battalions,1,2,3,4,9,10,11,12 and 21 Para, the regiment also has two Territorial Army battalions and one Rashtriya Rifles battalion. During their short but eventful existence so far, the battalions of the regiment have had operational experience
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Mahar Regiment
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The Mahar Regiment is an Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army. The Mahars were recruited by the Maratha king Shivaji as scouts and they were also heavily recruited by the British East India Company, at one part forming one-sixth of the Companys Bombay Army. The Bombay Army favoured Mahar troops for their bravery and loyalty to the Colours and they achieved many successes, including in the Battle of Koregaon, where Mahar-dominated Company troops defeated a much larger led by Peshwa Baji Rao II. This battle was commemorated by an obelisk, known as the Koregaon pillar, Mahar troops of the Bombay Army also saw action in the Indian Mutiny of 1857, and two regiments joined the revolt under the British. War cry of this regiment is Bolo Hindustan Ki Jay. After the Revolt, the British officers of the Indian Army, particularly those who had served in the First and Second Afghan Wars and this theory was that some races and communities among Indians were naturally warlike, and more suited to warfare than others. A major proponent of this theory was Lord Roberts, who became Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in the November 1885, there was a gradual Punjabisation of the Indian Army to the detriment of the other communities. The final blow for the Mahar troops came in 1892, when it was decided to institute class regiments in the Indian Army. The Mahars were not included in these regiments, and it was notified that the Mahars. The Mahar troops, who included 104 Viceroys Commissioned Officers and a host of Non-commissioned officers and this event was regarded by the Mahars as a betrayal of their loyalty by a government they had served for over a hundred years. After the demobilisation of the Mahar troops, there were attempts by the leaders of the Mahar community to persuade the Government to let them serve in the Army once again. Petitions to this effect were drafted by such as Gopal Baba Walangkar in 1894. These petitions were supported in principle by the politician and social reformer Gopal Krishna Gokhale and they were also supported by the Indian National Congress, who were also opposed to the recruiting policies of the Army. The recruitment policies of the British Indian Army continued until the beginning of the First World War in 1914, the War forced the Government to begin more broad-based recruiting, and the Mahars were at last allowed to enlist in the Army. One battalion of Mahar troops, the 111th Mahars was raised in the June 1917, however, the battalion did not see much service during the War, and in 1920 it was merged with the 71st Punjabis. Finally, the battalion was disbanded in March 1921, and the Mahars were once again demobilised, the period between the wars saw increased efforts by the Mahars to persuade the government to let them enlist in the Army. One proponent of Mahar recruitment was Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, whose father, maj. Ramji Maloji Sakpal had been a soldier in the British Indian Army. However, the reorganisation of the Indian Army that was to occur in the 1930s was postponed because of a lack of funds in the Great Depression. In 1939, the Second World War broke out, and once again, in the July 1941, B. R. Ambedkar was appointed to the Defence Advisory Committee of the Viceroys Executive Council
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Rajput Regiment
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The 7th Rajput Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government decided to reform the army moving away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments, after the partition of India in 1947, it was allocated to the new Indian Army and renamed the Rajput Regiment. During 1936 and 1937 the 3rd Battalion served in South Waziristan, the Battalion was involved in several actions with Afghan insurgents. A number of Rajput regiments participated in World War II, The 1st Battalion was in the Arakan during the Burma campaign, the 2nd Battalion was also in the Arakan area and a number of actions were fought by it. The capture of Point 551, also called Rajput Hill was the most important, the Japanese holding this feature had turned back repeated attacks by other battalions but the Rajputs carried the day winning an IOM, five MCs and two MMs for this action. The 3rd Battalion shipped by convoy to Egypt in August and September 1940 and their convoy was attacked several times by Italian bombers operating out of Ethiopia. The Battalion Bren guns were deployed for air defense and on one occasion are believed to have brought down an Italian aircraft. The Battalion was at Suez and Egypt and was sent to defend Cyprus after the German attack on Crete as part of Indian 5th Infantry Divisions 161 Indian Infantry Brigade, here, they were mainly used in an anti-parachute role, supported by elements of Australian armour. Later in the year participated in the Second Battle of El Alamein. The 4th was also in the Western Desert Campaign at Sidi Barrani and El Alamein, the 5th Battalion was in the Battle of Hong Kong. The action against the invading Japanese was short and swift with heavy casualties to the regiment, the regiment along with the British garrison was forced to surrender and the men became POWs and had to undergo great hardships. 130 men of the 5th Rajput were either beaten or starved to death or just died because lack of medical care, the Japanese wanted Captain M. A. Ansari of 5th Rajput to renounce his allegiance to the British, but he refused. For five months he was subjected to beatings and treatment. He was then sent to live with the other instead of the officers. Captain Ansari remained true to the regiment and organised a system for helping escapees and he was again put in jail and tortured but refused to be broken. In the end the Japanese executed him, Captain M. A. Ansari was awarded the George Cross for his heroism. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009, archived from the original on 11 October 2007
36.
