Know The Indian Army: Hailed As 'King Of Battlefield', The Armoured Corps Packs A Punch With Lethal Tank Fire

Since independence, the bravado, valiance and daredevils acts of the Armoured regiments have been best on display in the plains of Punjab and deserts of Rajasthan where the firepower, maneuverability and camouflage tactics of the armoured warfare comes to its full efficacy and effectiveness.

Indian Army Main Battle Tank

The 'Combat Arms' of the Indian Army are en-tasked with a clear cut role of engaging with the enemy in active combat whenever a situation of a limited aggression or a full scale war is harped upon by the adversary or enemy .. The well defined and clearly demarcated roles of our armed forces helps each arm discharge its role to full effectiveness and clinical precision during a military confrontation or a war .. While the infantry holds ground and also makes strategic inroads into enemy territory by carrying out small to medium arm assaults on their front-line positions via assault rifles and machine gun fire, the Artillery provides lethal firepower of tectonic magnitudes via field gun and medium howitzer shelling to destroy strategic establishments and weaken enemy defences beyond repair. In the center of this finely tuned jigsaw puzzle lies The Armoured Corps and the Mechanised Infantry, that provide the definitive punch to the enemy with highly calibrated firepower of pin point accuracy from lethal mean machines, namely - the tanks and armoured fighting vehicles (ACP / BNP). The combined assault if well coordinated, has always left a gaping hole in the enemy and dealt a death blow. The Armoured Corps has often proven to be the decisive arm which has swung the tide of many battles for armies in their favour around the world and the same holds true for the Indian Army. Ever since the World War I, the invention of the tank proved to be a path breaking fighting armoury that led to the doctrines of military combat taking an offensive and kinetic approach.It also led to the transformation of the erstwhile and much famed Cavalry getting converted and mechanised into what today is better known as Armoured regiments. The Indian Armoured Corps with a bulk of its regiments (pre-independence) inherits an age old legacy of the much famed Cavalry (Soldiers mounted on horsebacks fighting with lances), which was indeed an integral element in the arsenal of the British Army back in the Colonial era. Since independence, the bravado, valiance and daredevils acts of the Armoured regiments have been best on display in the plains of Punjab and deserts of Rajasthan where the firepower, maneuverability and camouflage tactics of the armoured warfare comes to its full efficacy and effectiveness. The Battles of Basantar, Asal Uttar, Phillora and Zoji La are notable examples of how the lethal firepower of Indian armoured columns repulsed some heavy enemy armoured attacks and proved decisive in helping Indian Army come out victorious in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak Wars. The tanks might have replaced the horses, the tank assault might have taken over the Cavalry charge but the very ethos, tradition and regimentation of the tankman is still very much akin to the Cavalryman.. While the Infantry is known as the 'Queen of the Battle', the Artillery boasts of being- 'God of War', the Armoured Corps fraternity takes great pride in being hailed as the "King Of The Battlefield" Here are some interesting facts about the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army Armour Day The Armoured Corps of Indian Army celebrates 'Armor Day' on 1st May. It was on this day in 1938 that Scinde Horse (14H) became the first regiment to dismount from their horses and move to tanks, Vickers light tanks and Chevrolet Armored Cars. School and Centre The Armoured Corps School and Centre is located in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.ACC&S was established during the pre-independence era by the Britishers in 1924. The British called it the Royal Tank Corps School. Regiments The Indian Army has over 65 Armoured regiments. The senior most regiment in the Armoured Corps fold is the President's Body Guard. Composition Of Armoured Regiment An armoured Corps regiment is commanded by a Colonel ranked officer who is known as the Commandant of the Unit. An Armoured regiments comprises 3 Sabre Squadrons and a headquarter Squadron. Each squadron is commanded by a Major ranked officer. He holds the appointment of a Squadron Commander. An Armoured Regiment has around 45 to 50 tanks in all, with each Sabre Squadron consisting of 14-15 tanks.3 tanks are assigned to the Regimental headquarter, including that of the commandant. Naming Convention Of The Armoured Regiments The Armoured regiments carry the legacy, regalia and pomp of the erstwhile British Indian Army. While most of the newly raised regiments use the naming convention Regiments after their name (47 Armoured Regiment, 51 Armoured Regiment, 70 Armoured Regiment) , the regiments which were raised during the British era still carry on with the age old traditions of christening themselves as 'Cavalry' or 'Horse'. Eg: Deccan Horse, Poona Horse, Central Indian Horse (CIH) and Skinner's Horse Eg: 7 Light Cavalry, 61 Cavalry, 62 Cavalry Eg: 20th Lancers The Poona Horse regiment of the Armoured Corps has the unique distinction of being one of the select few regiments in the Indian Army to have won two Param Vir Chakras (PVC)

• Lieutenant Colonel AB Tarapore ( (Posthumously) - Battle of Butur-Dograndi (1965 Indo-Pak War)
• Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (Posthumously)- Battle of Basantar (1971 Indo-Pak War)

Black Beret The officers and troops of Armoured Corps regiments wear the Black Berets as opposed to the rifle green and blue coloured berets which are worn by the regiments of other arms and services respectively. The Black Beret gives the Tankman a distinct identity of their own within the Army fold. Indian Army - Main Battle Tanks (In Active Service) ARJUN MBT T-90 - 'Bhishma' T-72 - 'Ajeya'