23 Field Regiment (Ad Teclesan and OP Hill) is part of the

Regiment of Artillery Regiment of Artillery may refer to: * Regiment of Artillery (Pakistan) * Regiment of Artillery (India) The Regiment of Artillery is a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of t ...

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 ...

Formation and early history

The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

developed

mountain artillery Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for mountain warfare and other areas where wheeled transport is not possible. They are generally capable of being taken apart to make smaller loads for transport by horses, humans, mules, tractors, or t ...

in India in the 1800s to allow field guns to accompany its forces operating in the conflicts taking place in the frontier mountainous regions of

North West India Northwest India is a loosely defined region of India. In modern-day, it consists of north-western states of the Republic of India. In historical contexts, it refers to the northwestern Indian subcontinent. In contemporary definition, it gene ...

, neighbouring

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. These mountain artillery units were organised as ''mountain batteries'', with each battery consisting of four to six mountain guns. These batteries took part in the many campaigns in Afghanistan, the

Third Anglo-Burmese War The Third Anglo-Burmese War (), also known as the Third Burma War, took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance continuing into 1887. It was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the Br ...

and then in the

First World War 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 ...

, during which more batteries were raised. These batteries proved their mettle at various fronts during the great war. During the war, the practice of grouping together batteries as ''brigades'' began, though most batteries still fought singly, often quite far away from other parts of the brigade. Most such brigades were formed in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

, where these batteries were deployed. In North West India, 3rd Indian Mountain Artillery Brigade was formed in the

Kohat Kohat (; ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century. With a population o ...

Kurram Force in June, 1919 by grouping 3rd (Peshawar) and 8th (Lahore) mountain batteries. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel T M Luke . The brigade continued to be in the Kohat area till 1924. In 1920, the nomenclature ''mountain'' was changed to ''pack'' and these units were named as ''pack brigades''. The numbering of the brigade was also changed and thus in 1920, the name was changed to 9th Pack Artillery Brigade, when it was at

Parachinar Parachinar (; ) is a city and the capital of the Kurram District in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Parachinar is situated on the west of Peshawar, that juts into the Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan. With ...

. Each pack brigade consisted of headquarters, one British pack battery armed with four 3.7 inch howitzers and three Indian pack batteries consisting of four 2.75 inch guns. Occasionally, Indian pack batteries too were equipped with Howitzers. A re-designation of units took place following Indian Army Order 1279 of 1921 – ''Pack Artillery Brigades'' were redesignated at ''Indian Pack Artillery Brigades'' and the 6th to 11th brigades were renumbered from 20th to 25th. Thus, 9th Pack Artillery Brigade became 23rd Pack Artillery Brigade. In 1922, the unit was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Hayes-Sadler and consisted of the following batteries - In 1924, the unit was part of Razmak Field Force and the batteries included Headquarters, 103rd (Peshawar) Pack Battery, 108th (Lahore) Pack Battery, 121st Indian Pack Battery and 11th Pack Artillery Battery, R.G.A. In 1926, the regiment was located at Razmak and was being commanded by Lieutenant Colonel P H H Preston. It consisted of No. 17 British Pack Battery, 103rd (Peshawar) Pack Battery (Frontier Force), 108th (Lahore) Pack Battery and 116th (Zhob) Pack Battery. In 1935, the regiment was in the

Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab (India), Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala ...

–

Dehra Dun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, ...

area. The class composition at that time was Punjabi Muslims and

Jat Sikh Jat Sikh or Jatt Sikh (Gurmukhi: ਜੱਟ ਸਿੱਖ) is an ethnoreligious group, a subgroup of the Jat people whose traditional religion is Sikhism, originating from the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the dominant communities in Pu ...

s. The regiment was then involved in operations in Waziristan. By Indian Army Order 204 of 1938, the nomenclature ‘Brigade’ was replaced by ‘Regiment’ and thus the title of the unit became 23rd Mountain Regiment. From 1 August 1939, Indian Mountain Artillery ceased to belong to the

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

and formed part of His Majesty's Indian Forces. The Corps of Mountain Artillery was transferred to the Indian Regiment of Artillery, later renamed the Regiment of Indian Artillery (R.I.A.).

