1st Armoured Division (India)

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1st Armoured Division
Founded01 September 1945; 76 years ago (01 September 1945)
Country India
Branch Indian Army
TypeArmoured
SizeDivision
Part ofII Corps
Garrison/HQPatiala[1]
Nickname(s)Airawat Division
Mascot(s)The Indian elephant
EngagementsIndo-Pakistani War of 1965
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri
Rajinder Singh 'Sparrow'

The 1st Armoured Division is an armoured division of the Indian Army, headquartered at Patiala, Punjab. It is part of II Corps of the Indian Army's Western Command.

Formation[]

The division was formed when the 31st Indian Armoured Division was re-designated on September 1, 1945.[2]

The 1st Armoured Division was one of two divisional headquarters transferred from the British Indian Army to the Indian Army upon the partition of British India in August 1947.[fn 1] At the time, it had its divisional headquarters at Secunderabad and the 43rd Lorried Infantry Brigade away with the Punjab Boundary Force. In June 1946, the wartime 255th Indian Tank Brigade was redesignated as 1st Armoured Brigade and assigned to 1st Armoured Division.[4]

Operation Polo[]

Main article: Annexation of Hyderabad

The division played a major role in Operation Polo, the integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union in 1948. During this time Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri was serving as the division's commander, also serving as Military Governor of the state in the immediate aftermath of the invasion. For the Hyderabad operation, the division controlled the 1st Armoured Brigade and the 7th and 9th Infantry Brigades.[5]

The order of battle (ORBAT) for the division was as follows[6]-

Strike Force

  • 9 Dogra
  • Skinner's Horse (minus one squadron)
  • 1 troop Division HQ Squadron
  • Battery 1 Field Regiment (Self Propelled)
  • 1 Forward Air Control team

Smash Force - 1 Armoured Brigade (Brigadier S.D Verma)

  • 3 Cavalry (minus one squadron)
  • 17 Horse (minus one squadron)
  • One troop Skinner's Horse
  • 1 Field Regiment (less one battery) (Self Propelled)
  • 2nd Battery 40 Medium Regiment
  • One company 9 Dogra

Kill Force - 7 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Gurbachan Singh)

Vir Force - 9 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Apji Randhir Singh)

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965[]

Main article: Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The 1st Armoured Division with Major General Rajinder Singh 'Sparrow' as the GOC played an important role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his role during the war.[7][8]

The division was part of the I Corps on the western front. The order of battle was as follows[9][10]-

1 Armoured Division (Major General Rajinder Singh)

The major battles fought by the division include the Battle of Phillora and the Battle of Chawinda.[11][12] At the time of the cease-fire, 1 Corps held around 500 square kilometres of Pakistani territory and had caused substantial damage to the enemy armour. Lieutenant Colonel A B Tarapore, 17 Horse was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, Major General Rajinder Singh, GOC, 1 Armoured Division, Brig KK Singh, Commander 1 Armoured Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel MMS Bakshi, Commandant 4 Horse, and Major Bhupinder Singh, 4 Horse were awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.[13][14][15]

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971[]

Main article: Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The division was under the XI Corps, but did not see action. The order of battle (ORBAT) for the division was as follows[16]-

1 Armoured Division (Major General Gurbachan Singh)

(all equipped with Vijayanta tanks)

(all equipped with TOPAS armoured personnel carriers)

Victory Flame being received by GOC, Airawat Division at Patiala, December 2020.

The Present[]

Following the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war, the division was re-organised with the 1st and 43rd Armoured Brigades and relocated in 1972 to Ambala. In 1984, it was reorganized with the 1st, 43rd and 98th Armoured Brigades.[5] At present, the Divisional Headquarters is located at Patiala as are the 43 and 98 Armoured Brigades. 1 Armoured Brigade is located at Nabha and 1 Artillery Brigade at Ambala.

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ A third divisional headquarters, of the 4th Indian Division, had become the Punjab Boundary Force.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ "Western Command chief reviews preparedness of Airawat Division". 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  2. ^ Rikhye, Ravi (August 25, 2002). "Indian Armored Divisions in World War II". orbat.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  3. ^ Rinaldi & Rikhye (2011), p. 33.
  4. ^ Rinaldi & Rikhye (2011), p. 166.
  5. ^ a b Rinaldi & Rikhye (2011), p. 35.
  6. ^ "Operation Polo: The Liberation Of Hyderabad". 1999-11-01. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  7. ^ "Major General Rajinder Singh Sparrow, MVC, GOC 1st Armoured Division". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "Former Congress (I) MP Rajinder Singh Sparrow passes away: Signposts". India Today. May 15, 1994. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
  9. ^ Singh, Harbaksh (2012). War Despatches: Indo-Pak Conflict 1965. Lancer Publishers LLC. ISBN 978-8170621171.
  10. ^ "Battle of Phillora 1965 War". 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  11. ^ "Armour Operations:Indo-Pak Conflict 1965" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  12. ^ "Tales of Valour: The Battle of Phillora and Chawinda". 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  13. ^ "Gazette of India, No 7" (PDF). 1966-02-12. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  14. ^ "Gazette of India, No 1" (PDF). 1966-01-01. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  15. ^ "Operations of 1 Corps". 2015-09-15. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  16. ^ Gill, JH (2003). An Atlas Of 1971 India Pakistan War - Creation of Bangladesh. National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. p. 88.
Bibliography
  • Rinaldi, Richard & Rikhye, Ravi (2011). Indian Army Order of Battle. General Data LLC. ISBN 978-0-98205-417-8.
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