Western Command (India)
| Western Command | |
|---|---|
Western Command's insignia today | |
| Active | 1920 - 1938 1947 - Present |
| Country | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Chandimandir |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lieutenant General Surinder Singh |
Western Command is a formation of the Indian Army, active since 1947. It has seen action during the Indo-Pakistan Wars of 1947, 1965 and 1971. Lieutenant General Surinder Singh is the present commander.[1]
History[edit]
The Presidency armies were abolished with effect from 1 April 1895 when the three Presidency armies became the Indian Army.[2] The Indian Army was divided into four Commands (Bengal Command, Bombay Command, Madras Command and Punjab Command) each under a lieutenant general.[2]
In 1908, the four commands were merged into two Armies (Northern Army and Southern Army): this system persisted until 1920 when the arrangement reverted to four commands again (Eastern Command, Northern Command, Southern Command and Western Command).[2] In 1938 Western Command was downgraded to Western Independent District commanded by a major-general. Northern Command was re-formed again as North Western Army in April 1942 to guard the North West Frontier and the independent district was absorbed by the new North Western Army at that time.[3]
Re-raising[edit]
After the partition of India, the erstwhile command headquarters of which north India formed a part, Northern Command, went to Pakistan. The communal violence of partition necessitated the raising of a new command headquarters to relieve Army Headquarters of the day to day overseeing of operations of the two independent areas in north India.[4]
This command, initially named Delhi and East Punjab Command was raised in Delhi on 14 September 1947 with Lt Gen Sir Dudley Russell, KBE, CB, DSO, MC as the first commander. It had under it :[4]
- Delhi Independent Area.
- East Punjab Independent Area.
On 26 October 1947, following the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India, Western Command was put in charge of all Indian Army operations to seize the area for India.[4]
List of Commanders[edit]
General Officer Commanding Western Command
| Rank | Name | Appointment Date | Left Office | Unit of Commission | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant General | Sir Walter Braithwaite | Dec 1920 | Jun 1923 | Somerset Light Infantry | |
| Lieutenant General | Sir George Kirkpatrick | Jun 1923 | Jun 1927 | Royal Engineers | [5] |
| Lieutenant General | Sir Charles Harington | Jun 1927 | Jun 1931 | King's Regiment (Liverpool) | |
| Lieutenant General | Sir Torquhil Matheson | Jun 1931 | Jun 1935 | Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment | |
| Lieutenant General | Sir Ivo Vesey | Jun 1935 | Mar 1936 | Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) | |
| Lieutenant General | Sir Walter Pitt-Taylor | Mar 1936 | Aug 1938 | Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) |
General Officer Commanding Western Independent District
| Rank | Name | Appointment Date | Left Office | Unit of Commission | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major General | Edward Quinan | Aug 1938 | 1941 | 27th Punjabis |
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Delhi and East Punjab Command
| Rank | Name | Appointment Date | Left Office | Unit of Commission | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant General | Dudley Russell | 15 August 1947 | 19 January 1948 | 97th Deccan Infantry |
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command
Notes[edit]
- ^ "Lt Gen Surinder Singh takes over as GOC-in-C". Indian Express. 18 September 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ a b c "Northern Army". Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "British Military History". British Military History. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
- ^ a b c Sinha, Lt. Gen. S.K. (1977). Operation Rescue:Military Operations in Jammu & Kashmir 1947-49. New Delhi: Vision Books. pp. 103–127 and 174. ISBN 81-7094-012-5. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ^ Army Commands
- ^ "Rediff On The NeT:Lt General Harbaksh Singh: An officer and a gentleman". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ a b "As Gen Arun Shridhar Vaidya retires, Indian Army reshuffles to appoint new army chief". Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Former Western Command GOC-in-C passes away at 85". Hindustan Times. 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "The Tribune - Windows - Feature". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Gen J J Singh new GOC-in-C of Western Command - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "The Hindu : Commander-level reshuffle on the cards". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Press Information Bureau". Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Press Information Bureau". Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Press Information Bureau". Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Press Information Bureau". Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Press Information Bureau". Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Press Information Bureau". Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Lt Gen Ghosh to take charge of Western Command today - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Lt Gen Ghosh, last of the 1971 war veterans, retires". Hindustan Times. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Press Information Bureau". Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra assumes charge of Western Command - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Keralite is chief of Western Army Command". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 2013-07-02. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Lt Gen Kamal Jit Singh Promoted Western Army Commander". pib.nic.in. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
- ^ "Lt Gen Surinder Singh takes over as GOC-in-C". The Indian Express. 2016-09-18. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
Further reading[edit]
- Richard A. Renaldi and Ravi Rikhye, 'Indian Army Order of Battle,' Orbat.com for Tiger Lily Books: A division of General Data LLC, ISBN 978-0-9820541-7-8, 2011.