78 Field Regiment (India)

Indian Army artillery unit

Military unit

78 Field Regiment is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army.

Formation

The regiment was raised on 1 July 1966 as 78 Medium Regiment at Delhi Cantonment. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) Nemi Chand Khanna.^[1] It was the fourth unit of the Indian artillery to be equipped with the Soviet 130 mm towed guns.^[2]

Composition

The regiment is a single class unit with men enlisted from the Ahir community.^[2]

Equipment

The regiment has been equipped with the following guns^[2] -

Operations

Deployment of troops in the eastern sector during the 1971 war

The regiment has taken part in the following operations^[2] –

• Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 – The regiment fought in the South Western sector during the liberation of Bangladesh. It was the only artillery regiment in the eastern sector equipped with 130 mm guns.^[3]
  The regiment was part of 9 Artillery Brigade under 9 Infantry Division. One battery (783 Medium Battery) was with 4 Mountain Artillery Brigade under 4 Mountain Division.
  The unit fought in the battles in Garibpur, Jessore and Khulna. It fired a total of 2200 rounds during the war. 783 Medium Battery took part in action in the Jhenida-Kushtia area.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}
• Operation Blue Star - 1984
• Operation Meghdoot – The regiment was posted for a high altitude tenure in Siachen Glacier in 1989.
• Operation Ibex - 1989 – The regiment under the command of Colonel P Krishna Kumar took part in the operations to seize the Pakistani posts overlooking the Chumik Glacier as part of Operation Ibex. The unit fired 676 rounds during the operations. Captain Rajendra Singh was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry.
• Operation Rakshak – 1995 to 1999
• Operation Parakram – 2001 to 2002

• Operation Rakshak III - 2004 to 2008

Honours and achievements

The regiment has been awarded the following awards^[2] –

• Sena Medal – 3
• Mentioned in despatches – 2^[9]
• COAS Commendation Cards – 13^{[10][11][12][13]}
• Vice COAS Commendation Cards – 1
• GOC-in-C Commendation Cards – 25
• The regiment was awarded the COAS Unit Citation in 2022.^{[citation needed]}

Motto

The motto of the regiment is सबसे बेहतर अठहत्तर (Sabse Behtar Aṭhhattar), which translates to Seventy Eight – the best.^[2]

See also

• List of artillery regiments of Indian Army

References

1. "Cycling event marks 78 Field's golden jubilee". 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
2. "78 Field Regiment Golden Jubilee APO postal cover". 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
3. "Indian Army deployment in Bangladesh". Retrieved 2022-03-14.
4. Praval, KC (1985). The Red Eagles, a History of Fourth Division of India. Vision Books Pvt. Ltd. p. 363. ISBN 978-1851270705.
5. "Anjan Mukherjee in Evolution of Indian Artillery and its Impact on India's Comprehensive Military Power, chapter II" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-02-11.
6. Wahab, Major General ATM Abdul (2004). Mukti Bahini Wins Victory - Military Oligarchy Divides Pakistan in 1971. Pan Pacific Venture. p. 310. ISBN 978-9847130446.
7. "'The Battle of Garibpur' in Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 15, No. 4, October–December 2021, pp. 107–129" (PDF). 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
8. "Official History 1971 War" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-03-14.
9. "President approves 384 Gallantry Awards and other defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on Republic Day". 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
10. "COAS Commendation Card". 2004-01-15. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
11. "COAS Commendation Card". 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
12. "COAS Commendation Card". 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
13. "COAS Commendation Card". 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2022-03-11.