Field Marshal
Sam Manekshaw
MC
| |
|---|---|
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
(pictured wearing general's insignia c. 1970) | |
| 7th Chief of Army Staff (India) | |
| In office 8 June 1969 – 15 January 1973 | |
| President | VV Giri Mohammad Hidayatullah (acting) |
| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Preceded by | General P.P. Kumaramangalam |
| Succeeded by | General Gopal Gurunath Bewoor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1914 Amritsar, Punjab, British India |
| Died | 27 June 2008 (aged 94) Wellington, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Spouse(s) | Silloo Bode |
| Awards |
|
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Sam Bahadur |
| Allegiance |  British India India |
| Branch/service |  British Indian Army Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1934 – 2008 |
| Rank |  Field Marshal |
| Unit | 12th Frontier Force Regiment 8 Gorkha Rifles |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars |
|
Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), broadly generally
known as Sam
Manekshaw and Sam Bahadur ("Sam
the Brave"), was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian
Army through the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and the primary Indian
Army officer to be promoted to the rank of subject marshal.
His navy profession spanned 4 a long time and 5 wars, starting with
service within the British Indian
Army in World War II.
Early life and education
Sam Manekshaw was born on 3 April 1914
in Amritsar, Punjab, to Hormizd Manekshaw (1871–1964), who was a health care
provider, and Hilla, née Mehta (1885–1973), each Parsis who
moved to Amritsar from town of Valsad within the coastal Gujarat area. Manekshaw's dad and mom had
left Mumbai in 1903 for Lahore, the place Hormizd
had buddies and the place he
was to start practising medication.
However, by the point their practice halted
at Amritsar (trains used to make very lengthy halts
in these days), Hilla, who was pregnant, discovered it inconceivable to journey any additional.
The couple needed to break journey to hunt assist from
the station grasp, who suggested that
in her situation, Hilla mustn't try any
journey till her confinement. By the time that occurred,
the couple had discovered Amritar salubrious
and elected to settle within the metropolis.
Hormusji quickly established a thriving clinic and
pharmacy within the centre of Amritsar. The couple
had six kids over the next decade,
numbering 4 sons and two daughters (Fali, Cilla,
Jan, Sheru, Sam and Jami), of whom Sam was their fifth little one and
third son.
Indian Military Academy
Manekshaw was chosen as a part of the primary batch
of cadets. Called "The Pioneers", his class additionally produced Smith
Dun and Muhammad Musa Khan, future commanders-in-chief of Burma and
Pakistan, respectively. Although the academy was inaugurated by Chetwode on 10
December 1932, the cadets' navy coaching commenced
on 1 October 1932. Manekshaw proved to be witty throughout his keep at
IMA and went on to realize a lot of firsts: the primary graduate to affix one of many Gorkha
regiments; first to function the Chief of the
Army Staff of India; and first to realize the
rank of subject marshal. Of the 40 cadets inducted, solely 22 accomplished the
course, they usually have been commissioned
as second lieutenants on 1 February 1935 with
an anté-date seniority from 4 February 1934.
Military career
At the time of Manekshaw's commissioning, it was normal follow for
newly commissioned Indian officers to be initially connected to
a British regiment earlier than being despatched to
an Indian unit. Thus, Manekshaw joined the 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots, stationed
at Lahore. He was later posted to the 4th Battalion, 12th Frontier
Force Regiment, stationed in Burma. On 1 May 1938, he was appointed
quartermaster of his firm. Already fluent in Punjabi,
Hindi, Urdu, English and his parental language of Gujarati, in October 1938
Manekshaw certified as a Higher Standard military interpreter
in Pashto.
World War II
Because of a scarcity of certified officers
on the outbreak of warfare, within the first
two years of the battle Manekshaw was
appointed to the performing or non permanent ranks
of captain and main earlier than promotion
to substantive captain on 4 February 1942. He noticed motion in Burma within the 1942 marketing
campaign on the Sittang
River with the 4th Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment, and was
recognised for bravery in battle. During the preventing round Pagoda
Hill, a key place on the left of the
Sittang bridgehead, he led his firm in a
counter-attack in opposition to the
invading Imperial Japanese Army; regardless of struggling 50%
casualties the corporate managed to realize its goal.
