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Field marshal (India)
Highest Military rank of Indian Army From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Field Marshal (FM) is the seniormost rank in the Indian Army. Established as a five–star rank, it is the domestic equivalent to that of Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) and the immediate superior to the four-star rank of general.[1] Created in 1973, the rank is purely ceremonial, awarded in recognition to officers deemed to have rendered exceptional service during wartime, and is held for life.[2]
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Since its establishment in 1973, the rank has been awarded only twice, to S. H. F. J. Manekshaw in January 1973 and second, to K. M. Cariappa in January 1986.[3] Outside the Army, the only other officer within the Indian Armed Forces to have ever held a five-star rank was Arjan Singh, who was promoted as Marshal of the Indian Air Force in January 2002.[4]
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Overview
Field marshal is the five-star rank and highest attainable rank in the Indian Army. It is a ceremonial or wartime rank, having been awarded only twice.[5]
A field marshal receives the full pay of a full general, and is considered a serving officer until their death. They are entitled to wear a full uniform on all ceremonial occasions.[5]
Insignia
A field marshal's insignia consists of the national emblem over a crossed baton and sabre in a lotus blossom wreath. On appointment, field marshals are awarded a gold-tipped baton which they may carry on formal occasions. The star insignia, which comprises five golden stars over a red strip, is used on car pennants, rank flags and as gorget patches.[5]
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Rank holders
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Perspective
Sam Manekshaw
Sam Manekshaw, MC (1914–2008),[6][7] also known as "Sam Bahadur" ("Sam the Brave"), was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of field marshal.[5] Commissioned into the British Indian Army on 1 February 1935 with seniority antedated to 4 February 1934,[8] Manekshaw's distinguished military career spanned four decades and five wars, beginning with service in World War II. He was first attached to the 2nd Battalion of Royal Scots, and later posted to the 4th Battalion of 12th Frontier Force Regiment, commonly known as the 54th Sikhs. Following partition, he was reassigned to the 16th Punjab Regiment.[9][10][11]
Manekshaw rose to be the 8th COAS of the Indian Army in 1969,[12] and under his command Indian forces conducted successful campaigns against Pakistan in the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.The war lasted for 13 days and 09 months in Bangladesh. Indian Army joined as an ally force with Bangladesh for 13 days from 3 December to 16 December. On 16 December 1971, Lt. Gen A. A. K. Niazi of the Pakistan Army signed the Instrument of Surrender at Dhaka in the presence of Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora, Lt. Gen. J. F. R. Jacob and other Senior Officers of the Indian Army. More than 93000 Pakistani Soldiers surrendered to the allied force led by Indian Army, which was recorded as one among the largest surrenders in history. The decisive results achieved by the Indian Army during this war, under the able military leadership of Manekshaw, gave the nation a new sense of confidence,[13] and in recognition of his services, in January 1973 the President of India conferred the rank of field marshal on him.[14] He was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan, the second and third highest Indian civilian awards respectively, for his services to the Indian nation.[10][15]
Controversies
Though Sam Manekshaw was conferred the rank of field marshal in 1973, it was reported that he was never given the complete allowances he was entitled to as a field marshal. It was not until President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam took the initiative when he met Manekshaw in Wellington, and made sure that the field marshal was presented with a cheque for ₹1.3 crores–his arrears of pay for over 30 years. Even more surprisingly, Manekshaw's funeral was not attended by the top brass from civil, military, or political leadership, because Non-Parsis are not allowed to enter Parsi funerals.[16][17]
Kodandera Madappa Cariappa
Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, OBE (1899–1993),[18] was the first Indian to be appointed as commander-in-chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Army. His distinguished military career spanned almost three decades. Cariappa joined the British Indian Army on 1 December 1920, and was commissioned as temporary second lieutenant in the 2/88 Carnatic Infantry.[18] He was later transferred to 2/125 Napier Rifles, then to the 7th Prince of Wales Own Dogra Regiment in June 1922, and finally to the 1/7 Rajput, which became his parent regiment.[19][20][21]
He was the first Indian officer to attend the course at Staff College, Quetta, the first Indian to command a battalion[a] in the Indian Army,[23] and also was one of the first two Indians selected to undergo a training course at the Imperial Defence College,[24] Camberly, UK. He served in various staff capacities at various unit and command headquarters (HQ) and also at the General HQ, New Delhi.[19]
He led the Indian forces in Kashmir during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. He was a member of the Army Sub Committee of the Forces Reconstitution Committee, which divided the British Indian Army into the Indian and Pakistani Armies after the Partition of India in 1947.[25] After his retirement from the Indian Army in 1953, he served as the high commissioner to Australia and New Zealand until 1956.[26][27] As a token of gratitude for the exemplary service rendered by him to the nation, the Government of India conferred the rank of field marshal on Cariappa in his 87th year, on 15 January 1986.[19][28]
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See also
Notes
- A battalion comprises four rifle companies. A rifle company comprises four platoons. A platoon consists of a section which has 10 men.[22]
References
Bibliography
Further reading
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