History
Early history
The Presidency armies were abolished with effect from 1 April 1895 when the three Presidency armies became the Indian Army. [1] The Indian Army was divided into four Commands (Bengal Command, Bombay Command, Madras Command and Punjab Command) each under a lieutenant general. [1]
In 1908, the four commands were merged into two Armies (Northern Army and Southern Army): this system persisted until 1920 when the arrangement reverted to four commands again (Eastern Command, Northern Command, Southern Command and Western Command). [1] In 1914, the Southern Army consisted of the 4th (Quetta) Division, the 5th (Mhow) Division, the 6th (Poona) Division, the 9th (Secunderabad) Division, and the Aden Brigade. [2]
Second World War
During the Second World War, Southern Command was reformed as Southern Army (equivalent to a corps) in April 1942. The formation reverted to the title Southern Command in November 1945. [3]
Component divisions included: [4]
Component brigades included: [4]
Post war
In August 1947, Southern Command had the Deccan, Madras and Bombay Areas (with HQs at Kamptee, Madras and Bombay). In 1947–48, Southern Command was largely responsible in getting Junagadh and Hyderabad to sign the instrument of accession to India. [1] 1st Armoured Division did the actual incursion into Hyderabad. In 1961, the Indian annexation of Goa was conducted by 17th Infantry Division and 50th Parachute Brigade, under the operational control of Southern Command. [5]
In 1965–66, two further divisions were raised within the command. After fighting broke out in the Rann of Kutch in April 1965, a hastily constituted force, named Kilo Force under Maj. Gen P. O. Dunn was formed to contain this attack. [1] Kilo Force was later re-designated as 11 Infantry Division. In September 1965, the operational responsibility for the Barmer sector was given to Southern Command and entrusted to 11 Infantry Division. Delhi and Rajasthan Area, with its Advance Headquarters at Jodhpur, fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 under Western Command. On 3 November 1966, this formation was re-designated 12th Infantry Division, under Major General J.F.R. Jacob, and also placed under Southern Command. [6]
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.
Lieutenant General Jack Farj RafaelJacob was a prominent Indian military officer. He was best known for his role in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. Jacob, then a major general, served as the chief of staff of the Indian Army's Eastern Command. During his 36-year long career in the army, Jacob fought in World War II and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He later served as the governor of the Indian states of Goa and Punjab.
The I Corps is a military field formation of the Indian Army. The Corps is headquartered at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. It was raised on 1 April 1965. It was still being raised when it was despatched to the front in 1965. Raised as the First Strike Corps of the Indian Army, it was launched into operations in the Sialkot sector. The Corps conducted a counteroffensive during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. In the 1971 war against Pakistan, it took part in the Battle of Basantar.
Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, PVSM was a General Officer in the Indian Army, notable for his participation in the liberation of Goa and later in Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. He held many commands and staff appointments throughout his career.
Lieutenant General Harbaksh Singh, VrC was an Indian senior military officer. As the commander of the Western Command, Singh commanded the Indian Army and played a key role during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. For his role in the war, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1966.
The IV Corps, or the Gajraj Corps, is a corps of the Indian Army headquartered in Tezpur, Assam. The corps was raised in 1942 for the defence of Assam and was demobilised in 1945. It was re-raised in October 1962 just before the Sino-Indian War.
II Corps is a corps of the Indian Army, based in Ambala and known as Kharga Corps.
The IX Corps, or the Rising Star Corps, was raised in 2005 and is Indian Army's youngest corps
The XIV Corps or The Fire and Fury Corps is a corps of the Indian Army. It is the Army's Udhampur-based part of the Northern Command. The 14th Corps forms a military deployment in the Kargil-Leh area guarding the frontiers with China and Pakistan. It also guards the Siachen Glacier.
The XXI Corps, or the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, is a strike corps of the Indian Army and is headquartered at Bhopal.
X Corps is a corps of the Indian Army. It is based in Bathinda and is a part of South Western Command.
The XI Corps of the Indian Army is based in Jalandhar and is a part of Western Command. XI Corps is also known as Vajra Corps.
The Northern Command is a Command of the Indian Army. It was originally formed as the Northern Army of the British Indian Army in 1908. It was scrapped upon India's independence in 1947 and later re-raised in 1972. Currently, the XIV Corps (Leh), XV Corps (Srinagar), I Corps (Mathura) and XVI Corps (Nagrota) are under its control. Its present commander is Lieutenant General M. V. Suchindra Kumar.
General Bipin Rawat was an Indian military officer who was a four-star general of the Indian Army. He served as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 until his death in a helicopter crash in December 2021. Prior to taking over as the CDS, he served as the 57th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Indian Armed Forces as well as 27th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army.
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.
The South Western Command of the Indian Army was established on 15 April 2005 and became fully operational on 15 August 2005. It was in response to the emerging threats and opportunities on the Western Indo-Pak border. It is headquartered at Jaipur, Rajasthan.
The Eastern Command is one of the six operational commands of the Indian Army. It is headquartered in Fort William in the city of Kolkata in the state of West Bengal. The Eastern Command was formed on 1 November 1920. The Command is commanded by a three-star rank officer with the title General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C).
Lieutenant General Philip Campose, PVSM, AVSM & Bar, VSM was the Vice Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and assumed office on 1 August 2014 succeeding General Dalbir Singh. He retired on 31 July 2015 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Man Mohan Singh Rai.
Lieutenant General Iqroop Singh Ghuman, PVSM, AVSM, ADC is a commissioned officer of the Indian Army. He was the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Central Command of the Indian Army. He took office on 2 October when Lt Gen Abhay Krishna retired.
Indian order of battle during the 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes:
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