World War II

At the outbreak of war, the regiment was located at

Abbottabad Abbottabad is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in the country and 6th largest in the province by population, and serves as the headquarter of its namesake tehsil and district ...

and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel L R Stansfeld. It consisted of 3rd (Peshawar) F.F., 8th (Lahore), 17th (Nowshera) and 12th (Poonch) mountain batteries and remained in Abbottabad till 1941. It moved to

Kakul Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pa ...

in the autumn of the same year. It was from Kakul that the regiment proceeded to the Burma theatre. The regiment consisting of R.H.Q., 3rd (Peshawar) F.F., 8th (Lahore), 17th (Nowshera) and 2nd Jammu and Kashmir batteries joined

14th Indian Infantry Division The 14th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Arakan Campaign 1942–43, and was subsequently converted into a Training Division, providing drafts of replacements for unit ...

, headquartered at

Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

in March 1942. The division had under it

4th Indian Infantry Brigade The 4th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939, as the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade and renumbered 4th in June 1940, The brigade was assigned to HQ Rawalpin ...

and 47th Indian Infantry Brigade. The regiment was equipped with sixteen 3.7 inch howitzers and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel B C Barford. Soon after, 2nd Jammu and Kashmir battery joined

to move under 4 Corps at

Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...

. The regiment along with 130 Field Regiment, R.A. formed the initial divisional artillery. Anticipating a Japanese landing on Chittagong, the regiment and other elements of the 47th Brigade were deployed between Feni and

Feni River The Feni ( ; ISO: ''Phēnī Nadī'' ) is a river in southeastern Bangladesh and Tripura state of India. It is a trans-boundary river that is the subject of an ongoing dispute about water rights between the two countries. The Feni River originates ...

. The division was joined by the 123rd Indian Infantry Brigade in June 1942 and the regiment fell back to its original position focussing on training and exercises to familiarise themselves with the new terrain and jungle warfare. The division began moving to the Arakan coast in October 1942. The regiment, less 3rd battery supporting 123 Brigade moved to

Buthidaung Buthidaung (, ) is a town in Rakhine State, in the westernmost part of Myanmar (Burma). It is the administrative seat of the Buthidaung Township. Buthidaung lies on the west bank of the Mayu river, and experienced severe flooding in June 2010 and ...

. In January 1943, two attempts were made by 123 Brigade to capture

Rathedaung Rathedaung () is the administrative town of Rathedaung Township in Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). It is situated beside the Mayu River and is located north of Sittwe. The town is split into four quarters; Taung Ran Tan and Chaung Wa are the no ...

with support of 3rd and 17th batteries, without success. 8th battery was involved in multiple attempts to capture Donbaik between January and March 1943. Though unsuccessful, the battery received a lot of praise for its prompt response to aid and accurate shooting. 3rd battery headquarters with its Punjabi Muslim section was moved from Htizwe on the newly laid track to the

Kaladan River The Kaladan (, ) or Kissapanadi River (, ), also known as the Beino, Bawinu and Kolodyne, is a river in the eastern Mizoram, Mizoram State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar. The Kaladan River is called the Chhimtuip ...

. The battery in support of 8/ 10 Baluch was attacked in force by the Japanese and their defended localities were overcome. The battery had to take the difficult decision to destroy their guns and shoot their mules to prevent them falling in enemy hands. The battery had to trek for four days through extremely difficult terrain to reach back to Htizwe. On 4 March 1943, following a Japanese attack at Thaungdara, Lieutenant M Burrows, who was the F. O. O. gallantly launched a counterattack after the infantry officer of 10th

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, and the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. It had many diffe ...

became a casualty. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

for this action. On 11 March, the Sikh section of the 3rd battery were in support of 2/1 Punjab and fought with the Japanese in the open, a fight which ended with the Punjabis charging with their bayonets. On 11 and 12 March, the regiment and other forces withdrew from Htizwe. After the withdrawal from Htizwe, 14 Indian Division was relieved by 26 Infantry Division. But owing to shortage of artillery, 23 Mountain Regiment continued in the location, but serving under a new division. The Japanese continued their relentless attacks for three weeks and 8th and 31st batteries fought in support of

