Regiment Of Artillery
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The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm 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- ...
, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations 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- ...
. It is a successor to the
Royal Indian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery, generally known as the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA), was an operational corps of the British Indian Army. The East India Company raised the first regular company of Artillery in 1748, with a small percentage ...
(RIA) of
British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
, which itself traces its origins to the formation of Bombay Artillery in 1827. Today, it is the second-largest arm of the Indian Army, and with its guns, mortars, rocket launchers, unmanned aerial vehicles, surveillance systems, missiles and artillery firepower. It constitutes almost one-sixth of its total strength.


Early history

The Mughal Emperor
Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
is popularly credited with introducing artillery to India, in the Battle of Panipat in 1526, where he decisively used
gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...
firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s and
field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...
to defeat the much larger army of
Ibrahim Lodhi Ibrahim Khan Lodi (or Lodhi) (Pashto: ابراهیم خان لودي), (1480 – 21 April 1526) was the last Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, who became Sultan in 1517 after the death of his father Sikandar Khan Lodi. He was the last ruler of th ...
, the ruler of the
Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).
, thus not just laying the foundation of the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
but also setting a precedent for all future battles in the subcontinent. However, evidence of earlier use of guns by
Bahmani The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,
kings in the battle of
Adoni Adoni is a city in the Kurnool district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Adoni mandal, administered under the Adoni Revenue Division. In the 2011 census of India, Adoni had a population of 166, ...
in 1368 and King Mohammed Shah of Gujarat in the fifteenth century have been recorded. Then came the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
, who for the first time introduced the man-o-war (ships) armed with cannons and introduced the concept of command of the seas in the Indian Ocean region. By the early 16th century,
Zamorin The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited by ...
, the ruler of Calicut, had begun to emulate the Portuguese and began to arm his ships with naval gun pieces. The
Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
further expanded and improved their artillery arm and used it successfully to expand their empire. Though the artillery arm of the
Marathas The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...
was weaker than many of their contemporaries,
Balaji Baji Rao Baji Bajirao (8 December 1720 – 23 June 1761), also known as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy in India. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his illustrious father, the Peshwa Bajirao I. During ...
organised the arm in professional lines and Madhavji Sindhia established a fairly efficient gun manufacturing foundry under the supervision of European gun makers. During the 18th century,
Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
was notable in using guns, mortar, rockets and howitzers to effective use; the
Nizam of Hyderabad The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
manufactured his own guns with the help of his French officers and the Sikhs under
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...
pioneered the development of horse-artillery on the same lines as that of the East India Company.


