168 Field Regiment (India) Explained

Unit Name:	168 Field Regiment
Dates:	1963 – present
Allegiance:	India
Branch:	Indian Army
Type:	Artillery
Size:	Regiment
Identification Symbol:	168 Fd Regt
Identification Symbol Label:	Abbreviation
Motto:	Sarvatra, Izzat-O-Iqbal (Everywhere with Honour and Glory)
Colors:	Red & Navy Blue
Battles:	Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Battle of Longewala
Anniversaries:	1 November - Raising Day 9 December - Battle Honour Day^[1]
Battle Honours:	Longewala

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

Formation and history

168 Field Regiment was raised on 1 November 1963 at Pathankot. The first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel (later Brigadier) Kunhiram Venugopal .^[2] The regiment consists of 1681, 1682 and 1683 field batteries.

Class composition

The unit was raised with Gurkha troops from 64 Field Regiment and Jat troops from 65 Field Regiment. From 1979 onwards, the Gurkhas were replaced with hill tribes from Kumaon and Garhwal. The unit was converted to a mixed class composition from 1999.^[2]

Operations

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

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965The regiment saw action in the Sialkot sector. It was part of 26 Infantry Division and was in direct support of 168 Infantry Brigade.^{[3] [4] [5]} The unit lost Gunner Maha Singh during the operations.^[6]

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 During Operation Cactus Lily, the regiment saw action in the Jaisalmer sector in the deserts of Rajasthan. It was part of 12 Artillery Brigade, the divisional brigade of 12 Infantry Division (along with 167 Field Regiment, 170 Field Regiment and 185 Light Regiment). During the Battle of Longewala, the regiment provided accurate and devastating fire power to support 23 Punjab, which proved instrumental in the defence of Longewala.^[7]

Subsequently, during the Battle of BP 638, the regiment supported 13 Kumaon and 6 Independent Armoured Squadron who were chasing the retreating Pakistanis in the Jaisalmer sector. The regiment's action helped clear the enemy from the Boundary Pillar (BP) 638.^{[8] [9] [10]}

The regiment was awarded the honour title Longewala, two Vir Chakras and one Sena Medal for its gallant actions.

Operation RhinoThe regiment took part in counter terrorist operations in Assam between 1996 and 1999. For its brave actions, the regiment was awarded one Sena Medal, six COAS Commendation Cards and two Army Commander Commendation Cards during this tenure. The regiment has a second tenure in Assam around 2016.^{[11] [12]}

Other operations

• Operation Brasstacks
  • Operation Parakram Operation Rakshak

Gallantry awards

The regiment has won the following gallantry awards–

• The regiment was awarded the honour title Longelwala for its valour during the 1971 war.
• The regiment was awarded Army Commander’s unit citation in 2015 and 2018.^[13]
• Kirti Chakra – 2
  • Major Braj Kishore Sharma^{[14] [15]}
• Vir Chakra – 2
  • Second Lieutenant Gurjeet Singh Bajwa^{[16] [17]}
  • Gunner Tek Ram^{[18] [19]}
• Shaurya Chakra – 1
  • Captain Gurjeet Singh Bajwa (when serving with the Air OP)^{[20] [21]}
• Sena Medal – 3
  • Captain Vishnu Laxman Wadodkar^{[22] [23]}
  • Major Prabhanshu Singh^[24]
• Chief of Army Staff Commendation cards – 11
• Vice Chief of Army Staff Commendation cards – 5
• General Officer Commanding in Chief Commendation cards – 10

Notable Officers

• Brigadier Darshan Khullar – mountaineer, author and historian. Commissioned into 22 Mountain Regiment, he commanded this regiment. Recipient of Padma Shri, Arjuna award and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.^[25]

See also

• List of artillery regiments of Indian Army

Notes and References

1. Book: Sharma, Gautam. Indian Army, a Reference Manual. 62. Reliance Publishing House. 2000. 978-8175101142.
2. Web site: Golden Jubilee APO cover. 2013-10-26. 2024-01-03.
3. Book: Singh, Harbaksh . War Despatches: Indo-Pak Conflict 1965. 2012. Lancer Publishers LLC. 978-8170621171.
4. Book: Gokhale . Nitin A . 1965 Turning the Tide, How India won the war . 2015 . Bloomsbury publishing India Pvt Ltd . 978-93-85436-84-0 .
5. Book: Singh, Jagjit. Indian Gunners at War: The Western Front 1971. 1994. Spantech & Lancer. 978-1897829554. 216–217.
6. Web site: Amar-Jawan - A database of Indian Armed Forces Martyrs 1947-1997. 2024-01-04.
7. Web site: Battles that made history. 2022-01-21. 2024-01-03.
8. Web site: Military Digest: Army honours 1971 war hero Col Gurjeet Singh Bajwa, names auditorium after him in Jaisalmer. 2023-10-22. 2024-01-03.
9. Web site: Braveheart on land and in the air. 2014-06-08. 2024-01-03.
10. Book: Praval, K. C.. Valour triumphs: a history of the Kumaon Regiment. 1976. Thomson Press. 348.
11. Web site: NDFB(S) killed near Mazbat. 2016-03-15. 2024-01-03.
12. Web site: Arrested. 2016-07-07. 2024-01-03.
13. Web site: 50 years of honour title. 2021-12-09. 2024-01-03.
14. Web site: Major Braj Kishore Sharma. 2024-01-05.
15. Web site: Gazette of India, No 16, page 299. 1988-04-18. 2024-01-04.
16. Web site: Second Lieutenant Gurjeet Singh Bajwa. 2024-01-04.
17. Web site: Gazette of India, No 34, page 931-2. 1972-08-19. 2024-01-04.
18. Web site: Gunner Tek Ram. 2024-01-04.
19. Web site: Gazette of India, No 34, page 941. 1972-08-19. 2024-01-04.
20. Web site: Captain Gurjeet Singh Bajwa. 2024-01-05.
21. Web site: Gazette of India, No 11, page 300. 1985-03-16. 2024-01-04.
22. Web site: Gazette of India, No 10, page 286. 1974-03-09. 2024-01-04.
23. Web site: Lt Col V L Wadodkar: The hawk-eye who helped neutralise enemy positions. 2021-12-15. 2024-01-05.
24. Web site: Full List Of Gallantry Award Winners. 2017-01-25. 2024-01-05.
25. Book: Khullar, Darshan . Themes of Glory: Indian Artillery in War. 2017. VIJ Books (India) Pty Ltd. 978-9385563973.