Punjab Boundary Force

Last updated

The Punjab Boundary Force was an ad hoc military force to restore law and order during the communal carnages of the partition of India in the Punjab. The force was based on the 4th Indian Division and commanded by Maj Gen T.W. Rees. The force was unable to execute its task successfully and it was disbanded so that the newly formed dominion armies of India and Pakistan could take charge of the situation. [1]

Contents

Composition

The Force had approximately 15 Indian and 10 Pakistani battalions, and comprised 5th Indian Infantry Brigade, 11th Indian Infantry Brigade of the division and three additional brigades, namely the 14 Parachute Brigade (which became part of the Pakistan Army), 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade (Lorried) (ex 1 Armoured Division), and 114th Indian Infantry Brigade. [2] The 50th Parachute Brigade and 77th Parachute Brigade (both formerly with 2nd Airborne Division), as well as the 123rd Indian Infantry Brigade, were attached to the Force.

Formation and disbandment

The Boundary Force was established on July 17, 1947, with its headquarters at Lahore. It became operational on August 1, 1947, but was disbanded on September 1 because of its ineffectiveness in controlling the riots breaking out in consequence of Partition.

Maj Gen Rees was provided Brig D.S. Brar and Brig M. Ayub Khan (who later became field marshal and President of Pakistan) from India and Pakistan respectively as "Military Advisors". He was later provided Brig K.S. Thimayya (India) and Brig Nazir Ahmed (Pakistan) as "Alternate Military Advisors". However, Gen Rees refused to heed advice from his advisors, which led to his being criticised; he rebuked Thimayya that he was not going to take advice from him being ten years his senior. [1] :106–107 In addition, Rees was criticised by politicians from both sides. [3] :372

In the 25 August meeting of the Joint Defence Council at Lahore, Gen Rees stated that the Boundary Force was fatigued and their mood explosive. The British officers, he said, had done their best and the situation was beyond salvation. He further recommended that the two dominions now take responsibility for the security of refugees on their respective sides of the border. [1] :109 After Rees handed over, Major General K. S. Thimayya reportedly took over command of the Boundary Force.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force) was a regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 1st Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 1st Battalion (Coke's) 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 7th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parachute Regiment (India)</span> Airborne and special forces regiment of the Indian Army

The Parachute Regiment is an airborne and special forces regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1945 as part of the British Indian Army but was disbanded after World War II and was re-raised in 1952 as part of the Indian Army. Currently it consists of fifteen Special Forces, two Territorial Army and one Rashtriya Rifles battalions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kodandera Subayya Thimayya</span> Indian Chief of Army staff

General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, DSO was the 3rd Chief of Army Staff from 1957 to 1961 during the crucial years leading up to the conflict with China in 1962. Thimayya was the only Indian to command an Infantry brigade in battle during the Second World War and is regarded as the most distinguished combat officer the Indian Army has produced. After the Korean War, Thimayya headed a United Nations unit dealing with the repatriation of prisoners of war. After his retirement from the Army, he was appointed Commander of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus from July 1964 to December 1965 and died in Cyprus while on active duty on 18 December 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th Frontier Force Regiment</span> Military unit

The 12th Frontier Force Regiment was formed in 1922 as part of the British Indian Army. It consisted of five regular battalions; numbered 1 to 5 and the 10th (Training) Battalion. During the Second World War a further ten battalions were raised. In 1945, the prenominal "12th" was dropped when the British Indian Army dispensed with prenominal numbering of its regiments. After the independence in 1947, it was formed into the Frontier Force Regiment, part of the army of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">13th Frontier Force Rifles</span> Military unit

The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Wynford Rees</span> British military officer (1898–1959)

Major General Thomas Wynford Rees, was a Welsh officer in the British Indian Army during the First World War, the interwar years and the Second World War

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd (Lahore) Division</span> Military unit

The 3rd (Lahore) Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army and before 1895, the Bengal Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops of the Ottoman Empire.

On 25 March 1971, the Pakistani military, supported by paramilitary units, launched the military operation to pacify the insurgent-held areas of East Pakistan, which led to a prolonged conflict with the Bengali Mukti Bahini. Although conventional in nature during March–May 1971, it soon turned into a guerrilla insurgency from June of that year. Indian Army had not directly supported the Bengali resistance but had launched Operation Jackpot to support the insurgency from May 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Bhopal Infantry</span> Infantry regiment of the erstwhile British Indian Army

The 9th Bhopal Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army.It was raised by Nawab of Bhopal in 1818 near Sehore. It was re-raised in 1859, as the Bhopal Levy. The regiment was disbanded for participating in war against British during 1857. It was designated as the 9th Bhopal Infantry in 1903 and became 4th Battalion (Bhopal) 16th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 17th Battalion The Punjab Regiment / 17 Punjab Haidri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 2nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1906 and became 2nd Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 8th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)</span> Pakistan Army Unit

The 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 1st Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 3 Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 2nd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion (Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 4th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

The 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1847 as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion (Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 5th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">54th Sikhs (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force) were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1846 as the 4th Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 4th Battalion (Sikhs) 12th Frontier Force Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 6th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force)</span> Military unit

The 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 5th Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 5th Battalion 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 10th Battalion The Frontier Force Regiment.

The Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army was a corps-sized military formation headed by a lieutenant-general, who was designated the Commander Eastern Command. After the partition of India by United Kingdom, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was divided into two territories separated by 1,000 miles (1,600 km). Most of the assets of the Pakistan armed forces were stationed in West Pakistan; the role of the Pakistan armed forces in East Pakistan was to hold that part of the country until the Pakistani forces defeated India in the west. The Pakistan Army created the Eastern Command, with one commander in the rank of Lieutenant General responsible for the command. The armed forces, had drawn up a plan to defend Dhaka by concentrating all their forces along the Dhaka Bowl.

Military operations took place in Ladakh in 1948 during the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir between the Indian Army and Pakistani raiders infiltrated to capture the kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir. The eviction of this invading force of tribal raiders, who enjoyed numerical superiority, better lines of communication, commanding high ground and superior logistics, was a major military achievement for the small force of Indian soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Command (India)</span> Indian army command

Western Command is a Command-level formation of the Indian Army. It was formed in 1920. It was disbanded following its demotion to an independent district and eventual merge with Northern Command to form the North-western Army. It was re-raised in 1947 following the transfer of Northern Command HQ to Pakistan. Until 1972, it was responsible for India's border with Pakistan in the North and West and the Chinese border in the North. The Command HQ is located at Chandimandir, Haryana, about 5 km east of Chandigarh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aftab Ahmad Khan</span>

Lieutenant-General Aftab Ahmad Khan was a Pakistan Army Infantry Officer, born in Batala, Gurdaspur District, British India on 22 October 1923 to the illustrious family of Khan Bahadur Mian Altaf Hussain Khan (1874–1946) and Mehndi Begum.

Major General Mohindar Singh Chopra (1907–1990) was an Indian Army General Officer who was known for being in charge of stopping the Partition Riots in both corners of India; Punjab and Bengal. He stopped riots and genocides from taking place through military force.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Khanduri, Chandra B. (2006). Thimayya: an amazing life. New Delhi: Knowledge World. p. 394. ISBN   978-81-87966-36-4 . Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  2. Ravi Rikhye and Mandeep Bajwa, 4th Infantry Division: An Outline History Archived 14 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine , V3.0, March 25, 2008, www.orbat.com (Centre for Indian Military History), accessed August 1, 2010
  3. Mead, Richard (2007). Churchill's Lions: A biographical guide to the key British generals of World War II. Stroud (UK): Spellmount. pp. 544 pages. ISBN   978-1-86227-431-0.