Infantry Day Indian Army

Today, on 27th of October 2014, India is celebrating her 68th Infantry Day. It was on this momentous day in 1947, when the princely State of Jammu and Kashmir was under attack by the tribal raiders supported by the troops of the newly formed Pakistani Army, that the first Infantry contingent of Indian Army, the troops of the 1 SIKH Infantry Battalion, landed at Srinagar Airfield and fought a courageous battle to liberate the Kashmir valley from the intruders. To commemorate this gallant action by the Infantry, October 27 is celebrated as the Infantry Day.

Infantry is the branch of military which fights on foot. They directly engage, fight and defeat the enemy in face-to-face combat. They generally undergo a more difficult level of rigorous and continuous training, both physical and psychological. Since they always have a face to face fight with the enemy, they suffer the maximum number of casualties, which never affects their performance, and they continue to fight with undaunted courage. Infantry has played a major role in all the wars that India has fought. They are generally the first to go in the battlefield and the last to leave in wars. Indian Army has followed a British Organizational Structure, thus the Infantry is divided into regiments based on region, ethnicity and religion. There are a number of infantry regiments; some have been raised since the Army was formed, while some are recent. The soldiers in the regiments are generally based on the region and ethnicity, while the officers can be from any region or ethnicity.

The Infantry School, located in Mhow is the Alma mater of the Infantry. The Infantry School is the repository of infantry’s tactical doctrines, drills, procedures and skill at arms. Through its vast assets, it is systematically grooming junior leaders to enable them to handle various combat situations in professional manner. All Indian infantry officers receive their first institutionalized training at this School.

Infantry is termed as the ‘Queen of War’. The infantry of any army plays a vital role in deciding the outcome of any battle. The soldiers in the infantry have proved themselves to be courageous and fearless from time immemorial. On this Infantry day, we pay tribute to all the brave Infantry Officers and men who have lost their lives protecting and serving the motherland. We salute the courage and bravery of the Infantry soldiers sitting and guarding the borders right from the chilling cold of Siachen glacier, to the burning summer of Thar Desert and in the impregnable jungles of the northeast. We can never thank them enough.

Do not lament the death of a Warrior killed in the battlefield as those who sacrifice their lives in war are honored in heaven.

Source: ADGPI-Indian Army

• 12 Top Hollywood War Movies You Must Watch
• The Combat Edge-Inside the Indian Army
• Indian Army: Serve With Honour and Pride