MargueriteMcEwan at 05:11, 26 December 2025

2025-12-26T05:11:50Z

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{{Short description|Indian Army artillery unit}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=8 Field Regiment
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 1941 – present
|country=[[India]]
|allegiance={{flag|British India}} {{flag|India}}
|branch= {{army|British India|23px}} [[File:Flag of Indian Army.svg|23px]] [[Indian Army]]
|type= [[File:Regiment of Artillery Insignia (India).svg|20px]] [[Artillery]]
|role=
|size= Regiment
|command_structure=
|equipment=

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

|identification_symbol=8 Fd Regt
|identification_symbol_label=Abbreviation

|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=''SARVATRA, IZZAT-O-IQBAL'' (Everywhere With Honour and Glory), ''SHOOR VEER AHIR'' (Brave Ahir warrior)
|colors= "Red & Navy Blue"
|march=
|mascot=
|battles=
|anniversaries=
|decorations=[[Order of British India|Order of British India, First Class]] 1<ref name="Gazette of India, 1947, No. 250">{{cite web |url= https://archive.org/details/in.gazette.1947.250/page/n5/mode/2up|title= Subedar Major Shib Sahai in Gazette of India, 1947, No. 250|access-date=2020-09-17}}</ref> [[Order of British India|Order of British India, Second Class]] 1 [[George Medal]] 1 [[Role of Honour]] 3 [[PVSM]] 7 [[AVSM]] 5 [[Vir Chakra]] 1 [[Vishisht Seva Medal|VSM]] 3 [[Shaurya Chakra]] 2 [[Sena Medal]] 3 [[Mention in Despatches]] 17 GOC in C Unit Citation 2<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/61-army-personnel-awarded-gallantry-distinguished-service-medals-in-jk-2/|title=61 Army personnel awarded gallantry, distinguished service medals in J&K|date=2021-02-28|access-date=2025-07-28}}</ref> COAS Commendation Card 5 VCOAS Commendation Card 1 GOC-in-C Commendation Card 17.<ref name="8 Fd APO Postal Cover">{{cite web |url=https://samsshopping.com/product/8-field-regiment/|title= 8 Field Regiment-Indian Army Postal Cover (APO)|date=2016-11-01|access-date=2023-06-06}}</ref>
|battle_honours=
}}
'''8 Field Regiment ''' is an artillery regiment which is part of the [[Regiment of Artillery (India)|Regiment of Artillery]] of the [[Indian Army]].

== Initial establishment ==
The regiment was raised on November 1, 1941 at [[Secunderabad]] as 3rd Anti Tank Regiment by Lt Col J.H.H. Willans, [[Royal Artillery|RA]]. The class composition was [[Ahir]]s and [[Punjabi Muslims]].<ref name="8 Fd APO Postal Cover" />

== History ==
In 1942, during [[World War II]], the regiment was deployed in [[Colombo]] as part of the [[34th Infantry Division (India)|34 Infantry Division]] in Ceylon Garrison.
In 1945, the Regiment returned to India and was reorganised as the 8 Field Regiment with pure class composition of [[Ahirs]].<ref name="Bhatia 1977">{{cite book|last=Bhatia|first=HS|title=Military History of British India 1607 - 1947|date=2008|publisher=Deep & Deep Publications, New Delhi|isbn=978-8184500790|page=28}}</ref> The batteries composed of [[Punjabi Muslims]] moved to [[Pakistan]].
Lt Col KS Sandhu was the first Indian Commanding Officer. During the [[London Victory Celebrations of 1946|victory parade held in London]] in 1946, the Regiment was represented by its first [[Ahir]] [[Subedar Major]] Shib Sahai, Sardar Bahadur, [[Order of British India|OBI]] and three [[Other ranks (UK)|Other ranks]].<ref name="8 Fd APO Postal Cover" />

== Operations ==
Some of the major operations undertaken by the Regiment include:<ref name="8 Fd APO Postal Cover" />
;[[Partition of India]]: During the partition, the Regiment helped evacuate around 210 thousand refugees, while deployed in [[Mianwali]] and [[Rawalpindi]] areas of [[Pakistan]].
;[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948]]: The Regiment was supporting an Infantry Division in capturing two important heights in [[Nowshera, Jammu and Kashmir|Naushera]] sector of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]].
;[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]: The Regiment took part in the Western Front in the [[Shakargarh]] sector.
;[[Operation Sindoor]]:The Regiment took part in [[Poonch district, India|Poonch]] Sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The unit was employed in town security and was solely responsible for protecting the city of Poonch during enemy artillery fire. Three soldiers of the unit were awarded with GOC in C Commendation card.

==See also==
*[[List of regiments of the Indian Army#Artillery|List of artillery regiments of Indian Army]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1941]]
[[Category:Artillery units and formations of British India]]
[[Category:Artillery regiments of the Indian Army after 1947]]

8 Field Regiment India - Revision history

MargueriteMcEwan at 05:11, 26 December 2025