Jammu & Kashmir Rifles
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The Jammu & Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The Jammu & Kashmir State Forces were the only former Princely State Forces of India to be absorbed into the Indian Army as a distinct, in 1963, the designation was changed to Jammu & Kashmir Rifles. After the conversion, the Ladakh Scouts came under the aegis of the Regiment, the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles has a unique regimental history. It was not raised by the British but by an intrepid Indian ruler called Gulab Singh in 1821, Gulab Singh was one of the ablest Generals of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and later became the ruler of the Jammu and Kashmir state. The Sikhs ruled Kashmir until their defeat by the British, thereafter, Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu paid Rs.75 lakhs to the East India Company in 1846 in exchange for Kashmir and some other areas under a treaty later named as Treaty of Amritsar. Jammu and Kashmir as an entity was unified and founded by Maharaja Gulab Singh on 16 March 1846. Zorawar Singh mounted an invasion of Tibet in 1841. The Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir maintained a number of State Forces than any other ruler of an Indian State under the British Raj. These forces were organized into the Jammu and Kashmir Brigades and they comprised one Bodyguard Cavalry regiment, two Mountain Batteries, seven active and one training battalions of Infantry and a Transport unit consisting of both pack and mechanized transport. Several of these units served with distinction on the North-West Frontier of India, the state forces fought as Imperial Service Troops in both the First and Second World Wars. They distinguished themselves in East Africa, Palestine and Burma, the regiments grimmest hour came during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. It was their stand that gained time for the entry of the Indian Army. They paid a price in blood and sacrificed over 76 officers,31 JCOs and 1085 Other Ranks. For their gallant stand they earned three Maha Vir Chakra,20 Vir Chakras and 52 Mentioned in Despatches, later the Jammu and Kashmir State Force was absorbed en bloc into the Indian Army as a separate regiment. A Jammu and Kashmir Rifles battalion was part of the UN force in Cambodia during 1990-93, soldiers from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab also contribute to the ranks. Note, Pre-1948 honours inherited from several battalions of Kashmir State Forces
37.
Bhusawal
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Bhusawal also spelt as Bhusaval is a city and a municipal council in Jalgaon district in the state of Maharashtra, India. Bhusawal is located at 21°02′50. 56″N 75°47′15. 99″E and it has an average elevation of 209 metres. It is the biggest taluka of Jalgaon district, and situated on National Highway 6, Bhusawal railway junction is one of the largest railway yards of the Indian subcontinent. Bhusawal is 181 km from city and tourism capital Aurangabad. World Heritage famous Ajanta is about 60 km from Bhusawal, the total population of Bhusawal is 204,016. The male population of which is 105,164 while female population is 98,852, the literacy rate of Bhusawal is 90. 53%. Literacy rate for male and female for Bhusawal stood at 94. 94% and 85. 89% respectively, total literates in Bhusawal UA were 165,435 of which males were 88,928 and remaining 76,507 were females. Bhusawal is located on the bank of Tapi river, The Tapti River ancient original name Tapi River, is a river in central India and it is one of the major rivers of peninsular India with a length of around 724 kilometres. Bhusawal railway station has good railway connectivity, and is an important divisional headquarters of Central Railway of the Indian Railways. It is on both the Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line and the Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line, Bhusawal railway division is one of the five railway division under Central Railway Zone is headquartered at Bhusawal. The famous American 1956 movie, Bhowani Junction features a station that was modelled on the Bhusawal railway station. Bhusawal is a very big junction on Central Railway. Mumbai – Delhi & Mumbai-Kolkata connections splits at this Junction, there is a Zonal Training Center for Railway Staff in Bhusawal. ZTC is the area known popularly, & M. O. H. are the two overhauling units work 24 hrs for maintenance of locomotive engines. A unique # crossing of railway line - which is in 90 degree to other is seen here first. Bhusawal is the nearest such a junction to Ajanta, where every train has a stop. Bhusawal railway yard is one of the biggest yard in Asia and it is second largest yard in Asia. Sumadhur Foundation Ambulance services Aurangabad is the base since it has direct link to Delhi, Pune, Nagpur. Jalgaon Airport is also nearer to Bhusawal, but still its under development. Mr, girish R. Parikh runs a computer institute which is considered to be the first computer institute of bhusawal and jamner provides second chance to students who fail or cannot continue their education
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Wayback Machine
