K S Thimayya
Encyclopedia
Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, PB
, DSO
( Kodava
Kannada : ಕೊದಂಡೇರ ಸುಬ್ಬಯ್ಯ ತಿಮ್ಮಯ್ಯ ) was a distinguished soldier of the Indian Army
who served as Chief of Army Staff
from 1957 to 1961 in the crucial years leading up to the conflict
with China in 1962. After the Korean War
, Thimayya headed an United Nations
unit dealing with the repatriation of prisoners of war. After his retirement from the Indian Army, he went on to command the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus
. While in Cyprus, he died of a heart attack, in 1965.
( also known as Coorg), Karnataka
, on March 30, 1906 as the son of a wealthy planter. On his father's side, he belonged to Kodendera clan to which india's first commander-in-chief Cariappa also belonged. His mother Cheppudira Chittauwa was from the Cheppudira family. She was a recipient of the Kesar-e-hind for her philanthropic contributions. Both families are of royal lineage. His maternal uncle C B Ponnappa was in first batch of commissioned officers from Indore school and a batchmate of Cariappa. Desiring that he receive a good education, he was sent at the age of eight years to St Joseph's College in Coonoor
a convent run by Irish brothers. Later, Thimayya was sent to Bishop Cotton Boys' School
in Bangalore
. After completing school, Thimayya was sent to the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College , a necessary stepping stone for a commission in the Indian Army
.His elder brother Ponappa (later joined INA )as well as younger brother Somayya (died in a mine accident in 1947-48 Kashmir operations) joined Indian army. Following his graduation from RIMC, "Timmy", as he was affectionately known, was one of only six Indian cadets selected for further training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
. He was commissioned into the British Indian Army
in 1926.
and was attached to the Highland Light Infantry
as was the norm then, prior to a permanent posting with a regiment of the British Indian Army. He was soon posted to the 4th Battalion of the 19th Hyderabad Regiment
(now Kumaon Regiment
) and was promoted to Lieutenant
in 1928 Appointed the regimental adjutant
in September 1930, Thimayya honed his soldiering skills on that famous training ground in the Northwest Frontier (present-day Pakistan), battling recalcitrant Pathan tribals.
In January 1935, Thimayya married Nina Cariappa(no relation to K M Cariappa), and was promoted to Captain the following month. On 20 March 1936, they had a daughter, Mireille. The same April, Thimayya was posted as an Adjutant at the University Training Corps in Madras, as a fitting example for young Indian undergraduates interested in joining the Indian Army, of what a good soldier should be.
. In October 1941, he was transferred at his request to India. Thimayya was posted as the Second-in-Command of a new raising at the Hyderabad Regimental Centre in Agra
. He was then detailed to attend the Staff College at Quetta
where he and his wife had earlier made a name for themselves by selfless service during the 1935 Quetta earthquake
. Thimayya was promoted to Major in February 1943, and served as GSO 2 (Ops) (a Grade II Staff Officer) of 25th Indian Division
, the first Indian officer to get this coveted staff appointment.
His infantry division was conducting jungle warfare training and was preparing to go into Burma to face the Japanese Army during World War II where it served in the Second Arakan campaign. Thimayya was promoted to temporary Lieutenant-Colonel in May 1944. In Burma, he was posted to his old regiment as Commanding Officer of the 8/19th Hyderabads, which he led with outstanding success in battle. For a short while the battalion was under the command of the 3rd Commando Brigade, with Brigadier C R Hardy at the helm, who during the height of a battle presented a trophy to the 8/19th Hyderabads. It was a green beret - the command's head dress - with a little typed message on a card, "We cannot buy anything here but we would like you to accept this as a token of our great admiration for the bravery and achievement of your battalion." He was also promoted to the rank of Brigadier
in the field on 25 March 1945. For his outstanding service in battle, he was awarded the much coveted Distinguished Service Order
(D.S.O) and also a Mention-in-Dispatches
.
