Armour Day
Armour Day is celebrated each year on 01 May to commemorate the commencement of mechanization of the Indian cavalry regiments. On this date in 1938, the Scinde Horse became the first regiment to shed their horses and convert to tanks. The first such equipment was the Vickers light tanks and Chevrolet Armoured Cars.
Indian Armour was equipped with the comparatively modern Sherman tanks (M4) of American origin in 1943. Regiments so equipped formed the spearhead of the 14th Army during its pursuit of the defeated Japanese in the liberation of Burma. Post independence, Indian Armour lost one third of its units and training establishments to Pakistan with our share being twelve regiments. It was these regiments which nurtured the Corps and helped it expand to the force that it has evolved into today.
Expansion and modernisation of the Armoured Corps was initiated post independence with Centurions Mark 7 and AMX – 13 light tanks. Since then the Armoured Corps has operated the indigenous Vijayanta tank, the Russian T-54 and T-55 tanks, T-72 tank, the T-90 tanks and Arjun tanks.
]Man-machine interface led to sterling performance in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965 when the sophisticated Pakistani Patton tanks were decimated to from the famous graveyard, “Patton Nagar” near Khemkaran in Punjab. Lt Col AB Tarapore was posthumously honoured with the Param Vir Chakra for his gallant action in the Shakargarh Bulge. The Corps proved its mettle yet again gloriously in the 1971 war with Pakistan wherein tanks were at the forefront of action in the plains sector on the Western and Eastern fronts. 2nd Lt Arun Khetrapal fought gallantry and made the supreme sacrifice in the Battle of Basantar River earning for his Regiment, The Poona Horse, yet another Param Vir Chakra.
The corps contributes substantially to the anti insurgency operations at all times. This includes service with the Rashtriya Rifles, Assam Rifles and other PMF. The corps is also doing its share for world peace by contributing a contingent to the UN Peace keeping mission in Lebanon, apart from individual representations.
The armoured corps has remained the arm of decision with its characteristic flexibility and ability to adapt to new technology and it is for this reason that the armoured formations are increasingly referred to as instruments of national power. Thus, mechanized forces are the basic forces capable of achieving the desired strategic end result in the heartland of the enemy.
Today, the armoured corps is in the process of modernisation. The existing fleet is being refurbished and is being brought at par with the best. Legacy equipment is being phased out and new systems are being put into place. Concurrently, the Arjun tank is being improved and simultaneously design and development of the next generation of tanks has also commenced.
S Om Singh/Rajendra
(Release ID :61232)