XXI Corps (India)

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XXI Indian Corps
XXI Corps
Sudarshan Chakra Corps (Cropped).jpg
Active1917-18
19421943
1990present
Country British Raj Red Ensign.svg British India
Flag of India.svg  India
AllegianceFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  British Empire
Flag of India.svg  India
Branch British Raj Red Ensign.svg British Indian Army
Flag of Indian Army.svg  Indian Army
Type Corps
RoleStrike
Part of Southern Command
Garrison/HQ Bhopal
Nickname(s)Sudarshan Chakra Corps
Engagements World War II
Commanders
Current
commander
Lt General Prit Pal Singh [1]
Notable
commanders
General Nirmal Chander Vij
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain

XXI Corps is a strike corps of the Indian Army and is headquartered at Bhopal.

Contents

World War I

The XXI Indian Corps was first raised on 12 August 1917 during the World War I, specifically for operations in the Middle East region against the German–Ottoman alliance. The corps was part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force under Allenby and took active part in the capture of Gaza and Jerusalem from October to December 1917, and against the Turkish Seventh and Eight Armies in 1918. The Corps was disbanded in 1918, at the end of the war. [2]

World War II

The corps was re-raised in Persia on 6 June 1942 as a formation of the Indian Army during World War II. The corps was commanded throughout its existence by Lieutenant General Mosley Mayne and was part of the Tenth Army. The corps, composed of the 8th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Dudley Russell) and the British 56th Infantry Division (Major-General Eric Miles), was created as part of the Allied buildup of forces in Persia and Iraq to create Persia and Iraq Command in order to prevent a German invasion of the Caucasus. The invasion never occurred and the corps was disbanded on 24 August 1943. [3]

Present

Exercise Sudarshan Shakti, 21 Corps, December 2011 Exercise Sudarshan Shakti.jpg
Exercise Sudarshan Shakti, 21 Corps, December 2011

After India's intervention in Sri Lanka, the provisional headquarters (HQ) controlling India's expeditionary force, HQ Indian Peace Keeping Force, became HQ XXI Corps in April 1990 at Chandimandir. Permanent retention of the Corps at Bhopal was authorised on 29 October 1990. [2] It is the only strike corps in the Indian Army’s Pune based Southern Command, the other three being - I Corps, II Corps and XVII Corps. [5] XXI corps functions as both a strike corps and would also be used if India were to make another large intervention overseas.

It currently consists of: [6]

List of Commanders

Lt Gen Vipul Shinghal taking over the command of the Corps from Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, August 2022. Lt Gen Vipul Shinghal.jpg
Lt Gen Vipul Shinghal taking over the command of the Corps from Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, August 2022.
RankNameAppointment DateLeft OfficeUnit of CommissionReferences
Lieutenant General G L BakshiApril 1990January 1992 Kumaon Regiment [18]
R K GulatiJanuary 1992October 1992 9th Deccan Horse [18]
Krishna Mohan Seth October 1992October 1994 Regiment of Artillery [19] [18]
Chandra ShekharOctober 19941996 4th Gorkha Rifles [20] [18]
Nirmal Chander Vij 19961997 Dogra Regiment [19] [18]
B M Kapur1997 Armoured Corps [18]
Satish Satpute30 August 2002 Maratha Light Infantry [18]
P P S Bhandari31 August 200231 December 2004 4th Horse (Hodson's Horse) [21] [18]
Aditya Singh01 January 2004January 2005 9th Deccan Horse [18] [22]
Harcharanjit Singh Panag January 2005December 2006 Sikh Regiment [23] [18]
Pradeep KhannaJanuary 2007May 2008 20 Lancers [24]
Arvinder Singh Lamba26 May 2008May 2009 Regiment of Artillery [25]
Rajinder SinghMay 20092010 Mechanised Infantry Regiment [26] [27]
Syed Ata Hasnain 2010December 2010 Garhwal Rifles [28]
Sanjiv LangerDecember 2010January 2012 Armoured Corps [29]
S H KulkarniJanuary 2012January 2013 Armoured Corps [30]
Amit SharmaJanuary 2013February 2014 45 Cavalry [31]
Rajeev Vasant KanitkarFebruary 20142015 17th Horse (Poona Horse) [6]
Pradeep Singh Mehta201531 June 2016 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) [32]
Cherish Mathson 1 July 201630 June 2017 Garhwal Rifles [33]
Iqroop Singh Ghuman 1 July 201731 June 2018 Brigade of the Guards [34]
Ravendra Pal Singh 01 July 2018July 2019 Mechanised Infantry Regiment [35]
Yogendra Dimri July 201925 July 2020 Bombay Sappers [36]
Atulya Solankey26 July 202030 July 2021 11th Gorkha Rifles [37]
Dhiraj Seth 31 July 202131 July 2022 2nd Lancers [38]
Vipul Shinghal3 August 202231 December 2023 51 Armoured Regiment [39]
Prit Pal Singh01 January 2024Incumbent 62 Cavalry [40]

See also

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References

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