Southern Command (India)
Encyclopedia
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.
"In 1879, the Presidency Army system was integrated into a unified army of four commands under a central Commander-in-Chief. The Presidency armies
were abolished with effect from 1 April 1895 by a notification of the Government of India through Army Department Order Number 981 dated 26 October 1894, unifying the three Presidency armies into a single Indian Army. This Order further divided the Army into four Commands, each under a lieutenant general. 1 April 1895 was the formal raising day of Southern Command. Its headquarters has remained unchanged at Pune."
In 1908, the four commands were merged into two Armies. This system persisted until 1922. In 1914, the Southern Army consisted of the 4th (Quetta) Division
, the 5th (Mhow) Division
, the 6th (Poona) Division
, the 9th Division, and the Aden Brigade
.
Component divisions included:
Component brigades included:
and Hyderabad to sign the instrument of accession to India. In 1961, the Indian annexation of Goa was conducted by 17 Infantry Division and 50th Parachute Brigade
, under the operational control of Southern Command.
In 1965–66, two further divisions were raised within the command. After fighting broke out in the
Rann of Kutch
in April 1965, a hastily constituted force, named Kilo Force under Maj. Gen PO Dunn was formed to contain this attack. Kilo Force was later re-designated as 11 Infantry Division. In September 1965, the operational responsibility for the Barmer sector was given to Southern Command and entrusted to 11 Infantry Division. Delhi and Rajasthan Area, with its Advance Headquarters at Jodhpur, fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
under Western Command
. On 3 November 1966, this formation was redesignated 12 Infantry Division, under Major General J.F.R. Jacob
, and also placed under Southern Command.
Today the command headquarters is located at Pune Cantonment
in Pune
, Maharashtra. It consists of two corps and two military areas. The Southern Command encompasses nine states and four union territories which covers about 40% of India
.
Its components include:
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...
, 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.
"In 1879, the Presidency Army system was integrated into a unified army of four commands under a central Commander-in-Chief. The Presidency armies
Presidency armies
The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India...
were abolished with effect from 1 April 1895 by a notification of the Government of India through Army Department Order Number 981 dated 26 October 1894, unifying the three Presidency armies into a single Indian Army. This Order further divided the Army into four Commands, each under a lieutenant general. 1 April 1895 was the formal raising day of Southern Command. Its headquarters has remained unchanged at Pune."
In 1908, the four commands were merged into two Armies. This system persisted until 1922. In 1914, the Southern Army consisted of the 4th (Quetta) Division
4th (Quetta) Division
The 4th Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army. It was formed by General Kitchener while he was Commander-in-chief of India. During World War I the division remained in India...
, the 5th (Mhow) Division
5th (Mhow) Division
The 5th Division was a regular division of the British Indian Army and part of the Southern Army which was formed in 1903 after Lord Kitchener was appointed Commander-in-Chief, India between 1902 and 1909...
, the 6th (Poona) Division
6th (Poona) Division
For the World War II formation see 6th Infantry Division The 6th Division was a division of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1903, following the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army.-World War I:...
, the 9th Division, and the Aden Brigade
Aden Brigade
The Aden Brigade was a formation of the British Indian Army formed for service in Aden during World War I. It was commanded by Major General Bell and consisted of the:*Aden Cavalry Troop*1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles*109th Infantry...
.
World War II
During World War II, Southern Command was renamed Southern Army in April 1942, and finally disbanded in August 1945.Component divisions included:
- 19th Indian Infantry Division, April 1942 to July 1944
- 2nd British Infantry Division, June 1942 to April 1943, and then June 1945 to August 1945
- 70th British Infantry Division, July 1943 to October 1943
- 81st (West Africa) Division81st (West Africa) DivisionThe 81st Division was formed under British control during World War II. It took part in the Burma Campaign.-History:The inspiration for the division's formation came from General George Giffard, commander of the British Army's West Africa Command, who subsequently commanded India Command's Eastern...
, March 1945 to August 1945 - 36th Infantry Division (British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
), June 1945 to August 1945
Component brigades included:
- 7th Armoured Brigade, June 1942 to September 1942
- British 6th Infantry Brigade6th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)- World War I :The brigade was part of 2nd Division. It was composed as follows;*1st Battalion, The King's *2nd Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment*13th Battalion , The Essex Regiment...
, November 1942 to December 1942 - 150th Indian Infantry Brigade150th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 150th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. The brigade was formed in March 1944, at Secunderabad as a Jungle Training Brigade assigned to the Southern Army....