East India Company

The English, who were regular users of cannons in their ships, initially used guns landed from their fleet and manned by naval ratings detached for the purpose. They first placed 12 guns near the village of Armegaon along the
Coromandel coast The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, bounded by the Utkal Plains to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Kaveri delta to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west, extending over an ...
. The gunners were called ''Topasses'' from the Portuguese word ''Tope''. In 1668, two companies of
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
’s artillery were formed at
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. The other presidencies followed suit. In 1748, the Court of Directors of the East India Company ordered regular companies of artillery to be formed, one at each for the Presidencies of
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
,
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, and
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. The power of artillery in defining the military power at that time was so pervasive that initially the British did not permit the natives to join the artillery arm. As the artillery was expanded, sufficient European recruits could not be mustered, the company gradually permitted the natives to join the artillery in a small percentage. These Indian gunners recruited as support staff were called as ''Golandaz, Gun Lashkars, Tindals'' and ''Serangs''. A few Indian mountain artillery batteries, officered by the British, were raised in the 19th century and formed part of the Royal Artillery. The
Royal Indian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery, generally known as the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA), was an operational corps of the British Indian Army. The East India Company raised the first regular company of Artillery in 1748, with a small percentage ...
(RIA) of the
British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
was raised on 28 September 1827, as a part of the
Bombay Army The Bombay Army was the army of the Bombay Presidency, one of the three presidencies of Presidencies and provinces of British India, British India. It was established in 1662 and governed by the East India Company until the Government of India A ...
, a presidency army of the
Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...
. It was later renamed as 5 Bombay Mountain Battery. The
Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
sparked off in
Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...
on 10 May 1857. Many of the Indian personnel of the Bengal Artillery were involved in the mutiny and the three battalions of foot artillery then in existence were all disbanded in 1862. Subsequently, all Indian artillery units were disbanded except for a few.Regiment of Artillery
''
Global Security GlobalSecurity.org is an American nonpartisan, independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank, and research and consultancy group. Focus The site is focused on national and international security issues; military analysis, syste ...
''
The whole of the variously European artillery and the corps of engineers were transferred to the Royal corps under special conditions. The mutiny of all the native Bengal artillery, and other weighty considerations, had decided the Government to have no native field artillery in future. All the native artillery was therefore gradually disbanded. The only exceptions to this rule were the four mountain batteries in the Punjab Irregular Force (later the Punjab Frontier Force), and two native batteries in Bombay. These Nos. 1 and 2 companies Golandaz, originally used to garrison
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
and man the
Jacobabad Jacobabad ( ur, and sd, جيڪب آباد; formerly Khanger or Khangarh) is a city in Sindh, Pakistan, serving as both the capital city of Jacobabad District and the administrative center of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivision ...
mountain train in turn, eventually became Nos. 1 and 2 Bombay Mountain Batteries, and later 5 and 6 (Bombay) Mountain Batteries. Another exception were the four field batteries of the
Hyderabad Contingent The Nizam's Contingent, later Hyderabad Contingent, was the army funded by the Nizam of Hyderabad, the ruler of a Princely state of India.http://www.indianarmy.gov.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTemp12PLM8C.aspx?MnId=l7m6i4kBQ6GVWWXGRMx4Yg&ParentID=RSk ...
. The whole of this contingent had done excellent service in 1857, and was retained intact. In future, with these exceptions, the artillery service in India was to be found by batteries and companies of the Royal Artillery. Many of the mountain batteries had soldiers from the disbanded horse artillery regiments of the Sikhs. They saw extensive action in the North West Frontier and the Afghan wars.