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The Internet Archive launched the Wayback Machine in October 2001. It was set up by Brewster Kahle and Bruce Gilliat, and is maintained with content from Alexa Internet, the service enables users to see archived versions of web pages across time, which the archive calls a three dimensional index. Since 1996, the Wayback Machine has been archiving cached pages of websites onto its large cluster of Linux nodes and it revisits sites every few weeks or months and archives a new version. Sites can also be captured on the fly by visitors who enter the sites URL into a search box, the intent is to capture and archive content that otherwise would be lost whenever a site is changed or closed down. The overall vision of the machines creators is to archive the entire Internet, the name Wayback Machine was chosen as a reference to the WABAC machine, a time-traveling device used by the characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, an animated cartoon. These crawlers also respect the robots exclusion standard for websites whose owners opt for them not to appear in search results or be cached, to overcome inconsistencies in partially cached websites, Archive-It. Information had been kept on digital tape for five years, with Kahle occasionally allowing researchers, when the archive reached its fifth anniversary, it was unveiled and opened to the public in a ceremony at the University of California, Berkeley. Snapshots usually become more than six months after they are archived or, in some cases, even later. The frequency of snapshots is variable, so not all tracked website updates are recorded, Sometimes there are intervals of several weeks or years between snapshots. After August 2008 sites had to be listed on the Open Directory in order to be included. As of 2009, the Wayback Machine contained approximately three petabytes of data and was growing at a rate of 100 terabytes each month, the growth rate reported in 2003 was 12 terabytes/month, the data is stored on PetaBox rack systems manufactured by Capricorn Technologies. In 2009, the Internet Archive migrated its customized storage architecture to Sun Open Storage, in 2011 a new, improved version of the Wayback Machine, with an updated interface and fresher index of archived content, was made available for public testing. The index driving the classic Wayback Machine only has a bit of material past 2008. In January 2013, the company announced a ground-breaking milestone of 240 billion URLs, in October 2013, the company announced the Save a Page feature which allows any Internet user to archive the contents of a URL. This became a threat of abuse by the service for hosting malicious binaries, as of December 2014, the Wayback Machine contained almost nine petabytes of data and was growing at a rate of about 20 terabytes each week. Between October 2013 and March 2015 the websites global Alexa rank changed from 162 to 208, in a 2009 case, Netbula, LLC v. Chordiant Software Inc. defendant Chordiant filed a motion to compel Netbula to disable the robots. Netbula objected to the motion on the ground that defendants were asking to alter Netbulas website, in an October 2004 case, Telewizja Polska USA, Inc. v. Echostar Satellite, No.02 C3293,65 Fed. 673, a litigant attempted to use the Wayback Machine archives as a source of admissible evidence, Telewizja Polska is the provider of TVP Polonia and EchoStar operates the Dish Network
39.
Naga Regiment
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The Naga Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is among the youngest regiments of the Indian Army - the first battalion was raised in Ranikhet in 1970, the regiment recruits mainly from Nagaland. During 1960, the delegation of the Naga Peoples Convention put forward a proposal for a regiment to fulfill their desire of playing a greater role in the Defence Forces of India. The Naga Regiment was the first infantry regiment to be raised in post-independence India, Nagaland attained its statehood in 1963 and the Naga Regiment was formed seven years later. But even before their training could be completed and the recruits were administered oath, bypassing the training schedule, the Naga Regiment was ordered to move into the concentration areas. The Regiment was pushed into the war with barely any preparation, the first battalion of the regiment was raised at the Kumaon Regimental Centre, Ranikhet on 1 November 1970 under the command of Lt. Col. R. N. Being the only battalion, it was designated as the Naga Regiment. The manpower to raise this battalion was provided by battalions of the Kumaon Regiment,69 Nagas were enrolled directly from rehabilitation camps of underground Nagas. However, the troops were to be 50% Nagas and 50% of an equal number of Kumaoni, Garhwali. The second battalion was raised on 11 February 1985 at Haldwani, the traditional Naga weapons viz the Dao, the Spear and the prestigious Mithun have been integrated into the Regimental Crest. The regiments colours are gold, green and red - the gold signifies the rising sun, the green signifies the infantry and red is the colour of authority among Nagas. 1 Naga was presented with Colours on 6 May 1978 at Dehradun by Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, sharma, PVSM, ADC, the Chief of Army Staff. It was in this sector the second Naga battalion participated in one of the landmark operations - Operation Romeo, the goal of this operation was to dominate the LoC. The entire operation was carried out with precision and without any casualties to Indian troops. 1st Naga Battalion took part in Bangladesh operations and earned a name for the Regiment and it was awarded one Vir Chakra and three Sena Medals. The battalion was the first one to be inducted into Operation Vijay in the Drass Sector on 11 May 1999, during this operation, the battalion performed with distinction and displayed indomitable resolve and valour in the face of the enemy. The battalion captured Black Rock, Thums Up, Pyramid, Pimple Hill, the regiment, fighting against heavy odds in the Tiger Hill complex, captured North Bump, killing 15 Pakistan Army soldiers including one officer, Captain Imtiaz of 69 Field Regiment. 2 Naga lost Captain Prem Raj, an artillery Forward Observation Officer and 10 soldiers of their battalion, the first battalion was awarded with two Vir Chakra and two Sena Medals for their outstanding performance during this operation
40.
