45th Cavalry Regiment
| 45th Cavalry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1941-1946, 1965-present |
| Country | India |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Armoured Regiment |
| Garrison/HQ | Pathankot (Mamoon Cantt) |
| Nickname | Paintalis Risala |
| Motto |
Veer Bhogya Vasundhara (The World is for the Brave) |
| Equipment | T-55 T-55 Main Battle Tank |
| Engagements |
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Battle of Garibpur |
| Decorations | Indo Pak War '71 - Maj D S Narang MVC (Posth.), 2Lt S Chandravarkar SM (Posth), Maj H S Puri SM, Ris RP Singh, vrc |
| Battle honours | Darsana |
| Insignia | |
| Unit pin |
 |
The 45th Cavalry Regiment is an Indian Army armoured unit. It was first created during World War II and was active from 1941 to 1946.
It was raised in April 1941 at Meerut, (originally from Sikhs & Pathans from the 13th Lancers, Scinde Horse & Guides Cavalry), and equipped with Stuart Tanks. They served in Burma as part of 50th Indian Tank Brigade, entered Burma in December 1944 in the Arakan, returning in March 1945 to India to upgrade to Sherman’s but were disbanded in April 1946.
It was reformed in 1965 and is currently stationed in Pathankot (Mamoon Cantt) India. The unit took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in East Pakistan (now independent Bangladesh), under the command of 9th Infantry Division.[1]
The regiment was then equipped with Russian PT-76 amphibious light battle tanks and fought in the Battles of Garibpur, Kushtia and Jessore[2]
The Battle of Garibpur would go down in history as one of the few battles in which a Battalion (usually numbering around 350 - 600 men) was able to defeat a vastly numerically superior Brigade (usually numbering around 2000 - 3500 men). Both Sides were supported by tanks and aircraft.
In peacetime, the regiment was based at Kanchrapara in the 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, in its amphibious role, although "C" Squadron was re-equipped with T-55 Main Battle Tanks.
In due course, the aging warhorses, the PT-76 tanks, were phased out and the 45th Cavalry Regiment was finally fully reequiped and subsequently converted all its squadrons to the up-gunned version of the T-55 MBT.
The current Commanding Officer is Col Alok Kumar.
References
- ↑ John H. Gill, An Atlas of the 1971 India - Pakistan War: The Creation of Bangladesh, Near East South Asia Centre for Strategic Studies (National Defense University), p.71
- ↑ http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/History/1971War/277-Battle-Of-Garibpur.html