The Kumaon Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to the 18th century and has fought in every major campaign of the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, including the two world wars, and is one of the highest decorated regiments of the Indian Army.
Recruitment of troops The Kumaon Regimental Centre, established at Ranikhet, recruits Kumaoni people from the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, Himachal and Ahirs from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and other parts.
History
Soldiering has been an important profession of the Kumaonis and the region has a long history of warfare with neighbours, including the Nepal and Garhwal. The Kumaonis were never fully subjugated by the powerful Muslim dynasties of Delhi. They often offered their martial services as mercenaries, and fought on British side in the Anglo-Nepalese War.
The Fierce fighting battalions of the Nizam of Hyderabad made up of Kumaonis and men from this region of the Himalayan foothills. Well before the split from royal Gurkha rifles, the kumaonis had been enlisted in the five regiments of Gurkhas belonging to the Bengal Infantry and the Punjab Frontier Force. The Third Gorkha Rifles recruited heavily from the then greater kumaon kingdom(which included parts of terai presently in Nepal) the large recruitment of Kumaonis led to this being known the Kemaoon Battalion.
The Kumaonis were recruited in the military of the East India Company from the early 19th century. They often moved to other states in search of military service, including in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
The Nizam's Contingent was formed when Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, became Governor-General of India and formed a plan to rid India of French influence. His first action, on arriving in India in 1798, was to effect the disbandment of the Indian units of the Nizam under the command of Monsieur Raymond and officered by non-British Europeans. These soldiers were formed into the British officered Nizam's Contingent that fought at the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799 against Tippu Sultan in the final battle of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.
In 1813, Sir Henry Russell, then British Resident in the court of Nizam of Hyderabad, raised the Russell Brigade comprising two battalions. Later, four more battalions were raised and they were known as the Berar Infantry. In addition, two battalions known as the Elichpur Brigade, were raised by Nawab Salabat Khan, Subedar of Berar, as a part of the Nizam's forces. The men of the Russell Brigade were chiefly Hindus, recruited from Oudh and other parts of Uttar Pradesh. Kumaonis, along with other North Indian classes served in the Hyderabad contingent which was raised, trained and led by British officers under Russell, but paid for by the Nizam of Hyderabad.
By 1853, at the time of the signing of a treaty between the Nizam and the British, the Nizam's forces consisted of 8 battalions. The force was renamed as the Hyderabad Contingent, and became part of the British Indian Army, subsequently, becoming the 19th Hyderabad Regiment. Over time, the class composition changed to Kumaonis and Ahirs.
During World War I, a Kumaon battalion was raised at Ranikhet on 23 October 1917 as 4/39th Kumaon Rifles. In 1918, it was redesignated as 1st Battalion, 50th Kumaon Rifles and a second battalion was raised. These were merged with the Hyderabad Contingent into the 19th Hyderabad Regiment in 1923. The first battalion of the 50th Kumaon Rifles survived to become the 1st Kumaon Rifles, and is today the 3rd Battalion, Kumaon Regiment (Rifles) of the Indian Army. Some units of the Berar and Elichpur infantry were demobilized after World War I. However, the Hyderabad Regiment was again expanded during World War II.
On 27 October 1945, after the Second World War, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment was renamed as 19th Kumaon Regiment. Post-independence, it has been known as the Kumaon Regiment.
Two state forces battalions, 4th Gwalior Infantry and Indore Infantry were allocated to the Kumaon Regiment becoming 14 Kumaon (Gwalior) and 15 Kumaon (Indore) respectively.
The Kumaon Regiment has produced three Indian Army Chiefs: General Satyawant Mallannah Shrinagesh (4 Kumaon), General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya (4 Kumaon) and General Tapishwar Narain Raina (14 Kumaon).
Affiliations The senior battalion, 1 Kumaon, originally raised in March 1813, was converted to the airborne role in 1946. It fought with distinction in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 as 1 Kumaon (Para). It remained a part of the regiment until April 1952 when it was formally inducted into the Parachute Regiment as 3 Para (Kumaon). In 2000, the battalion was converted to Special Forces as part of the expansion of the special operations forces of the Indian Army, and renamed 3rd Battalion Para (Special Forces) or 3 Para (SF).
Upon conversion to Para(SF), class composition has been made heterogeneous, consisting of men from all across India.
On 1 November 1970, the Naga Regiment was raised and affiliated with the Kumaon Regiment. The class composition of this regiment comprises Nagas, Kumaonis, Garhwalis and Gurkhas. A Border Scouts battalion was raised and named as "Kumaon Scouts". 14 Kumaon (Gwalior), was converted to the mechanised infantry role, and transferred to the Mechanised Infantry Regiment, as its 5th Battalion.
Engagements
World War I During World War I, the first all Kumaoni battalions were raised. The first was formed in 1917 as the 19th Kumaon and redesignated in 1918 as the 1st Battalion, 50th Kumaon Rifles when it fought in the Battle of Megiddo (1918). A 2nd Battalion was also raised in 1918 but disbanded in 1923. The Hyderabad Contingent, with its mixed Kumaoni, Jats, Ahirs and Deccan Muslims, continued and fought with distinction in the Great War. In 1922, during the Indian Army reorganisation, the six regiments of the Hyderabad Contingent were renamed as the 19th Hyderabad Regiment and infantry companies formed from the Kumaon region replaced many of the Deccan Muslim-based companies. In 1923 the 1/50th Kumaon Rifles joined the 19th Hyderabad Regiment as the 1st Kumaon Rifles. In 1935 the battalion commanders attempted to have the regiment renamed as the 19th Kumaon Regiment, due to the diminishing links to the Deccan and Hyderabad regions. The request was refused.
