The Grenadiers
Encyclopedia
The 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 war
s and also since the Independence of India. The regiment has won many battle honour
s and gallantry awards, with three Param Vir Chakra
awardees in three different conflicts.
belongs to the Indian Army. The concept of 'Grenadiers' evolved from the practice of selecting the bravest and strongest men for the most dangerous tasks in combat. The Grenadiers have the longest unbroken record of existence in the Indian Army.
The history of the Indian Grenadiers is linked to the troops recruited for the Army of the Bombay Presidency
. The very first mention of a grenadier company hails back to 1684, when a little army of English troops, which had taken possession of the island of Bombay
and comprising three companies of Europeans and local Christians, had a grenadier company, but nothing was heard about this unit subsequently. In 1710, the Bombay Army
consisted of five companies of "Europeans, topasses (Indian christians), and coffrees (Kaffirs or African slaves)" of which the first company was a European grenadier company. This company was merged into the Bombay European Regiment, which was later disbanded. In 1757, Robert Clive had raised the 1st Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry of which two companies were grenadier companies, however, no regiments of grenadiers were formed from the Bengal Army until a battalion
was formed in 1779.
In 1759, as a response to French manoeuvring in South India, the strength of the Bombay Army was enhanced, and the first company of sepoy grenadiers was raised with the best of Bombay sepoys "paying a regard to those having families on the island". It had only native officers and all sepoys wore red coats faced with blue. Later on, an adjutant
was appointed to the corps.
Later the Bombay Army comprised a number of sepoy
battalions, each having one or two grenadier companies. These were clubbed together as a composite battalion comprising the grenadier companies of the Bombay sepoy battalions, and they won the famous battle of Talegaon in 1778. So impressive was the performance of this composite battalion that the Bombay Presidency ordered the permanent raising of a grenadier battalion which duly took place on 12 March 1779, thirty-six years before the first time that a British battalion was given the honour of calling itself "grenadiers". The Governor General of Bombay made an Order dated 12th November 1779, according to which the grenadier companies of the following regiments combined to form the very first Grenadier Regiment in the world, namely "The Grenadier Battalion, First Regiment of Infantry" :
in 1965
and 1971
.
The 18th Battalion, The Grenadiers Regiment, captured Tiger Hill on June 29, 1999, during the Kargil War
. Tiger Hill was the foremost of all peaks and the main enemy occupied area.
Recently, the Regiment was deployed to control the 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
In 2010 the Grenadiers regiment was expanded, with two new battalions being raised, 23 Grenadiers and 24 Grenadiers taking the number of battalions to twenty-four.
s, India's highest medal for gallantry, among all the Indian Army's Infantry Regiments.. Of note also, is the fact that prior to independence, British officers serving with The Grenadiers won four Victoria Cross
es. Members of the Regiment have also received a number of other decorations prior to independence, including the Indian Order of Merit
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 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 part of the Bombay Army
Bombay Army
The Bombay Army was the army of the Bombay Presidency, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia.The Presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three presidencies to the direct...
and later the pre-independence 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...
, when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers
4th Bombay Grenadiers
The 4th Bombay Grenadiers were an infantry regiment of the pre-independence Indian Army, formed on 1 March 1922 as part of the reforms of the Indian Army that took place after the end of the First World War. Following this, the Regiment spent the next fifteen years serving in British Somaliland in...
. It has distinguished itself during the two world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s and also since the Independence of India. The regiment has won many battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s and gallantry awards, with three Param Vir Chakra
Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....
awardees in three different conflicts.
Early history
The oldest grenadier regiment of the armies in the CommonwealthCommonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
belongs to the Indian Army. The concept of 'Grenadiers' evolved from the practice of selecting the bravest and strongest men for the most dangerous tasks in combat. The Grenadiers have the longest unbroken record of existence in the Indian Army.
The history of the Indian Grenadiers is linked to the troops recruited for the Army of the Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
. The very first mention of a grenadier company hails back to 1684, when a little army of English troops, which had taken possession of the island of Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , 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...
and comprising three companies of Europeans and local Christians, had a grenadier company, but nothing was heard about this unit subsequently. In 1710, the Bombay Army
Bombay Army
The Bombay Army was the army of the Bombay Presidency, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia.The Presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three presidencies to the direct...
consisted of five companies of "Europeans, topasses (Indian christians), and coffrees (Kaffirs or African slaves)" of which the first company was a European grenadier company. This company was merged into the Bombay European Regiment, which was later disbanded. In 1757, Robert Clive had raised the 1st Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry of which two companies were grenadier companies, however, no regiments of grenadiers were formed from the Bengal Army until a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
was formed in 1779.
In 1759, as a response to French manoeuvring in South India, the strength of the Bombay Army was enhanced, and the first company of sepoy grenadiers was raised with the best of Bombay sepoys "paying a regard to those having families on the island". It had only native officers and all sepoys wore red coats faced with blue. Later on, an 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...
was appointed to the corps.
