Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Walter Anthony Gustavo 'WAG' Pinto,
PVSM (1 July 1924 – 25 March 2021) was a
General Officer in 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- ...
. He last served as the 8th
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the
Central Command. As a
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
, he led the
54th Infantry Division on the western front in the
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 ...
, for which he was awarded the
Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...
.
Early life and education
WAG Pinto was born on 1 July 1924, at
Poona,
Bombay Presidency, to Alexander Pinto, who worked in the Military Accounts Department, and his wife, Helen Agnes Pinto. Alexander was from the Gustave Pinto branch of the Pintos of
Santa Cruz, Goa, which was then part of
Portuguese India. Pinto was the youngest of three children. His elder brother, Sydney Alexander, was also an
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- ...
Officer who was commissioned in the
Corps of Engineers as a
Bombay Sapper. He later transferred to the
Bengal Sappers
The Bengal Engineer Group (BEG) (informally the Bengal Sappers or Bengal Engineers) is a military engineering regiment in the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The unit was originally part of the Bengal Army of the East India Company's Ben ...
, and commanded an Infantry brigade and later
2 Mountain Division. His sister, Phyllis Mary, served in the Women's Auxiliary Corps, India and later,
Burma Shell.
Pinto was schooled in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
,
Poona and at
St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School,
Jabalpur from where he passed his
Senior Cambridge School leaving certificate with 4 Ds (distinctions). He then attended college at
Robertson College Jabalpur
Robertson College, Jabalpur, (now divided into Government Science College, Jabalpur and Mahakoshal Arts & Commerce College) is considered to be the oldest such institution in Madhya Pradesh.
History
It was established in 1836 as Sagar Govt. Sch ...
, where he joined D Company, 10th Nagpur Battalion,
University Training Corps (UTC). The UTC was a precursor to the
National Cadet Corps (NCC).
Military career
After clearing the Preliminary and Final Selection Boards held at
Jabalpur and
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
respectively, he joined the Pre-Cadet Course at Datta College,
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
in January 1943. In March 1943, he joined the
Indian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...
,
Dehradun for a six months emergency commission training course. Pinto was commissioned into the
13th Frontier Force Rifles
The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions.
History
The 13th Frontier Force Rifles' ...
, one of only four cadets who earned a commission in the infantry among the two hundred or so cadets being commissioned.
World War II
Second Lieutenant Pinto then proceeded to the
13th Frontier Force Rifles
The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions.
History
The 13th Frontier Force Rifles' ...
Regimental Centre at
Abbottabad and was then posted to the Machine Gun battalion of the regiment at
Sultan's Battery. The battalion then boarded a special train to
Chaklala, Rawalpindi
Chaklala is a major suburban town of Rawalpindi in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
It is situated astride the Airport Road, to the east of Grand Trunk Road on the main railway line. The town has its own railway station Chaklala Railway Station w ...
where they trained for a glider-borne role somewhere in
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 ...
. They then made their way to
Kohima
Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...
via
Agartala to join the
7th Indian Infantry Division. They were to be launched into operations as part of then
Lt Gen Frank Messervy's IV Corps offensive across the
Irrawaddy River.
In Burma, Pinto commanded the
Medium Machine Gun
A medium machine gun (MMG), in modern terms, usually refers to a belt-fed machine gun firing a full-powered rifle cartridge, and is considered "medium" in weight (). Medium machine guns are light enough to be infantry-portable (as opposed to a h ...
(MMG)
Platoon of the battalion and participated in different operations against the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
and the
Indian National Army. Pinto remained in Burma until the fall of
Rangoon.
After the war, the division was flown out to
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, with the task of repatriating the Japanese
POWs. After a year in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, Pinto sailed to
Madras via
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
. A special train took them to
Taxila from where they took the road to the Regimental Centre in
Abbottabad. In 1946, Pinto was appointed Assistant
Adjutant of the
13th Frontier Force Rifles
The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions.
History
The 13th Frontier Force Rifles' ...
Regimental Centre.
Post-Independence
After the
Partition of India, Pinto was earmarked for the
5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army.
The regiment's battalions s ...
but was later assigned to the 2nd battalion of the
Assam Regiment
The Assam Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment consists of 25 battalions: 15 regular battalions, 3 Rashtriya Rifles battalions, 5 Territorial Army battalions (including 2 ecological battalions). It recruits exclusiv ...
