Mechanised Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
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 who had the foresight to cater the needs of a modern army. Initially, some of the older infantry battalions of various regiments were equipped with armoured personnel carriers. The need for something more concrete and viable was felt along with a need to develop a common philosophy with regards to the type of tactics. This necessitated the raising a totally new arm in the Indian Army, resulting in the various mechanised battalions being brought together under a single cap badge
as the Mechanised Infantry Regiment in 1979.
Gen Sundarji was appointed the first Colonel of the Mechanized Infantry Regiment, the post he held till his retirement.
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...
. 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
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
, to give infantry battalions greater mobility, it was the mastermind of late Gen K Sundarji who had the foresight to cater the needs of a modern army. Initially, some of the older infantry battalions of various regiments were equipped with armoured personnel carriers. The need for something more concrete and viable was felt along with a need to develop a common philosophy with regards to the type of tactics. This necessitated the raising a totally new arm in the Indian Army, resulting in the various mechanised battalions being brought together under a single cap badge
Cap badge
A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as well as uniformed civilian groups such as the Boy...
as the Mechanised Infantry Regiment in 1979.
Gen Sundarji was appointed the first Colonel of the Mechanized Infantry Regiment, the post he held till his retirement.
Battalions converted to Mechanised Infantry Regiment
- 1st Battalion (former 1st Bn, The Madras Regiment)
- 2nd Battalion (former 1st Bn, Jat Light InfantryJat RegimentThe Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army and is one of the longest serving and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 to 1947 and post independence 5 battle honours, Two Ashok Chakras, eight Mahavir Chakras, eight Kirti...
) - 3rd Battalion (former 1st Bn, 8 Gorkha Rifles8 Gorkha RiflesThe 8 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in the World War I and World War II, before being one of the Gurkha...
) - 4th Battalion (former 1st Bn, Sikh Regiment)
- 5th Battalion (former 14th Bn, Kumaon RegimentKumaon RegimentThe 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...
) - 6th Battalion (former 1st Bn, Garhwal RiflesGarhwal RiflesThe Garhwal Rifles is a light infantry or 'rifle' regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised as the 39th Garhwal Rifles of the Bengal Army, became part of the old Indian Army, and received its present name on Indian independence...
) - 7th Battalion (former 1st Bn, Dogra RegimentDogra RegimentThe Dogra Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly the 17th Dogra Regiment when part of the British Indian Army.- Formation:The regiment has the Dogra people from the Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the hill regions of Punjab...
- 8th Battalion (former 7th Bn, Punjab RegimentPunjab Regiment (India)The Punjab Regiment of India was formed from the 2nd Punjab Regiment of theBritish Indian Army in 1947. It is one of the oldest regiments still in service in the Indian Army and has taken part in various battles and wars winning numerous honors for the same...
) - 9th Battalion (former 7th Bn, The GrenadiersThe GrenadiersThe Grenadiers are an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly part of the Bombay Army and later the pre-independence Indian Army, when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers. It has distinguished itself during the two world wars and also since the Independence of India...
) - 10th Battalion (former 20th Bn, Maratha Light InfantryMaratha Light InfantryThe Maratha Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was formed as the 103rd Maharattas in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment of the Army....
) - 11th Battalion (former 18th Bn, Rajputana RiflesRajputana RiflesThe Rajputana Rifles is the most senior rifle regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally raised in 1921 as part of the British Indian Army, when six previously existing regiments were amalgamated together to form six battalions of the 6th Rajputana Rifles...
) - 12th Battalion (former 8th Battalion, Parachute RegimentParachute Regiment (India)-History:The first Indian airborne formation was the 50 Independent Parachute Brigade raised on 29 October 1941 with 151 British, 152 Indian, and 153 Gurkha Parachute Battalions and other support units....
, (previously 16th Bn, Mahar RegimentMahar RegimentThe Mahar Regiment is an Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army. Although it was originally intended to be a regiment consisting of troops from the Mahars in Maharashtra, the Mahar Regiment is one of the only regiments in the Indian Army that is composed of troops from all communities and regions of...
) - 13th Battalion (former 18th Bn, Rajput RegimentRajput RegimentThe Rajput Regiment is a regiment in the Indian Army that is composed primarily of the Rajput clans from India. The British designated the Rajputs as a martial race and subsequently employed large numbers of these warriors in the British Indian Army....
) - 14th Battalion (former 16th Bn, Jammu & Kashmir RiflesJammu & Kashmir RiflesThe Jammu & Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The Jammu & Kashmir State Forces was the only former Princely State Forces of India to be absorbed into the Indian Army as a distinct and separate Regiment. In 1963, the designation was changed to Jammu & Kashmir Rifles...
) - 15th to 23rd Battalions (all these 8 battalions are New Raisings, some with highly specialised roles)
- 24th Battalion (former 20th Bn, Rajput RegimentRajput RegimentThe Rajput Regiment is a regiment in the Indian Army that is composed primarily of the Rajput clans from India. The British designated the Rajputs as a martial race and subsequently employed large numbers of these warriors in the British Indian Army....
)