1st Armoured Division (India)

Division of the Indian Army July 2009 October 2023 1st Armoured Division 1 Armoured Division, Indian Army.svg Formation Badge of the 1st Armoured Division 1945 09 1 yes India 23px India 23px II Corps Armoured Division Patialahttps://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/western-command-chief-reviews-preparedness-of-airawat-division-263706 Western Command chief reviews preparedness of Airawat Division 5 June 2021 27 October 2021 Airawat Division (The Black Elephant Division) The Indian elephant Jayanto Nath ChaudhuriRajinder Singh 'Sparrow' Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 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 1 September 1945.http://www.orbat.com/site/history/historical/india/armd_divsww2.html Indian Armored Divisions in World War II 25 August 2002 Ravi Rikhye orbat.com 1 April 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20140808125947/http://www.orbat.com/site/history/historical/india/armd_divsww2.html 8 August 2014 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 A third divisional headquarters, of the 4th Indian Division, had become the Punjab Boundary Force.Rinaldi Rikhye 2011 33 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.Rinaldi Rikhye 2011 166 Operation Polo 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.Rinaldi Rikhye 2011 35 The order of battle (ORBAT) for the division was as followshttp://www.bharat-rakshak.com/archives/MONITOR/ISSUE2-3/lns.html Operation Polo: The Liberation Of Hyderabad 1 November 1999 27 October 2021: 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 (Self Propelled) (less one battery) 2nd Battery 40 Medium Regiment One company 9 Dogra Kill Force - 7 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Gurbachan Singh) 2 Sikh 3 Grenadiers 14 Rajput 9 Para Field Regiment Vir Force - 9 Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Apji Randhir Singh) 3 Punjab 2/1 Gorkha Rifles 34 Anti Tank Regiment Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 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.http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Galleries/Wars/1965/I/0597.jpg.html Major General Rajinder Singh Sparrow, MVC, GOC 1st Armoured Division Bharat Rakshak 7 July 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20120601235055/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Galleries/Wars/1965/I/0597.jpg.html 1 June 2012Former Congress (I) MP Rajinder Singh Sparrow passes away: Signposts India Today https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/signposts/story/19940515-former-congressi-mp-rajinder-singh-sparrow-passes-away-809153-1994-05-14 15 May 1994 7 July 2014 The division was part of the I Corps on the western front. The order of battle was as followsSingh Harbaksh War Despatches: Indo-Pak Conflict 1965 2012 Lancer Publishers LLC 978-8170621171http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/battle-of-phillora-1965-war/ Battle of Phillora 1965 War 20 October 2020 27 October 2021- 1 Armoured Division (Major General Rajinder Singh) 1 Armoured Brigade (Brigadier Khem Karan Singh) 17 Horse 16 Light Cavalry 62 Cavalry (was also part of other formations) 43 Lorried Infantry Brigade (Brigadier HS Dhillon) 2 Lancers 8 Garhwal Rifles 5 Jat 5/9 Gorkha Rifles Divisional Reserves 4 Horse 9 Dogra 1 Artillery Brigade (Brigadier OP Malhotra) 2 Field Regiment (SP) 71 Medium Regiment 101 Field Regiment (SP) Brigades under temporary operational command 35 Infantry Brigade (from 9 to 16 September 1965) 116 Infantry Brigade (from 9 to 12 September 1965) 58 Infantry Brigade (from 12 to 16 September 1965) The major battles fought by the division include the Battle of Phillora and the Battle of Chawinda.https://archive.claws.in/images/journals_doc/20072578_ArmourOperationsIndoPakconflict1965.pdf Armour Operations:Indo-Pak Conflict 1965 28 October 2021https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/tales-of-valour-the-battle-of-phillora-and-chawinda/702786 Tales of Valour: The Battle of Phillora and Chawinda 4 January 2021 27 October 2021 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.http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1966/O-1662-1966-0007-75752.pdf Gazette of India, No 7 12 February 1966 1 May 2021http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1966/O-1662-1966-0001-75746.pdf Gazette of India, No 1 1 January 1966 1 May 2021http://sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2015/sep16-15/h2.htm Operations of 1 Corps 15 September 2015 1 May 2021 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 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 followsGill JH An Atlas Of 1971 India Pakistan War - Creation of Bangladesh 2003 National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies 88- 1 Armoured Division (Major General Gurbachan Singh) 93 Independent Reconnaissance Squadron (from 65 Armoured Regiment) 1 Armoured Brigade (Brigadier N.S. Cheema) 2 Lancers 65 Armoured Regiment 67 Armoured Regiment 68 Armoured Regiment (all equipped with Vijayanta tanks) 43 Lorried Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Ramesh Chandra) 1 Madras 1 Jat 1 Garhwal Rifles (all equipped with TOPAS armoured personnel carriers) 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.Rinaldi Rikhye 2011 35 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 fn References Bibliography Richard Rinaldi Ravi Rikhye Indian Army Order of Battle General Data LLC 2011 978-0-98205-417-8 amp Category:Divisions of the Indian Army Category:Military units and formations established in 1945 Category:Armored divisions