His innate talents of professional soldiering and leadership were soon recognized by Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck
, the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. He was specially selected to lead the 268th Indian Infantry Brigade
as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan
after World War II. He got this assignment due to his outstanding battle experience as a Brigadier and being the only Indian to command a battle formation in the field. As an independent brigade, the 268th had done excellent work in the Burma Campaign and was detailed as part of BRINDIV led by Maj Gen D.T. "Punch" Cowan
.
Timmy proved to be an outstanding commander and his diplomatic skills emerged as he had to deal with General Douglas MacArthur
, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific Theatre, the other Allies and the vanquished Japanese. Thimayya's personality, charm of manners and unassailable reputation, impressed the Japanese of the calibre of Indian commanders. Thimayya was called on here to defuse the sit-down strike by the 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles at the palace of the Mikado
in Tokyo
when the battalion refused to obey its British officers.
Thimayya represented the country during the surrender of the Japanese in Singapore, followed by the surrender of the Japanese in the Philippines. At the ceremony of Japanese surrender in Singapore, Timmy signed on behalf of India. He was awarded the 'Keys to Manila' when he was sent to the Philippines. As Indian Independence
approached, he was recalled to India by then Commander-in-chief of British India, Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck
.
, as member of the committee to agree to the allotment of weapons, equipment and regiments that were to remain in India, or to be allotted to Pakistan. Soon after the commission was completed, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General in September 1947 and was then assigned the command of the 4th Infantry Division
and also to take over the Punjab Boundary Force, dealing with the exodus and intake of refugees fleeing to their respective countries. In 1948 he was one of the active officers in the actions against the forces of Pakistan
in the conflict over Kashmir
. His next appointment was command of the 19th Infantry Division
in Jammu & Kashmir where he succeeded in driving the raiders and the Pakistan Army out of the Kashmir Valley. Personally leading the attack in the forwardmost tank, the surprise attack on Zoji La on 1 November 1948 by a brigade with Stuart Light Tanks of the 7th Light Cavalry
, succeeded in driving out the entrenched raiders and Pakistan Army
regulars and the eventual capture of Dras
, Kargil
and Leh. He established the best of relations with Sheikh Abdullah and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad
and even Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
, but his pleas to give him three more months to drive the raiders back to Muzzarfarabad fell on deaf ears and instead, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru went to the United Nations. The rest is history.
Thereafter, Timmy served as the Commandant of the prestigious Indian Military Academy
, Dehra Dun. The experience gained by him in Japan stood him in good stead when he was specially selected by the United Nations to head the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission in Korea. It was a very sensitive and delicate task dealing with unruly Chinese and Korean prisoners. Here again, through sheer charisma, impartiality, firmness and diplomacy, he completed this task to the satisfaction of the world body. He returned to India and was promoted to General Officer Commanding
, Southern Command
, with the rank of Lieutenant-General, in January 1953. He took over the reins of the Indian Army on 7 May 1957.
In 1959, he handed his resignation in protest to Prime Minister Nehru due to Defence Minister V.K. Krishna Menon's refusal to consider his plans for preparing the Army for the forthcoming Sino-Indian conflict of 1962. Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru refused to accept it and persuaded him in withdrawing his resignation. However, little action was taken on Thimayya's recommendations and he continued as the Army Chief till his retirement on 7 May 1961, completing 35 years of distinguished military service.
(UNFICYP) in July 1964. He died during his tenure as UNFICYP in December 1965 and his mortal remains were flown to Bangalore for the last rites. The street perpendicular to East Street (a road parallel to MG road in Pune
),the Richmond Road in Bangalore
and the main road through Larnaca
/Cyprus (East to West) were renamed as Gen Thimayya Road, in his memory. The Republic of Cyprus, also honored him by issuing a commemorative stamp in his memory in 1966.