Crown Service

With nearly all of the field artillery being manned by the Royal Artillery, Indian soldiers were restricted to few native drivers of the horse, field and heavy batteries. These men are enlisted from the usual fighting classes of the
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. The main Indian representation was in the ‘Mountain Artillery’. The guns of the mountain artillery were light in calibre and were designed to be disassembled and transported by pack
mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
in up to eight loads for use in terrain that would otherwise be impossible to traverse with larger and more conventional artillery. The earliest guns were the tiny 3 Pounder SBML (Smooth Bore Muzzle Loading) and 4 2/5 Inch SBML howitzer of 1850s. These were replaced in 1865 by the 7 Pounder RML (Rifled Muzzle Loading) gun and this in turn was replaced in 1879 by the significantly improved and significantly heavier
RML 2.5-inch mountain gun The Ordnance RML 2.5-inch mountain gun was a British rifled muzzle-loading mountain gun of the late 19th century designed to be broken down into four loads for carrying by man or mule. It was primarily used by the Indian Army. History It was ...
, also known as ''Kipling's Screw Gun'' - which had barrels that split in two for transport. For the Great War, the 10 Pounder BL (Breech Loading) and 2.75 Inch guns equipped the Indian Mountain Artillery. Only in the last year of the war was the next model, the
QF 3.7-inch mountain howitzer Ordnance, QF 3.7-inch howitzer is a mountain gun, used by British and Commonwealth armies in the First and Second World Wars, and between the wars. History The British Indian Army first requested a modern mountain gun in 1906 to replace the BL ...
introduced in East Africa. Upon entering service, it immediately became clear that this piece was vastly superior to all previous models, and it would soldier on as the standard mountain gun during the inter-war years and throughout World War II. Other than the batteries which were not disbanded after the mutiny, throughout the remainder of the 19th Century, and during the years leading up to and including the Great War, a total of twenty-five more Batteries were raised. All the Indian mountain batteries consisted of Punjabis, half Muhammadan and half Hindu, the latter being almost entirely Sikhs. The gunners were specially selected for their height and strength, with a view to the rapid assembling and dismantling of the guns from off and on to the backs of the powerful mules that carry them. In addition to service on the 'Frontier', Indian Mountain Batteries served in North-East India, Burma, Afghanistan, Tibet, the Middle East, Africa, and during the
Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
;
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
,
Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
, East Africa, Persia,
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 of course the North-West Frontier again. Throughout their history, the reputation of Indian Mountain Batteries was enhanced by the fact that they were officered by the very best the Royal Artillery had to offer. Such talented men competed to join because a tour in an Indian Mountain Battery, unlike other branches of artillery, virtually guaranteed seeing active service. Indian officers ( VCO's) and other ranks were also the best available, as the relatively small number of batteries and their role as the only Indian artillery meant that there was always a surplus of volunteers, and this in turn meant that only the highest quality of recruit was accepted. During the Great War, Indian gunners won 12
Order of British India The Order of British India was an order of merit established in 1837 by the East India Company for "long, faithful and honourable service". The company's powers were removed after the Indian Mutiny, and the Order was incorporated into the Brit ...
, 22
Indian Order of Merit The Indian Order of Merit (IOM) was a military and civilian decoration of British India. It was established in 1837, (General Order of the Governor-General of India, No. 94 of 1 May 1837) although following the Partition of India in 1947 it was ...
, 150
Indian Distinguished Service Medal The Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM) was a military decoration awarded by the British Empire to Indian citizens serving in the Indian armed forces and military police. When it was instituted in 1907 it was the second highest award avail ...
s, 232 Indian Meritorious Service Medals, 2
Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
, 3 Crucea Servicul Credincois (Romanian), 5 Serbian Gold Medals, 4
Cross of St. George The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of ...
, 4th Class and 1 Cross of St George, 3rd Class.


Indianisation of Artillery

Consequent upon the decision to Indianise the artillery arm in India, it was decided to raise three field artillery brigades and one horse artillery battery for the infantry divisions and the cavalry brigade respectively. On 15 January 1935, ‘A’ Field Brigade was formed to take the place of an outgoing British Field Brigade. It consisted of four batteries – the 1st of
Madrasi Madrasi, also spelled as Madrassi, is a term used as a demonym and a regional slur for people from southern India. In earlier usage it was a demonym to refer to the people of Madras Presidency; however this use of the term is now outdated. S ...
s, originally formed from the disbanded Madras Pioneers, the 2nd, Punjabi Mussalmans, the 3rd, Rajputana
Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
s and the 4th
Ranghar Ranghar are a community of Muslim Rajputs in the Indian states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh; and in Sindh (Muhajirs) and Punjab in Pakistan. History and origin The Ranghar were classified as an "agricultural ...
s. In the following year, an Indian Artillery Training Battery was added to the establishment of the Field Artillery Training Centre at
Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...
. In March 1938, a decision to enhance the number of Indian Artillery units was taken by the Commander-in-Chief, India. Indian officers were inducted in the No. 1 Indian Mountain Artillery Brigade, followed by the replacement of a second British Field Brigade by an Indian Field Brigade. Thereafter, replacement of a British Heavy Battery (Coast Artillery) and one British Anti-aircraft Battery by an Indian Heavy Anti-aircraft Battery were to be undertaken followed by the replacement of a second British Heavy Anti-aircraft Battery by an Indian Heavy Anti-aircraft Battery. Branches other than the field artillery were also introduced - *In August 1924, a survey section of the Royal Artillery was grouped under Captain EB Culverwell, MC, at the School of Artillery,
Kakul Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Paki ...
. *Medium artillery, became a part of the Regiment of Indian Artillery on 15 August 1944, when an Indian independent medium battery was raised at
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
to relieve a British Medium Battery in its frontier defence role. This battery was designated 201 (Independent) Medium Battery on 26 August 1944. The first of the Indian medium regiments was formed by converting the 8 Indian Field Regiment on 1 October 1944. This Regiment is in service and is known as 40 Field Regiment. *
Air Observation Post Air Observation Post (AOP) is an aeroplane or helicopter used in the role of artillery spotter by the British Army and Commonwealth forces. In this role, either the pilot of the aircraft or another crew member acts as an observer watching for ta ...
(Air OP), a special artillery unit under Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) control was raised during the World War II. The Air Observation Post first came to Indian Artillery In the form of 656 Air OP Squadron RAF, which arrived on 14 November 1943. Artillery officers trained as pilots flew light unarmed
Auster Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.Willis, issue 122, p.55 History The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited, ma ...
aircraft to correct artillery gun fire and provide battle related information. 1 Air OP Flight (RIAF), the first in the Indian Army was raised on 15 August 1947.


