The Dogra Regiment is an

infantry regiment Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

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 traces its roots directly from the 17th Dogra 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 ...

. When transferred to the Indian Army like its sister regiments, the numeral prefix was removed. Dogra Regiment Units Maximum filled with Rajputs And Sikh. Units of the Dogra Regiment have fought in all conflicts that independent India has been engaged in, making it one of the most prestigious and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army.

History

The Dogras, the inhabitants of 'Duggar' or Dogra land hail from the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir,

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

and the hilly regions of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. The Dogra Regiment traces its lineage to 1858, when the Agra Levy was raised by the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

as part of the Bengal Army. The Dogras were added into the Bengal Army on the recommendation of Sir Fredrick Roberts, the then commander-in-chief of India, who decided to add a Dogra regiment because he was impressed by the loyalty and soldierly qualities of Dogra troops.The Agra Levy was later renamed the 38th Dogras. In 1887 the 37th (Dogra) Bengal Infantry was raised and later renamed the 37th (Prince of Wales's Own) Dogras. In 1900 the 41st (Dogra) Bengal Infantry was raised and also later renamed the 41st Dogras. In 1922 the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. The 37th, 38th and 41st Dogras were all amalgamated into the 17th Dogra Regiment. It dropped '17th' from its title in 1945 and was allocated to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

upon its

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

in 1947. The 38th Dogras served in the siege of Malakand in 1897 and during 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 ...

, served in

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

during the battle of Megiddo. The 37th Dogras took part in the Chitral Expedition in 1895 and during the First World War, fought in the Second Battle of Kut and the capture of Baghdad as part of the 14th Indian Division. The 41st Dogras served in China from 1904 to 1908 as part of an international force, and then served on the Western Front and the Mesopotamia Campaign during World War I. In 1949, Karan Singh, son of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, was appointed Regent by his father. He wrote the Dogra Regiment's regimental song,
Dikhi Lai Dogra Desh
. Perhaps the best compliment given to the Dogras has come from Field Marshal Sir William Slim who wrote to them thus:

Formation

The regiment was formed in 1922 through the amalgamation of three separate regiments of Dogras into the 17th Dogra Regiment. They were: *1st Battalion – formerly the 37th (Prince of Wales's Own) Dogras *2nd Battalion – formerly the 38th Dogras *3rd Battalion – formerly the 1st Battalion, 41st Dogras *10th (Training) Battalion – formerly the 2nd Battalion, 41st Dogras The regiment has produced one Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Nirmal Chander Vij. Vij also served as the 10th Colonel-in-Chief of the Dogra Regiment and the Dogra Scouts.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–48

Pakistani raiders had besieged and reduced Skardu in early 1948.. It was vital that

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 next likely target, be relieved before it was attacked by the raiders. Major Thakur Prithi Chand, along with a band of 40 volunteers from the 2nd battalion, Dogra Regiment, began a hazardous mid-winter ascent of the Zojila pass on 16 February 1948, with rifles and ammunition for the garrison. They reached Leh on 8 March, where an ad hoc force for defence was organised, followed soon by a Jammu and Kashmir State Forces detachment bringing additional weapons.

Sino-Indian War

A company from the 4th battalion fought in the battle of Walong in November 1962 and suffered significant casualties against a vastly numerically superior Chinese force.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

On September 2, 1965, the 3rd battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. R.B. Nair, was given the task to capture Point 7702 in Jammu and Kashmir. The brigade then planned two battalion attacks with the 2nd battalion,

Sikh Regiment The Sikh Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is the most highly decorated regiment of the Indian Army and in 1979, the 1st battalion was the Commonwealth's most decorated battalion, with 245 pre-independence and 82 post-i ...

on the left to clear the Raja picket and the 3rd battalion, Dogra Regiment on the right to capture point 7702. The battalion left late in the evening on September 5, and successfully sneaked past Raja picket. The two leading companies were to assault from the left flank and cross the start line at 04:00 on September 6 under the able leadership of Maj. Greesh Chandra Verma and Capt. Gurdev Singh Bawa. B and C companies stormed point 7702 at 05:00 on September 6. After a fierce hand-to-hand and bunker-to-bunker fight, the enemy was uprooted from the strongly built defences and the post was captured by 05:45. Maj. G.C. Verma was wounded in the head and refused to be evacuated. He breathed his last on seeing the success signal being fired from his pistol by Sub. Rattan Singh. Capt. G.S. Bawa, the other assaulting company commander was also wounded fatally while silencing an enemy MMG. The battalion lost two officers, one JCO and 14 ORs while 3 officers, 2 JCOs and 60 ORs were wounded in the battle. 39 men of enemy were killed and 5 were taken as POWs. In recognition of this valour the battalion was awarded the battle honour Chand Tekri and theatre honour of Jammu and Kashmir 1965. 2nd battalion, Dogra Regiment led the famed OP Hill attack on Nov 2nd 1965, to capture a strategic location in Mendhar area of Jammu and Kashmir. This is regarded as one of the bloodiest battles fought by the Indian Army. Maj GS Pall led the Delta company up the steep and open hill towards Kala Pathar, a frontal attack under heavy machine gun and mortar fire, with the hillside strewn with landmines, followed by Charlie and Alpha companies. Meanwhile 7th Battalion of Sikh Regiment and 5th Battalion of Sikh Li Regiment troops flanked the enemy. Dogras suffered heavy casualties throughout the night but refused to withdraw, eventually meeting up with the Sikh and Sikh Li troops for the capture. Many awards were earned posthumously, including Officers, JCOs and Jawans. 2nd Dogras earned a Battle Honour for this famed battle. An impressive memorial stands at the site today commemorating the battle and the bravery of 2nd Dogras.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

