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{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=29 AD Regiment (Samba)
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 1957 – present
|country={{flag icon|India}} [[India]]
|allegiance=India
|branch= [[File:Flag of Indian Army.svg|24px]] [[Indian Army]]
|type= [[Corps of Army Air Defence]]
|role=
|size= Regiment
|command_structure=
|equipment=

|Past Commanders=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|notable_commanders=

|identification_symbol=29 AD Regt
|identification_symbol_label=Abbreviation

|nickname=
|patron=
|motto= [[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|आकाशे शत्रुन् जहि}} [[English language|English]]: {{lang|en|Defeat the Enemy in the Sky}} Ho ki hoi na! ho!!!
|colors= {{color box|#81BFFD}} {{color box|#DB0606}} Sky Blue and Red
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=
|anniversaries=1 January (Raising Day) 7 December (Battle Honours Day)
|decorations= [[Vir Chakra]] 2 [[Sena Medal]] 4 [[Mentioned in dispatches|Mention in Despatches]] 8
|battle_honours= ‘SAMBA VA / VP’<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2014/feb01-14/h9.htm|title='Samba' Honour Title Day|date=2014-02-01|access-date=2021-08-28}}</ref>
}}
'''29 Air Defence Regiment (Samba)''' is an [[Anti-aircraft warfare|Air Defence]] regiment of the [[Indian Army]].

== Formation ==
The Regiment was raised on 1 January 1957 at [[Tirumalagiri|Trimulgherry]] in [[Secunderabad]] and the first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel (later Brigadier) Kanwar Bharat Singh. It was designated the '''29 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment''' and was equipped with [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm, L-60 guns]]. The initial troops were from the 8 and 9 Border Scout Battalions.<ref name="APO">{{cite web|url= https://samsshopping.com/product/29-ad-regt-samba/|title=29 AD-Golden Jubilee -Indian Army Postal Cover|date=|access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref> The regiment consists of 107, 108 and 109 air defence batteries.<ref name="DJAPO">{{cite web|url= https://exclusivecoins.blogspot.com/2017/08/562-29-air-defence-regiment.html|title=29 AD-Diamond Jubilee -Indian Army Postal Cover|date=2016-12-24|access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref>

==Class composition==
The regiment consists of a battery each of [[Kumaon division|Kumaoni]], [[Garhwali people|Garhwali]] and [[Gurkha|Gorkhali]] troops.<ref name="DJAPO"/><ref name="Sainik">{{cite web|url= http://sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2007/mar01-07/h9.htm|title=Golden Guns|date=2007-03-01|access-date=2021-08-28}}</ref>