After capturing the hill, Manekshaw was hit by a burst of mild machine
gun hearth and was severely wounded within the abdomen.
Observing the battle, Maj. Gen. David Cowan, commander of
the 17th Infantry Division, noticed Manekshaw
clinging to life and, having witnessed his valour within the face
of stiff resistance, rushed over to him. Fearing that Manekshaw would die, the overall pinned
his personal Military Cross ribbon on him
saying, "A dead person cannot be awarded a Military Cross".
This award was made official with the publication of the notification in
a complement to the London Gazette on 21 April 1942 (dated 23 April
1942).
Manekshaw was evacuated from the battlefield by Sher
Singh, his orderly, who took him to an Australian surgeon. The surgeon initially
declined to deal with Manekshaw, saying
that he was badly wounded and his possibilities
of survival have been very
low, however Singh pressured him
to deal with Manekshaw. Manekshaw regained
consciousness, and when the surgeon requested what
had occurred to him, he replied that he was
"kicked by a mule". Impressed by Manekshaw's sense of humour, he handled him, eradicating seven
bullets from lungs, liver, and kidneys. Much of his intestines have been additionally eliminated.[26] Over Manekshaw's protests that he deal with the opposite sufferers,
the regimental medical officer, Captain G. M. Diwan, attended to him.
Post-independence:
On the Partition of India in 1947,
Manekshaw's unit, the 4th Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment, turned a part of the
Pakistan Army, so Manekshaw was reassigned to the eighth Gorkha
Rifles. While dealing with the problems regarding partition
in 1947, Manekshaw demonstrated his planning and administrative expertise in
his capability as GSO1. At the tip of
1947, Manekshaw was posted because the commanding
officer of the third Battalion, 5
Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) (3/5 GR (FF)). Before he moved on to his
new appointment on 22 October, Pakistani forces infiltrated Kashmir, capturing
Domel and Muzaffarabad. The following day, the ruler of the princely
state of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, appealed for assist from
India. On 25 October, Manekshaw accompanied V. P. Menon, the secretary of
the States Department, to Srinagar. While Menon was with the Maharaja,
Manekshaw carried out an aerial survey of the state of
affairs in Kashmir. According to Manekshaw, the Maharaja signed
the Instrument of Accession on the identical day, they usually flew again to
Delhi. Lord Mountbatten and the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal
Nehru, have been briefed, throughout which
Manekshaw steered rapid deployments
of troops to stop Kashmir from being captured.
Nehru was not in favour of the deployment of troops
initially, however he was persuaded
by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the deputy prime minister. On the morning of
27 October, Indian troops have been despatched to
Kashmir, and Srinagar was occupied simply earlier than Pakistani
forces reached town's outskirts. Manekshaw's
posting order because the commander of three/5
GR (FF) was cancelled, and he was posted to the MO Directorate. As a
consequence of the Kashmir dispute and the annexation of Hyderabad (code-named
"Operation Polo"), which was additionally deliberate by
the MO Directorate, Manekshaw by no means commanded a
battalion. During his time period on the MO
Directorate, he was promoted to colonel, then brigadier when he was appointed
as the primary Indian Director of Military
Operations. This appointment was later upgraded to Major General after which to Lieutenant
General, and is now termed Director General Military Operations (DGMO).