Second World War

During the
Second World War 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 ...
, Indian artillery units saw action in Malaya, Burma, East and North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. The following units saw action – *
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 ...
- 4 Maratha Anti Tank Regiment *
East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...
- 22 Mountain Battery, 1 (Jammu and Kashmir) Mountain Battery *
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
- 1 (Jammu and Kashmir) Mountain Battery *
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
- 27 and 18 Indian Mountain Batteries *
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 ...
- 1 Indian Anti-tank Regiment, 4 Maratha Anti Tank Regiment *
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
- 2 Indian Field Regiment * Malaya22 Mountain Regiment *
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
– **1 Indian Field Regiment, 2 Indian Field Regiment, 4 Indian Field Regiment, 5 Indian Field Regiment, 7 Indian Field Regiment **20 Indian Mountain Regiment, 21 Indian Mountain Regiment, 23 Mountain Regiment, 24 Mountain Regiment, 25 Indian Mountain Regiment, 30 Indian Mountain Regiment, 33 Mountain Regiment **1 Indian Anti-tank Regiment, 5 (Maratha) Anti-tank Regiment, 7 Indian Anti-tank Regiment, 8 (Maratha) Anti-tank Regiment ** 1 Indian Survey Regiment **1 Light Anti-aircraft Regiment, 2 Light Anti-aircraft Regiment, 5 Indian Heavy Anti-aircraft Regiment By the end of Second World War, Indian gunners had won one
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, One
George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...
, 15
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 ...
es, two IOMs, 22 IDSMs, 18
Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...
s, five OBEs, One
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
, three BEMs, 13
Burma Gallantry Medal The Burma Gallantry Medal (BGM) was a military decoration awarded for acts of gallantry, in both war and peace, by Governor's commissioned officers, non-commissioned Officers and other ranks of the British Burmese military. These included its A ...
s and 467 ''Jangi Inams''. In acknowledgement of their contribution, Indian Artillery earned the covert title of `Royal’ in 1945. Though originally called the 'Indian Regiment of Artillery', it later became 'The Regiment of Indian Artillery' on 1 November 1940 and ' Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery' in October 1945, after its success in
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 title ‘Royal’ was dropped when India became a Republic on 26 January 1950.


Post Independence

At the time of independence, Indian Artillery consisted of Field, Medium, Air Defence, Counter Bombardment, Coastal, Air Observation Post and Survey branches. After the
partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947, the Royal Indian Artillery was divided with India being allotted eighteen and a half regiments while remaining nine and half units went to
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.History of Artillery
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- ...
.
Artillery units have taken part and showed their prowess in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, or the First Kashmir War, was a war fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four Indo-Pakistani wars that was fought between t ...
,
Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tib ...
of 1962,
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...
,
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...
and the
Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...
. A major restructuring of Indian Artillery took place after the Chinese Aggression of 1962. This included fresh raising and induction of newer equipment. In 1964, Coastal Artillery was handed over to Indian Navy. In its peace time duties, the Regiment undertakes infantry type and counter insurgency tasks in Jammu and Kashmir and in the North Eastern States. Air Observation Post and Air Defence branches bifurcated in 1986 and 1994 respectively and formed new arms of Indian Army – Army Aviation Corps and
Corps of Army Air Defence The Corps of Army Air Defence (abbreviated as AAD), is an active corps of the Indian Army and a major combat support arm tasked with Anti-aircraft warfare, air defence of the country from foreign threats. The AAD is responsible for the protection ...
.