55th Indian Infantry Brigade The 55th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in India in April 1942 and assigned to the 7th Indian Infantry Division. In July to September 1942, it was attached to the ...

at Kin Chaung, covering Buthidaung. (2nd Jammu and Kashmir battery had meanwhile been renamed as 31st (Jammu) Mountain Battery.) R.H.Q, 3rd and 17th batteries were eventually relieved and sent back to Chittagong, where they got into the process of replenishing their animals and equipment. By the end of May 1943, 8th and 31st batteries too were relieved and they joined the regiment at Chittagong. A month later, they were transferred to

Ranchi Ranchi (; ) is the capital city and also the largest district by population of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern ...

to join 20 Infantry Division. 17th battery left to join 32nd Indian Mountain Regiment. The regiment had thus fought continuously and well during the First Arakan campaign and provided close and accurate shooting in support of the infantry, without any damage to own troops. In 1944, the regiment under 20 Indian Division was part of 4 Corps, which was at Tamu Road and Kabaw Valley. It consisted of 3rd (Peshawar) F.F., 8th (Lahore) and 31st (Jammu) batteries. The latter two batteries did well during an action at

Kyauktaw Kyauktaw ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, in the westernmost part of Myanmar. The famous Mahamuni Buddha image, currently at Amarapura, was originally situated near Kyauktaw, in the ruins of the old city of Dhanyawadi. The town was captur ...

. 20 Division was moved under 33 Corps under Fourteenth Army. On 22 January 1945, 3rd battery supported

32nd Indian Infantry Brigade The 32nd Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during the Second World War. It was formed in January 1941 in India and assigned to the HQ Western Independent District until April 1942. It was then assigned ...

in the capture of the important river port of

Monywa Monywa (; ) is the largest city and capital city of Sagaing Region, Myanmar, located north-west of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin. Monywa is one of the largest economic cities in Myanmar. It is also known as 'Neem City' beca ...

. Following the crossing of the division across the

Irrawaddy River The Irrawaddy River (, , Ayeyarwady) is the principal river of Myanmar, running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. Originating from the confluence of the ...

, 8th and 31st battery saw fierce fighting on the night of 16 February 1945 near

Myingyan Myingyan (, ) is a city and district in the Mandalay Division of central Myanmar, previously, it was a district in the Meiktila Division of Upper Burma. It is currently the capital of Myingyan Township and lies along the National Highway 2. ...

. For his gallant actions, Captain C J S Burne of 31st battery was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

. From there, the division rapidly moved to Magway. 3rd battery under 32 Brigade moved down the east bank of the Irrawaddy river to clear it as far as

Allanmyo Aunglan (, formerly known as Allanmyo & Myede) is the capital of Aunglan District and Aunglan Township in southeastern Magway Region, Myanmar. History Aunglan was a new city formed moving from Myede. After the second Anglo-Burmese war, the south ...

. The 8th battery formed the rear guard of the division and moved down the road to

Prome Pyay, and formerly anglicised as Prome, is the principal town of Pyay Township in the Bago Region in Myanmar. Pyay is located on the bank of the Irrawaddy River, north-west of Yangon. It is an important trade center for the Ayeyarwady Delta, Cent ...

, which was captured on 2 May 1945, thus blocking the escape route of the Japanese from Arakan. The 31st battery joined the force for the capture of Bassein, but found that the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British Raj, British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the British Indian Army, Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the ...

had beaten them to it. Following this, the regiment went into camp for training at Minhla and then to

Hmawbi Hmawbi () is the principal town of Hmawbi Township near the Yangon River in northern Yangon Region, southern Myanmar. On 30 April 2022, it became the capital of the new Hmawbi District when the North Yangon District North Yangon District is a ...