On the eastern front, the 9th battalion was responsible for the fall of Suadih, a small village in

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

that was a strong bastion of the Pakistan Army's most fortified position in the country. This led to the ultimate liberation of East Pakistan and a victory for the Indian Army. For this task, 9 Dogra was awarded the battle honour of Suadih. The 5th battalion was posted in Asal Uttar,

, where it was assigned to accord depth to the defences of Khem Karan.

Kargil War

The 5th battalion fought in the Kargil War to capture Tiger Hill.

UN Peacekeeping

The Dogra Regiment has not only contributed to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Peacekeeping Forces in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and the Congo, but has also contributed in providing various military observers in various peace keeping operation around the globe. The 1st, 3rd and 9th battalions have participated in UN peacekeeping missions. Dogra Regiment UN

Recruitment

Dogra regiment has a fixed class composition: 50 percent from

, 25 percent from Jammu and Kashmir, and a balance from

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a Municipal corporations in India, municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the ...

, SBS Nagar,

Pathankot Pathankot () is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the sixth most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipal ...

Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the Majha region of the Indian state of Punjab, between the rivers Beas and Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the district, which shares a bord ...

, and

Rupnagar Rupnagar (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Ropar) is a city and a municipal council in Rupnagar district in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. Rupnagar is a newly created fifth Divisional Headquarters of Punjab compri ...

districts of

. Enlisting in army is seen as honourable pursuit for Dogras; soldiering has not only become a substantial part of the economic structure of the Dogra hills, but created social and cultural traditions built on the people's association with the army.

Regimental Centre

Initially, the Dogra battalions were raised in various different places by the British Indian Army, with each having their own depot. After the first World War, a common depot was formed, which was later termed the Training Battalion (later the 10th Battalion). In 1943, the Training Battalion ceased to exist and was renamed ''The Dogra Regimental Centre''. After independence, the regimental centre was established in

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

in 1952. It was moved to Faizabad Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh, in June 1976, where it is currently located.

Units

*2nd Battalion – The Great Second *3rd Battalion – Mighty Third *4th Battalion – Char Satara *5th Battalion – Five The Formidable *6th Battalion – Soaring Six *7th Battalion – Unbeaten Seven *8th Battalion – Elite Eight *9th Battalion – Suadih Paltan *10th Battalion – Shaktishali Dus *11th Battalion – Elite Eleven *12th Battalion – Towering Twelfth *13th Battalion – Siramani *14th Battalion – Fabulous Fourteen *15th Battalion – Fighting Fifteenth *16th Battalion – Sovereign Sixteen *17th Battalion – Smashing Seventeen *18th Battalion – Ashok Chakra Paltan *19th Battalion – Dynamic Nineteen (Dogra battalion raised with a mixed class composition on 11th February, 1985) *20th Battalion - Leaping Tigers *21st Battalion - Roaring Twenty-one * Dogra Scouts – Tangrors (the mountain warriors) Rashtriya Rifles (RR) *11 Rashtriya Rifles *20 Rashtriya Rifles *40 Rashtriya Rifles *62 Rashtriya Rifles Territorial Army (TA) The regiment also has 4 Territorial Army battalions. *112th Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) (based at Jalandhar, Punjab) *153rd Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) (based at Meerut, Uttar Pradesh) *159th Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) (Home & Hearth) (based at Thalela, Jammu and Kashmir) *133rd Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) (Ecological) (based at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh) Other facts: *1st Battalion was transformed in 1981 into the 7th Battalion,

Mechanised Infantry Regiment The Mechanised Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, comprising 27 battalions (including 3 tracked and 2 wheeled reconnaissance and support battalions) dispersed under various armoured formations throughout India. Togethe ...

*The battalions have participated in various UN missions; the 3rd battalion have served in Korea, the 1st battalion has served in Congo, the 9th battalion has served in Gaza and the 5th battalion has served in Sierra Leone. The 3rd battalion was the first-ever battalion of the Indian Army to go on a UN mission. *The 4th battalion has the additional honour of being the first battalion of the Indian Army to be deployed on the

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...