Regimental Crest

The crest of the Regiment of Artillery is largely a legacy of the
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
. Their crest depicted a gun with a crown above it, separated by the world ''Ubique'' (Latin for everywhere). Below the gun was emblazoned the motto; ''Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt'' (where right and glory lead). In the
Royal Indian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery, generally known as the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA), was an operational corps of the British Indian Army. The East India Company raised the first regular company of Artillery in 1748, with a small percentage ...
, the crown was replaced by
star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
- representing the Star of India and instead of ''Ubique'', the crest carried the word ''India'' to distinguish the
Royal Indian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery, generally known as the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA), was an operational corps of the British Indian Army. The East India Company raised the first regular company of Artillery in 1748, with a small percentage ...
from the
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
. The motto below was also changed to ''Izzat-o-Iqbal''. After independence, the word ''India'' was dropped from the regimental crest and replaced with ''Sarvatra''. The gun in the crest, the same used in the crest of the Royal Artillery, is a homage to the gunners of the old kingdoms of India and in the regiments of artillery of the Royal Indian Artillery, whose traditions are carried on by the current Regiment of Artillery.


Regimental Motto

The motto of the Regiment of Artillery is ''Sarvatra Izzat-o-Iqbal'' ''(Everywhere with Honour and Glory)'', the Hindustani equivalent of the Royal Artillery motto ''Ubique Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt'' (Everywhere that Right and Glory Lead). The Hindustani motto honours the memory of the
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
gunners of the
British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
. The motto, ''Izzat-o-Iqbal'', was retained but not without controversy. In 1954, as part of the process of Indianisation of the armed forces, the government ordered that regimental mottos be changed to
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
or
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. The final decision was, however, left with the then Chief of the Army Staff, General Rajendra Sinhji. The Regiment of Artillery made a forceful case for retaining its motto, as it was felt the most suitable in content and meaning. It was finally decided to retain the motto, though it was in
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, in time for the 1957 double celebrations of the centennial of the Indian Rebellion and the 150th sequicentennial anniversary of the Indian Artillery.


Regimental Flag and Colours

A distinctive red and navy blue background the official colours of the Artillery flag forms an ideal setting for the golden gun (the Gunner crest) which forms the centrepiece of the flag. Gunner folklore had it, that the red and blue represents the flash and the smoke of the gun, though this is not quite true. Red has been traditionally common to all combat arms - Infantry, Armour and Artillery. The blue in the Artillery flag was taken from the ribbon of the 'Star of India' which had been incorporated into the Artillery crest. The original colour was light blue, but since a similar shade was adopted by the Corps of Signals, it was changed to navy blue to avoid confusion. While the Artillery Regiments carry navy blue and burgundy red President's Banners, the guns are regarded as the regimental colours and are accorded the same compliments as the Standards, Guidons and Colours of the Cavalry and Infantry and the Banners of the Light Infantry and Services and Corps.


Raising day (Gunner’s Day)

5 (Bombay) Mountain Battery, the first unit of the Indian Regiment of Artillery was raised on 28 September 1827 as the 8th Company of the Golandaz battalion, Bombay Foot Artillery. This also marked the raising of the first native artillery unit and is celebrated as the day of raising of the Indian Regiment of Artillery. The battery is presently part of the 57 Field Regiment.


Regiment composition

As in many of pre-independence regiments, many of the units have been allotted on the basis of regional, historical or class / caste backgrounds – e.g. Sikhs, ahirs, Dogras, Rajputs, jats, Brahmins, Gurkhas, Marathas and SICs (South Indian Classes).