. Following the surrender of the Japanese in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, 20 Division was moved from Burma to

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

to maintain law and order. The regiment carried out police duties in

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

till January / February 1946. At Saigon, the regiment came in contact with Major Abhe of the Japanese 55th Mountain Artillery Regiment, who remarked that the 23rd was nicknamed the Devil Regiment of Artillery by the Japanese, for the destruction caused by the regiment's accurate and devastating artillery firing. In March 1946, 20 Division returned to India, but the regiment moved to Malaya under

7th Indian Infantry Division The 7th Infantry Division is a war-formed infantry Division (military), division, part of the British Indian Army that saw service in the Burma Campaign. History The division was created on 1 October 1940 at Attock, under the command of Major-ge ...

, where it continued with police work. The regiment returned to India by the end of 1946. During the war, the regiment had won the following gallantry awards - *

– Captain C J S Burne *

– Major W B P Milne, Lieutenant S Kapilla, Lieutenant Brown, Lieutenant M Burrows *

Indian Distinguished Service Medal The Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM) was a military decoration awarded by the British Empire to Indian citizens serving in the Indian armed forces and military police. When it was instituted in 1907 it was the second highest award avail ...

– Havildar Mahomed Khan, Signaller Shamsher Singh, Jemadar Mohamed Hussein

Partition and re-raising

Following the partition of the country, 3rd (Peshawar) F.F and 8th (Lahore) moved to join 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 ...

. They joined 21st Mountain Regiment, which is presently 1 (SP) Medium Regiment, Pakistan Artillery. 31st became a field battery in Pakistan. On 15 January 1953, the regiment was re-raised in India as 23 Mountain Composite Regiment (Pack) with the headquarters battery and the following three batteries of the erstwhile

Indian States Forces The Imperial Service Troops, officially called the Indian States Forces after 1920, were auxiliary forces raised by the princely states of the Indian Empire which were deployed alongside the Indian Army when their service was required. The Imp ...

- *74 (Gwalior) Mountain Battery *75 (Patiala) Mountain Battery *76 (Jammu and Kashmir) Mountain Battery The regiment has since been converted to a field regiment, a medium regiment and is currently back as a field regiment.

Operations

; Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 23 Mountain Composite Regiment (Pack) commanded by Lieutenant Colonel H S Sihota was deployed 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 ...

under 15 Corps. The Battle of OP Hill (NL1053) took place on 2 and 3 November 1965, after the ceasefire came into effect on 23 September 1965. OP Hill was a tactical Border Observation Post in the

Bhimber Bhimber () is a town and the headquarters of the eponymous district in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir. The town and district are between the Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan proper, about by road southeast of M ...

-Gali- Mendhar Sector, 20 km south west of Poonch. This

Observation Post An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...

(OP) was stealthily occupied by the Pakistani troops on 2 August 1965 and was being used by the Pakistanis to direct accurate artillery fire and to facilitate infiltration. To avoid isolation of Balnoi from Mendhar and Krishna Ghati and to safeguard Mendhar-Baloni and Mendhar-Poonch roads, the capture of OP Hill was of vital importance. Following a failed battalion level offensive by 2 Garhwal on 6 and 7 October 1965, a full-fledged brigade attack was mounted on 2 November 1965. 120 Infantry Brigade was tasked to evict the enemy from this strategic location. After a tough battle lasting 2 days, the enemy was dislodged, with the regiment providing accurate artillery fire facilitating the capture and also using two guns in direct firing role. For its actions, 23 Mountain Composite Regiment along with 5

Sikh Light Infantry The Sikh Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army.Dogra __NOTOC__ Dogras, or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic community of Pakistan and India. Dogra, Dogras or Dogri may also refer to: * Dogra dynasty, a Hindu dynasty of Kashmir * Dogri language, a language spoken by Dogras and other ethnic commu ...

, 7

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

and 169 Mountain Regiment were awarded the battle honour ''OP Hill''. The regiment won one

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 ...

