List of Field Marshals (India)

Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) (UK pronunciation: ⁱ/fiːldˈmɑːʃəl/, US pronunciation: ⁱ/fildˈmɑːrʃəl/) is a Five Star General Officer rank and the highest attainable rank in the Indian Army. Field Marshal is ranked immediately above General,^[1] but not exercised in the regular army structure and is largely a ceremonial /war time rank, having been awarded only twice. A field-marshal is considered a serving officer until their death, and gets full pay of a Four Star General, and wears full uniform on all occasions. In addition to these, he also runs an office in the Army HQ with a secretariat.^[2][3]

A Field marshal's insignia consists of the national emblem over a crossed baton and sabre in a lotus blossom wreath. On appointment, Field Marshals are awarded a gold-tipped baton which they may carry on formal occasions.^[3]

Sam Manekshaw was the first field-marshal of India, who was conferred the rank in January 1973.^[4] The second one is Kodandera M. Cariappa, who was conferred the rank on 14 January 1986.^[5][3]

It is equivalent to an Admiral of the Fleet in the Indian Navy or a Marshal of the Air Force in the Indian Air Force.^[1][3]

History

Only two Indian Army officers were conferred the rank till date. It was first conferred to Sam Manekshaw in 1973, as recognition to his service and leadership in 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. In 1971, then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, after the war, decided to promote Manekshaw to field-marshal and subsequently appoint him as the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), the latter was dropped after several objections from the bureaucracy and the commanders of the navy and the air force. On 3 January 1973, after his term as the Chief of the Army Staff Manekshaw was conferred with the rank of field-marshal at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.^[6][4] As it was the first appointment, several entitlements of the rank including the badges and ribbons were yet to worked out. A couple of weeks before Manekshaw's appointment, field marshal's badges of rank were made at the Army workshop in Delhi Cantonment, which was inspired from British Field Marshal insignia.^[7]

After Manekshaw, the second person to be conferred the rank was Kodandera M. Cariappa, the first Indian to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. Unlike Manekshaw, who was conferred the rank as just before his retirement,^{[lower-alpha 1]} Cariappa was already retired in 1949, and as a field-marshal never retires, therefore retired officers cannot be given the rank. But as a token of gratitude for the exemplary service rendered by him to the nation, the Government of India overruling the pre-established criteria conferred the rank of Field Marshal on Cariappa on 28 April 1986 at a special investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.^[8][5]

Rank holders

Sam Manekshaw

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (pictured wearing general's insignia ca. 1970)

Sam Manekshaw, MC (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008),^[9][4] also known as "Sam Bahadur" ("Sam the Brave"), was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.^[3] Commissioned into the British Indian Army on 1 February 1935 with anté-date seniority fixed as 4 February 1934,^[10] Manekshaw's distinguished military career spanned four decades and five wars, beginning with service in the in World War II. He was first attached to the 2nd Battalion of Royal Scots, and then later posted to the 4th Battalion of 12th Frontier Force Regiment, commonly known as the 54th Sikhs. Following partition, he later reassigned to the 16th Punjab Regiment, before being posted to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Gorkha Rifles, which he was detailed to command.^[11][12][13]

Manekshaw rose to be the 8th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army in 1969^[14] and under his command, Indian forces conducted victorious campaigns against Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 that led to the Liberation of Bangladesh in December 1971. The decisive results achieved by the Indian Army during this war under the able military leadership of Manekshaw gave the nation a new sense of confidence^[15] and as a recognition to his services, the President of India in January 1973, conferred the rank of Field Marshal to Manekshaw.^[6] Later, he was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan, the second and third highest civilian awards of India respectively, for his services to the Indian nation.^[12][16]

Controversies

Though Sam Manekshaw was conferred the rank of field-marshal in 1973, it was reported that he was never given the complete allowances that were entitled to a field-marshal. It was not until President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam took the initiative when he met Manekshaw in Wellington, and made sure that the field-marshal was presented with a cheque for Rs 1.3 crores that Manekshaw received his arrears of pay for over 30 years. Even more surprisingly, Manekshaw's funeral was not attended by the top brass of civil, military and political leadership.^[7][17]

Kodandera Madappa Cariappa

Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, OBE

Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, OBE (28 January 1899 – 15 May 1993),^[18] was the first Indian to be appointed as the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Army. His distinguished military career spanned almost three decades. Cariappa joined the British Indian Army on 1 December 1919, and was commissioned as Temporary Second Lieutenant into 2/88 Carnatic Infantry.^[18] Later he was transferred to 2/125 Napier Rifles, then to 7th Prince of Wales Own Dogra Regiment in June 1922, and finally to 1/7 Rajput, which became his parent regiment.^[5][19][20]

He was the first Indian officer to attend the course at Staff Collge, Quetta, the first Indian to command a battalion^{[lower-alpha 2]} in the Indian Army.,^[22] and also was one of the first two Indians who were selected to undergo a training course at Imperial Defence College,^[23] Camberly, UK. He served in various staff capacities at various unit and command headquarters (HQ) and also at the General HQ, New Delhi.^[5]

He led the Indian forces in Kashmir during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. He was a member of the Army Sub Committee of the Forces Reconstitution Committee, which divided the British Indian Army into the Indian and Pakistani Armies after the Partition of India in 1947.^[24] After his retirement from Indian Army in 1953, he served as the High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand till 1956.^[25][26] As a token of gratitude for the exemplary service rendered by him to the nation, the Government of India conferred the rank of Field Marshal on Cariappa in his 87th year, on 14 January 1986.^[5][8]

See also

• Army ranks and insignia of India
• Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh
• Field marshal
• Five-star rank

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

Further reading

• Singh, Depinder (2002), Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, M.C.: Soldiering with Dignity, Natraj Publishers, ISBN 978-81-85019-02-4  |access-date= requires |url= (help)
• K. C. Cariappa (2007). Chaudhuri, Dipa, ed. Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Niyogi Books. ISBN 978-81-89738-26-6.  |access-date= requires |url= (help)
• Edel Weis (2002). Field Marshal Cariappa: The Man who Touched the Sky. New Delhi: Roopa & Co. ISBN 978-81-7167-944-7.  |access-date= requires |url= (help)

External links

• Profile on Sam Manekshaw Indian Army official website
• Profile on K. M. Cariappa Indian Army official website