Regional command centers

The Indian Army has five regional commands - HQ Central Command, Lucknow; HQ Eastern Command, Kolkata; HQ Northern Command, Udhampur; HQ Western Command, Chandimandir and Southern Command, Pune Army Training Command or ARTRAC is at Shimla.

Corps Coup

A new corps was set up at Leh after May-Jul 1999 Kargil conflict to look after Siachen, Kargil and Eastern Ladakh. In the three years since, both its first and second corps commanders have seen an untimely end to their career. The first, Lt. Gen. A.B. Masseh took prmature retirement. His successor, mechanised infantryman Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray put in his papers in 2002.

First British Fort

Fort William, founded at Kolkata by the British in 1969 to protect traders, is the military headquarters of Eastern Command, built in 1781. A rough octagon about 500 m in diameter, its low bunker-like battlements with six main gates, it was designed to hold all the city's Europeans in the event of an attack. Water from the Hooghly filled its moat. During the battle of Plassey in 1756, it was captured by Siraj-ud-Daula, Nawab of Bengal, who is said to have confined 146 prisoners in small guardroom during a hot and stifling June night. Legend has it that only 23 survived this Black Hole. Kolkata was recaptured the following morning. In 1780, a new brick and mortar Fort William was constructed, which still stands by Hooghly.

First cantonments

in 1765, Lord Robert Clive initiated the policy of building cantonments for British troops to keep them 'cantoned' in one place to enforce discipline and military way of life, and also to keep them in sanitised environs. Bhatinda in Punjab is the largest of the 62 cantonments in the country.

First Army Headquarters

Army Headquarters, was first housed in red Fort, delhi in accomodation unsuitable for such a complex entity. The separate Supreme Headquarters in South Block, which wound up soon after, refused to share space. Today, it occupies portions of South Block and the modern Sena Bhavan at New Delhi. Some portions are still housed in barracks of World War II vintage in the area.

First unified theatre command

Vice Admiral Arun Prakash took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command in 2001, with operational control of all the three services and the Coast Guard in the Andaman and Nicobar Theatre.

Most chiefs from a command

Five of the Army's top commanders come from the Eastern Command - Field Marshal KM Cariappa commanded this sector from August 1947 to Jan 1948. So did Field Marshal SHFJ. Manekshaw (Nov. 1964 to June 1969). Other Chiefs of Army Staff (COAS) includes Generals P.P. Kumarmanagalam, A.S. Vaidya and V.N. Sharma.

Only hospital at LoC

168 Military Hospital at Tangdhar in Kupwara, right in the middle of the operational area near Line of Contral (LoC), treats both military personnel and injured civilians. It added an underground operation theatre in 2001, since the region is often strafed by enemy fire.

Largest Construction agency

Military Engineering Services (MES), whose annual projects exceed Rs. 2,300 crore, works on projects in 450 stations including forward areas. It makes conventional buildings, laboratories, dockyards, wharves, airfields, roads, workshops, ordnance factories, blast pens and schools for the Kendriya Vidhyala Sanghatan.

Largest road construction agency

Border Road Organisation (BRO) raised on May 7, 1960 was initially intended to construct roads in the North and North-East India. Among their achivements is the highest road in the world at Khardung La. Soon their responsibilities spread to the whole of India and diversified into building bridges, buildings and small airfields. BRO, which has completed four decades of dedicated service to the nation has also worked in Libya, Iraq and Myanmar. As of March 2002, it had constructed 28, 342 km of formation works, surfaced 32,885 km of roads, executed Rs. 2,039 crore worth of permanent works and constructed important bridges totalling 15,131 running metres since inception.

WR: Gas to treat HAPO

Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), facilitates the acclimatisation of soldiers in extreme environment and keeps them fit. One of the latest developments of DIPAS and the High Altitude Medical research Centre (HAMRC), is the new treatment for high altitude pumlonary oedema (HAPO) or accumulation of fluid in the lungs. The patient inhales a gas containing nitric oxide (15 ppm) and 50% oxygen.

First among peace-keepers

In June 2002, the Indian Peace-keeping team stood first among 28 army teams from 12 countries in endurance, navigation and casualty evacuation at the "Exercise Airborne Africa" held in Botswana. India was represented by two team of four officers and eight other ranks under Maj. A. Ranade and Capt. T.R. Krishnadas. Apart from India, the three-day competition.

First Ordnance Factory

Board of Ordnance Factories was formed in April 1775.

First Gun Foundry

A Factory, later called the Gun Shell Factory, was set up at Cossipore, North Kolkata in 1881.

First Rifle Factory

A rifle factory was established at Ichhapore, West Bengal in 1905. This was shifted to Kanpur in 1949 and called the Small Arms Factory. The first weapons from the production line was .303 Bren Gun used during the Second World War.

Women in the Army

The first batch of 25 women outside the Army Medical Corps was commissioned on March 06, 1993, at the Officer's Training Academy, Chennai. They were inducted into non-combat departments like supply, education, logistics and legal branches.

For officers in First Cavalry and mechanised Regiment

Scinde Horse was raised in 1838 as the Scinde Irregular Horse by Capt. Ward in Hydrebad under the command of Capt. John Jacob. It last paraded its horses in April 1938 at Rawalpindi after which it became the first mechanised cavalry regiment.

Longest Service

MWO Surender Singh who joined the IAF as an Electrician on March 9, 1962, retired on Feb 28, 2002, having served for nearly 40 years.

First DIA Chief

On March 5, 2002, Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar became the first Director General of the newly-established Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). The DIA Chief will be the principal military advisor to the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Defence Minister.