Sikh Light Infantry
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The Sikh Light Infantry, previously known as The Mazabhi and Ramdasia Sikh Regiment, is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. Its name was changed to the Sikh Light Infantry in 1944, the Sikh Light Infantry is the successor unit to the Mazhabi Sikh Pioneers 23rd, 32nd and 34th Sikh Pioneers. The Sikh Light Infantry inherited the honours, colours and traditions of the Mazhabi Sikh Pioneers on its merging with a few Ramdasia companies in 1941. The Sikh Light Infantry recruits Mazhabi Sikh and Ramdasia soldiers who are famous for their extraordinary courage, today, the Sikh Light Infantry has expanded beyond its primary infantry role and holds an elite regimental status. The 9th battalion of the Sikh Light Infantry conducts special amphibious assaults similar in nature to the Royal Marines of the United Kingdom, the 11th battalion of the Sikh Light Infantry has earned the nickname Steel Fist. The versatility of the Sikh Light Infantry has seen the regiment conduct operations from conventional warfare on the Siachen Glacier, the Sikh Light Infantry also conducts operations as part of the United Nations Emergency Force. The regimental motto is Deg Tegh Fateh, meaning prosperity in peace, the motto has great significance with the tenth and most martial Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh], as the Mazhabis are very closely associated with him. The Sikh Light Infantry insignia is a Chakram or Quoit, with a mounted Kirpan, the insignia was designed to honour the Mazhabi Sikh communitys Akali Nihang ancestry. The former Chief of Army Staff, General Bikram Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM and he is also the Colonel Of The Regiment The Sikh Light Infantry. The Sikh Light Infantry and the Sikh Regiment, the former with 18 regular battalions and together totalling 36 battalions, the Sikh Pioneers were disbanded on 10 February 1933 were re-raised to fight in the Second World War, beginning with the First Battalion on 1 October 1941. Recruitment was opened up to the Ramdasia Sikhs, the Sikh Light Infantry is now an 18-battalion strong regiment that is capable of rapid deployment in defence or attack. A further 16 battalions have been raised since Indias independence, the Sikh Light Infantry has provided support for Parachute Regiment with its 2nd battalion augmenting the strength of the 50th Parachute Brigade in the 1961 invasion of Goa. Here they supported the main thrust of the attack as part of its western column and they moved rapidly across minefields, roadblocks and four riverine obstacles to be the first to reach Panjim. The Mazhabi Sikhs dominated this order throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Chakram and Kirpan were combined to make the Sikh Light Infantry Insignia. Due to the origin of its recruits, the Regiment maintains not only a strong Sikh culture. The Sikh faith plays a role in the day-to-day life and functioning of the regiment. The Sikh Light Infantry maintains its own regimental gurdwara for the worship for its soldiers. The Sikh recruits of the regiment have a long and strong standing history with the Sikh religion, the Mazhabi Sikhs had long stood in the armies of the Sikhs Tenth Guru and in the later Khalsa Army raised by Ranjit Singh. which forged and established the Sikh Empire
41.
