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{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox military person
|image=
| honorific_prefix = [[Lieutenant General]]
|name= K S Katoch
| honorific_suffix =[[Military Cross|MC]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1915|7|15}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2007|04|25|1915|7|15}}
|birth_place= [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[British Raj|British India]]
|death_place=
|caption=
|nickname=
| allegiance = [[File:Flag of Jammu and Kashmir (1936-1953).svg|20px]] [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|J & K State]] {{flag|British India}} {{flag|India}}
| branch = {{army|British Raj}} {{army|India}}
|serviceyears= 1936 - 1970
|rank= [[File:Lieutenant_General_of_the_Indian_Army.svg|20px]] [[Lieutenant General]]
|commands= [[XV Corps (India)|XV Corps]]
|unit=
|battles=[[World War II]] [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] [[Kashmir conflict]]
|awards= [[Padma Bhushan]] [[Military Cross]]
|laterwork=
}}

[[Lieutenant General]] '''Kashmir Singh Katoch''', [[Military Cross|MC]] (15 July 1915 – 25 April 2007) was an [[Indian Army]] General and military adviser to the Maharaja [[Hari Singh]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]],<ref name="Independence Day and Kashmir">{{cite web | url=http://nation.com.pk/columns/14-Aug-2009/Independence-Day-and-Kashmir | title=Independence Day and Kashmir | work=The Nation | date=14 August 2009 | access-date=13 July 2016}}</ref> officiating as the Chief of Staff of the State Forces during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947]].{{sfn|Bhattacharya, NOTHING BUT!|2013|p=61}} He later served as the [[Vice Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Vice Chief of Army Staff]] of the [[Indian Army]].

==Life and career==
Katoch was born in 1915 in [[Srinagar]] to [[Janak Singh]], an officer of the [[Jammu and Kashmir State Forces]], later a prime minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

He did his military training at the [[Indian Military Academy]], [[Dehradun]], completing the course in 1936.{{sfn|Bhattacharya, NOTHING BUT!|2013|p=30}} After commissioning he was attached to the 1st battalion, [[East Surrey Regiment]] for a year.<ref>October 1936 Indian Army list</ref> He was posted to the 6th battalion [[13th Frontier Force Rifles|Frontier Force Rifles]] (FFR, now the first [[Frontier Force Regiment]] of Pakistan) on 10 August 1937.<ref>July 1938 Indian Army list</ref> On 19 April 1942 he was attached to the 10th (training) battalion [[13th Frontier Force Rifles|Frontier Force Rifles]] and by October 1942 held the rank of Lieutenant, war substantive Captain and temporary Major.<ref>October 1942 Most Secret edition, Indian Army list</ref>

He fought in [[World War II]], commanding the Dogra Company of 6th battalion [[13th Frontier Force Rifles|Frontier Force Rifles]]. The battalion served in Italy and fought in the [[Battle of Monte Cassino]]. When the Pathan company got severely mauled, the Dogra company cleared many of the machine gun nests. Katoch was awarded the [[Military Cross]].<ref name=Hussain>London Gazette 28 October 1944</ref><ref>Hamid Hussain, [http://www.brownpundits.com/2015/08/04/the-british-indian-armys-legacy-in/ The (British) Indian Army’s Legacy in India and Pakistan], Brown Pundits Archive, 4 August 2015.</ref>

Katoch became a [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant Colonel]] in the [[British Indian Army]] at the age of 31.<ref name="Independence Day and Kashmir" />