Fourth Artillery Chief

When Gen. Sundarajan Padmanabhan took over as the 20th Army Chief on Sept, 30, 2000, he became the fourth artillery officer to occupy the Indian Army's highest office. His Corps predecessors were Generals P.P. Kumarmangalam, O.P. Malhotra and S.F. Rodrigues.

First Nuclear Shelter

Defence Research and Development Organisations (DRDO)'s Pune-based R&D laboratory introduced an integrated battlefield shelter in 2002 to withstand nuclear or chemical strikes for up to 96 hours. The portable shelter, 28 mm-long with a diameter of 2.5m, has chemical toilets, water tanks, pumps for sewage disposal and two power generators. The shelter can accommodate 30 persons and can be used as command post, observation post and communication center and has been introduced for all three services.

First white mutiny

When Robert Clive withdrew the batta or extra allowances for officers in 1765, unrest brewed for months and in 1766, European officer around Monghyr mutinied. Clive brought matters under control with the help of some loyalists including Indian Officers and troops, whom he rewarded with a Silver Medal and double pay for the months of May and June.

Bridging an award

The 12.19 m-long suspension bridge across the river Sutlej in Wangtu, Himachal Pradesh, was constructed by 107 Engineers in June 1998. It won the first prize in the special awards category at the Most Outstanding National Awards 2000 conference of the Indian Institute of Bridge Engineers.

First Artillery Unit

On Jan, 15, 1935, 'A' Field Brigade (now 1 Field Regiment SP) comprising four batteries of horse-drawn guns, was raised at Bangalore, marking the official birth of the Regiment of Artillery.

Highest tank Battle

On Nov 1, 1948, an Indian Brigade group supported by 7 Cavalry (Stuart Tanks) drove out invading Pakistani Battalions and Azad Kashmir tribal groups at Zoji La.

First Heliborne operations

In 1971, the Army used helicopters to capture the 7,000 strong Sylhet garrison in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) led by Maj. M.M. Malik landed with the first sortie of seven helicopters at Mirapara.

First Asian submarine museum

Decommisioned Foxtrot class submarine INS Kursura was inaugrated as a museum at Vishakhapatanam in 2001. Visitors can board a submarine, see its weaponry, machinery and experience life on board.

Longest runway in South Asia

The 4.5 km runway at Naval Air Station INS Rajali was built in 1942 by Italian prisoners of war for use of Allied air forces. It was realigned by 3 degrees to gain more ground when the airbase was commissioned in 1992. The first naval aircraft to land here was Dornier 228 of INAS 310 (Cobras) on March 4, 1992.

First Centurion

Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa, born on Jan 28, 1899, saw all the decades of the 20th century. Commissioned in 1919 into the birst batch of Indian Officers, he was first Indian to qualify for the Staff College and was virtually the first Indian at every rank from Lieutenant Colonel. In 1942, he became the first Indian COmmanding Officer and two years later, the first Indian Brigadier. in 1947, he became first Indian Army Commander. In 1949, he became Commander-in-Chief. Honoured with the rank of Field Marshal after his retirement, Cariappa passed away on May 15, 1993

First Field Marshal

S.H.F.J. Manekshaw, recepient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, became FM in 1973 while in service. Although the late Gen. Cariappa was senior to Manekshaw, he was made FM after retirement.

First Indian Commander-in-Chief

Gen(later Field Marshal) K.M. Cariappa took over from the British C-in-C Gen. Sir Roy Bucher on Jan 15, 1949 and held office till Jan 14, 1953. The only other C-in-C was Gen. M. Rajinder Sinhji who took over as the first Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in April 1955 when the post of C-in-C was abolished.

First Commander-in-Chief

Major Stringer Larence, considered the father of the modern Indian Army, took over as the Commander-in-Chief of all the East India Company's forces at ST. David and the three Presidencies were placed under his command in 1748.

Most chiefs from one institution

Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), established on March 1, 1922 by the Duke of Windsor (the Prince of Wales) at Dehradun has produced three Army Chiefs (Gen. K.S. Thimayya, G.G. Bewoor and V.N. Sharma) and three Air Chiefs (Air Marshal M. Asghar Khan and M. Noor Khan, both chiefs of Pakistan Air Force and Air Chief Marshal N.C. Suri). Its first Principal was Hugh Catchpole.

The Indian Military College (IMA) at Dehradun has the unique distinction of producing four chiefs of three different countries, Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw of India, Generals Smith Dun of Burma and Ali Ashraf Khan and Mohd. Musa of Pakistan

Four generations in one regiment

Four consecutive generations of the Ahlawat family have served in the Skinner's Horse, the armoured regiment raised in 1803. Risaldar Maj. (Hon. Lt.) Sheo Chand (1886-1918), his son Capt. Daryao Singh (1918-46), grandson Lt. Col. Shamsher Singh Ahlawat (1955-82) and great-grandson Sandeep Singh (commissioned in June 12, 1993)

Another Ahlawat family has had threee generations serving the 4 Jat Regiment! Subedar Major (Hon. Capt.) Mauji ram (1907-44), OBI class I, his son Major ram Singh (1941-70) saw action in Malaysia during the World War and was captured at Singapore. Later, he was part of UN Peacekeeping Mission at Congo. Lt. Col. Rajinder Singh Ahlawat was commissioned in 1976 and was part of the IPKF Sri Lankan operations. Interestingly, Mauji Ram's painting by the then regimental commander's wife has been taken as the symbol of the idol Jat recruit.