==Operations==
;[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Indo-Pak War (1965)]]: The regiment participated in Operation Ablaze between April and July 1965. It then saw action during Operation Riddle in the [[Sialkot]] sector under the command of [[1st Armoured Division (India)|1 Armoured Division]] from September to December 1965.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gulati|first=YB|title=History of the Regiment of Artillery, Indian Army|publisher=Leo Cooper Ltd|year=1973|page=280|isbn=978-0850521184}}</ref> It was the only air defence regiment integral to a field formation and was equipped with the [[Self-propelled artillery|self-propelled]] [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm, L-60 guns]] mounted on [[Morris Motors|Morris]] trucks.<ref>{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Mandeep|title= Baptism Under Fire: Anti Aircraft Artillery in India Pakistan War 1965|year=2017|publisher= VIJ Books (India) Pty Ltd|isbn= 978-9386457127}}</ref> Gunner (DMT) Prem Kumar was killed by enemy fire while taking down a Pakistani [[North American F-86 Sabre|Sabre]] jet near the Ammunition Point at Charma. In another incident, Major Harnam Grover, the Battery Commander of 107 AD Battery, personally took on a Pakistani aircraft and shot it down, but was seriously injured. For this brave actions, he was awarded the first gallantry award of the regiment in the form of [[mentioned in dispatches]].<ref name="APO"/><ref name="DJAPO"/> Following these incidents, the regiments got the sobriquet of "Sabre Slayers of Sialkot".
;[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]: The regiment provided air defence protection to the assets of [[I Corps (India)|1 Corps]] in the Samba Sector.<ref>{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Jagjit |title=Indian Gunners at War: The Western Front 1971|date=1994|publisher= Spantech & Lancer|isbn=978-1897829554|page=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/barodians-witness-indian-armys-weaponry-and-valour/articleshow/66020645.cms|title= Barodians witness Indian Army’s weaponry and valour|date=2018-10-01| access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref> The gunners of the regiment successfully repulsed many Pakistani aircraft attacks on Indian airfields in the western border. 7 December 1971 saw an intense air defence battle over the skies of [[Samba district|Samba]]. During four different air raids, 14 Pakistani aircraft attacked the artillery gun areas located in the Samba Sector. These raids were effectively beaten back forcing the Pakistani Air Force to change tactics and attack the air defence guns itself. During this battle, four Pakistani aircraft (three [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19|MiG-19s]] and one Sabre Jet) were shot.<ref name="DJAPO"/> Gunner Bhadreshwar Pathak was posthumously awarded the [[Vir Chakra]]. He was deployed for protection of the gun area of a medium regiment and had successfully hit a MiG 19 on 7 December 1971. On the next day, five Sabre jets attacked his gun position. Disregarding his personal safety, he kept on supplying ammunition to his gun, till he was fatally wounded.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/1972/O-1320-1972-0025-58795.pdf|title=Gazette of India, No 25, page 670|date=1972-06-17|access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref> Lance Havildar Bal Bahadur was awarded the second Vir Chakra for shooting down two Pakistani aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/1972/O-1321-1972-0034-58847.pdf|title=Gazette of India, No 34, page 938|date=1972-08-19|access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref> The gunners of the regiment took down a total of eleven aircraft during the war - five MiGs and six F-86 Sabres.<ref name="Sainik"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://navjeevanexpress.com/golden-moments-air-defence-regiment-celebrates-49th-samba-day/|title=Golden moments: Air Defence Regiment celebrates 49th Samba Day|date=2020-12-08|access-date=2021-08-28}}</ref> For its exceptional performance in the war and heroic action of the gunners, the regiment was given the honour title ''Samba Vulnerable Area / Vulnerable Point''.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2014/feb16-14/h13.htm|title= Army Air Defence Raising Day|date=2014-02-14|access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref> In addition to the two Vir Chakras, the regiment was awarded three [[Sena Medal]]s (Naib Subedar Sardar Singh, Havildar Hira Singh, Naik Sohan Singh) and seven mentioned in dispatches.<ref name="APO"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/1974/O-1253-1974-0019-55503.pdf|title=Gazette of India, No 19, page 531|date=1974-05-11|access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref>
;Other Operations<ref name="APO"/> -
*[[Counterinsurgency|Counter-insurgency]] operations
*[[Kargil War|Operation Vijay]] – 17 June 1999 to 1 November 1999
*[[2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff|Operation Parakram]] – 18 December 2001 to 9 January 2003
*[[2019 Vadodara flood]] – The regiment took part in rescue operations and evacuated more than 1,000 people and shifted almost 3,000 stranded railway passengers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/air-defence-regiment-evacuated-1000-flood-affected-persons/articleshow/70572802.cms|title=Air Defence regiment evacuates 1,000 flood-affected people in Vadodara|date=2019-08-07|access-date=2021-08-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/gujarat-train-and-bus-services-hit-after-heavy-rain-5870893/|title=Gujarat: Train and bus services hit after heavy rain|date=2019-08-02|access-date=2021-08-28}}</ref>

==Regimental Motto==
The motto of the regiment is ''Ho ki hoi na! ho!!!'', which loosely translates to ''What is there now won’t be there tomorrow, so live for today''.<ref name="APO"/>

==Other achievements==
# Honour Title - 29 AD Regiment was tasked to provide air defence protection to Vulnerable Areas / Vulnerable Points (VAs/VPs) of a Strike Corps during 1971 Operations. It provided AD protection to medium guns of an Independent Artillery Brigade. During the course of the operation, the Pakistan Air Force carried out several air raids on the VAs/VPs. The maximum onslaught was on 03 December 1971, when 13 MiG-19 and four F-86 Sabres attacked the gun areas. 29 AD Regiment successfully repulsed the attacks without any damage to the gun areas. Five MiG-19 and six f-86 Sabres were shot down by the Regiment. For the commendable performance in the Samba Sector, 29 AD Regiment was awarded the Battle Honour title "SAMBA VA/VP".
# The regiment was awarded the Director General Army Air Defence's (DGAAD) unit appreciation award four times in the years 2005, 2011, 2013 and 2020.
# The unit was awarded the GOC-in-C [[Southern Command (India)|Southern Command]] Unit Citation in the year 2020.

==Notable personnel==
Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh {{small|PVSM, AVSM, ADC}} – He was commissioned in the regiment and was Director General of [[Corps of Army Air Defence|Army Air Defence]] from July 2011 to June 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://indianarmy.gov.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmPhotoGalleryWithMenuWithTitle.aspx?MnId=eEoD8a4cXLqbQaWk+Q1DIw==&ParentID=e3K60Zhm0/ifJeO1HVvEeg==|title=Director General|access-date=2021-08-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.spslandforces.com/ebook/26022012.pdf| title= ‘Airpower by itself cannot achieve lasting victory or success without boots on the ground’|date=2012-04-01|access-date=2021-08-28}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1957]]
[[Category:Air defence regiments of the Indian Army]]

29 AD Regiment Samba - Revision history

Corel Bazaar at 10:11, 11 July 2024