Dogra Regiment
Encyclopedia
The Dogra Regiment is an infantry
regiment
of the Indian Army
, formerly the 17th Dogra Regiment
when part of the British Indian Army
.
people from the Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
and the hill regions of Punjab
. The current regiment was formed in 1922 through the amalgamation of three separate regiments of Dogras as the 17th Dogra Regiment. They were:
The 41st Dogras were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army
. They could trace their origins to 1900, when they were raised as the 41st (Dogra) Bengal Infantry.After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. It dropped 17th from its title in 1945 and was allocated to India
upon its independence in 1947.
Enlisting in the army is seen as an honourable pursuit for Dogras, with the earnings of the soldiers of the regiment forming a sizeable part of the local economy
. The regiment currently has 18 battalions. The 1st Battalion was reroled in 1981 to become the 7th Battalion, Mechanised Infantry Regiment
.
Soldiering has not only become a substantial part of the economic structure of the Dogra Hills, but created social and cultural traditions built on the people's association with the army. The regiment has produced one Army Chief, General Nirmal Chander Vij
. The General also served as the 10th Colonel-in-Chief of the Dogra Regiment and the Dogra Scouts.
In the pre-Independence era, the Dogras had to their credit three Victoria Cross
es and 44 Military Cross
awards besides 312 other awards. Two battalions of the 17th Dogra Regiment (2nd and 3rd Battalions) also fought in the Malayan Campaign and, after the Fall of Singapore, a large number of the captured troops later went on to join the Indian National Army
.
Post Independence
"The total collapse of the Pakistan Army's resistance is one of the most intriguing puzzles of the war in the East" wrote the Sunday Times on December 7, 1971 as Pakistan surrendered. The credit for the fall of Suadih, a small village but a strong bastion of Pak army's most fortified position in Bangladesh, went to 9 Dogra. This led to the ultimate liberation of East Pakistan and the proud triumph of the Indian Army. For this herculean task, the battalion was awarded the battle honour of Suadih.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
, formerly the 17th Dogra Regiment
17th Dogra Regiment
The 17th Dogra Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, after the Indian government decided to reform the army moving away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...
when part of the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
.
Formation
The regiment has the DograDogra
The Dogras are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group in South Asia. Being a diversified group, the Dogras include both Savarnas such as Brahmins, Rajputs and Non-savarnas. The Dogras also incluide merchant castes such as Mahajans...
people from the Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
and the hill regions of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. The current regiment was formed in 1922 through the amalgamation of three separate regiments of Dogras as the 17th Dogra Regiment. They were:
- 1st Battalion - Formerly the 37th (Prince of Wales's Own) Dogras
- 2nd Battalion - Formerly the 38th Dogras38th DograsThe 38th Dogras were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1858, when they were raised as the Agra Levy....
- 3rd Battalion - Formerly the 1st Battalion, 41st Dogras41st DograsThe 41st Dogras were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1900, when thy were raised as the 41st Bengal Infantry....
- 10th (Training) Battalion - Formerly the 2nd Battalion, 41st Dogras
The 41st Dogras were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
. They could trace their origins to 1900, when they were raised as the 41st (Dogra) Bengal Infantry.After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. It dropped 17th from its title in 1945 and was allocated to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
upon its independence in 1947.
Enlisting in the army is seen as an honourable pursuit for Dogras, with the earnings of the soldiers of the regiment forming a sizeable part of the local economy
Economic system
An economic system is the combination of the various agencies, entities that provide the economic structure that defines the social community. These agencies are joined by lines of trade and exchange along which goods, money etc. are continuously flowing. An example of such a system for a closed...
. The regiment currently has 18 battalions. The 1st Battalion was reroled in 1981 to become the 7th Battalion, Mechanised Infantry Regiment
Mechanised Infantry Regiment
The Mechanised Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is one of the youngest regiments in the army, and though it was formed as a result of lessons learned in the 1965 Indo-Pak War, to give infantry battalions greater mobility, it was the mastermind of late Gen K Sundarji...
.
Soldiering has not only become a substantial part of the economic structure of the Dogra Hills, but created social and cultural traditions built on the people's association with the army. The regiment has produced one Army Chief, General Nirmal Chander Vij
Nirmal Chander Vij
General Nirmal Chander Vij was the 21st Indian Chief of Army Staff during 1 Jan 2003 - 31 Jan 2005.-Career:General Vij was born in January 1943 at Jammu. He completed his studies at the SRML Higher Secondary School, Jammu and joined the National Defence Academy in 1959. He was commissioned into...
. The General also served as the 10th Colonel-in-Chief of the Dogra Regiment and the Dogra Scouts.
In the pre-Independence era, the Dogras had to their credit three Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
es and 44 Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
awards besides 312 other awards. Two battalions of the 17th Dogra Regiment (2nd and 3rd Battalions) also fought in the Malayan Campaign and, after the Fall of Singapore, a large number of the captured troops later went on to join the Indian National Army
Indian National Army
The Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj was an armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II. The aim of the army was to overthrow the British Raj in colonial India, with Japanese assistance...
.
Units
*2nd Battalion- 3rd Battalion
- 4th Battalion
- 5th Battalion
- 6th Battalion
- 7th Battalion
- 8th Battalion
- 9th Battalion
- 10th Battalion
- 11th Battalion
- 12th Battalion
- 13th Battalion
- 14th Battalion
- 15th Battalion
- 16th Battalion
- 17th Battalion
- 18th Battalion
- 19th Battalion
Battle honours
Pre-Independence combined battle honours of 37th (Prince of Wales's Own) Dogras, 38th Dogras, 41st Dogras- The Great War: La Bassée 1914, Festubert 1914 '15, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, France and Flanders 1914-15, Egypt 1915, Megiddo, Nablus, Palestine 1918, Tigris 1916, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1915-18, Aden, NW Frontier India 1915 '17
- Afghanistan 1919
- The Second World War: Kota Bahru, Malaya 1941-42, Donbaik, Nunshigum, Magwe, Kennedy Peak, Burma 1942-45Burma CampaignThe Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
Post Independence
- Jhangar, Rajauri, Jammu and Kashmir 1947-48, HajipirHajipirHajipir Dargah is located in Kutch, Gujarat, India....
, Raja Picquet-Chand Tekri, OP Hill (NL 1053), Jammu and Kashmir 1965, Asal Uttar, Dograi, Punjab 1965, Suadhi, Siramani, Chauddagram, East Pakistan 1971, Dera Baba Nanak, Punjab 1971 where Lt col Narinder Singh Sandhu displayed Valour and Courage and in the true traditions of the Indian Army won The Maha Vir Chakra.
- The Highest Gallantry Award with Dogra Regiment in post-independence era is Ashok Chakra that was conferred posthumously to Maj. Sandeep Shankla in 1992 by then President of India Shri. R. Venkataraman. Maj. Sandeep Shankla belonged to the 18th Regiment of the Dogras.
"The total collapse of the Pakistan Army's resistance is one of the most intriguing puzzles of the war in the East" wrote the Sunday Times on December 7, 1971 as Pakistan surrendered. The credit for the fall of Suadih, a small village but a strong bastion of Pak army's most fortified position in Bangladesh, went to 9 Dogra. This led to the ultimate liberation of East Pakistan and the proud triumph of the Indian Army. For this herculean task, the battalion was awarded the battle honour of Suadih.