Zorawar Chand Bakhshi

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Lieutenant General Zorawar Chand 'Zoru' Bakshi[1] PVSM, MVC, VrC, VSM[2] (21 October 1921[3] or 2 January 1921[4][note 1] – 24 May 2018) was a General Officer of the Indian Army, most widely known as one of the commanders of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (Operation Ablaze). He also has the distinction of being "India's most decorated General".[5][6]

Family and early life

Bakshi was born to Bahadur Bakshi Lal Chand, a decorated soldier in the British Indian Army who held the OBI.[7] He was born in Gulyana in the Rawalpindi District of the Punjab Province of British India. [8][9] As with many other non-muslims of that region, his family had to shift to the newly-created Dominion of India after the Partition of India, being of Hindu faith. Prior to the partition, he graduated from Rawalpindi's Gordon College in 1942 after which he joined the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Doon.[10]

Military career

World War II

Bakshi was commissioned into the Baloch Regiment of the British Indian Army in 1943. Later he also did a course at Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), UK.[11] His first major battle was against the Japanese in Burma in World War II, where he earned a Mention in Despatches for overcoming a heavily fortified Japanese position. After the liberation of Burma, he participated in the operations to liberate Malaysia from Japanese control, earning a fast-track promotion to the rank of a Major for his role.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Post-Independence

Upon the Partition of India in 1947, Bakshi was transferred to the 5th Gorkha Rifles regiment of the Indian Army.[5] In the Indo Pakistani War of 1947-1948, he was awarded a Vir Chakra for his bravery in July 1948.[11][12] Soon afterward he was awarded the MacGregor Medal in 1949. In 1951, he was selected to attend the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.[13]

In the victorious Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Bakshi was instrumental in the capture of the Haji Pir Pass from the Pakistani Forces, for which he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. The citation for the Maha Vir Chakra reads as follows:[14][15][16]

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Gazette Notification: 9 Pres/66,1-1-66

Operation: 1965 May - Ablaze Date of Award: 05 Aug 1965

CITATION

Brigadier Zorawar Chand Bakshi (IC-1510), Vr.C.,

5th Bn., The Gorkha Rifles

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Brigadier Zorawar Chand Bakshi was Commander of a Brigade which operated from the Tannmarg and Patan area in Jammu and Kashmir and later in the area of the Uri-Poonch bulge, from 5th August 1965 till the ceasefire on 23rd September 1965.

Brigadier Bakshi was given the difficult task of capturing Basali, Haji Pir Pass and Kahuta. Haji Pir is at a height of nearly 9000 feet and its capture was vital for the Uri-Poonch link-up. The road connecting Uri and Poonch via Haji Pir, had deteriorated due to disuse and at some places it had disintegrated. There was no direct route for an approach to Haji Pir except over the mountain ranges of Sank and Ledwali Gali on the west and Badori, Kuthnardi Gali and Kiran feature on the east. From Siliikot where his Brigade Headquarters was based, Haji Pir was at a distance of fourteen miles with strongly defended enemy positions forward of it and flanking it.

All along the route, Brigadier Bakshi remained foremost. As soon as an objective was captured, he was there personally, to guide and help in the reorganisation. Many a time, though enemy shelling was intense and continuous, he remained in the forefront without caring for his personal convenience or safety. After the capture of Haji Pir, he moved forward his tactical Headquarter immediately, though he knew that the enemy would most certainly counter-attack it viciously.

Throughout this operation, Brigadier Zorawar Chand Bakshi displayed a high standard of planning and tactical skill, combined with outstanding leadership, determination and camaraderie in sharing the hardships of his troops, which are in the highest traditions of the Indian Army.

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In the early 1960s he led his battalion in a United Nations Operation to undo the secession of the province of Katanga from Congo, in the process earning a Vishisht Seva Medal.[1][17] In 1969–1970, he led successful counter-insurgency operations in pockets of North East India, and was promoted to major-general on 23 November 1970.[18] During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 he was instrumental in the capture of territory in what is now referred to as the crucial Chicken-Neck Sector, for which he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". On 7 September 1974, he was appointed Military Secretary with the rank of lieutenant-general.[19][20] On 15 December 1976, he was granted an extension of service past his statutory retirement age to 1 January 1979.[21]

He was popularly known as "Zoru" in the Indian Army.[6]

Military awards and decorations

File:Param Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg File:Maha Vir Chakra ribbon.svg File:Vir Chakra ribbon bar.svg File:Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg
File:India General Service Medal 1947.svg File:IND Samar Seva Star Ribbon.svg File:IND Paschimi Star Ribbon.svg File:IND Raksha Medal Ribbon.svg
File:IND Sangram Medal Ribbon.svg File:IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon.svg File:IND Videsh Seva Medal Ribbon.svg File:Indian Independence medal 1947.svg
File:IND 25th Anniversary Independence medal.svg File:IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg File:IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg File:Ribbon - 1939-45 Star.png
File:Ribbon - Burma Star.png File:Ribbon - War Medal & MiD.png File:Ribbon India Service Medal.png File:ONUC Medal bar.svg
Param Vishisht Seva Medal Maha Vir Chakra Vir Chakra Vishisht Seva Medal
General Service Medal Medal Samar Seva Star Paschimi Star Raksha Medal
Sangram Medal Sainya Seva Medal Videsh Seva Medal Indian Independence Medal
25th Anniversary of Independence Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal 1939–1945 Star
Burma Star War Medal 1939–1945 India Service Medal UN Operation in the Congo

Dates of rank

Insignia Rank Component Date of rank
File:British Army OF-1a.svg Second Lieutenant British Indian Army 27 June 1943 (emergency)[4]
27 December 1944 (substantive)[4]
File:British Army OF-1b.svg Lieutenant British Indian Army 27 December 1943 (war-substantive)[4]
3 March 1947 (substantive)[4]
File:British Army OF-1b.svg Lieutenant Indian Army 15 August 1947[note 2][22]
File:British Army (1920–1953) OF-3.svg Major Indian Army 1947 (temporary)[23][note 2][22]
File:British Army OF-2.svg Captain Indian Army 27 June 1949[23][note 2]
File:Captain of the Indian Army.svg Captain Indian Army 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[22][24]
File:Major of the Indian Army.svg Major Indian Army 27 June 1956[25]
File:Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army.svg Lieutenant-Colonel Indian Army
File:Colonel of the Indian Army.svg Colonel Indian Army 16 February 1967[26]
File:Brigadier of the Indian Army.svg Brigadier Indian Army 15 May 1968[27]
File:Major General of the Indian Army.svg Major General Indian Army 23 November 1970[18]
File:Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.svg Lieutenant-General Indian Army 7 September 1974[20]

See also

References

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  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  6. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  18. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  22. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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Notes

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  1. ↑ As given in the pre-Independence Indian Army List.
  2. ↑ a b c Upon independence in 1947, India became a Dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations. As a result, the rank insignia of the British Army, incorporating the Tudor Crown and four-pointed Bath Star ("pip"), was retained, as George VI remained Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. After 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, the President of India became Commander-in-Chief, and the Ashoka Lion replaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."

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External links

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