Manekshaw was promoted to substantive colonel on 4
February 1952, and in April was appointed the commander of 167 Infantry
Brigade, headquartered at Firozpur. In 1954, he was appointed the
Director of Military Training at Army Headquarters. As an performing brigadier
(substantive colonel), he was posted as commandant of the Infantry School
at Mhow on 14 January 1955, and in
addition turned the colonel of each the eighth Gorkha
Rifles and the 61st Cavalry. eighth Gorkha
Rifles turned his new regiment, since his authentic father or
mother regiment, the 12th Frontier Force Regiment, had turn into a part of the brand new Pakistan
Army. During his tenure because the commandant of the
Infantry School, he found that the coaching manuals have been outdated,
and was instrumental in revamping them to be according to the ways employed
by the Indian Army. He obtained a four-year
extension in his rank of colonel on 4 February 1956, and was promoted to the
substantive rank of brigadier on 4 February 1957.
In 1957, he was despatched to
the Imperial Defence College, London, to attend a better command
course for one yr. On his return, he was
appointed the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 26th Infantry
Division on 20 December 1957, with the performing rank
of main normal.
While he commanded the division, Gen. Ok.
S. Thimayya was the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), and Krishna
Menon the defence minister. During a go to to
Manekshaw's division, Menon requested him what he considered Thimayya.
Manekshaw replied that it was not applicable for
him to think about his chief in that means,
as he thought-about it improper to guage his
superior, and advised Menon to not ask anyone once more.
This aggravated Menon, and he advised Manekshaw
that if he needed to, he may sack
Thimayya, to which Manekshaw replied, "You can eliminate him.
But then I'll get one other.
Manekshaw was promoted to substantive main normal on
1 March 1959. On 1 October, he was appointed the Commandant of
the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the place he
was caught up in an issue that nearly ended
his profession. In May 1961, Thimayya resigned because the COAS,
and was succeeded by Gen. Pran Nath Thapar. Earlier within the yr,
Maj. Gen. Brij Mohan Kaul had been promoted to lieutenant normal and
appointed the Quarter Master General (QMG) by Menon. The appointment was made in opposition
to the advice of Thimayya, who
resigned in consequence. Kaul was made the Chief of
General Staff (CGS), the second highest appointment at Army Headquarters after
the COAS. Kaul cultivated an in depth relationship with
Nehru and Menon and have become much more highly
effective than the COAS. This was met with disapproval by
senior military officers, together with Manekshaw,
who made derogatory feedback concerning the interference
of the political management within the administration
of the military. This led him to be marked as
an anti-national.
Kaul despatched informers to spy
on Manekshaw who, because of the data gathered,
was charged with sedition, and subjected to a court docket of
inquiry. Meanwhile, two of his juniors, Harbaksh Singh and Moti
Sagar, have been promoted to lieutenant normal and
appointed as corps commanders. It was broadly believed
that Manekshaw had come near being dismissed from the
service. The court docket, presided over by the
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Western Command, Lt.
Gen. Daulet Singh, identified for his integrity,
exonerated Manekshaw. Before a proper 'no case to reply' could
possibly be introduced, the Sino-Indian
War broke out; Manekshaw was not capable of take part due to the court docket proceedings.
The Indian Army suffered a debacle within the warfare,
for which Kaul and Menon have been held primarily accountable,
and each have been sacked.
In November 1962, Nehru requested Manekshaw to take
over the command of IV Corps. Manekshaw advised Nehru
that the court docket motion in opposition
to him was a conspiracy, and that his promotion had been due for nearly eighteen
months; Nehru apologised. Shortly after, on 2 December 1962, Manekshaw was
promoted to performing lieutenant normal and
appointed GOC of IV Corps at Tezpur.
Soon after taking cost,
Manekshaw reached the conclusion that poor management had
been a big think about IV
Corps' failure within the warfare with
China. He felt that his foremost accountability was to enhance the
morale of his demoralised troopers, which he achieved by
ordering them to function extra aggressively.
Just 5 days into his command, Nehru visited
the headquarters together with his daughter Indira
Gandhi and the COAS, and located the troops
advancing. Nehru said that he didn't need any extra males to
die. The COAS assured him that he would get the orders to advance rescinded.
Manekshaw retorted that he ought to be allowed to
command his troops the way in which he wished,
or he ought to be despatched to
a workers appointment. Gandhi intervened
and advised Manekshaw to go forward.
