26 Air Defence Regiment (India)

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26 Air Defence Regiment
Active1941 – present
CountryIndia
Allegiance British India
 India
Branch British Indian Army
Indian Army
TypeCorps of Army Air Defence
SizeRegiment
ColorsSky Blue and Red
Insignia
Abbreviation26 AD Regt

26 Air Defence Regiment is an Air Defence regiment of the Indian Army.

Formation

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26 Air Defence Regiment was raised on 1 October 1941[1] at Drigh Road, Karachi as the 2nd Indian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment[2][3] under Lt Col EC Kensington, RA.

History

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World War II
On 1 August 1942, the Regiment joined the Eastern Army and was deployed in Bengal and Assam. From November 1943 to December 1945, the Regiment was placed under Gen Slim's XIV Army under the IV Corps[4] and was the only Air Defence Regiment to enter Rangoon after its capture.[5] Havildar Surat Singh won the Indian Distinguished Service Medal.[6][7]
Partition of India
In 1947–48, a train carrying refugees from Nizamuddin to Attari was attacked by a mob near Ludhiana. Maj Gurcharan Singh[8] and Naib Subedar Dhan Singh[9] displayed courage of the higher order and protected the refugees. For their bravery, they were awarded the Ashoka Chakra, Class II and Ashoka Chakra, Class III respectively.[10]
Hyderabad Police Action (1948)
The Regiment participated in the annexation of the state of Hyderabad into the Indian Union.
Sino-Indian War
The Regiment was deployed in the Eastern Theatre. In addition to its Air Defence role, detachments of the Regiment were deployed in infantry role in Tawang and Senge of Arunachal Pradesh.[11]
Indo-Pak War (1965)
The Regiment was deployed in the Eastern theatre, where 6 F-86s were engaged and 2 were shot down.[11]
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Regiment was deployed in the Punjab sector and shot down 7 aircraft. The Regiment was awarded 1 Vir Chakra,[12] 1 Shaurya Chakra,[13] 1 Vishisht Seva Medal, 1 Sena Medal[14] and 2 Mention in Despatches.
Other Achievements
  • The Regiment was awarded the Director General Army Air Defence's (DGAAD) unit appreciation award in 2005, 2011 and 2015. It has also been awarded 11 COAS Commendation Cards and 18 GOC-in-C Commendation Cards.
  • 2 offices from the unit went on to become the Director General of Army Air Defence – Lt Gen KS Dogra AVSM*, VSM, ADC and Lt Gen Ram Pratap PVSM, VSM, ADC.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Platinum Jubilee Celebration Of 26 Air Defence Regiment at skyhawktimes.com". 2016-10-01. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  2. ^ "26 Air Defence Regiment celebrates Platinum jubilee at timesofindia.indiatimes.com/". 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  3. ^ "Sainik Samachar". 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  4. ^ Higgins, WJ (1984). CSI Battlebook 10C Imphal Kohima (PDF). Combat Studies Institute. p. 19. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2021.
  5. ^ ""Corps of Army Air Defence raising day to change to 15 September to recognise WW-II origin" at theprint.in/". 2020-08-31. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  6. ^ "Indian Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regiments at www.airdefence.in". 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  7. ^ "London Gazette 16-11-1994" (PDF). 1944-11-16. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  8. ^ "Gurcharan Singh Kirti Chakra at gallantryawards.gov.in". Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  9. ^ "Dhan Singh Shaurya Chakra at gallantryawards.gov.in". Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  10. ^ "Gazette of India, No 17, page 126" (PDF). 1952-01-26. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  11. ^ a b c "26 AD-Indian Army Postal Cover". Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  12. ^ "Shreepati Singh Vir Chakra at gallantryawards.gov.in". Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  13. ^ "Vishnu Datta Sharma Shaurya Chakra at gallantryawards.gov.in". Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  14. ^ "Naib Subedar Rati Ram - Sena Medal Citation in The Gazette of India No 10" (PDF). 1974-03-09. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
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