===Jammu and Kashmir State Forces===
After General [[Henry Lawrence Scott]], the Chief of Staff of Kashmir State Forces, decided to relinquish his post in September 1947, the Maharaja requested the [[Government of India]] to second an officer to head the State Forces. Kashmir Singh Katoch, then a Colonel, was chosen for the job. However, Katoch felt that he was too junior to serve as the Chief of Staff and advised the Maharaja to appoint a senior officer such as Brigadier Rajinder Singh.<ref>{{citation |last=Narain |first=Partap |title=Subedar to Field Marshal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zRPfAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA237 |year=1999 |publisher=Manas Publications |isbn=978-81-7049-072-2 |page=237}}</ref>{{sfn|Bhattacharya, NOTHING BUT!|2013|p=30}} Katoch was then appointed as a 'military adviser' to the Maharaja.<ref name="Karim2013">{{citation |last=Karim |first=Afsir |title=Counter Terrorism, the Pakistan Factor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QoqwQb38SQEC&pg=PA139 |year=1991 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-81-7062-127-0 |pages=225–}}</ref> However, Brigadier Rajinder Singh was killed in action within the first few days of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|Pakistani tribal invasion]],<ref name="Cardozo2003">{{citation |last=Cardozo |first=Major General Ian |title=Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D9ymBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT31 |year=2003 |publisher=Roli Books Private Limited |isbn=978-93-5194-029-6 |pages=31–}}</ref>

With the accession of the State to the Indian Union on 26–27 October 1947, the State Forces came under the command of the Indian Army. Colonel Katoch officiated as the commanding officer of the State Forces.{{sfn|Bhattacharya, NOTHING BUT!|2013|p=61}}

=== Indian Army ===
On 18 November 1950, still only 35 years old, Katoch was promoted to acting brigadier and given command of a brigade.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=5 |date=13 January 1951 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He was promoted to colonel on 1 September 1955,<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=45 |date=23 February 1957 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> and to brigadier on 1 September 1958.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=9 |date=10 January 1959 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He was promoted to major-general on 1 September 1960,<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=245 |date=16 September 1961 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> and was appointed chairman, Permanent Joint Planning Committee on 4 February 1963.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=123 |date=13 April 1963 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He was promoted to acting lieutenant-general on 1 May 1963 and appointed the [[Adjutant-General (India)|Adjutant General]] of the Indian Army,<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=193 |date=8 June 1963 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> with promotion to the substantive rank on 23 November.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=11 |date=11 January 1964 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>

He subsequently commanded the [[XV Corps (India)|XV Corps]] in the [[Kashmir Valley]]. It was the main force that fought against Pakistan's [[Operation Gibraltar]] during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]].<ref name=Hussain/><ref>{{citation |last=Bajwa |first=Farooq |title=From Kutch to Tashkent: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5a0NAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA123 |date=2013 |publisher=Hurst Publishers |isbn=978-1-84904-230-7 |pages=123, 168}}</ref>

=== Later life ===
On 8 June 1966, Katoch was appointed Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS).<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=413 |date=16 July 1966 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He retired in 1970, and died on 25 April 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.oneindia.com/2007/04/27/former-vice-chief-katoch-no-more-1177680978.html |title=Former Vice Chief Katoch No More |date=27 April 2007 |website=OneIndia News}}</ref>

==Honours==
The Government of India awarded Gen Katoch the third highest civilian honour, the [[Padma Bhushan]], in 1965,<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |year=2016 |access-date=3 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Janak Singh]]
* [[Hari Singh]]
* [[Indian Military Academy]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{
Succession box
| title = [[Vice Chief of Army Staff (India)|Vice Chief of Army Staff]]
| years =
| before = [[Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam|P P Kumaramangalam]]
| after = Har Prasad
|
}}
{{s-end
}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{citation |last=Bhattacharya |first=Brigadier Samir |title=NOTHING BUT!: Book Three: What Price Freedom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HESVAgAAQBAJ |year=2013 |publisher=Partridge Publishing |isbn=978-1-4828-1625-9 |ref={{sfnref|Bhattacharya, NOTHING BUT!|2013}}}}

{{Indo-Pakistani War of 1965}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1960–69}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katoch, Kashmir Singh}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:Indian Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:People from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:People from Srinagar]]
[[Category:Indian recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service]]
[[Category:Generals of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
[[Category:Vice Chiefs of Army Staff (India)]]

Kashmir Singh Katoch - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 08:31, 14 August 2023