New Delhi: India is celebrating 72nd Army Day on January 15, 2020. This day is celebrated every year on this day because Field Marshal KM Cariappa took command of the Indian Army from General Francis Butcher on the same day in 1949.
It is celebrated to pay homage and salute to the courageous and brave Indian soldiers who have been sacrificed their lives for protecting the country.
All you need to know
#The Indian Army is the second largest standing army in the world.
# Indian Army has about 1,129,900 active troops and 960,000 reserve troops.
# Indian Army functions at the Siachen Glacier which is about 5000 meters above sea level. The glacier is regarded as the highest battlefield in the world.
# The Indian army has a horsed cavalry regiment and this regiment is among last three such regiments in the world.
# Sepoy Kamal Ram of Royal Indian Army was the youngest Indian to receive Victoria Cross for his valour in World War II at the age of nineteen.
# Assam Rifles is the oldest paramilitary force in India, formed in the year 1835.
# HAWS before their deployment during the invasion of Afghanistan.
# In December 1971, the Battle of Longewala was fought between India and Pakistan. This battle is interesting because with just 120 Indian soldiers and a jeep with a M40 recoilless rifle stood its ground against 2000 Pakistani soldiers. While the Indian soldiers held their ground all through the night, help from the Air Force came only in the morning.