Commemorative Postal Stamps

Commemorative stamps have been released were released by
India Post India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...
depicting field artillery, a gunner and howitzer from Mountain Battery on the Golden Jubilee of the Regiment of Artillery and on the 50th anniversary of the
9 (Parachute) Field Regiment 9 Parachute Field Regiment is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army. Formation 9 Parachute Field Regiment was raised on 1 April 1943 at Kumbergaon, Pune, by Lieutenant Colonel R. A. Eden as 9 Field Regiment of the Royal Indian ...
.


School and Centre

The School of Artillery is the premier institution for imparting training to the officers of the regiment. In pre-Independent India, the school was established in
Kakul Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Paki ...
in 1918. In 1941, the present school was established at
Deolali Deolali, or Devlali (), is a small hill station and a census town in Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Now it is part of Nashik Metropolitan Region. Deolali has an important army base. Deolali Camp, one of the oldest Indian m ...
in
Nashik district Nashik district, also known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the administrative headquarters of the district. Nashik is well known for the production of wine. Nashik is also known as Mini Maharashtra, ...
of
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
. The Anti - Aircraft School at Karachi was also moved to Deolali and merged with the School of Artillery as one of its Wings in 1947. The Coastal Artillery Wing of the School, which was located at Bombay, was handed over to the Indian Navy in 1965. The Air Defence Wing, after bifurcation, has moved to Gopalpur in Orissa and has been renamed as the Air Defence Guided Missile School. The Air observation post wing was renamed as Aviation Wing in Jan 1982. Combat Army Aviation Training School (CATS) was established in April 2004 and the Aviation Wing of the School was completely amalgamated with the CATS in May 2004. The Mountain Artillery Training Centre came into being at Dehradun in August 1920 moving to Lucknow in October 1921 and in 1928 to Ambala. The Field Artillery Training Centre came up at Mathura. By 1947, there were six separate training centres, which were amalgamated to form the Royal Indian Artillery Centre (North). On 7 April 1948, the ‘Royal’ prefix was dropped and the Nasik centre was the sole remaining centre. At present there are two Artillery Training Centres – the Centre at
Nashik Road Nashik Road (sometimes referred to as Nasik Road) is a suburb of Nashik that contains the city's railway station. The name 'Nashik Road' was originally used for the town surrounding the station (about 8 km or 5 miles southwest from the heart of ...
, Maharashtra has the capacity to train 3,000-4,000 recruits at any given time. The other centre is at Golconda in
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 ...
, Telangana which came into being on August 15, 1962. The Golconda centre has three training regiments and presently trains 2900 recruits at a time. The Regiment of Artillery Museum, Artillery Records and Artillery Depot are located in Nashik Road.


Units

Artillery regiments can be Light Regiments, Medium Regiments, Field Regiments, Missile Regiments, Rocket Regiments and SATA (Surveillance & Target Acquisition) Regiments, depending on the nature of guns or equipment. There are two Airborne Artillery Regiments –
9 (Parachute) Field Regiment 9 Parachute Field Regiment is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army. Formation 9 Parachute Field Regiment was raised on 1 April 1943 at Kumbergaon, Pune, by Lieutenant Colonel R. A. Eden as 9 Field Regiment of the Royal Indian ...
and 17 (Parachute) Field Regiment.
Self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
regiments carry the ''(SP)'' suffix to their names. An Artillery Regiment is commanded by an officer of the rank of
Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. His second in command (2IC) is a of a
Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
rank. Most regiments have four batteries. In addition to the headquarter battery, the regiment has three batteries (a section of guns), each commanded by officers of the rank of Major or Captain (called Battery Commanders). The three batteries are numbered and may be also designated as P, Q and R batteries. Officers and other ranks from service arms, viz Army Medical Corps and Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) also form part of the unit. Three to four regiments are grouped together to form a
Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...
– which are part of Infantry or Armoured and recently Artillery Divisions. Independent Brigades are under Corps or Commands. Since the 1990s, three Artillery Divisions have been raised – *40 Artillery Division (Deep Strikers Division) –
Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala has two sub-area ...
, Haryana, under Western Command *41 Artillery Division (Agnibaaz Division) –
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
, Maharashtra, under Southern Command *42 Artillery Division (Strategic Strikers Division) –
Alwar Alwar (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar district, Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. ...
, Rajasthan, under South Western Command A full list of present artillery regiments can be accessed at - List of artillery regiments of Indian Army.