. Pinto was given command of A Company and sent on foot column protection duty. Later, Pinto's company moved to
Shimla
Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, the ...
to provide ceremonial guard duties for the
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
,
C. Rajagopalachari
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and independence activis ...
at the
Viceregal Lodge (Rashtrapati Niwas).
In 1949, the
Brigade of the Guards
The Brigade of The Guards is a mechanised infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised as the first "all India", "all class" infantry unit of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together, as opposed to other regiments that ...
was being raised from the four oldest battalions of the Indian Army (1 Raj Rif, 1 Rajput, 1 Grenadiers & 2/2 Punjab) by
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
K. M. Cariappa, the then
Commander-in-Chief 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- ...
. Pinto was selected for the 3rd battalion,
Brigade of the Guards
The Brigade of The Guards is a mechanised infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised as the first "all India", "all class" infantry unit of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together, as opposed to other regiments that ...
(3 Guards) and took over as A Company Commander in January 1950.
In 1951, The battalion moved to the North-East where there were reports of Chinese infiltration across the
McMahon Line. Pinto led a
Long-range reconnaissance patrol through un-mapped territory to the
McMahon Line along the
Subansiri River Valley. In May 1954, he was selected to attend the 8th Staff Course at the
Defence Services Staff College
, motto_lang = sa
, mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom''
, established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali)
, type = Defence Service Training Institute
, affiliation =
, endowment =
, administrative_staff =
, faculty =
, pres ...
. On completion, Pinto was posted as
brigade major
A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section dire ...
of 191 Independent Infantry Brigade in
Jammu and Kashmir. After completing his tenure as Brigade Major, he was posted to the Regimental Centre at Kota. While at the centre, he was selected to attend the 26th Senior Officers' Course, at the
Infantry School, Mhow. Later in the year, Pinto was posted as
Second-in-Command (Commandant designate) of 4th battalion,
Brigade of the Guards
The Brigade of The Guards is a mechanised infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised as the first "all India", "all class" infantry unit of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together, as opposed to other regiments that ...
(4 Guards). He was promoted to
lieutenant colonel and took over 4 Guards in
Jammu and Kashmir. After the tenure in J&K, in 1962, he later took the battalion to
Fort William,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
which was to be their peace station. But, the
Chinese invasion in
North-East Frontier Agency
The North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), originally known as the North-East Frontier Tracts (NEFT), was one of the political divisions in British India, and later the Republic of India until 20 January 1972, when it became the Union Territory of ...
had begun and the battalion moved to
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...
.
After the war, Pinto was posted as directing staff at the
Defence Services Staff College
, motto_lang = sa
, mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom''
, established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali)
, type = Defence Service Training Institute
, affiliation =
, endowment =
, administrative_staff =
, faculty =
, pres ...
. After the tenure at Staff College, he was posted to the
Cabinet Secretariat (Military Wing) as staff officer grade 1 (Army). The Military wing comprised the three staff officers of
lieutenant colonel or equivalent from the three services.
In 1967, Pinto was promoted to the rank of
brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
and posted as commander, 66 Mountain Brigade in
Binnaguri
Binnaguri is a cantonment town located in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal state, India. It is located at 26° 46' N latitude and 89° 3' E longitude at an altitude of 216 metres above sea level.
Geography
Area overview
The map alongsid ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. After a tenure of 2 years, Brig. Pinto was posted back to
Defence Services Staff College
, motto_lang = sa
, mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom''
, established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali)
, type = Defence Service Training Institute
, affiliation =
, endowment =
, administrative_staff =
, faculty =
, pres ...
as the chief instructor (Army). He served at the Staff College for two more years.
As war clouds loomed large, Pinto was promoted to
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
and took over as the 3rd
general officer commanding 54 Infantry Division at
Secunderabad
Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It ...
in April 1971.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The
54 Infantry Division was a part of
I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to:
France
* 1st Army Corps (France)
* I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...
, then the only Strike Corps of the Indian Army. Pinto took the division from its peacetime location in Secunderabad to its operational location in 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 ...
within three weeks.
After Pakistan's
pre-emptive strikes on 3 December, Pinto's division was to advance between Degh Nadi and Kirar river with a view of capturing line Laisarkalan - Bari - Darman, then Supwal and Barwal, and to be prepared to capture Deoli and Mirzapur.
54 Infantry Division under Pinto, crossed the border as planned at 2000 hrs on 6 December and captured the border outposts at Chamnakhurd, Danadout, Galar Tanda, Chak Jangu, Dhandhar, Mukhwal and Buru Chakby 0230 hrs 7 December.
