Indian Army Armoured Corps
Indian Army Armoured Corps | |
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Active | 1941 - Present |
Country | India |
Branch | Indian Army |
Role | Armoured Combat |
Size | 15 Armoured regiments |
- For more information on the pre-1947 corps, see Indian Armoured Corps.
The Indian Army Armoured Corps is one of the combat arms of the Indian Army. Formed in 1947 from two-thirds of the personnel and assets of the Raj's Indian Armoured Corps. It currently consists of 63 armoured regiments, including the president's bodyguards. The naming of the regiments varies. The terms "Cavalry", "Horse" and "Lancers", which have been dispensed with in the case of units raised post-independence, are historical legacies from the raising and renaming of these units when part of the East India Company's army and/or later the British Indian Army. The Armoured Corps School and Centre is at Ahmednagar. As a matter of tradition, each Armoured Regiment has its own "Colonel of the Regiment", an honorary post for a senior officer who oversees the regimental issues concerning the unit. The Armoured Corps celebrates 30 April as its Corps Day.
List of regiments
The list of regiments forming part of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army is as follows :[1]
- President's Bodyguard
- 1 Horse (Skinner's Horse) "The Yellow Boys"
- 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse)
- 3 Cavalry[2] "Flamingoes"
- 4 Horse (Hodson's Horse)
- 5 Armoured Regiment. The original 5th Horse (Probyn's) was transferred to Pakistan in 1947. This Indian Army regiment was raised in Jodhpur on 1 December 1983.[3] The regiment is based at Patiala and appears to be part of 1st Armoured Division (India).[4]
- 6 Armoured Regiment - Original 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers was transferred to Pakistan in 1947. This Indian Army regiment was raised in 1984.
- 7th Light Cavalry
- 8th Light Cavalry (formerly 8th King George's Own Light Cavalry)
- 9th Deccan Horse Raised in 1790 by the Nizam of Hyderabad.Pre Independence known as The Royal Deccan Horse.It is one of the oldest armoured regiment.
- 10 Armoured Regiment
- 11 Armoured Regiment The Regt was raised by Col Harjeet Singh Lamba with motto JEET-HI-JEET in May 1984 at Kalu chak [J&K]
- 12 Armoured Regiment
- 13 Armoured Regiment
- 14 Horse (Scinde Horse)
- 15 Armoured Regiment
- 16th Light Cavalry
- 17 Horse (The Poona Horse) Fakr-e-Hind (The most decorated Armoured Regiment of the Indian Army).
- 18 Cavalry
- 19 Armoured Regiment
- 20 Lancers
- Central India Horse Positioned 21 in the order of precedence (formerly 21st King George V's Own Horse).
- 41 Armoured Regiment - Raised in 1980.[3]
- 42 Armoured Regiment Raised in 1981.[3] Founding commanding officer Brig Ranjit Talwar (18 Cav) (Retd.)
- 43 Armoured Regiment Raised in 1981.[3] First regiment to be equipped with Arjun tank.
- 44 Armoured Regiment Raised in 1981.[3] Founding commanding officer Brig D.S. Dhillon (Retd.)
- 45 Cavalry Raised in 1965. Traces lineage to the old 45 Cavalry.[3]
- 46 Armoured Regiment Raised in 1982.[3] Founding commanding officer Col. P.S. Sandhu (Retd.)
- 47 Armoured Regiment
- 48 Armoured Regiment
- 49 Armoured Regiment
- 50 Armoured Regiment
- 51 Armoured Regiment
- 52 Armoured Regiment
- 53 Armoured Regiment
- 56 Armoured RegimentRaised on 1 Oct 2011....Called "The LION HEARTS". It is the Youngest Armoured Regt .
- 57 Armoured Regiment
- 58 Armoured Regiment
- 61 Cavalry
- 62 Cavalry
- 63 Cavalry
- 64 Cavalry General Bipin Chandra Joshi, former Chief of the Army Staff, was commissioned into this regiment. He later served as the Colonel of the Regiment.
- 65 Armoured Regiment It was the only armoured regiment to have participated in op pawan (Sri Lanka), remaining on the island for the entire span of deployment from 1987-90.Founding Commandant, Lt Col (Later Brig ) K. K. Kaul.
- 66 Armoured Regiment
- 67 Armoured Regiment
- 68 Armoured Regiment
- 69 Armoured Regiment
- 70 Armoured Regiment
- 71 Armoured Regiment
- 72 Armoured Regiment
- 73 Armoured Regiment
- 74 Armoured Regiment Lieutenant General Kamal Davar was Colonel of the Regiment in 2001.[5]
- 75 Armoured Regiment The only Indian armoured regiment to have been raised on foreign soil during the 1971 Indo-Pak war at Gadra Road (in Pakistan) on 12 Mar 1972. Last unit to hold T-55; second regiment to be reequipped with Arjun tank.
- 76 Armoured Regiment
- 81 Armoured Regiment
- 82 Armoured Regiment
- 83 Armoured Regiment
- 84 Armoured Regiment
- 85 Armoured Regiment
- 86 Armoured Regiment Lieutenant General Kamal Davar was Colonel of the Regiment in 2001.[5] The Regiment was raised at Stud Farm Ahmed Nagar under Lt col NS Malik and the sqn cdrs were Major Mohit Mailk(HH) Maor H S Lamba (63 CAV) Major PS Pannu & Major Kamel Daver.Major Pandy(DH) was a Regt second-in-Command. Regt got their badge after EX-Sikar When the Regt was being commanded by Lt Col Bhadhari(DH)Who was not medical fit Major Lamba who was officiating was told by the GOC that the Regt will de induct with their own batch which was finalised in the EX-Area by Major Lamba till than Regt was wearing the ACC&S badge
.
- 87 Armoured Regiment
- 88 Armoured Regiment
- 89 Armoured Regiment
- 90 Armoured Regiment
Notes
- ↑ This list is as per unit serial number but not as per the order of precedence of the Indian Army. In that list The President's Bodyguard is first but is followed by 16 Light Cavalry, 7 Light Cavalry, 8 Cavalry and 1st Horse.
- ↑ History of the 3rd Cavalry.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Web-page on "armoured Corps" at Bharat Rakshak, accessed December 2009.
- ↑ Globalsecurity.org, 5 Armoured Regiment, accessed 23 July 2010
- 1 2 LT GEN KAMAL DAVAR TAKES OVER AS DIRECTOR GENERAL MECHANISED FORCES, 4 August 2001>
Further reading
- Cavalry Officers Association [2000] Valour Honour Tradition (Vignettes of the Indian Armored Corps 1773-2000. Director General Mechanized Forces, Sena Bhawan, New Delhi 110001.
- THE INDIAN ARMOUR History of the Indian Armoured Corps. 1941-1971 Maj Gen Gurchan Singh Sandhu PVSM Vision Books (incorporating Orient Paperbacks), New Delhi, 1987, ISBN 81-7094-004-4.
- Izzat: Historical Records and Iconography of Indian Cavalry Regiments 1750-2007 by Ashok Nath. Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research, United Services Institution of India, New Delhi.