Assam Regiment
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The Assam Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment consists of 22 battalions,15 regular battalions,3 Rashtriya Rifles battalions,3 Territorial Army infantry battalions and 1 battalion of Arunachal Scouts and it recruits exclusively from all the Seven Sister States of northeast India. The Regimental Center is situated at Happy Valley, Shillong, Meghalaya, the regiments emblem is the rhino, which is worn on the berets and belts that the soldiers wear. Rhinos in India are commonly found in the state of Assam, the regimental salutation of tagra raho is unique in the Indian Army. This unique greeting was introduced by the commanding officer during the 1960s. He used to inquire about the morale of his soldiers by asking them tagra ho, invariably, the answer used to be tagra hai saheb. This greeting became popular in a short period of time. The regiment earned high praise for its skills in World War II. After independence, the regiment increased in size and its battalions have taken part in all wars and it was awarded a battle honour for its tenacious defence at Chamb in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Two battalions were part of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces in Sri Lanka in 1988, three Territorial Army battalions and three Rashtriya Rifles battalions are affiliated with the regiment. The unique cultural and tribal character of the regiment makes for a combination of cheerful, tough and willing soldiers who excel in operations in mountainous. The regimental colours are black and gold and scarlet, badges are silver with black backings. When spoken in the regiment, it is a quaint and unique mixture of Hindi generously sprinkled with words from all the northeastern languages and sounds cryptic to the uninitiated. The area of Elephant Falls in Shillong was chosen to raise the first battalion and here, under British instructors, within six months of its raising, the regiment was ordered to move to Digboi to defend the oil fields. In early 1942, it moved to Ledo and was involved in reconnoitering the alignment for the famous Stilwell Road, in 1944, when the invasion of India by Japan was imminent, the regiment was moved to Jessami and Kharasom to delay the advance of the Japanese 31st Division. In its very first operation, the regiment won 71 gallantry awards, in addition, the regiment won six battle honours including Jessami, Kohima, Aradura, Toungoo, Kyaukmyaung bridge-head and Mawlaik. It was also awarded the theatre honour Burma, 1942-45, seldom has a regiment won so many gallantry awards, battle honours and theatre awards in a single campaign. After independence, the battalions of the regiment participated in all the conflicts against China and Pakistan, comprising exclusively troops from all the seven North-Eastern states, the regiment has established itself as a highly respected infantry regiment of Indian Army
42.
Bihar Regiment
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The Bihar Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment can trace its origins back to the British Indian Army, the Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment, and raising new battalions. The Bihar Regimental Centre is located at Danapur Cantonment, the second oldest cantonment of India, the Bihar Regiment traces its origins to the sepoy battalions raised in 1757 by Lord Clive of the British East India Company at Patna. These were formed by the men from the Bhojpur region of Bihar and their success in combat impressed Mir Kasim, who began raising units trained in western combat techniques. Bihari battalions raised by Mir Kasim defeated the British in some engagements, the Bihari, or Purbiya, soldiers thereafter made up the backbone of the Bengal Infantry of the British Colonial Army. They mainly belonged to the Rajput and Bhumihar castes and they were not only excellent soldiers, but also quick to learn and apply the tactical drills with initiative. They were disciplined when led by officers, but capable of hostility when their beliefs. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the introduction of greased cartridges, was led by Bihari troops, biharis thereafter were not encouraged to enter military service by the British until after World War I. The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 during World War II by regularising the 11th Battalion, the 2nd Battalion was raised in 1942. The newly raised 1 Bihar saw action in the Burma Campaign, winning battle honours for gallant actions at Haka,2 Bihar formed part of Operation Zipper for the reoccupation of British Malaya. Thereafter, both participated in the undeclared war in the Kashmir Valley during 1948-49. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965,7 Bihar captured Bedori, by the start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Regiment had expanded to 11 battalions. The sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth and eleventh battalions participated in operations in the eastern sector,10 Bihar was conferred the theatre honour East Pakistan for the capture of Akhaura. On 15 December 1971, an expedition was launched at Coxs Bazar to prevent Pakistani troops from escaping into Burma. 11 Bihar formed part of this task force. In the Western theatre of the war,3 Bihar captured Wanjal, in the Spring of 1999, Pakistani soldiers posing as Kashimiri militants crossed the L. O. C. in Kargil and entered Indian territory. Operation Vijay was launched by the Indian Army to flush out the intruders, more than 10,000 soldiers and officers of the Bihar Regiment were deployed to Kargil. In a well planned operation in the Batalik sector, soldiers of 1 Bihar, in a fight with the Pakistan Army, captured Point 4268
43.
Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry
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The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regimental center is in Srinagars Airport Complex at Avantipur with a winter setup near Jammu and its regimental insignia consists of a pair of crossed rifles. The regiment mostly consists of volunteers from the state of Jammu & Kashmir, 50% of the regiments troops are Muslims while the rest represent other ethnic groups from the state. In response to the Pakistani invasion of Kashmir in 1947, local militias were raised for specific sectors, such as Jammu, Leh, Nubra, the militias were a paramilitary force under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs and operated on the Line of Control. Following the Sino-Indian War of 1962, in 1963 the 7th and 14th Battalions of the J&K Militia were spun off to form the Ladakh Scouts, the militias conducted themselves with great distinction during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and earned 3 Battle Honours during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. The troopers of the force felt strongly that they wanted the dignity and privileges of an army unit. These efforts bore fruit, and in 1972, the J&K Militia was converted to a full-fledged Army regiment as the Jammu, brigadier Puar went on to become the first Colonel of the Regiment. In 1976, the regiment was renamed as the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, the JAK LI has served with honor in numerous theaters. In 1984, JAK LI was deployed to the Siachen Glacier, the 8th JAK LI earned great honour by capturing a Pakistani post at 21,000 feet at the Siachen Glacier in 1987. Naib Subedar Bana Singh, 8th JAK LI, earned the Param Vir Chakra for the Regiment in this battle and he is the first and only recipient of the PVC for the Regiment. Major VS Minhas and 2nd Lt Rajiv Pande won a Vir Chakra, in 1987, JAK LI was deployed to Sri Lanka during Operation Pawan. In 1992–93, a unit from JAK LI Regt. ie 2JAKLI was deployed as a part of UNISOM II, in 1999, JAK LI earned honours in the Kargil War. The overall performance of the battalion during Operation Vijay was exceptional and marked with exemplary valour and grit in the face of the enemy
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1 Gorkha Rifles
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1 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha infantry regiment of the Indian Army composed of Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin, especially martial tribes of Magars and Gurungs. The regiment has a history and has participated in many conflicts, including many of the colonial conflicts prior to Indian independence, as well as the First. Since 1947 the regiment has participated in a number of campaigns against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 as well as undertaking peacekeeping duties as part of the United Nations. As a result, during the post war settlement a clause was inserted into the Treaty of Sugauli enabling the British to recruit Gorkhas, on 24 April 1815 at Subathu, the East India Company formed a regiment with the survivors of Thapas army calling it the First Nusseree Battalion. The formation of this unit marks the beginning of the history of the first Gorkha regiment, in 1846 the First Anglo-Sikh War began and the Regiment was heavily involved in the conflict. It was awarded two battle honours for its involvement in the war, at the Battle of Aliwal which saw the Sikh forces, the Regiment saw service during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 which began in 1857. The following year Lieutenant John Adam Tytler became the first Gurkha officer to be awarded the Victoria Cross, in 1861 the Regiment gained its present numerical designation when it became the 1st Goorkha Regiment. In 1875 the Regiment, under the command of Colonel James Sebastian Rawlins, was sent abroad for the first time, during the conflict Captain George Nicolas Channer was awarded the Victoria Cross for his valiant actions against the Malayans. The Regiment took part in the Second Afghan War in 1878 where they were part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, in 1886 the Regiment became the 1st Goorkha Light Infantry and a 2nd Battalion was raised in February. In 1891 the Regiment was designated a Rifle regiment when it became the 1st Gurkha Regiment, the Regiment then took part in operations in Burma and the North-West Frontier campaigns in the 1890s, at Waziristan in 1894 and the Tirah campaign in 1897. In 1901 the Regiments title was shortened when it became the 1st Gurkha Rifles and in 1903 its title was changed once more, the Regiment was located near Dharamsala when the 1905 Kangra earthquake struck on 4 April, killing 20,000 people. The 1st Gurkhas themselves suffered over 60 fatalities, in 1906 its title was changed to the 1st Prince of Waless Own Gurkha Rifles in honour of George, Prince of Wales who also became Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment that year. In 1910 King George V ascended to the throne and in consequence the title of the regiment was changed to the 1st King Georges Own Gurkha Rifles, in August 1914 the First World War began. In December, the 1st Battalion was deployed to the Western Front in France as part of the Sirhind Indian Infantry Brigade, the 1st Battalions first taste of trench warfare came when they were involved in the defence of Givenchy shortly after. After braving a winter in the trenches, on 10 March 1915 the 1st Battalion took part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle which lasted until 13 March. In April the Battalion took part in the Second Battle of Ypres, fighting in the subsidiary Battle of St. Julien which began on 24 April and concluded on 4 May. As a result, in December 1915 it was decided that the units of the Indian Corps would be withdrawn from France. As a result, the 1st Battalion, along with the rest of the 3rd Division, was sent to Mesopotamia to take part in the campaign against the Ottomans which had begun in 1914, the Sirhind Brigade was given a numerical designation, the 8th Brigade
45.
