55 Division (Sri Lanka)

Last updated
55 Division
Active1996 - Present
Country Sri Lanka
Branch Sri Lanka Army
TypeInfantry Division
Part of Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna (SFHQ-J)
Garrison/HQ Elephant Pass Military Base
Engagements Sri Lankan Civil War
Commanders
Current
commander
Major General MKUP Gunarathna

The 55 Division is an elite division of the Sri Lanka Army. A principal offensive division it is currently deployed for combat operations in the Jaffna Peninsula and is under the command of Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna.

Contents

Current formation

Sri Lankan Civil War

Towns captured by 55 Division

#Area Liberated [1] Date
1 Battle of Chalai 5 February 2009

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Korea Army</span> Land warfare branch of South Koreas military

The Republic of Korea Army, also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 420,000 members as of 2020. This size is maintained through conscription; South Korean men must complete military service between the age of 18 and 35.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Peace Keeping Force</span> Military unit in the Sri Lankan Civil War

Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lankan Civil War between Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan military.

The 55th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Army</span> Land force of the Sri Lankan armed forces

The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. In 2010, the Army had approximately 200,000 regular personnel, between 20,000 and 40,000 reserve (volunteer) personnel and 18,000 National Guardsmen and comprises 13 divisions, one air-mobile brigade, one commando brigade, one special forces brigade, one independent armored brigade, three mechanized infantry brigades and over 40 infantry brigades. From the 1980s to 2009, the army was engaged in the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Operation Pawan was the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil Tigers, in late 1987 to enforce the disarmament of the LTTE as a part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. In brutal fighting lasting about three weeks, the IPKF took control of the Jaffna Peninsula from the LTTE, something that the Sri Lankan Army had tried but failed to do. Supported by Indian Army tanks, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery, the IPKF routed the LTTE at the cost of 214 soldiers and officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaffna District</span> Administrative District in Northern, Sri Lanka

Jaffna District is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the city of Jaffna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Armoured Corps</span> Military unit

The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as the T-55AM2, and type 80/88 main battle tanks; the BMP infantry fighting vehicle; and the BTR-80, and WZ551 armoured personnel carriers. It comprises six regular armoured regiments, a volunteer regiment, and a regimental band. It has an independent Armoured Brigade and is headquartered at Rock House Army Camp, Colombo.

The Second Battle of Elephant Pass, was a battle fought in April 2000 for the control of the Sri Lankan military base in Elephant Pass, Jaffna.

The Battle of Jaffna was a battle fought in two phases in August and October 2006 for the Jaffna peninsula. It was the fourth battle for the peninsula since the start of the Sri Lankan civil war.

Operation Riviresa, was a combined military operation launched by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces in Jaffna. Starting on 17 October 1995, the primary objective of the operation was the capture of the city of Jaffna and rest of the Jaffna peninsula from the LTTE. It is believed that Operation Riviresa was the largest and most successful military operation in Sri Lankan Armed Forces during the Third Eelam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechanized Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The Mechanized Infantry Regiment (MIR) is a mechanized infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of four regular battalions and a volunteer battalion. Establish in 2007 by Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka its battalions are equipped with Type 63 and WZ551 armoured personnel carriers make up the Mechanized Infantry Brigade. It is the youngest Infantry regiment of the Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna</span> Military unit

Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna (SFHQ-J) is a regional command of the Sri Lanka Army, that is responsible for the operational deployment and command all army units stationed in and around the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province.

The 58 Division is a division of the Sri Lanka Army formed in 2008, prior to which it was known as Task Force 1 from 2007 to 2009. A principal offensive division, it is currently deployed for combat operations in the Wanni region. The Special Forces Brigade has been attached to the division.

The 53 Division is an elite division of the Sri Lanka Army. Trained and formed in 1996 under the leadership of US military officers, the unit was used as a principal offensive division during the War, having been deployed for combat operations in the Jaffna Peninsula, and is under the command of Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna. 98% of the soldiers were “regulars”, meaning previous generations of their families had served or were serving in the military. The brigades of the 53 Division are also trained by the US Special Forces, which have been closely involved with its development and training since 1997. The 53 division consists of the Airmobile Brigade, a Mechanised Infantry Brigade and a Special Forces Brigade. At present, it is headquartered at Inamaluwa, Dambulla and serves as one of two infantry divisions in the Reserve Strike Force (RSF) under the direct command of the I Corps capable of acting as a rapid reaction force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. A. Chandrasiri</span> Sri Lankan senior army officer, politician

Major General Gammanpila Arachchige Chandrasiri, RWP, USP, ndc, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan senior army officer and a provincial governor. He is the Governor of Northern Province. he was the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna ; General Officer Commanding, 52 Division;, Director General - General Staff, Joint Operations Headquarters; Brigade Commander Armoured Brigade and Commander, Area Headquarters Mannar.

Divisions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam refers to the military, intelligence and overseas divisions the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Most of these divisions were destroyed during the Eelam War IV, and only parts of the intelligence and financing divisions remain overseas.

The 165th (Liverpool) Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that served during the First World War, with the 55th Division. During the Second World War, as part of the 55th Infantry Division, the brigade remained in the United Kingdom.

Major General Jeewaka Ruwan Kulatunga, RSP, ndc, psc, is a retired Sri Lankan general. He served as the Chief of National Intelligence having served as the Commandant of the Defence Services Command and Staff College and the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University.

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-02-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)