Though Gandhi had no official place, she had nice affect within the authorities.
The subsequent process Manekshaw
took up was to reorganise the troops within the North-East
Frontier Agency (NEFA), the place he took measures to beat shortages of kit, lodging,
and clothes.
Promoted to substantive lieutenant normal on
20 July 1963, Manekshaw was appointed a military commander
on 5 December, taking command of Western Command as GOC-in-C. In 1964, he
moved from Shimla to Calcutta because the GOC-in-C Eastern
Command, having obtained his appointment on
16 November. There he responded to an insurgency in Nagaland,
for which he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1968.
Chief of Army Staff
Gen. P. P. Kumaramangalam, retired as chief of military workers (COAS)
in June 1969. Though Manekshaw was essentially
the most senior military commander,
Defence Minister Sardar Swaran Singh favoured Lt. Gen. Harbaksh
Singh, who had performed a key position because the GOC-in-C
of Western Command through the Indo-Pakistani
War of 1965. Despite this, Manekshaw was appointed because the eighth
chief of the military workers on
8 June 1969. During his tenure, he developed the Indian Army into an environment
friendly instrument of warfare,
and was instrumental in stopping a plan to order positions within the military for Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Though he was Parsi, a minority group in India,
Manekshaw felt that the follow would compromise the
ethos of the military and believed that each one have to be given
an equal probability.
In the capability of
COAS, Manekshaw as soon as visited a
battalion of 8 Gorkha Rifles in July 1969. He requested an
orderly if he knew the title of his chief. The
orderly replied that he did, and on being requested to call the
chief, he stated "Sam Bahadur".
This finally turned Manekshaw's
nickname.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971;
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was sparked by
the Bangladesh Liberation warfare, a battle between
the historically dominant West
Pakistanis and the bulk East Pakistanis. In
1970, East Pakistanis demanded autonomy for the state, however the Pakistani authorities didn't fulfill these calls for and,
in early 1971, a requirement for secession
took root in East Pakistan. In March, the Pakistan Armed Forces launched
a fierce marketing campaign to curb the
secessionists, the latter together with troopers and
police from East Pakistan. Thousands of East Pakistanis died, and almost ten
million refugees fled to West Bengal, an adjoining Indian
state. In April, India determined to help within the formation
of the brand new nation of Bangladesh.
During a cupboard assembly in direction
of the tip of April, Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi requested Manekshaw if he was ready to
go to warfare with Pakistan. He replied that the
majority of his armoured and infantry divisions have been deployed
elsewhere, solely twelve of his tanks have been combat-ready, and they might be
competing for rail carriages with the grain harvest. He additionally identified the
Himalayan passes would quickly open up with the
forthcoming monsoon, which might end in heavy
flooding. After the cupboard had left the
room, Manekshaw provided to resign; Gandhi
declined and as an alternative sought his recommendation.
He stated he may assure victory
if she would enable him to deal with the battle on
his personal phrases,
and set a date for it; Gandhi agreed.
Following the technique deliberate by
Manekshaw, the military launched a number of preparatory
operations in East Pakistan, together with coaching and
equipping the Mukti Bahini, a neighborhood militia
group of Bengali nationalists. About three brigades of normal Bangladeshi
troops have been educated,
and 75,000 guerrillas have been educated and outfitted with
arms and ammunition. These forces have been used
to harass the Pakistani Army stationed in East Pakistan within the lead-up
to the warfare.
The warfare began formally on
3 December 1971, when Pakistani plane bombed Indian
Air Force bases within the western a part of the nation.
The Army Headquarters, underneath Manekshaw's management,
formulated the next technique: II
Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. Tapishwar Narain
Raina (later General and COAS), was to enter from the west; IV
Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh, was to enter from the
east; XXXIII Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. Mohan L. Thapan, was to enter
from the north; and the 101 Communication Zone Area, commanded by Maj. Gen.