World War II The 19th Hyderabad Regiment in 1939 consisted of four regular battalions; the 1st (Russell's), 2nd (Berar), 4th and The Kumaon Rifles. The Hyderabads expanded during the war adding another eight battalions to the 19th Hyderabad Regiment. Two more battalions, the 1st and 2nd Hyderabad Infantry, were raised as part of the Indian State Forces. The battalions of the 19th Hyderabad Regiment fought in the Middle East, North African campaign, Persia, Battle of Malaya, Battle of Singapore and Burma campaign.
The Kumaon Rifles were based in Hong Kong at the beginning of the Second World War but were transferred to the Middle East as part of the 24th Indian Infantry Brigade. The battalion took part in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941 under Major-General William Slim. They remained in Persia as part of the garrison throughout the rest of the war.
The 4th Battalion was part of the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade based in Malaya when the Japanese Army invaded in December 1941. The 4/19th Hyderabads were one of the few battalions in Malaya that were relatively well trained in jungle warfare. Although the battalion performed well in the fighting retreat in north-west Malaya, they were practically annihilated at the disastrous Battle of Slim River on 7 January 1942. The few survivors of the 4th Battalion were withdrawn to Singapore where they took part in the brief defence of the island before it surrendered on 15 February 1942.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-48 1 Kumaon(airborne) [now 3rd PARA SF] and 4 Kumaon was dispatched to Jammu and Kashmir to participate in the defence of Srinigar. 4 Kumaon elements were decisive in the Battle of Badgam. The valor of kumaonis saved kashmir from Pakistani intruders, in recognition of the gallant action in kashmir, 1st and 4th kumaon were hailed as the saviors of kashmir and bestowed with the battle honor "Srinagar(badgam)". It was for this action that Major Somnath Sharma was posthumously awarded the Param veer chakra. It was a singular honour for the kumaon regiment to be the first to win the highest recognition for gallantry in the face of enemy.
Sino-Indian War of 1962 Battle of Walong
On 21 October 1962, the Chinese attacked the Dhola sector in Arunachal Pradesh's Kameng Division at a post at Kibithu (40 km north of Walong). The battle started by Chinese machine guns and mortars fire from south of Sama, followed by infantry attacks on two platoons with over 3000 soldiers. It started at around midnight and went on for three hours. At about 5 am, the Chinese reinforced their assaulting troops and launched another fierce attack. About 60-70 Chinese soldiers died in that attack and four Indian soldiers were killed, including Naik Bahadur Singh Vir Chakra awardee of Kumaon Regiment, who took over the light machine gun (LMG) after his LMG detachment was killed, and kept firing till he was hit in the chest. In the days to follow, multiple such skirmishes and change in deployments took place, both from the Indian and the Chinese side. Acknowledging that Kibithu could not be defended, 6 Kumaon was ordered to withdraw to Walong.Ref Kumaoni Nostalgia! by Col N.N. Bhatia (retd)
"23 October marks a landmark win against the 153 Regt of PLA (Chengdu Sub area) when Delta Company of 6 Kumaon under Lt Bikram Singh Rathore (IC 11867) was ordered to establish screen position on Ashi Hill (NH 5484). Lt. Bikram Singh planned and executed a classic ambush at a small hanging bridge over Namti Nallah (5 km away from Walong). Lt Bikram removed the last few planks of the hanging bridge and positioned his men at various positions adjoining Namti Nullah and sighted the MMGs and Mortars of his men on spots likely to be enemy position and to bring down accurate fire. Lt Bikram Singh briefed his soldiers to hold fire until he fired the first 'Very Light'. At 3 a.m. on 23 October, the Chinese Army marching towards Walong walked down Ashi hill to reach the hanging bridge on Namti Nullah. The first Chinese soldier of 153 Regiment crossed the bridge and stepped on the last few plank and fell into the nullah. The following Chinese soldiers milled around and Lt. Bikram Singh fired the first Very Light revealing the Chinese in a cramped path of a planned accurate fire of Indian MMG and Mortar fire. About 200 Chinese troops were killed or wounded in this action against nine Indian fatalities. At 4 a.m. the screen by Delta Company of 6 Kumaon was ordered to withdraw.Bharat Rakshak.com; http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/history/1962war/263-walong.html 2.1962 The War That Wasn't – by Shiv Kunal VermaLt. Bikram Singh's Letter dt. 11 Nov 1962 to his father Th. Ranbir Singh
After the success at Namti Nullah, The Delta Company of 6 Kumaon was tasked to occupy critical defenses on "West Ridge" overlooking the Advanced Landing Grounds, Walong.
On 5 November, there were multiple exchanges of fire between the Indian and the Chinese troops when a company under then Captain Ravi Mathur was asked to occupy Green Pimple and rescue an Assam Rifles patrol which was ambushed in the area.