Equipment

; Light Artillery (Mortars) * 120 mm E1 Light Mortar ; Field Artillery * 105 mm Indian Field Gun

; Medium Artillery * 130 mm M-46 Field Gun; including 155 mm upgraded versions - by
Soltam Systems Soltam Systems ( he, סולתם מערכות) is an Israeli defense contractor located in Yokneam, Israel. The company has been developing and manufacturing advanced artillery systems, mortars, ammunition and peripheral equipment since 1952. ...
and by
Ordnance Factory Board Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), consisting of the Indian Ordnance Factories, now known as Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services) was an organisation, under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of Ministry of Defence (MoD), Gove ...
(Sharang) * 155 mm Haubits FH77/B Howitzer * 155 mm
Dhanush (howitzer) The Dhanush is a 155 mm towed howitzer manufactured by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited previously a part of Ordnance Factory Board. The gun was approved for service in 2019. Development The Dhanush project was started by OFB t ...
* 155 mm
M777 howitzer The M777 howitzer is a British towed 155 mm artillery piece in the howitzer class. It is used by the ground forces of Australia, Canada, Colombia, India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and the United States. It was first used in combat during the US w ...
* 155 mm
DRDO Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) The Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) is a towed 155 mm/52 calibre howitzer that is being developed for the Indian Army by Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Tata Advanced Systems and Bharat_Forge#Kalyani_Stra ...
By 2040, all medium artillery regiments will be converted to 155 mm standard. This is part of Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan (FARP), cleared in 1999. ; Self-propelled Artillery * 155 mm K9 Vajra ; Rocket Artillery * 122 mm BM-21 Grad Multiple Barrel Rocket Launcher * 214 mm
Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher Pinaka (from Sanskrit: पिनाक, see Pinaka) is a multiple rocket launcher produced in India and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army. The system has a maximum range of 40 km ...
* 300 mm BM-30 Smerch Multiple Barrel Rocket Launcher ; Missile Artillery * Brahmos Missile System *
Agni Missile System The Agni missile (अग्नि IAST: Agni ''"Fire"'') is a family of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India, named after one of the five elements of nature. Agni missiles are long range, nuclear weapons capab ...
* Prithvi Missile System *
Prahaar missile Prahaar ("Strike") is an Indian solid-fuel road-mobile tactical ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Prahaar is expected to replace the Prithvi-I short-range ballistic missile in Indian servi ...
* Pralay missile *
Shaurya missile Shaurya (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: shāurya, meaning 'Bravery') is a Vertical launching system, canister-launched hypersonic surface-to-surface missile, surface-to-surface Tactical ballistic missile, tactical missi ...
; Surveillance & Target Acquisition * UAV Drones (Heron) System * ELM Mast Mobile Radar System * WLR (Weapons Locating Radar) System * LORROS (Long Range Reconnaissance and Observation Systems) * MBFSR (Medium Range Battlefield Surveillance Radar) System * Short Range Battle Field Surveillance Radar System