Gurbax Singh, was to supply assist from
the northeast. This technique was to be executed
by the Eastern Command, underneath Lt.
Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora. Manekshaw instructed Lt. Gen. J.F.R. Jacob,
chief of workers Eastern Command, to tell the
Indian prime minister that orders have been being
issued for the motion of troops from Eastern
Command. The following day, the navy and the air drive additionally initiated
full-scale operations on each jap and
western fronts.
As the warfare progressed,
Pakistan's resistance crumbled. India captured a lot of the advantageous
positions and remoted the Pakistani forces,
which began to give up or
withdraw. The UN Security Council assembled on 4 December 1971 to debate the state of
affairs. After prolonged discussions on 7
December, the United States put ahead a decision for
"immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of troops" While supported by the bulk, the us vetoed
it twice and, due to Pakistani atrocities in opposition
to Bengalis, the United Kingdom and France abstained.
Manekshaw addressed the Pakistani troops by radio
broadcast on 9, 11 and 15 December, assuring them that they might obtain honourable remedy from
the Indian troops in the event that they surrendered.
The final two broadcasts have been delivered
as replies to messages from the Pakistani commanders Maj. Gen. Rao Farman
Ali and Lt. Gen. Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi to their troops, which have been to
have a devastating impact; they satisfied the
troops of the pointlessness of additional resistance,
and led to their defeat.
On 11 December, Ali messaged the United Nations
requesting a ceasefire, but it surely was not
authorised by President Yahya Khan, and the preventing continued.
Following a number of discussions and
consultations, and subsequent assaults by the Indian
forces, Khan determined to cease the warfare so as to save
the lives of Pakistani troopers. The precise choice to give up was
taken by Niazi on 15 December and was conveyed to Manekshaw via the
United States Consul General in Dhaka by way of Washington.
Manekshaw replied that he would cease the warfare provided that the
Pakistani troops surrendered to their Indian counterparts by 09:00 on 16
December. The deadline was prolonged to 15:00 the identical day
at Niazi's request, and the Instrument of Surrender was formally
signed on 16 December 1971.
When the prime minister requested Manekshaw
to go to Dhaka and settle for the give up of
Pakistani forces, he declined, saying that the honour ought to go
to the GOC-in-C Eastern Command, Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora.Concerned about sustaining self-discipline within the aftermath
of the battle, Manekshaw issued strict directions forbidding
looting and rape and pressured the necessity
to respect and keep away from ladies.
As a end result, in line with Singh, instances of
looting and rape have been negligible. In
addressing his troops on the matter, Manekshaw was quoted as saying: "When
you see a Begum (Muslim lady), preserve your fingers in
your pockets, and consider Sam.
The warfare lasted lower than a
fortnight and noticed greater than 90,000
Pakistani troopers taken prisoner. It ended with
the unconditional give up of Pakistan's jap half
and resulted within the start of
Bangladesh as a brand new nation. In
addition to the POWs, Pakistan suffered 6,000 casualties in opposition
to India's 2,000. After the warfare,
Manekshaw turned identified for
his compassion in direction of the POWs.
Singh recounts that in some instances he addressed them
personally and talked to them privately, with simply his aide-de-camp for firm, whereas they
shared a cup of tea. He ensured that they have been effectively handled by
the Indian Army, made provisions for them to be provided with
the copies of the Quran, and allowed them to rejoice festivals
and obtain letters and parcels from their family members.
Promotion to field marshal
After the warfare,
Gandhi determined to advertise Manekshaw
to the rank of subject marshal and appoint
him because the Chief of the Defence Staff
(CDS). However, after a number of objections from
the commanders of the navy and the air drive,
the appointment was dropped. It was felt that, as a result of Manekshaw
was from the military, the comparatively smaller forces
of the navy and air drive could be uncared for.
