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 normall ...

Lionel Protip "Bogey" Sen, DSO (20 October 1910 – 17 September 1981) was a decorated

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 ...

general. He served as the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan) * Chief of the General Staff (Albania) * C ...

during 1959–1961 and commanded the Eastern Command during 1961–1963. He was the general responsible for countering the Chinese invasion of NEFA during the

Sino-Indian War The Sino–Indian War, also known as the China–India War or the Indo–China War, was an armed conflict between China and India that took place from October to November 1962. It was a military escalation of the Sino–Indian border dispu ...

of 1962. Sen is also the author of ''Slender was the Thread'', a military history of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948.

Career

Early career

King's Commissioned Indian Officer A King's commissioned Indian officer (KCIO) was an Indian officer of the British Indian Army who held a full King's commission after training in the United Kingdom, either at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst for infantry officers, Woolwich for ...

(KCIO), Sen attended the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the British Indian Army on 27 August 1931. As was customary, he was attached to a battalion of a regular

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

regiment, the 1st battalion of the

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence ...

, for a period of one year prior to his official appointment to the Indian Army. He was formally appointed to the Indian Army as an officer with the

10th Baluch Regiment The 10th Baluch or Baluch Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. After independence, it was transferred to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was amalgamated with the 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments. During more ...

on 26 October 1932 (seniority from 29 January 1931). He was promoted lieutenant on 29 April 1933, and to captain on 29 January 1939.

Second world war

During the Second World War, Sen fought in the

Burma Campaign The Burma campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of British rule in Burma, Burma as part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II. It primarily involved forces of the Allies of World War II, Allies (mainly from ...

with the 16th Battalion of 10 Baluch. In early 1945, his battalion took a prominent role in the

Battle of Hill 170 The Battle of Hill 170 was a battle between the British 3rd Commando Brigade and the Japanese 54th Division (Imperial Japanese Army), 54th Division during the World War II, Second World War. The battle was fought in January 1945, as part of the ...

, during which he 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 ...

(DSO). The citation recommending Sen for the DSO (which was not published) noted:

...In spite of the greatest difficulties Lt-Col Sen held firmly on to his precarious positions, and the final success of the whole operation was in no small measure due to his dashing assault and tenacious defence. Throughout, he has proved himself a gallant leader of a gallant Battalion and an inspiration to every officer and man under his command.

Post-Independence

As the Baluch Regiment, Sen's parent regiment, was among those regiments allotted to Pakistan following Indian independence, Sen transferred to the 8th Gorkha Rifles. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, he was promoted to acting brigadier and commanded the

161st Indian Infantry Brigade The 161st Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. As part of the arrangements for the independence and partition of British India the brigade was allocated to India and became the 161st Infa ...

, and ordered to take over the defence of

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the 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 tertiary ...

and the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...

, for which he received a

mention in dispatches 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 ...

. On 23 December 1949, he became

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 ...

of the

1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) 1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment), often referred to as the 1st Gorkha Rifles, or 1 GR in abbreviation, is the most senior Gorkha Infantry regiment of the Indian Army, comprising Gurkha soldiers of Indian Gorkha or Nepalese nationality, pa ...

. On 16 March 1955, Sen was promoted acting major-general and appointed Director of Military Training (DMT). He was appointed

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

(MGO) on 8 May 1957, and was further appointed Colonel-Commandant of the Army Physical Training Corps on 26 September. Sen was promoted to acting lieutenant-general on 1 August 1958, and to the substantive rank on 29 January 1959. On 8 May 1961, he was appointed GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, in which capacity he served during the Sino-Indian War the following year. After the conflict, Sen was appointed GOC-in-C, Southern Command, on 10 May 1963. He retired from this posting on 8 May 1965, after nearly 34 years of service.

Personal life

In 1939, he married Kalyani Gupta. Their first daughter, Radha, was born in 1941, and Mala in 1947. The marriage ended in divorce in 1953. Sen died in 1981.

Awards and decorations

Dates of rank

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sen, Lionel Protip 1910 births 1981 deaths British Indian Army officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Indian Army personnel of World War II People of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 People of the Sino-Indian War Indian generals Indian Army personnel Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Indian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order 10th Baluch Regiment officers