Battle of Basantar
The Battle of Basantar was among the most vital battles in the war. It was one of the greatest tank battles fought by 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- ...
. Pinto had the 47 Infantry Brigade, 91 Infantry Brigade and the 74 Infantry Brigade,
Poona Horse
The Poona Horse is an armoured regiment in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. The regiment, known before independence as The Poona Horse (17th Queen Victoria's Own Cavalry), was raised as a regular cavalry regiment in the Bombay Presidency a ...
and one squadron of
Hodson's Horse
4th Horse (Hodson's Horse) is a part of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army, which had its beginnings as an irregular cavalry regiment during the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Formation
The regiment was raised during the turbulent tim ...
. The date for the Basantar crossing was fixed for night 14/15 December, but was postponed by 24 hours by Pinto. The Battle of Basantar was a decisive Indian victory. When the
ceasefire
A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...
was declared on 17 December, Pinto summed it up:
In what is an Indian Army record, Pinto's
54 Infantry Division won as many as 196 gallantry medals in just 14 days of fierce fighting. These include 2
Param Vir Chakras and 9
Mahavir Chakras.
Post-war Career
After the war, Pinto was awarded the
Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...
which he felt was a sore disappointment as the award is generally a non-gallantry peacetime award.
The division remained in Pakistan until the
Simla Agreement
The Simla Agreement, also spelled Shimla Agreement, was a peace treaty signed between India and Pakistan on 2 July 1972 in Shimla, the capital city of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It followed the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which ...
, after which it moved back to
Secunderabad
Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It ...
in March 1973. Pinto gifted a war trophy - a disabled Pakistani
M47 Patton
The M47 Patton was an American main battle tank, a development of the M46 Patton mounting an updated turret, and was in turn further developed as the M48 Patton. It was the second American tank to be named after General George S. Patton, command ...
Tank to the Andhra Pradesh Government and had it installed on the
Tank Bund Road, Hyderabad
The Tank Bund Road is a road in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, India. The Tank Bund dams Hussain Sagar lake on the eastern side and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It has become an attraction with 33 statues of famous people from ...
.
In 1973, Pinto became the Colonel of the
Rajput Regiment
The Rajput Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army, tracing its origins back to 1778 with the raising of the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. The 1st battalion of the regiment was formed in 1798.
After Worl ...
.
4 Guards, which he had commanded known earlier as 1 Rajput and was part of the Rajput regimental family.
Later that year, Pinto was appointed Director, Military Training (now
Army Training Command
The Army Training Command, abbreviated as ARTRAC, is one of the seven commands of the Indian Army. It is currently based at Shimla. It was established in 1991.
Lieutenant General SS Mahal is the current commander.
History
The Army Training Comm ...
) where he wore many hats - Chairman - Joint Training Committee, President - Services Sports Control Board, President - Army Mountaineering Federation, President - Army Rifle Association and later was Vice President -
Indian Hockey Federation
The Indian Hockey Federation was the Indian branch of the International Hockey Federation.
Background
It was the apex governing body of field hockey in India. It was formed on 7 November 1925 in Gwalior. It was the first non-European team to ...
and Vice President -
Indian Olympic Association
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets and for managing the Indian teams ...
.
After a three-year tenure, Pinto was promoted to
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
and took over as
General officer commanding XXXIII Corps in Sukhna. In 1978, he took over as the
Commandant of the National Defence College
The Commandant of the National Defence College in India is the overall in-charge of all the functioning of the National Defence College including academics and administration. The Commandant of the college is a Three-star rank officer from the t ...
. The
National Defence College is the highest seat of strategic learning for Indian Defence and Civil Services officers of the rank of
brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
and
Joint secretary to Government of India
Joint Secretary to Government of India (often abbreviated as JS, GoI or Union Joint Secretary or Joint Secretary to Union of India) is a post under the Central Staffing Scheme and the third highest non-political executive rank in Government of I ...
.
In July 1980, Pinto was appointed Army Commander and took over the
Central Command in
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
. He was the 8th
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the
Central Command.
After a 2-year tenure, Pinto retired on 30 June 1982 after nearly 4 decades in uniform.
Later life and death
After retirement, the Pintos settled down in
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 ...
. Pinto died on 25 March 2021, aged 96.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto, WAG
1924 births
2021 deaths
Indian generals
Commandants of National Defence College, India
Generals of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Goan people
Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal
People from Pune
Indian Army personnel of World War II
British Indian Army officers
Defence Services Staff College alumni
Academic staff of the Defence Services Staff College