1st Armoured Division (India)

Last updated

1st Armoured Division
Founded1 September 1945;79 years ago (1 September 1945)
CountryFlag of India.svg India
BranchFlag of Indian Army.svg  Indian Army
Type Armoured
Size Division
Part of II Corps
Garrison/HQ Patiala [1]
Nickname(s)Airawat Division (The Black Elephant Division)
Mascot(s)The Indian elephant
Engagements Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri
Rajinder Singh 'Sparrow'

The 1st Armoured Division is an armoured division of the Indian Army, headquartered at Patiala, Punjab. It is part of II Corps of the Indian Army's Western Command.

Contents

Formation

The division was formed when the 31st Indian Armoured Division was re-designated on 1 September 1945. [2]

The 1st Armoured Division was one of two divisional headquarters transferred from the British Indian Army to the Indian Army upon the partition of British India in August 1947. [fn 1] At the time, it had its divisional headquarters at Secunderabad and the 43rd Lorried Infantry Brigade away with the Punjab Boundary Force. In June 1946, the wartime 255th Indian Tank Brigade was redesignated as 1st Armoured Brigade and assigned to 1st Armoured Division. [4]

Operation Polo

The division played a major role in Operation Polo, the integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union in 1948. During this time Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri was serving as the division's commander, also serving as Military Governor of the state in the immediate aftermath of the invasion. For the Hyderabad operation, the division controlled the 1st Armoured Brigade and the 7th and 9th Infantry Brigades. [5]

The order of battle (ORBAT) for the division was as follows [6] -

Strike Force

Smash Force - 1 Armoured Brigade (Brigadier S.D Verma)

Kill Force - 7 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Gurbachan Singh)

Vir Force - 9 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Apji Randhir Singh)

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The 1st Armoured Division with Major General Rajinder Singh 'Sparrow' as the GOC played an important role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his role during the war. [7] [8]

The division was part of the I Corps on the western front. The order of battle was as follows [9] [10] -

1 Armoured Division (Major General Rajinder Singh)

The major battles fought by the division include the Battle of Phillora and the Battle of Chawinda. [11] [12] At the time of the cease-fire, 1 Corps held around 500 square kilometres of Pakistani territory and had caused substantial damage to the enemy armour. Lieutenant Colonel A B Tarapore, 17 Horse was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, Major General Rajinder Singh, GOC, 1 Armoured Division, Brig KK Singh, Commander 1 Armoured Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel MMS Bakshi, Commandant 4 Horse, and Major Bhupinder Singh, 4 Horse were awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. [13] [14] [15]

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The division was under the XI Corps, but did not see action. The order of battle (ORBAT) for the division was as follows [16] -

1 Armoured Division (Major General Gurbachan Singh)

(all equipped with Vijayanta tanks)

(all equipped with TOPAS armoured personnel carriers)

The Present

Following the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war, the division was re-organised with the 1st and 43rd Armoured Brigades and relocated in 1972 to Ambala. In 1984, it was reorganized with the 1st, 43rd and 98th Armoured Brigades. [5] At present, the Divisional Headquarters is located at Patiala as are the 43 and 98 Armoured Brigades. 1 Armoured Brigade is located at Nabha and 1 Artillery Brigade at Ambala.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ A third divisional headquarters, of the 4th Indian Division, had become the Punjab Boundary Force. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Infantry Division (India)</span> Infantry division of the Indian Army

The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, it took part in campaigns in East Africa, Syria, North Africa and Italy. Post independence, the division is part of the I Corps and headquartered at Prayagraj.

39th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II, which became a training division in 1943 after its recovery into India from Burma. The division was re-raised after independence and 39 Mountain Division is presently located in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh under XVI Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Grenadiers</span> Regiment of the Indian Army

The Grenadiers is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly part of the Bombay Army and later the pre-independence British Indian Army, when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers. It has distinguished itself during the two world wars and also since the Independence of India. The regiment has won many battle honours and gallantry awards, and is considered to be one of India's most decorated regiments with three Param Vir Chakra awardees in three different conflicts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Asal Uttar</span> Major battle in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles fought during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was fought from 8 to 10 September 1965, when the Pakistan Army thrust its tanks and infantry into Indian territory, capturing the Indian town of Khemkaran 5 km from the International Border. The Indian troops retaliated, and after three days of bitter fighting, the battle ended with the Pakistani forces being repulsed near Asal Uttar. Factors that contributed to this were the fierce fight put up by the Indian Army, conditions of the plains, better Indian tactics, and a successful Indian strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chawinda</span> Battle in the Indo–Pakistani War of 1965

The Battle of Chawinda was a major engagement between Pakistan and India during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 as part of the Sialkot campaign. It is well known as being one of the largest tank battles in history since the Battle of Kursk, which was fought between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th Horse (Poona Horse)</span> Indian Army regiment

The Poona Horse is an armoured regiment in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. The regiment, known before independence as The Poona Horse, was raised as a regular cavalry regiment in the Bombay Presidency army of the East India Company. It was formed from the 3rd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry, raised in 1820, and the Poona Auxiliary Horse, raised about 1817–18. The latter unit was absorbed into the regular forces about 1860 and the two regiments later became the 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry and the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardeshir Tarapore</span> Decorated officer in the Indian Army

Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore, PVC, was an Indian military officer and posthumous recipient of India's highest military award, the Param Vir Chakra. After completing his schooling in Pune, Tarapore joined the Hyderabad Army, and was commissioned in January 1942. Initially he joined the infantry, but was later transferred to an armoured regiment, the 1st Hyderabad Imperial Service Lancers. During World War II, Tarapore saw action in the Middle Eastern theatre of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th Infantry Division (India)</span> Military unit

The 8th Mountain Division was raised as the 7th Indian Infantry division of the British Indian Army. It is now part of the Indian Army and specialises in mountain warfare.

The 2nd Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II and was disbanded in 1944. In its present form, 2 Mountain Division, raised in 1962, is part of the Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10th Indian Infantry Division</span> Infantry Division of the Indian army during World War II

The 10 RAPID Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the Anglo-Iraqi War, the Invasion of Syria–Lebanon, the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the North African Campaign, and the Italian Campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Horse (Hodson's Horse)</span> Indian Army regiment

4th Horse (Hodson's Horse) is a part of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army, which had its beginnings as an irregular cavalry regiment during the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The 11th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It formed part of Indian III Corps in the Malaya Command during the Battle of Malaya. The division was re-raised on 1 April 1965 and is presently part of the XII Corps of Southern Command. It is presently responsible for safeguarding the borders with Pakistan along Southern Rajasthan and Gujarat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)</span> Armoured regiment of the Indian Army

The 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) is one of the oldest and a highly decorated armoured regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment was formed by the amalgamation of two of the oldest regiments of the Bengal Army – the 2nd Royal Lancers (Gardner's Horse) and the 4th Cavalry.

The 15th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It served in the Mesopotamian Campaign on the Euphrates Front throughout its existence. It did not serve in the Second World War, but was reformed at Dehradun in 1964 as part of the post-independence Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th Light Cavalry</span> Indian Army unit

The 16th Light Cavalry is a regiment of the Armoured Corps, a primary combat arm of the Indian Army. Prior to India gaining independence from the British in 1947, it was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1776 and is the oldest armoured regiment raised in India. The 16th Light Cavalry saw service in a number of conflicts ranging from the Second Anglo-Mysore War in 1781 to World War II. It has a number of battle honours including "Punjab 1965" earned during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">31st Indian Armoured Division</span> Armoured Division of the Indian army during World War II

The 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, originally as the 1st Indian Armoured Division; it consisted of units of the British Army and the British Indian Army. When it was raised, it consisted of two Armoured Brigades and one Motor Brigade.

The Indian Army had no standby force ready in 1971 with the specific task of attacking East Pakistan, one of the many reasons why India did not immediately intervene after Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight in March 1971. Indian Army's Eastern Command was tasked with defending the northern and eastern borders and fighting the insurgencies in Nagaland, Mizoram and Naxalites in West Bengal at that time.

The 268th Indian Infantry Brigade is an infantry formation of the Indian Army, previously of the British Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">54th Infantry Division (India)</span> Indian Army infantry division

The 54th Infantry Division is an Infantry division of the Indian Army. The Division was raised as an Infantry Division, but was converted into a Reorganised Amphibious Formation (RAMFOR) in 2011. It is currently the only division of the Indian Army which carries out Amphibious warfare. The division is headquartered at Secunderabad in Telangana and is a part of XXI Corps. The Division is commanded by an Officer of the rank of Major General titled General Officer Commanding (GOC).

The Structure of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force over the course of the First World War is shown below.

References

  1. ↑ "Western Command chief reviews preparedness of Airawat Division". 5 June 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  2. ↑ Rikhye, Ravi (25 August 2002). "Indian Armored Divisions in World War II". orbat.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Rinaldi & Rikhye (2011), p. 33.
  4. ↑ Rinaldi & Rikhye (2011), p. 166.
  5. 1 2 Rinaldi & Rikhye (2011), p. 35.
  6. ↑ "Operation Polo: The Liberation Of Hyderabad". 1 November 1999. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  7. ↑ "Major General Rajinder Singh Sparrow, MVC, GOC 1st Armoured Division". Bharat Rakshak . Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Former Congress (I) MP Rajinder Singh Sparrow passes away: Signposts". India Today . 15 May 1994. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Singh, Harbaksh (2012). War Despatches: Indo-Pak Conflict 1965. Lancer Publishers LLC. ISBN   978-8170621171.
  10. ↑ "Battle of Phillora 1965 War". 20 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "Armour Operations:Indo-Pak Conflict 1965" (PDF). Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "Tales of Valour: The Battle of Phillora and Chawinda". 4 January 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "Gazette of India, No 7" (PDF). 12 February 1966. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Gazette of India, No 1" (PDF). 1 January 1966. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Operations of 1 Corps". 15 September 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  16. ↑ Gill, JH (2003). An Atlas Of 1971 India Pakistan War - Creation of Bangladesh. National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. p. 88.
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.