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20th Lancers is an armoured regiment in the
Armoured Corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other arm ...
of the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
. The regiment distinguished itself in operations with its defence of Chhamb in
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...
during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War and won one
Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...
. It has provided one Chief of Army Staff and two Army Commanders.


History

The 20th Lancers regiment of the
British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...
was formed in 1921 by
14th Murray's Jat Lancers The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, also sometimes known as the Murray's Jat Horse, was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. In 1921 it was renamed as 20th Lancers (British Indian Army), 20th Lancers, and after Partition of India in 1947 it e ...
(raised 1857) with
15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis) The 15th Lancers (''Cureton's Multanis'') was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army which existed from 1858 to 1921. Raised during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, 1857 uprising, the regiment later saw service in the Second Afghan War, Sec ...
(raised 1858). This regiment was de-activated in 1937 and converted into a training regiment of the 3rd Indian Cavalry group with a permanent station in
Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
which would eventually evolve into the Indian Armoured Corps Training Centre. Following the
Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
in 1947, the training regiment was allotted to India. The Lucknow training centre moved in 1948 to
Ahmednagar Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost impre ...
and merged with other establishments to become the Armoured Corps Centre and School. On 20 June 1956, the
Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...
raised its own 20th Lancers regiment as a successor unit to the 20th Lancers of the British Indian Army.Nath (2009), pp. 731–732. On 10 July 1956, the Indian Army also re-raised the 20th Lancers at
Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...
in
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
. The unit's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Umrao Singh. and was equipped with
AMX-13 The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and re ...
tanks. When the regiment was re-raised, the Officer's Mess Silver of the old 20th Lancers was handed over to it. The troops on raising were from the Sikhs of the 6th DCO Lancers which were transferred to 8th Light Cavalry and half of the squadron of the Jodhpur Lancers which were transferred to the
7th Light Cavalry The 7th Light Cavalry, previously the 28th Light Cavalry, was a regular army cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1784 under the East India Company. The regiment later saw service on the North West Frontier and in World ...
. The present class composition is
Jats The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in ...
and
Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...
s.


Regimental Insignia

The Regimental insignia consists of crossed
lance The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...
s with
pennon A pennon, also known as a pennant or pendant, is a long narrow flag which is larger at the Hoist (flag), hoist than at the Fly (flag), fly, i.e., the flag narrows as it moves away from the flagpole. It can have several shapes, such as triangular ...
s in red and white, overlaid with the Ashoka Lion Capital above and the Roman numeral "XX" below and a scroll at the base with the words ‘Lancers’.


Operations


Sino-Indian War

To counter the Chinese offensive against Indian forces in the western sector, the Indian Army sent six AMX-13 tanks (two troops) of the 20 Lancers to
Chushul Chushul is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Durbuk tehsil, in the area known as "Chushul Valley", south of the Pangong Lake and west of the Spanggur Lake. The Line of Actual Control with China runs about 5 ...
in south-eastern
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...
using
Antonov An-12 The Antonov An-12 ( Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than thr ...
transport aircraft. The first batch of tanks were loaded on to An-12 aircraft in
Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
on the intervening night of 24 and 25 October 1962 and landed in Chushul — 15,000 feet above the sea level — on the morning of 25 October 1962. The second batch was loaded the following night and airlifted to Chushul on 26 October. The troops were part of the 114 Infantry Brigade. The army deployed tanks at the base of
Gurung Hill Gurung Hill is a mountain near the Line of Actual Control between the Indian- and Chinese-administered portions of Ladakh near the village of Chushul and the Spanggur Lake. As of 2020, the Line of Actual Control runs on the north–south ridgeli ...
, a towering feature on one side of the
Spanggur Gap The Spanggur Gap () is a high mountain pass on the Line of Actual Control between the Ladakh union territory of India and the Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture in the Tibet region of China. It is a gap in the mountains to the south of the Pangong L ...
to deny the approach of the advancing Chinese Army and secure the crucial approaches leading to Chushul and
Leh Leh () is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Kashmir_dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TE ...
. The effectiveness of the Indian tanks prevented the Chinese advance towards the Chushul airfield, located between Chushul village and Gurung Hill.


Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The regiment saw action in Chhamb- Jourian in Jammu & Kashmir. 20 Lancers was under command of the 10th Infantry Division during the 1965 operations. Pakistan's
surprise attack Military deception (MILDEC) is an attempt by a military unit to gain an advantage during warfare by misleading adversary decision makers into taking action or inaction that creates favorable conditions for the deceiving force. This is usually ...
on 1 September, 1965 fell on 191 Infantry Brigade, which was supported by 'C' Squadron of the regiment under Maj Bhaskar Roy. The armoured attack comprised two regiments of medium tanks, M-48 Pattons and M-36 Sherman B-2 tank destroyers. The attack began at 0805 hours and was strongly resisted. During the initial phases of the attack, Roy destroyed 6 Pattons, 3 recoil-less guns and captured a jeep. A second attack was launched by Pakistani armour at 1100 hours and contested by the AMX-13s of 20 Lancers, which despite being outgunned and outnumbered, destroyed a total 13 tanks that day and prevented the encirclement of 191 Infantry Brigade. The regiment later fought in the defence of Jaurian under 41 Infantry Brigade. For the defense of Chhamb-Jaurian, the regiment was awarded a theatre honour and Maj Bhaskar Roy was awarded
Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...
for his leadership in this action.


Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The regiment had moved from
Akhnoor Akhnoor is a town and municipal committee, near city of Jammu in Jammu district of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies 28 km away from Jammu city. Akhnoor is on the bank of the Chenab River, just before it enters the ...
to
Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed ''The Golden city'', is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur, in the heart of the Thar Desert. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer district ...
in 1967. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bawa Guruvachan Singh and was under 12 Infantry Division of Southern Command and equipped with AMX -13 tanks. The regiment took part in the
Battle of Longewala The Battle of Longewala (4–7 December 1971) was one of the first major engagements in the western sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Long ...
, which began on night of 4th December 1971, halting the Pakistani attack and then advanced into Pakistani territory.


Battle honours

The battle honours of the regiment are: ;Pre-World War I Charasiah — Kabul 1879 — Afghanistan 1878-80 ;
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Neuve Chapelle — France and Flanders 1914-15 — Kut al Amara 1917 — Sharqat - Mesopotamia 1916-18 - Persia 1916-19 - NW Frontier India - 1915 ;Indo-Pak Conflict 1965 ''Jammu and Kashmir 1965''


Other awards and honours

; President's Standards The regiment was presented the President's Standards on at Sangrur, Punjab 1978 by the then
President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
,
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (19 May 1913 – 1 June 1996) was an Indian politician who served as the president of India, serving from 1977 to 1982. Beginning a long political career with the Indian National Congress Party in the independence movem ...
. ;
Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...
: Major Bhaskar Roy ;
Vir Chakra The Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa, ) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of gallantry on the battlefield, on land or in the air or at sea. It is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and ...
: Captain Ashwani Kumar Dewan, Daffedar Harbir Singh ;
Sena Medal The Sena Medal () is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for ...
: Acting Lance Daffadar Pritam Singh, Naib Risaldar Richhapal Singh ; Mentioned in dispatches : Lieutenant Kuldeep Singh, Lance Daffadar Bhanwar Singh, Sowar Kushal Singh, Sowar Mohan Singh ;
Republic Day parade The Delhi Republic Day parade is the largest and most important of the parades marking the Republic Day celebrations in India. The parade takes place every year on 26 January at Kartavya Path, New Delhi. It is the main attraction of India's R ...
: The regiment with its T-72 tanks took part in the parade in 1990.


Notable personnel

* Lieutenant General Gurbachan Singh, PVSM – Commanding Officer during the 1962 war, GOC-in-C Northern Command between 1 August 1978 and 31 December 1979. *Major General A K Dewan, AVSM, VrC *General Shankar Roychowdhury,
PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...
, ADC - Commanding Officer of the Regiment between 1974-1976, GOC-in-C,
Army Training Command The Army Training Command, abbreviated as ARTRAC, is one of the seven commands of the Indian Army. It is currently based at Shimla. It was established in 1991. History The Army Training Command was established on 1 October 1991 at Mhow in Madh ...
,
Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is a statutory office held by the professional head of the Indian Army (IA), the land forces branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Customarily held by a four-star general officer, the COAS is the senior-most ...
, and a former member of the Indian Parliament. *Lieutenant General Pradeep Khanna PVSM, AVSM, ADC - GOC-in-C Southern Command *Swr Laxman Singh 1043550M, 20 Lancer, 1971 Indo - pak war


External links


''Evolution and timeline of the 20 Lancers''

''Battle of Chushul : 20 Lancers''

''1965 : 20 Lancers Battle of Chhamb''

''20 Lancers Battle of Laungewala 1971''
;Notes


References

{{Indian Army Armoured Corps Armoured and cavalry regiments of the Indian Army from 1947 Military units and formations established in 1956