101 Field Regiment (India)

101 Field Regiment is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army.

101 Field Regiment (Harar Kalan)
Active1963 – present
CountryIndia India
AllegianceIndia
Branch Indian Army
Type Artillery
SizeRegiment
Nickname(s)One-O-One
Motto(s)Sarvatra, Izzat-O-Iqbal (Everywhere with Honour and Glory)
ColorsRed & Navy Blue
Anniversaries1 October – Raising Day
10 December – Battle Honour Day[1]
Equipment105 mm Indian field gun
Battle honoursHarar Kalan[2]
Insignia
Abbreviation101 Fd Regt

Formation and history

The regiment was raised as 101 Field Regiment (Self Propelled) on 1 October 1963 at Babina, Uttar Pradesh, the first Indian artillery regiment to be raised as a self-propelled regiment. The troops were drawn from other existing medium and field artillery regiments. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) RCV Apte.[3] The regiment was subsequently converted to a medium regiment and is now back as a field regiment. It has served in Babina, Jhansi, Ratnuchak, Chhangu, Jodhpur, Poonch, Secunderabad, Udhampur, Faridkot and at the Line of Control (LoC).

Class composition

The regiment was re-organised as a single class regiment with Maratha troops in May 1964.[3]

Equipment

The regiment has used the following artillery guns.[3]

Operations

The regiment has taken part in the following operations –

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Within 18 months of its raising, the regiment saw its first major operation. It took part in Operation Nepal - the Indian attack in the Sialkot sector. It was part of 1 Artillery Brigade under 1 Armoured Division.[4] In these 18 days of intense action, the regiment equipped with Sextons provided able artillery support to the offensive actions of 43 Lorried Brigade.[5] It also provided support to 62 Cavalry and 8 Garhwal during the capture of Kaloi.[6] Major Adarsh Kumar Kocchar was awarded the Vir Chakra for his gallant actions and an important role in breaking the counterattack by timely destruction of enemy tanks.[7][8] In addition, it was awarded two Sena Medals, four mentioned in despatches and two COAS Commendation Cards.[3]

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The regiment took part in Operation Cactus Lily in the Shakargarh sector on the western front of the war. It was equipped with self-propelled Abbots and was part of 39 Artillery Brigade under 39 Infantry Division. The division was tasked to capture Shakargarh in a five phased operation, of which the third phase was the capture of Harar Kalan. The initial attack by 1 Dogra was repulsed by a well-prepared enemy on the night of 7 December 1971. Captain Sheo Ganesh Singh was a Forward Observation Officer (FOO) with the Dogras. He was grievously wounded while directing artillery fire in an effort to neutralise the Pakistanis and help 1 Dogra to extricate. He was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry.[9] On the night of 10 December, a second and better prepared attack by 72 Infantry Brigade took place. Persistent and accurate artillery bombardment prior to the assault by 1 Mahar, ensured the capture of Harar Kalan without much opposition. Both 1 Mahar and 101 Field Regiment were awarded the honour title 'Harar Kalan'. The regiment lost one officer and 10 other ranks during the war. Two officers and 30 other ranks were wounded.[10][11][12][13]

Operation Parakram

The regiment was in the Poonch sector during the standoff with Pakistan and was involved in artillery fire across the LoC.[3]

Motto

The motto of the regiment is One-O-One, The Only One, The Fighting One, The Happy One.

Gallantry awards

The regiment has won the following gallantry awards[3][14] -

Notable officers
  • Major General Ramchandra Vinayak Apte, PVSM, AVSM – first commanding officer.
  • Lieutenant General Baljit Singh, AVSM, VSM – commanded the regiment, author.[13]
  • Lieutenant General Parmendra Kumar Singh Singh, PVSM, AVSM – General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western Command – commissioned into 2 Field Regiment, went on to command the unit.[15][16]
  • Lieutenant General AK Sahni, PVSM, UYSM, SM, VSM – 'sword of honour' winner and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western Command.[17]
  • Major General AC Chatterjee – who was also a 'sword of honour' winner.[3]

Other achievements
  • The regiment had seven 'silver gunner' officers and the first test pilot to the Army Aviation Corps.[3]
  • The regiment has proudly participated thrice in the Republic Day parade.[14]
  • It has won the General Officer Commanding in Chief's (Western Command) unit citation in 2016.
  • Havildar Sarvesh Anil Kushare of the regiment is a renowned high jumper and won the gold medal in the 36th National Games in 2022.[18][19]

See also

List of artillery regiments of Indian Army

References
  1. Sharma, Gautam (2000). Indian Army, a Reference Manual. Reliance Publishing House. p. 62. ISBN 978-8175101142.
  2. Singh, Sarbans (1993). Battle Honours of the Indian Army, 1757-1971. Vision Books. p. 311. ISBN 978-8170941156.
  3. "101 Medium Regiment Golden Jubilee APO postal cover". 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  4. "Anjan Mukherjee in Evolution of Indian Artillery and its Impact on India's Comprehensive Military Power, chapter II" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  5. Bajwa, KS (2008). India's National Security: Military Challenges and Responses, Volume 1. Har Anand Publications. p. 361. ISBN 978-8124113899.
  6. "Deepest thrust into the heart of enemy". 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  7. "Gazette of India, No 41, page 664" (PDF). 1966-10-08. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  8. "Maj Adarsh Kumar Kochhar, VrC". Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  9. "Gazette of India, No 51, page 1251" (PDF). 1972-12-16. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  10. Singh, Jagjit (1994). Indian Gunners at War: The Western Front 1971. Spantech & Lancer. pp. 127–130. ISBN 978-1897829554.
  11. Gulati, YB (1973). History of the Regiment of Artillery, Indian Army. Leo Cooper Ltd. pp. 257, 282. ISBN 978-0850521184.
  12. Das, Chand N (1997). Hours of Glory: famous battles of the Indian army, 1801-1971. Vision Books. pp. 150–151. ISBN 978-8170940692.
  13. "Harhar Kalan, The little known story of One Battle Honour". 2014-07-12. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  14. "Artillery Regiment celebrates golden jubilee today". 2013-10-01. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  15. Maj Gen PJS Sandhu (Retd) (2011). Strategies for Countering Non State Actors in South Asia. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. p. 128. ISBN 978-93-82573-44-9.
  16. "2 Indian Field Regiment and the Battle of Bir Hachiem – PT 171". 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  17. "Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni designated as GOC-in-C, South Western Command". 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  18. "National Open athletics: Sarvesh Kushare wins high jump gold, Anjali Devi breaks 400m meet record". 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  19. "Kushare chases Shankar's national mark, with Sable's tips". 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
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