Affiliations

In the year 1990 affiliations of Indian Navy ships were being done with the Indian Army Regiments, INS Ranvijay was affiliated with the Dogra Regiment in 1997. Apart from this, the Dogra's are also affiliated with the Regiment of Artillery (14 Medium Regiment and 15 Medium Regiment). Even the Dogra's are also affiliated with the Armoured Corps ( 71st Armoured Regiment).

Battle honours

Two battalions of the 17th Dogra Regiment (the 2nd and 3rd), also fought in the

Malayan Campaign The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allies of World War II, Allied and Axis powers, Axis forces in British Malaya, Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the World War ...

. After the

Fall of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

, a large number of the captured troops later went on to join the Indian National Army.

Pre-independence

Combined battle honours of 37th (Prince of Wales's Own) Dogras, 38th Dogras, 41st Dogras: ;World War I * La Bassée 1914 * Festubert 1914–1915 * Givenchy 1914 * Neuve Chapelle * Aubers *France and Flanders 1914–15 *

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

1915 * Megiddo *

Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...

1918 *Tigris 1916 * Kut al-Amara 1917 *Wadi *El Hanna *Baghdad *Mesopotamia 1915–18 *Aden *Megiddo – 1918 *

– 1918 *

– 1918 * North-West Frontier 1915–1917 *Afghanistan 1919 ;World War II *

Kota Bharu Kota Bharu ( Kelantanese: ''Koto Baghu''), colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mout ...

* Malaya 1941–42 *Singapore 1941–42 *Donbaik *Wrencat *Nunshigum *Magwe *Kennedy Peak * Burma 1942–45

Post-independence

*Jhangar 1947 *Barwali 1947 *Rajauri 1947 * Jammu and Kashmir 1947–48 * Hajipir *Raja Picquet-Chand Tekri *OP Hill (NL 1053) *Tiger Hill-1999 * Uri * Poonch * Jammu and Kashmir 1965 *Asal Uttar *Dograi *

1965 *Suadhi *Siramani *Chauddagram *

1971 *Ferozpur *Dera Baba Nanak

Colonels of the Dogra Regiment

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Kalwant Singh * Lieutenant General M.S. Pathania PVSM * Major General M.G. Hazari PVSM, AVSM * Major General Mohan Lal PVSM * Lieutenant General P.N. Hoon PVSM, AVSM, SM * Lieutenant General V.K. Jetley PVSM, VSM * Lieutenant General V.K. Sood PVSM, AVSM, PhD * Lieutenant General Sher Amir Singh PVSM, AVSM * Lieutenant General H.S. Bedi PVSM, VSM * Lieutenant General Surjit Singh PVSM, AVSM, VSM *

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

N.C. Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, ADC * Lieutenant General S.S. Sanga PVSM, AVSM, VSM, SM * Lieutenant General J.K. Mohanty PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, SM, ADC * Lieutenant General Jasbir Singh Dhaliwal PVSM, AVSM, VSM * Lieutenant General A.K. Singh PVSM, AVSM, VSM, SM * Lieutenant General G.S. Dhillon PVSM, VSM, YSM, SM * Brig Jagmohan Varma, SM, VSM * Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh AVSM**, YSM, SM, ADC * Lieutenant General Jai Singh Nain AVSM, SM, ADC *Lt General VM Bhuvana Krishnan AVSM, YSM

Gallantry Awards

Shri Vijay Kumar receiving 2006 Arjuna Award for Shooting

Before Indian independence, the Dogras had to their credit two

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

es and 44

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 ...

es besides 312 other awards including 2 unit Citations. Some awardees include : * Brigadier John Alexander Sinton VC – 37th Dogras * Lance Naik Lala VC – 41st Dogras * Major R.C. Dunlop MC * Major R.C. Christie MC * Subedar Narsinghu MC * Lance Naik Janak Singh MC * Colonel Thakur Prithi Chand MVC * Lieutenant Colonel Kushal Chand MVC * Brigadier Narinder Singh Sandhu MVC * Capt Devinder Singh Ahlawat MVC * Sub. Major and Hony. Capt. Bhim Chand, VrC & bar * Major Sandeep Shankla AC *

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

K.J. Singh SC**, SM * Honorary Captain Vijay Kumar Sharma Padma Shri, AVSM, SM * Colonel Anil Kumar KC * Sub. Major and Hony. Capt. Chhering Norbu Bodh, SC The following battalions of the regiment have also been awarded the Chief of Army Staff's Unit Citation: *2nd Battalion *5th Battalion (2 unit citations) *7th Battalion *10th Battalion *14th Battalion *19th Battalion *21st Battalion *11 Rashtriya Rifles *40 Rashtriya Rifles

References

External links

History of the Dogra Regiment
{{Indian National Army D British Indian Army infantry regiments Military units and formations established in 1877 Dogra 1877 establishments in India