Notable personnel

; Governor of States of India *General O.P. Malhotra, - Punjab (1990-1991) *Lieutenant General J.F.R. Jacob, - Goa (1998 to 1999) and Punjab (1999 to 2003) * Lieutenant General K.M. Seth, - Tripura (2002-2003), Chhattisgarh (2003-2007) and Madhya Pradesh (2004) *General S.F. Rodrigues, - Punjab (2004-2009) *Lieutenant General M.M. Lakhera, - Governor of Mizoram (2006-2011) & Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry (2004-2006) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (2006). *Captain
Shekhar Dutt Shekhar Dutt was the governor of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Earlier he had served on various bureaucratic posts including, as an IAS officer, as Secretary in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India. Career Dutt belongs to the 196 ...
, - Chhattisgarh (2010-2014) ; Commanders-in-Chief of India * Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, (November 1885 – April 1893) ;
Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) (unofficially known as the Army Chief) is a statutory position in the Indian Army held usually by a four star general. As the highest ranking officer to serve solely in the Indian Army, the chief is the profess ...
*
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam General Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam, (1 July 1913 – 13 March 2000) was the 6th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army from 1967 to 1969. He was one of the last British-trained King's Commissioned Indian Officer (KCIO) to se ...
(7 June 1966 – 7 June 1969) *
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Om Prakash Malhotra (31 May 1978 – 31 May 1981) *
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Sunith Francis Rodrigues General Sunith Francis Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM (19 September 1933 – 4 March 2022) was an Indian army officer who was Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1990 to 1993 and Governor of Punjab from 2004 to 2010. Early life and educat ...
(30 June 1990 – 30 June 1993) *
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Sundararajan Padmanabhan General Sundararajan Padmanabhan PVSM, AVSM, VSM (born 5 December 1940 in Thiruvananthapuram, Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 u ...
(30 September 2000 – 31 December 2002) *
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Deepak Kapoor General Deepak Kapoor PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC (b. 1948) served as the 22nd Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, appointed on 30 September 2007 and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee appointed on 31 August 2009. Biography Kapoo ...
(30 September 2007 – 31 March 2010) ;
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
winners *
Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
- ** Sergeant Bernard Diamond, Gunner Richard Fitzgerald, Lieutenant Hastings Edward Harrington, Lieutenant James Hills-Johnes, Rough Rider Edward Jennings, Gunner Thomas Laughnan, Gunner Hugh McInnes, Captain William Olpherts, Gunner James Park, Captain George Alexander Renny, Lieutenant Frederick Roberts, Bombardier Jacob Thomas, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Tombs, Major Richard Keatinge. * World War II - **
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Umrao Singh Yadav ;Post Independence - *
Ashok Chakra Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...
winners - **Major D. Sreeram Kumar *
Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...
winners - **Major General Mohindar Singh **Major Sushil Kumar Mathur **Captain Dara Dineshaw Mistry **Brigadier Kailash Prasad Pande **Captain Pradip Kumar Gour **Second Lieutenant Shyamal Dev Goswamy **Captain Pratap Singh *
Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...
winners - **Major Padmanabhan Srikumar **Major Braj Kishore Sharma **Lance Naik Attar Singh ;Others * Lieutenant General Prem Singh Gyani - First Indian officer to be commissioned out of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, in 1932. He became the first Indian officer to command an Indian field regiment, the 2 Indian Field Regiment. *Brigadier Furdoon Siavax Byramji Mehta - first Indian Artillery officer to wear the wings of the Air Observation Post (Air OP) in 1944, now known as Army Aviation Corps, believed to be the only Indian officer to have flown with a British Air Observation Post Squadron in the Second World War.


Further reading

* ''History of the Regiment of Artillery, Indian Army'', by Y. B. Gulati, D. K. Palit. Published by Leo Cooper, 1972. . * ''Kargil '99: Blood, Guts and Firepower'', by Gurmeet Kanwal, India Army. Regiment of Artillery. Published by Regiment of Artillery in association with Lancer Publishers, 2000. .


Notes


References


External links


Regiment of Artillery at Official website of the Indian Army (archived)

Regiment of Artillery at Official website of the Indian Army (current)

WeGunners

4 Hazara Mountain Battery (FF)
{{Indian_Army_Arms_and_Services Administrative corps of the Indian Army British Indian Army regiments Nashik Military units and formations established in 1827 Artillery units and formations of British India Artillery units and formations R 1827 establishments in British India