Later the Bombay Army comprised a number of sepoy
Sepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
battalions, each having one or two grenadier companies. These were clubbed together as a composite battalion comprising the grenadier companies of the Bombay sepoy battalions, and they won the famous battle of Talegaon in 1778. So impressive was the performance of this composite battalion that the Bombay Presidency ordered the permanent raising of a grenadier battalion which duly took place on 12 March 1779, thirty-six years before the first time that a British battalion was given the honour of calling itself "grenadiers". The Governor General of Bombay made an Order dated 12th November 1779, according to which the grenadier companies of the following regiments combined to form the very first Grenadier Regiment in the world, namely "The Grenadier Battalion, First Regiment of Infantry" :
- 1st Sepoy Battalion
- 2nd Sepoy Battalion
- 3rd Sepoy Battalion
- 4th Sepoy Battalion
- 5th Sepoy Battalion
- 6th Sepoy Battalion
- Marine Battalion (two companies of grenadiers)
Post Independence
Since Indian independence in 1947, the Regiment has provided distinguished service in the Indian Army, taking part in numerous conflicts including the wars against PakistanPakistan
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 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...
and 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
.
The 18th Battalion, The Grenadiers Regiment, captured Tiger Hill on June 29, 1999, during the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
. Tiger Hill was the foremost of all peaks and the main enemy occupied area.
Recently, the Regiment was deployed to control the 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks.
In 2010 the Grenadiers regiment was expanded, with two new battalions being raised, 23 Grenadiers and 24 Grenadiers taking the number of battalions to twenty-four.
Battle Honour (Pre Independence)
Prior to Indian independence, the Regiment had won many battle honours as part of the British Indian Army. These battle honours include:Pre-World War I
- Mangalore - 1784
- Mysore - 1786
- Srirangapatnam - 1799
- Egypt - 1802EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
- Koregaum - 1818
- BENI-BOO-ALI - 1821
- Kirkee - 1827
- Hyderabad - 1831-43Battle of HyderabadThe Battle of Hyderabad was fought in March 1843 between the British colonial empire and the Talpur Emirs of Sindh near Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. A small British force, led by Captain James Outram, who were attacked by the Balochis and forced to make a fort of the British residency, which they...
- Meeane - 1843
- Punjab - 1848Punjab regionThe 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...
- Central India - 1858
- Abyssinia - 1868Ethiopian EmpireThe Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
- Afghanistan - 1878-1880AfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
- Kandahar 1880Siege of KandaharThe siege of Kandahar was a conflict between the ruler of Iran, Nader Shah, and the Afghan Hotaki dynasty that took place between April 1737 and March 1738.-The Siege:...
- Afghanistan 1878–80
- Burma 1885–87
- Somaliland (Dharatol) - 1901–04SomalilandSomaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
World War I
- East Africa 1914–16
- Egypt - 1916-17EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
- Baghdad - 1917BaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
- KUT-AL-AMARA - 1917
- Gaza - 1918Battle of GazaBattle of Gaza may refer to:* Battle of Gaza , fought between Ptolemy I of Egypt and Demetrius I of Macedon* Battle of Raphia, also known as Battle of Gaza, fought between Ptolemy IV of Egypt and Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom in 217 BC* Three World War I battles between British...
- Sharquat
- MegiddoBattle of Megiddo (1918)The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
- Nablus - 1918NablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
- Palestine 1917–18
- Mesopotamia - 1915-18MesopotamiaMesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
- Aden - 1914-19AdenAden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
- Afghanistan 1919Third Anglo-Afghan WarThe Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
- Tigris - 1919
World War II
- Kohima - 1944Battle of KohimaThe Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in the Second World War. The battle was fought from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima in northeast India. It is often referred to as the "Stalingrad of the East".The battle took place in...
- Kalewa - 1944KalewaTahan is a town at the confluence of the Chindwin River and the Myittha River in Kale District, Sagaing Division of northwestern Burma...
- Naga Village - 1944
- Fort Dufferin - 1945
- Pwabwe - 1945
- Capture of Meiktila - 1945
- Defense of Meiktila - 1945
- Pegu - 1945Battle of PeguThe Battle of Pegu was an engagement in the Burma campaign in the Second World War. Fought between 3 March and 7 March 1942, it concerned the defence of Rangoon in Burma...
- Taungtha - 1945TaungthaTaungtha or Thaungtha is a town in the Mandalay Division of central Burma . It located southwest of the volcanic cone Mount Taungtha and above the right bank of the Sindewa River. Taungtha is the administrative seat for Taungtha Township, and is on both the Taunggyi–Myingyan railway and...
Battle Honour (Post Independence)
Since 1947, the Regiment has won the following battle honours as part of the Indian Army:- Gurais - 1948
- Asal Uttar - 1965Battle of Asal UttarThe Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles fought during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965...
- Jarpal - 1971
- Chakra - 1971
- Tololing & Tiger Hill (Kargil War) - 1999Battle of Tiger HillThe Battle of Tiger Hill encompasses the battles fought in and around the peak of Tiger Hill between Indian Army and Pakistani force from the final week of May till second week of June, 1999 during the Kargil War in 1999. The Battle, with the concomitant battle for the adjoining peak of Tololing,...
Decorations
The Grenadiers have the unique and distinct honour of having the most number of Param Vir ChakraParam Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....
s, India's highest medal for gallantry, among all the Indian Army's Infantry Regiments.. Of note also, is the fact that prior to independence, British officers serving with The Grenadiers won four 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. Members of the Regiment have also received a number of other decorations prior to independence, including the Indian Order of Merit
Param Vir Chakra Recipients
- Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid, 4th Grenadiers - 1965.
- Major Hoshiar Singh, 3rd Grenadiers - 1971.
- Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav, 18th Grenadiers - 1999.