, five

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

and one Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card. Major Jagdish Singh of Patiala Mountain Battery was awarded the Vir Chakra. ; Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The regiment was deployed under 57 Mountain Division of 4 Corps in the eastern sector during the war. It was equipped with 75/24 Pack Howitzers. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jagjit Singh. The regiment was involved in multiple operations involving 61 Mountain Brigade, which was detached from 57 Mountain Division to 23 Mountain Division. The regiment won one Vir Chakra, one

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM, ) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize ex ...

, one

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 ...

and one mentioned in despatches. Captain Uday Parshuram Sathe was awarded the Vir Chakra for his gallant actions. ; Counter insurgency operations The regiment has taken part in anti-terrorist operations in

between 2008 and 2011.

Honours and achievements

* The honour title ''Ad Teclesan'' was conferred on 1 (Jammu and Kashmir) Mountain Battery (presently 76 (Jammu and Kashmir) Battery) during the Second World War. The battery equipped with 3.7 inch howitzers arrived in

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

in November 1940. It then joined to become part of 5th Infantry Division during the campaign against the

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

in Eritrea (Italian East Africa). It took part in the final attack in the

battle of Keren The Battle of Keren () took place from 3 February to 27 March 1941. Keren was attacked by the British during the East African Campaign of the Second World War. A force of Italian regular and colonial troops defended the position against troop ...

on 25 March 1941 as part of 10th Indian Infantry Brigade. The battery knocked down multiple Italian machine guns with direct hits facilitating the advance. Keren was occupied on 27 March. The battery, which was the only mountain battery in the battle, almost continuously fired from the morning of 25 March to the evening of 27 March. It then moved forward with the

29th Indian Infantry Brigade The 29th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed on 11 October 1940, by the renumbering of the British 21st Infantry Brigade. It was assigned to the 5th Indian Infantry Di ...

in the advance to capital city of

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera (), is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region (Eritrea), Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the List of capital cities by altitude, sixth highest capital in the wo ...

. The battery's artillery fire proved decisive on 30 and 31 March 1941 on the Ad Teclesan position, the last Italian position covering the capital. The effectiveness of the battery in the face of heavy enemy fire and the repulse of a counterattack carried out by an Italian machine gun battalion earned the battery its honour title. * The regiment earned its second honour title ''OP Hill'' during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. *The famous Chinese Bell at Artillery Centre, Nasik Road was brought by the regiment from the Royal Palace at

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. *The regiment has won a total of one

, six

es, three

s, three

s, one

, 16

, three Chief of Army Staff Commendation Cards and five GOC-in-C Commendation Cards. * During the 1971 war, Captain (later General and COAS)

Deepak Kapoor General Deepak Kapoor PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC (born 1948,Patna) served as the 22nd Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, appointed on 30 September 2007 and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee appointed on 31 August 2009. Biogr ...

served in the unit, before being attached to HQ 61 Mountain Brigade as a GSO3. He later commanded 74 Medium Regiment. * Lieutenant General Jagdish Singh who had served in the regiment in the 1965 war went on to become Colonel Commandant and Director-General of the

. He was also Director Financial Planning and Director General Discipline.

Regimental batteries

74 (Gwalior) Battery

The Gwalior artillery was formed in

Morar Morar (; ) is a small village on the west coast of The Rough Bounds of Scotland, south of Mallaig. The name Morar is also applied to the northern part of the peninsula containing the village, though North Morar is more usual (the region to the ...

around 1865. It consisted on one battery each of Thakurs,

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

s and

Gujjars The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara) are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic ...

. The unit was organised as a mountain battery in 1926 and equipped with 2.75-inch guns. The battery traces its history to 1738, when it was raised as a bullock artillery battery of the Sindhia's army. It saw action in

Chitral Chitral () is a city situated on the Kunar River, Chitral River in northern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Lower Chitral District, and was previously the capital of Chitral District, and before ...

in 1940. It joined 20th Mountain Regiment in April 1941 at

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

and moved to Wana later that year, where it stayed till the end of the war. It returned to

Gwalior state The Gwalior State was a List of Maratha dynasties and states, state within the Maratha Confederacy located in Central India. It was ruled by the Scindia, House of Scindia (anglicized from Sendrak), a Hindu Maratha Confederacy, Maratha dynasty. ...

in February 1946. Post independence, the battery saw action in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 and three personnel were mentioned in despatches. Among its commanders was Major (later Colonel) Prithipal Singh Gill, who had unique distinction of having served in all three services.