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
( Kodava
Kodava
The Kodavas are a patrilineal ethno-lingual group from the region of Kodagu, in Karnataka state of southern India who traditionally were land-owning agriculturists with martial traditions and natively speak Kodava takk...
Kannada : ಕೊದಂಡೇರ ಸುಬ್ಬಯ್ಯ ತಿಮ್ಮಯ್ಯ ) was a distinguished soldier 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...
who served as Chief of Army Staff
Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army
The Chief of the Army Staff is the commander and usually the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Army. The position is abbreviated as COAS in Indian Army cables and communication....
from 1957 to 1961 in the crucial years leading up to the conflict
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict , was a war between China and India that occurred in 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan...
with China in 1962. After the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Thimayya headed an United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
unit dealing with the repatriation of prisoners of war. After his retirement from the Indian Army, he went on to command the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. While in Cyprus, he died of a heart attack, in 1965.
Childhood
Thimayya was born in Madikeri, the district town of KodaguKodagu
Kodagu , also known by its anglicised former name of Coorg, is an administrative district in Karnataka, India. It occupies an area of in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka. As of 2001, the population was 548,561, 13.74% of which resided in the district's urban centres, making it the least...
( also known as Coorg), Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, on March 30, 1906 as the son of a wealthy planter. On his father's side, he belonged to Kodendera clan to which india's first commander-in-chief Cariappa also belonged. His mother Cheppudira Chittauwa was from the Cheppudira family. She was a recipient of the Kesar-e-hind for her philanthropic contributions. Both families are of royal lineage. His maternal uncle C B Ponnappa was in first batch of commissioned officers from Indore school and a batchmate of Cariappa. Desiring that he receive a good education, he was sent at the age of eight years to St Joseph's College in Coonoor
Coonoor
Coonoor is a town and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea....
a convent run by Irish brothers. Later, Thimayya was sent to Bishop Cotton Boys' School
Bishop Cotton Boys School
Bishop Cotton Boys' School, also referred to as the Eton of the East is an all-boys school for boarders and day scholars in Bangalore, Karnataka, India....
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. After completing school, Thimayya was sent to the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College , a necessary stepping stone for a commission in 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...
.His elder brother Ponappa (later joined INA )as well as younger brother Somayya (died in a mine accident in 1947-48 Kashmir operations) joined Indian army. Following his graduation from RIMC, "Timmy", as he was affectionately known, was one of only six Indian cadets selected for further training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. He was commissioned into 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...
in 1926.
Early career
After completing his training, he was commissioned into the Army in 1926 as a Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
and was attached to the Highland Light Infantry
Highland Light Infantry
The Highland Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. In 1923 the regimental title was expanded to the Highland Light Infantry ...
as was the norm then, prior to a permanent posting with a regiment of the British Indian Army. He was soon posted to the 4th Battalion of the 19th Hyderabad Regiment
19th Hyderabad Regiment
The 19th Hyderabad Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed following the post World War I reforms of the Indian Army when they moved from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments...
(now Kumaon Regiment
Kumaon Regiment
The Kumaon Regiment is one of the most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to the 18th century and has fought in every major campaign of the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, including the two world wars...
) and was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1928 Appointed the regimental adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
in September 1930, Thimayya honed his soldiering skills on that famous training ground in the Northwest Frontier (present-day Pakistan), battling recalcitrant Pathan tribals.
In January 1935, Thimayya married Nina Cariappa(no relation to K M Cariappa), and was promoted to Captain the following month. On 20 March 1936, they had a daughter, Mireille. The same April, Thimayya was posted as an Adjutant at the University Training Corps in Madras, as a fitting example for young Indian undergraduates interested in joining the Indian Army, of what a good soldier should be.