3 Gorkha Rifles
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The 3 Gorkha Rifles is an Indian Army infantry regiment comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was originally a Gurkha regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1815 and they were present at a number of actions and wars including the Siege of Delhi in 1857 to the First and Second World Wars. Prior to independence, the regiment was known as the 3rd Queen Alexandras Own Gurkha Rifles, in 1950 the regiments title was changed to 3 Gorkha Rifles. Since 1947 the regiment has participated in a number of conflicts including the 1947 and 1971 wars against Pakistan, the regiment was raised during the Gurkha War by Sir Robert Colquhoun on 24 April 1815 as the Kemaoon Battalion. It did not consist entirely of Gurkhas but of men from Kumaon, the regiment adopted the tartan of the Clan Colquhoun. The regiment was used to police the border with Nepal. The battalion was involved in the efforts to quell it. The mutiny was quelled by July 1858, the regiment saw service in an expedition to Bhutan shortly after the name change. In 1878 the Second Afghan War began and the regiment, as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Kandahar Field Force, the field force successfully captured the city on 8 January 1879, having experienced great hardship on the march there. The following year the Kandahar Force began the march towards the Afghan capital Kabul to join Major-General Roberts force in an attempt to consolidate their situation in the country. During the journey, near Ghaziri, the force were attacked by a force of Afghan tribesmen at Ahmad Khel on 19 April 1880. The fighting that ensued was intense and the field forces situation was in the balance until the Afghan forces were repulsed when the 3rd Goorkhas formed an infantry square. The regiment took part in the Third Burmese War after it began in 1885, in 1887 the 2nd Battalion was formed, consisting entirely of Garhwalis, but this was separated from the regiment in 1890 to form the 39th Regiment of Bengal Light Infantry. A new 2nd Battalion for the 3rd Goorkhas was raised that year and in 1891 the Regiment was designated a rifle regiment. The battalion was part of the Tirah Field Force intended to put down a large tribal revolt by the Afridi and Orakzais, orchestrated by Afghanistan. The 3rd Gurkhas took part in the advance into the Tirah Region, after this was done the force marched on Dargai where they intended to take the heights above Dargai, controlled by tribal forces. The operation to retake the heights began with a bombardment at 10. The regiment took part in the assault, positioned at the forefront of the attack with the 2nd Gurkha Rifles
46.
4 Gorkha Rifles
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The 4 Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 4 GR, is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Indian and Nepalese nationality, especially Magars and Gurungs hill tribes of Nepal. The Fourth Gorkha Rifles has five infantry battalions, the regiment was raised in 1857 as part of the British Indian Army. In 1947, after Indias independence, the Fourth Gorkhas became part of the Indian Army, the regiment has seen action in wars in Africa, Europe and Asia, including the Second Afghan War, the Boxer Rebellion, World War I, and World War II. Since Independence, in 1947, the regiment has seen action in the India-Pakistan Wars of 1947–48,1965,1971,1987, and 1999, the Regiment has also participated in UN Peace-keeping Missions. In 1857, in the wake of the 1857 rebellion, an Extra Goorkha Regiment, was raised at Pithoragarh, as part of the old Indian army, and was briefly known as 19th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. Following the decision in 1861, to number the Goorkha Regiments sequentially, in order of raising, in 1950, after India become a republic, the appellation PWO was discarded. Bakloh, a station, remained the home, and the Regimental Center and Depot, of the 4th Gurkha Rifles, for 82 years. In 1900 the Regiment formed part of the Expeditionary Force deployed to China in response to the Boxer Rebellion, the orbat of Sirhind Brigade included one British infantry battalion, one Indian and two Gurkha. The battalion arrived at Marseilles from Egypt on 30 November, and was deployed to the front in December 1914. As a part of the Sirhind brigade, 1/4 GR GR saw action in the battles of Givenchy, Neuve Chapelle and Ypres, in April 1916 the 3rd Division was deployed to Mesopotamia. The 2nd Battalion 4th Gurkha Rifles saw service in Mesopotamia, present day Iraq, 3rd Battalion, 4th Gurkha Rifles, was ordered to be raised during the war, but due to a clerical error the 4th Battalion, 3rd Gurkha Rifles was raised. 3/4 GR was eventual raised in World War II, in Bakloh, during World War II, the third and fourth battalions were raised in Bakloh, on 15 November 1940 and on 15 March 1941 respectively. During the Burma Campaign the first battalion formed part of 48 Infantry Brigade and it took part in the Battle of Sittang Bridge in February 1942, and the retreat into India. During this period the battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Joe Lentaigne, in 1944 the battalion suffered very high casualties in the Battle of Imphal. Soon after it was raised in October 1940, the battalion was assigned to the 111th Indian Infantry Brigade. This brigade was part of the Chindits and was commanded by Joe Lentaigne and it took part in the Second Chindit Expedition, Operation Thursday, in 1944. When Major General Orde Wingate, the commander of the Chindits, was killed in an air crash. Major John Masters took command of the body of 111 Brigade
47.
