64th Cavalry (India)

64th Cavalry
Active	1966 – present
Country	India
Allegiance	India
Branch	Indian Army
Type	Armour
Size	Regiment
Nickname(s)	‘Flashing Sabres’
Motto(s)	वीरता ही मान Veerta hi Maan (By Courage and Honour)
Colors	Cordite Blue, Ochre and Gold
Commanders
Notable commanders	Gen Bipin Chandra Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC [1] Maj Gen AK Singh, [2] Maj Gen Sanjeev Shukla [3] Maj Gen A Krishnan
Insignia
Abbreviation	64 Cav

The 64th Cavalry is an armoured regiment of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. ^[4]

Formation

After the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, a number of armoured regiments were raised for the Indian Army, of which 64 Cavalry was the first. However, it was the last to use the epithet of cavalry, all subsequent regiments were named armoured regiments instead. It was raised in Babina on 31 March 1966 by Lt Col Trevor Lancelot Perry, a former Indian Air Force pilot, ^[5] with a class composition of Sikhs, Jats and Rajputs. ^{[4] [6]}

Equipment

The Regiment was initial equipped with T-54 tanks, which were replaced by the Vijayanta tanks in 1981. In 1991, the regiment was upgraded to the T-72 tanks. ^[7]

History

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the regiment, then under Lt Col Bipin Chandra Joshi and equipped with T-54 tanks, was part of 14 Independent Armoured Brigade supporting XI Corps in the Western theatre, but did not see any action. ^{[4] [8] [9] [10]}

64th Cavalry - 'The Flashing Sabres' celebrating their 55th Raising Day, 31 March 2021

It was located in the Chhamb corridor during Operation Trident and also participated in Operation Rakshak, where the regiment was in a peace-keeping role. ^[4] Lately, the regiment took part in Operation Vijay and in Operation Parakram. ^[7]

The President of India R Venkataraman presented a guidon to the regiment in Jammu on 7 April 1991. ^[12]

The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and the naval ship INS Vibhuti are affiliated to the regiment. ^{[7] [13]}

The regiment has also produced a Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Bipin Chandra Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC. ^[4]

Regimental Insignia

• The regimental cap badge consists of a mailed right-handed fist, placed on the crossing of a pair of sabres, with a scroll along the bottom which has the regimental motto in Devanagari script.
• The shoulder title consists of "64C" in brass. ^[4]
• The regimental motto is वीरता ही मान (Veerta hi Maan), which translates to ‘By Courage and Honour’.
• The regimental colours are Cordite Blue (signifying the colour of smoke emanating from the gun barrel), Ochre (signifying the dust kicked up by the tank) and Gold (signifying the quest for glory). The colours put together signify ‘Through smoke and dust to glory’ ^[7]

References

1. "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 18 June 1955. p. 118.
2. "War Heroes & Alumni" . Retrieved 29 November 2020.
3. "Appointment". 1 April 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
4. Nath, Ashok (2009). Izzat: historical records and iconography of Indian cavalry regiments, 1750-2007. Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research, United Service Institution of India. pp. 640–641. ISBN   978-81-902097-7-9.
5. "Pilot Officer Trevor Lancelot Perry" . Retrieved 29 November 2020.
6. Gautam, PK (2016). Indigenous Historical Knowledge: Kautilya and His Vocabulary, Volume III. IDSA/Pentagon Press. p. 153. ISBN   978-81-8274-909-2.
7. "64 Cavalry - Indian Army Postal Cover" . Retrieved 29 November 2020.
8. Sandhu, Dave & Rikhye, Ravi. "Indian XI Corps: Orbat December 1971". Orbat.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
9. "War in the Western Theatre" (PDF). Retrieved 29 November 2020.
10. Praval, KC (2009). Indian Army After Independence. Lancer Publishers. ISBN   978-1935501107.
11. "64th Cavalry, The Flashing Sabres celebrated their 55th Raising Day to commemorate its glorious history". 1 April 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
12. President R Venkataraman Selected Speeches Volume 2. Publication Division, Government of India. 1993. p. 245.
13. "INS Vibhuti". Facebook. Retrieved 11 April 2021.