World War II
After this tenure, Timmy was posted to his battalion in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. In October 1941, he was transferred at his request to India. Thimayya was posted as the Second-in-Command of a new raising at the Hyderabad Regimental Centre in Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
. He was then detailed to attend the Staff College at Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
where he and his wife had earlier made a name for themselves by selfless service during the 1935 Quetta earthquake
1935 Balochistan earthquake
The 1935 Balochistan Earthquake occurred on May 31, 1935 at 3:02am at Quetta, Balochistan, British India . The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 Mw and anywhere between 30,000 and 60,000 people died from the impact. This ranks as one of the deadliest earthquakes that hit South Asia...
. Thimayya was promoted to Major in February 1943, and served as GSO 2 (Ops) (a Grade II Staff Officer) of 25th Indian Division
25th Infantry Division (India)
The 25th Indian Infantry Division was a division of the Indian Army during World War II which fought in the Burma Campaign during World War II.-History:...
, the first Indian officer to get this coveted staff appointment.
His infantry division was conducting jungle warfare training and was preparing to go into Burma to face the Japanese Army during World War II where it served in the Second Arakan campaign. Thimayya was promoted to temporary Lieutenant-Colonel in May 1944. In Burma, he was posted to his old regiment as Commanding Officer of the 8/19th Hyderabads, which he led with outstanding success in battle. For a short while the battalion was under the command of the 3rd Commando Brigade, with Brigadier C R Hardy at the helm, who during the height of a battle presented a trophy to the 8/19th Hyderabads. It was a green beret - the command's head dress - with a little typed message on a card, "We cannot buy anything here but we would like you to accept this as a token of our great admiration for the bravery and achievement of your battalion." He was also promoted to the rank of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
in the field on 25 March 1945. For his outstanding service in battle, he was awarded the much coveted Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(D.S.O) and also a Mention-in-Dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
.
His innate talents of professional soldiering and leadership were soon recognized by Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck
Claude Auchinleck
Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
, the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. He was specially selected to lead the 268th Indian Infantry Brigade
268th Indian Infantry Brigade
The 268th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October 1942, by the re designation of 268th Indian Armoured Brigade. It was assigned to the 43rd Indian Armoured Division until March 1943. Then the 44th Indian Armoured Division...
as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after World War II. He got this assignment due to his outstanding battle experience as a Brigadier and being the only Indian to command a battle formation in the field. As an independent brigade, the 268th had done excellent work in the Burma Campaign and was detailed as part of BRINDIV led by Maj Gen D.T. "Punch" Cowan
David Tennant Cowan
Major General David Tennant Cowan CB, CBE, DSO & Bar, MC , also known as "Punch" Cowan, was an officer in the British Army and British Indian Army in World War I and World War II...
.
Timmy proved to be an outstanding commander and his diplomatic skills emerged as he had to deal with General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific Theatre, the other Allies and the vanquished Japanese. Thimayya's personality, charm of manners and unassailable reputation, impressed the Japanese of the calibre of Indian commanders. Thimayya was called on here to defuse the sit-down strike by the 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles at the palace of the Mikado
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
when the battalion refused to obey its British officers.
Thimayya represented the country during the surrender of the Japanese in Singapore, followed by the surrender of the Japanese in the Philippines. At the ceremony of Japanese surrender in Singapore, Timmy signed on behalf of India. He was awarded the 'Keys to Manila' when he was sent to the Philippines. As Indian Independence
Independence Day (India)
The Independence Day of India is celebrated on the fifteenth of August to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in...
approached, he was recalled to India by then Commander-in-chief of British India, Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck
Claude Auchinleck
Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
.