Moreover, bureaucrats felt that it would problem their affect over
defence points. Though Manekshaw was to retire
in June 1972, his time period was prolonged by
a interval of six months, and "in
recognition of outstanding services to the Armed Forces and the nation,"
he was promoted to the rank of subject marshal
on 1 January 1973. The first Indian Army officer to be so promoted, he
was formally conferred with the rank in a ceremony held at Rashtrapati
Bhavan on 3 January.
Honours and post-retirement
For his service to the Indian nation,
the President of India awarded Manekshaw a Padma
Vibhushan in 1972. Manekshaw retired from lively service
on 15 January 1973 after a profession of almost 4 a long time;
he settled together with his spouse,
Silloo, in Coonoor, the civilian city subsequent to Wellington
Cantonment the place he had served as
commandant of the Defence Services Staff College earlier in his profession.
Popular with Gurkha troopers, Nepal fêted Manekshaw as
an honorary normal of the Nepalese
Army in 1972.
Personal life, death and legacy
Manekshaw married Siloo Bode on 22 April 1939 in
Bombay. The couple had two daughters, Sherry and Maya (later Maja), born in
1940 and 1945 respectively. Sherry married Batliwala, they usually have
a daughter named Brandy. Maya was employed by British Airways as a
stewardess and married Daruwala, a pilot. The latter couple have two sons named
Raoul Sam and Jehan Sam.
Manekshaw died of issues from
pneumonia on the Military Hospital in Wellington,
Tamil Nadu, at 12:30 a.m. on 27 June 2008 on the age
of 94. Reportedly, his final phrases have been "I'm
okay!". He was buried within the Parsi cemetery
in Ootacamund (Ooty), Tamil Nadu, with navy honours, adjoining to
his spouse's grave. Owing to the
controversies during which Manekshaw was concerned post-retirement,
it was reported that his funeral lacked VIP illustration,
and no nationwide day of mourning was declared
which, whereas not a breach of protocol, was not
customary for a frontrunner of nationwide significance.
He was survived by his two daughters and three grandchildren.
Manekshaw died of issues from
pneumonia on the Military Hospital in Wellington,
Tamil Nadu, at 12:30 a.m. on 27 June 2008 on the age
of 94. Reportedly, his final phrases have been "I'm
okay!". He was buried within the Parsi cemetery
in Ootacamund (Ooty), Tamil Nadu, with navy honours, adjoining to
his spouse's grave. Owing to the
controversies during which Manekshaw was concerned post-retirement,
it was reported that his funeral lacked VIP illustration,
and no nationwide day of mourning was declared
which, whereas not a breach of protocol, was not
customary for a frontrunner of nationwide significance.
He was survived by his two daughters and three grandchildren.
Awards
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Dates of rank
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
_OF-1a.svg){kind=small} | Second Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 4 February 1934 |
_OF-1b.svg){kind=small} | Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 4 May 1936 |
_OF-2.svg){kind=small} | Captain | British Indian Army | July 1940 (acting) 1 August 1940 (temporary) 20 February 1941 (war-substantive) 4 February 1942 (substantive) |
_OF-3.svg){kind=small} | Major | British Indian Army | 7 August 1940 (acting) 20 February 1941 (temporary) 4 February 1947 (substantive) |
_OF-4.svg){kind=small} | Lieutenant Colonel | British Indian Army | 30 October 1944 (local) 5 May 1946 (acting)[ |
| Major | Indian Army | 15 August 1947 |
_OF-5.svg){kind=small} | Colonel | Indian Army | 1948 (acting) |
_OF-6.svg){kind=small} | Brigadier | Indian Army | 1948 (acting) |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 26 January 1950 (substantive; recommissioning and change in insignia) |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 4 February 1952 |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 26 February 1950 (acting) 4 February 1957 (substantive) |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 20 December 1957 (acting) 1 March 1959 (substantive) |
 | Lieutenant General | Indian Army | 2 December 1962 (acting) 20 July 1963 (substantive) |
 | General (COAS) | Indian Army | 8 June 1969 |
| Field Marshal | Indian Army | 1 January 1973 |
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