March 1944 to August 1945 - 26th Indian Infantry Brigade26th Indian Infantry BrigadeThe 26th Indian Infantry Brigade was an Infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in March 1941, at Secunderabad in India and assigned to the 6th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade was part of the Line of Communication troops in both Iran and Iraq, until August...
July 1944 to December 1944
Post war
In 1947–48, Southern Command was largely responsible in getting JunagadhJunagadh
Junagadh is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is the 7th largest in Gujarat. The city is located at the foot of the Girnar hills, 355 km south west of state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. The city is in western India. Literally translated,...
and Hyderabad to sign the instrument of accession to India. In 1961, the Indian annexation of Goa was conducted by 17 Infantry Division and 50th Parachute Brigade
50th Parachute Brigade (India)
The 50th Parachute Brigade is a formation of the Indian Army, first formed in 1941. The formation was initially raised as part of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October 1941, as an independent parachute brigade. Later it was one of two parachute brigades in the 44th Indian...
, under the operational control of Southern Command.
In 1965–66, two further divisions were raised within the command. After fighting broke out in the
Rann of Kutch
Rann of Kutch
The Great Rann of Kutch, also called Greater Rann of Kutch or just Rann of Kutch , is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert in the Kutch District of Gujarat, India and the Sindh province of Pakistan....
in April 1965, a hastily constituted force, named Kilo Force under Maj. Gen PO Dunn was formed to contain this attack. Kilo Force was later re-designated as 11 Infantry Division. In September 1965, the operational responsibility for the Barmer sector was given to Southern Command and entrusted to 11 Infantry Division. Delhi and Rajasthan Area, with its Advance Headquarters at Jodhpur, fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
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...
under Western Command
Western Command (India)
Western Command is a formation of the Indian Army, active since 1947. It has seen action during the Indo-Pakistan Wars of 1947, 1965 and 1971. After the partition of India, the erstwhile command headquarters of which north India formed a part, Northern Command, went to Pakistan...
. On 3 November 1966, this formation was redesignated 12 Infantry Division, under Major General J.F.R. Jacob
J.F.R. Jacob
Lieutenant General JFR Jacob is a former governor of the Indian states of Punjab and Goa and Lieutenant General of the Indian Army. He is widely known in India as a member of the military who orchestrated behind India's successful liberation of Bangladesh in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971...
, and also placed under Southern Command.
Today the command headquarters is located at Pune Cantonment
Pune Cantonment
Pune Cantonment , also known as Pune Camp, is a military cantonment located in Pune, Maharashtra in India. It was established in 1918 for accommodating troops of the British Indian Army. The cantonment houses many military establishments. It is also known for its many shopping locations like MG...
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 ...
, Maharashtra. It consists of two corps and two military areas. The Southern Command encompasses nine states and four union territories which covers about 40% of 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...
.
Its components include:
- 41 Artillery Division, headquarters PunePunePune , 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 ...
, Maharashtra. The division includes 97 Artillery Brigade, may include 98 Artillery Brigade. - XII CorpsXII Corps (India)XII Corps is a corps of the Indian Army. It is the only corps in the Army’s Jaipur-based South Western Command. With two combat divisions on the order of battle of Southern Command and increasing operational importance of the desert sector, by January 1987, a Corps Headquarters was sanctioned...
, headquartered at JodhpurJodhpurJodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, Rajasthan- 4th Armoured brigade
- 340th Mechanized brigade
- 11th Infantry Division headquartered at AhmedabadAhmedabadAhmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
- 12th Infantry Division headquartered at JodhpurJodhpurJodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
- XXI CorpsXXI Corps (India)XXI Corps is a corps of the Indian Army. It is the only strike corps in Army’s Poona-based Southern Command. After India's intervention in Sri Lanka, the provisional HQ controlling India's expeditionary force, HQ Indian Peace Keeping Force, became HQ XXI Corps in April 1990. It was then moved to...
, headquartered at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh- 31st Armoured Division31st Indian Armoured DivisionThe 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured formation of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, as 1st Indian Armoured Division; it consisted of units of the British Army and the British Indian Army...
headquartered at JhansiJhansiJhansi Hindi:झाँसी, , Marathi: झाशी, is a historical city of India. Jhansi is the administrative headquarters of Jhansi District and Jhansi Division. The original walled city grew up around its stone fort, which crowns a neighboring rock. This district is on the bank of river Betwa.The National... - 36th RAPID Sagar
- 54th Infantry Division headquartered at Hyderabad/SecunderabadSecunderabadSecunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
- Artillery brigade
- Air defence brigade
- 475th Engineering Brigade
- 31st Armoured Division
- Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa Area headquartered at MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
- Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala Area headquartered ChennaiChennaiChennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...