Role in independent India
He returned to India in 1947, during the PartitionPartition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, as member of the committee to agree to the allotment of weapons, equipment and regiments that were to remain in India, or to be allotted to Pakistan. Soon after the commission was completed, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General in September 1947 and was then assigned the command of the 4th Infantry Division
Indian 4th Infantry Division
The Indian 4th Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army.The division was formed in Egypt in 1939 and was the first Indian formation to go overseas during the Second World War. As with all formations in the Indian Army prior to independence,...
and also to take over the Punjab Boundary Force, dealing with the exodus and intake of refugees fleeing to their respective countries. In 1948 he was one of the active officers in the actions against the forces of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in the conflict over Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. His next appointment was command of the 19th Infantry Division
Indian 19th Infantry Division
The Indian 19th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II, and played a prominent part in the final part of the Burma Campaign....
in Jammu & Kashmir where he succeeded in driving the raiders and the Pakistan Army out of the Kashmir Valley. Personally leading the attack in the forwardmost tank, the surprise attack on Zoji La on 1 November 1948 by a brigade with Stuart Light Tanks of the 7th Light Cavalry
7th Light Cavalry
The 7th Light Cavalry, was a regular army cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army which first came into British service with the East India Company and went on to serve on the North West Frontier and in World War I and World War II.-Formation:...
, succeeded in driving out the entrenched raiders and Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
regulars and the eventual capture of Dras
Dras
Dras is a town in the Kargil District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is often called 'The Gateway to Ladakh'. The town shot into prominence in the summer of 1999 following Pakistani-backed incursions into Jammu and Kashmir...
, Kargil
Kargil
' :* Kargil district, in Ladakh, Indian-administered Kashmir* Kargil town, the chief town of the district* Kargil War, a 1999 armed conflict between India and Pakistan in the Kargil district...
and Leh. He established the best of relations with Sheikh Abdullah and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed ruled the State of Jammu and Kashmir as Prime Minister for eleven years from 1953 to 1964.Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed was educated at C.M.S Tyndale Biscoe School. He started his career as a school teacher in far flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir like Skardu and Leh and later...
and even Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, but his pleas to give him three more months to drive the raiders back to Muzzarfarabad fell on deaf ears and instead, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru went to the United Nations. The rest is history.
Thereafter, Timmy served as the Commandant of the prestigious Indian Military Academy
Indian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy, Dehradun is the officer training school of the Indian Army. IMA was established in 1932.-Demands for an Indian military training academy:...
, Dehra Dun. The experience gained by him in Japan stood him in good stead when he was specially selected by the United Nations to head the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission in Korea. It was a very sensitive and delicate task dealing with unruly Chinese and Korean prisoners. Here again, through sheer charisma, impartiality, firmness and diplomacy, he completed this task to the satisfaction of the world body. He returned to India and was promoted to General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
, Southern Command
Southern Command (India)
Southern Command is a formation of the Indian Army, active since 1895. It has seen action during the integration of several Princely States into modern India, during the 1961 Indian Annexation of Goa, and during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani Wars....
, with the rank of Lieutenant-General, in January 1953. He took over the reins of the Indian Army on 7 May 1957.
Chief of Army Staff
General Kodandera Subayya Thimmaiah assumed charge of the Indian Army, as the 6th Chief of Army Staff, on 7 May 1957. He briefly resigned his post in 1959 over a dispute with V. K. Krishna Menon, then minister for defence, He retired from the army in 1961, almost 15 months before.In 1959, he handed his resignation in protest to Prime Minister Nehru due to Defence Minister V.K. Krishna Menon's refusal to consider his plans for preparing the Army for the forthcoming Sino-Indian conflict of 1962. Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru refused to accept it and persuaded him in withdrawing his resignation. However, little action was taken on Thimayya's recommendations and he continued as the Army Chief till his retirement on 7 May 1961, completing 35 years of distinguished military service.
After retirement
After retirement from the Indian Army, the United Nations sought his services yet once again when he was appointed as the Commander of UN Forces in CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
(UNFICYP) in July 1964. He died during his tenure as UNFICYP in December 1965 and his mortal remains were flown to Bangalore for the last rites. The street perpendicular to East Street (a road parallel to MG road in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
),the Richmond Road in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
and the main road through Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
/Cyprus (East to West) were renamed as Gen Thimayya Road, in his memory. The Republic of Cyprus, also honored him by issuing a commemorative stamp in his memory in 1966.