Kanwar Zorawar Singh
Encyclopedia
Major-General K. Zorawar Singh, MC
, (born 14 February 1920) was a senior cavalry officer in the Indian Army
.
on 14 February 1920, the son of Major-General Sir
Bhairon Singh, an officer in the Jaipur State Forces. He attended the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (RIMC
) from August 1931 to 1938. Following his education at RIMC, he gained entrance to the Indian Military Academy
. Upon graduation in 1941, he would receive the Sword of Honour for the best overall performance by a gentleman cadet.
. The objective was to determine the location of the German frontline, and eliminate any Germans encountered. During the patrol, a German reconnaissance force was encountered. The result of this engagement left two enemy dead, and three others taken prisoner. Zorawar Singh was awarded the Military Cross
for leadership during the operation. In October 1944, the Central India Horse was sent to Greece to stabilise the country following the withdrawal of German forces.
After the Second World War, the Central India Horse returned to India in February 1946. Zorawar Singh was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became Commandant to the Central India Horse. In 1948, Pakistani forces attempted seize control over the state of Jammu and Kashmir
. Lt. Col. Zorawar Singh was tasked with recapturing the town of Rajauri
. The 28 mile road from Naushera to Rajauri was heavily damaged with felled trees and boulders acting as roadblocks. These obstructions had been mined. The road had a significant elevation gain and sections of the road along cliffs had been intentionally narrowed by the enemy. An assessment of the operation deemed it to be both time and labour intensive to enable the road to be usable for an advance to Rajauri. Despite the difficulty involved, Zorawar Singh went ahead with the operation on 7 April 1948. He would advance along the Tawi River, which was parallel to his route when sections of the road became impassable. On the evening of 10 April, his task force had reached Rajauri. The arrival of Indian tanks in Rajauri had surprised the Pakistani Army and without equivalent firepower, they were forced to withdraw. His successful leadership of the operation earned him the status of being one of independent India’s first great tank commanders.
In 1948 Zorawar's tenure of command at the CIH ended, when he was selected to attend the Command and General Staff College
at Fort Leavenworth, USA. He was appointed to the staff of the Defense Services Staff College
at Wellington, where he served for three years until being appointed to command the Tactical Wing of the Armoured Corps Centre and School at Ahmednagar. Upon promotion to Brigadier, Zorawar Singh was India’s Military Attaché to France.
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....
, (born 14 February 1920) was a senior cavalry officer 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...
.
Early life
Zorawar Singh was born in the Princely state of JaipurJaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
on 14 February 1920, the son of Major-General Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Bhairon Singh, an officer in the Jaipur State Forces. He attended the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (RIMC
RIMC
The Rashtriya Indian Military College or the RIMC is a public school for boys situated in Doon Valley, Dehradun in India. The name of the school was Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College but it was re-named in 1947. The RIMC is a feeder institution for the National Defence Academy, Indian...
) from August 1931 to 1938. Following his education at RIMC, he gained entrance to the 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:...
. Upon graduation in 1941, he would receive the Sword of Honour for the best overall performance by a gentleman cadet.
Military career
After receiving his commission as a cavalry officer, Zorawar Singh briefly joined the 16th Light Cavalry before being transferred to the Central India Horse. During the Italian Campaign, the Central India Horse was a reconnaissance unit for the 4th Indian Division. Zorawar Singh was made second-in-command of B Squadron in this regiment. On 3 August 1944, Zorawar led a reconnaissance patrol consisting of his squadron and another towards Casale Vecchia, which is north-west of ArezzoArezzo
Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
. The objective was to determine the location of the German frontline, and eliminate any Germans encountered. During the patrol, a German reconnaissance force was encountered. The result of this engagement left two enemy dead, and three others taken prisoner. Zorawar Singh was awarded the 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....
for leadership during the operation. In October 1944, the Central India Horse was sent to Greece to stabilise the country following the withdrawal of German forces.
After the Second World War, the Central India Horse returned to India in February 1946. Zorawar Singh was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became Commandant to the Central India Horse. In 1948, Pakistani forces attempted seize control over the state of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
. Lt. Col. Zorawar Singh was tasked with recapturing the town of Rajauri
Rajauri
Rajouri is a town and a notified area committee in Rajouri district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.- Introduction :The District drives its name from Rajouri town which itself had been historically known as Rajapuri/Rajapura. Rajouri District had been part of Poonch district prior to 1967...
. The 28 mile road from Naushera to Rajauri was heavily damaged with felled trees and boulders acting as roadblocks. These obstructions had been mined. The road had a significant elevation gain and sections of the road along cliffs had been intentionally narrowed by the enemy. An assessment of the operation deemed it to be both time and labour intensive to enable the road to be usable for an advance to Rajauri. Despite the difficulty involved, Zorawar Singh went ahead with the operation on 7 April 1948. He would advance along the Tawi River, which was parallel to his route when sections of the road became impassable. On the evening of 10 April, his task force had reached Rajauri. The arrival of Indian tanks in Rajauri had surprised the Pakistani Army and without equivalent firepower, they were forced to withdraw. His successful leadership of the operation earned him the status of being one of independent India’s first great tank commanders.
In 1948 Zorawar's tenure of command at the CIH ended, when he was selected to attend the Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
at Fort Leavenworth, USA. He was appointed to the staff of the Defense Services Staff College
Defense Services Staff College
The Defence Services Staff College is an inter-service institution of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of India.It trains officers of the all three Indian Armed Forces which are the and officers from friendly foreign countries for command and staff appointments.-History:One of the oldest...
at Wellington, where he served for three years until being appointed to command the Tactical Wing of the Armoured Corps Centre and School at Ahmednagar. Upon promotion to Brigadier, Zorawar Singh was India’s Military Attaché to France.