5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
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The 5 Gorkha Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Indian and Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army and served in the First World War, the regiment was one of the Gurkha regiments that was transferred to the Indian Army following independence in 1947. The regiment was known as the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles. Since 1947, the regiment has served in a number of conflicts, including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and it has also participated in peacekeeping operations in Sri Lanka. The regiment was raised in 1858 as the 25th Punjab Infantry, the soldiers of the regiment originated from the Kingdom of Nepal and in 1861 it was renamed the 5th Gurkha Regiment. The regiments first major action was during the Second Afghan War, in 1891 the regiment was awarded the prestigious title of a Rifle regiment and became 5th Gurkha Regiment which was shortened to 5th Gurkha Rifles in 1901. This connection was reflected when in 1903, the regiment was renamed the 5th Gurkha Rifles, during the First World War, the regiment primarily saw service in the Middle East—the 1st Battalion saw extensive and hard service at Gallipoli in 1915. During the withdrawal, a company of the 5th Gurkhas were among the last troops to leave, the 2nd Battalion initially served in India with the 2nd Division before transferring to Mesopotamia in April 1916 and joining the 42nd Indian Brigade, 15th Indian Division. The 1st Battalion joined them in March 1917 from the 1st Division, a 3rd Battalion was raised for service on the North-West Frontier, before being disbanded in 1921. In 1921, the regiment was given the title the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, during the inter-war period, the regiment received three further battle honours, for the Third Afghan War in 1919, and two for service on the North West Frontier. The regiment together with the 13th Duke of Connaughts Own Lancers were the only units awarded such honours, during the Second World War, the 1st Battalion 5th Gurkhas as part of the 8th Indian Infantry Divisions 17th Indian Infantry Brigade served in the Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre. Rifleman Thaman Gurung of the 1st Battalion won the Victoria Cross while serving in Italy, when the bridge over the river was blown up, preventing the Japanese forces from entering India, many of the regiment were left on the wrong side. The regiment was involved in the re-entry into Burma in 1943 where three members of the regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross. After the war, the 2nd Battalion was re-issued with new uniforms, equipment and transport, the Battalion had the unique distinction of getting four Battle Honours for the five battles fought. Major I M Brown of the 4th Battalion was one of the few soldiers of the Second World War who was awarded the Military Cross three times. On Independence, the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles was one of the six Gurkha regiments that remained part of the new Indian Army, during this deployment, the 4th battalions commander, Lieutenant Colonel Bawa, was injured and later died, along with many of his officers and soldiers. The regiments present headquarters are at Shillong, in North-Eastern India, 1858–1861, 25th Punjab Infantry 1861–1891, 5th Gurkha Regiment 1891–1901, 5th Gurkha Regiment 1901–1903, 5th Gurkha Rifles 1903–1950, 5th Gurkha Rifles 1950–present, 5th Gorkha Rifles. History of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, 1858–1947, Aldershot, UK, sons of John Company, A History of the Indian and Pakistan Armies
48.
9 Gorkha Rifles
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The 9 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. The regiment was formed by the British in 1817, and was one of the Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independence as part of the tripartite agreement in 1947. This Gorkha regiment mainly recruits soldiers who come from the Chhetri and Thakuri clans of Nepal, domiciled Indian Gorkhas are also taken, and they form about 20 percent of the regiments total strength. The 9 Gorkha Rifles is one of the seven Gorkha regiments of the Indian Army, the other regiments are 1 GR,3 GR,4 GR,5 GR,8 GR and 11 GR. The history of the 9 Gorkha Rifles dates back to 1817, in 1823, it was renamed the 63rd Regiment, and was formed as a regular unit as part of the Bengal Native Infantry. By then the regiment had fought at Bhartpur and in the difficult Battle of Sobraon in the First Anglo-Sikh War. By 1893, the regiment became a wholly Gorkha unit of Khas origin, in 1903, the regiment was designated 9th Gurkha Rifles. 9 GR fought in World War I in Europe, and in the war years took part in the operations on the North West Frontier. It was soldiers of the regiment under the command of Brigadier General Reginald Dyer who fired into the crowd at the Amritsar Massacre, in World War II, the regiments battalions fought in Malaya, Italy and North Africa. The 3/9 GR and 4/9 GR formed part of the Chindit operations in Burma, stafford Beer served as an officer with the regiment 1945-7. India gained its independence in 1947 and 9 Gorkha Rifles was one of six Gurkha regiments allocated to the Indian Army as part of the Tripartite Agreement between Britain, India and Nepal. Since 1947 the regiment has fought in the 1962 Indo-China War, the battalions of the Regiment were involved in the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. Major Frank Gerald Blaker, Highland Light Infantry, attached to 3rd Battalion,9 July 1944, Taunggyi, rifleman Sher Bahadur Thapa, 1st Battalion,18 September 1944, San Marino, Italy. John Bradburne, M. C. afterwards the Vagabond of God M N Rai, bernard Dineen, afterwards an award winning journalist for The Yorkshire Post Citations Bibliography Cross, J. P. Gurung, Buddhiman. Gurkhas at War, Eyewitness Accounts from World War II to Iraq, the Gurkhas, The Inside Story of the Worlds Most Feared Soldiers. Battle Honours of the Indian Army 1757–1971
India
Indian Army
images of the Mechanised Infantry showing the combat vehicles.
Indian Army Mechanised Infantry describing the weapons, vehicle and soldiers