75 (Patiala) Battery

Though initially a saluting battery in

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...

, in December 1942, it was moved to

and turned into a mountain battery. After training, it joined the 31st Mountain Regiment in

. It returned to the state in February 1946. The battery was among the first gunners to be flown in during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 and was under 161 Infantry Brigade. It also saw action during

Operation Eraze Operation Eraze is the codename of the assault and capture of Gurais in northern Kashmir by the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. History Gurais is an important communication centre where the route from Srinagar comes north to ...

. Personnel from the battery were awarded eight

. Major (later Lieutenant General) J F R Jacob commanded the battery shortly after independence.

76 (Jammu and Kashmir) Battery

An artillery unit with mountain guns in the Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu is likely to have been in existence during as early as 1848 during the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company which took place from 1848 to 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab region, Punjab and what sub ...

. In 1889, the Kashmir artillery and infantry were the first to become

Imperial Service Troops The Imperial Service Troops, officially called the Indian States Forces after 1920, were auxiliary forces raised by the princely states of the Indian Empire which were deployed alongside the Indian Army when their service was required. The Imp ...

. The artillery was converted to No. 1 and No. 2 Kashmir Mountain Batteries in 1891 and 1892 respectively and were equipped with 7-pounder mountain guns. These guns were replaced with 2.5 inch screw guns in 1902, 10-pounder mountain guns in 1916, 2.75-inch guns in 1923 and 3.7-inch howitzers in 1939. The battery was handed over to the

in October 1942, where it became 30th (Jammu) Mountain Battery, Indian Artillery. After the Second World War, the battery moved to Nowshera in November 1945. The battery was disbanded in Nowshera on 30 June 1946. The

Dogra __NOTOC__ Dogras, or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic community of Pakistan and India. Dogra, Dogras or Dogri may also refer to: * Dogra dynasty, a Hindu dynasty of Kashmir * Dogri language, a language spoken by Dogras and other ethnic commu ...

personnel of the battery were absorbed in a field battery of

Royal Indian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery, generally known as the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA), was an operational corps of the British Indian Army. The East India Company raised the first regular company of Artillery in 1748, with a small percentage ...

and the mules were taken over by the 5th (Bombay) Mountain Battery (now part of 57 Field Regiment). The Muslim personnel were absorbed by the 26th Jacob's Mountain Battery, which is now part of the 1st (SP) Medium Regiment (Frontier Force) of the Pakistan Army. 1 Jammu and Kashmir Mountain Battery was re-raised on 22 January 1948. The battery saw action during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, where it provided effective artillery support to 77 Parachute Brigade during the

Zoji La Zoji La (sometimes Zojila Pass) is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas. It is located in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir and the Kargil district of Ladakh, both union territories of India. This pass connects the Kashmir Valle ...

operations. Captain Risal Singh was awarded the

and four were mentioned in despatches. The battery took part in the following operations and events – *

Hunza–Nagar Campaign The Hunza-Nagar Campaign was an armed conflict in 1891 fought by troops serving the British Raj against the princely states of Hunza and Nagar in the Gilgit Agency (now part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan). It is also known in Pak ...

, 1891 * Relief of Chitral, 1895 * Tirah campaign, 1897-8 * Delhi Coronation Durbar, 1903 * East African campaign (World War I) 1916-18 *

East Persia Cordon The Seistan Force, originally called East Persia Cordon, was a force of British Indian Army troops set up to prevent infiltration by German and Ottoman agents from Persia (Iran) into Afghanistan during World War I. The force was established to pr ...

, 1919–20 * Eritrea (World War II), 1940 * Syrian campaign, 1941 * Operations in Datta Khel, 1942 * Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948

References

{{reflist Military units and formations established in 1919 Artillery units and formations of British India Artillery regiments of the Indian Army after 1947 Indian World War II regiments