34 Field Regiment (Cassino II) is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

History

Formation

The Regiment was raised as the 8th Battalion of the Fifth Maratha Light Infantry at

Belgaum Belgaum (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous ...

on February 1, 1941 under Lt Col LCM Bellamy, MC. During World War II, the regiment participated in a number of battles as 4 Maratha Anti Tank Regiment initially in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. It played a decisive role in the Italian Campaign against the Germans in Battle of Cassino in the 'Lir Valley Operation' theatre from 11-13 May 1944 which earned them the coveted Honour title of “Cassino-II” and one DSO, Two

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

and many other Gallantry medals. 34 Medium Regiment (Cassino-II)

Operations

Some of the major operations undertaken by the Regiment include: ;

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

: The Regiment served in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

between 1942 and 1945. In Italy, the Regiment being a part of 8th Indian Division, during the 'Liri Valley Operations' carried their guns across the River Gari through ropeways and provided accurate and timely fire power which proved crucial in the

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...

in 1944 and the Regiment was thereafter conferred with the Battle Honour of "Cassino-II". ; Hyderabad Police Action - 1948: The Regiment which had become the first Self Propelled Indian Artillery Regiment in 1946 with the 17 Pounder Archers moved to

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

in 1948 as part of 1 Armoured Division to quell an armed insurrection aimed against the formal union of this princely state with the Union of India. ; Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The Regiment (which had converted to a Medium Regiment in 1963) saw action in

Uri Uri may refer to: Places * Canton of Uri, a canton in Switzerland * Úri, a village and commune in Hungary * Uri, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India * Uri (island), an island off Malakula Islan ...

, Tangdhar and Naushera sector of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

Equipment

The regiment has had the following guns in chronological order * 18 Pounder Gun * 17 Pounder Archer * 5.5 Inch Gun * M-46 130 mm Field Gun * 160 mm Heavy Mortar * 155 mm Soltam * Indian Field Gun

References

{{reflist

External links

''List of 15 personnel killed in Italy''
Artillery regiments of the Indian Army after 1947 Military units and formations established in 1941