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Introduction[edit]

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, widely known as Sam Manekshaw and Sam Bahadur, was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of field marshal.

Early life and education[edit]

Sam Manekshaw was born into a Parsi family on 3 April 1914 in Amritsar Punjab, to Hormusji Manekshaw and Hilla née Mehta.

Schooling[edit]

He completed his primary schooling in Punjab, and then went to Sherwood College, Nainital. In 1929, he left the college at the age of 15 with his Junior Cambridge Certificate.[1]In 1931, he passed his Senior Cambridge (in the School Certificate of the Cambridge Board) with distinction.[2][3]

Plans for London[edit]

Manekshaw then asked his father to send him to London to study medicine, but his father refused on the grounds that he was not old enough; in addition, he was already supporting the studies of Manekshaw's two elder brothers, both of whom were reading engineering in London.[2][3]

University of the Punjab[edit]

Instead, Manekshaw entered the Hindu Sabha College (now the Hindu College, Amritsar), and in April 1932 sat his final exams held by the University of the Punjab, passing with a third division in science.[2]

Indian Military College[edit]

In the meantime, the Indian Military College Committee, which was set up in 1931 and chaired by Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode, recommended the establishment of a military academy in India to train Indians for officer commissions in the army.[3]

Enrolment in IMA[edit]

A formal notification for entrance examination to enrol in the Indian Military Academy was issued in the early months of 1932, and examinations were scheduled for June or July.[4] On 1 October 1932, he was one of the fifteen cadets to be selected through open competition.[4][5]

Military career[edit]

Manekshaw was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 1 February 1935 with an anté-date seniority from 4 February 1934.[6]

First posting[edit]

At the time of Manekshaw's commissioning, it was standard practice for newly commissioned Indian officers to be initially attached to a British regiment before being sent to an Indian unit. Thus, Manekshaw joined the 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots, stationed at Lahore.[7]

54th Sikhs[edit]

He was later posted to the 4th Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment, commonly known as the 54th Sikhs, stationed in Burma.[7]

Promotion to captain[edit]

Because of a shortage of qualified officers on the outbreak of World War II, in the first two years of the conflict Manekshaw was appointed to the acting or temporary ranks of captain and major before promotion to substantive captain on 4 February 1942.[8]

Battle of Sittang Bridge[edit]

During the Battle of Sittang Bridge, during the fighting around Pagoda Hill, the company led by Manekshaw managed to achieve its objective. After capturing the hill, Manekshaw was hit by a burst of light machine gun fire and was severely wounded in the stomach.[9]

Military cross[edit]

Observing the battle, Major General David Cowan, commander of the 17th Infantry Division, fearing that Manekshaw would die, rushed over to him, and pinned his own Military Cross ribbon on him saying, "A dead person cannot be awarded a Military Cross".[10]

Gazette[edit]

This award was made official with the publication of the notification in a supplement to the London Gazette on 21 April 1942 (dated 23 April 1942).[11]

Recovery[edit]

An Australian surgeon operated Manekshaw, and removed seven bullets from lungs, liver, and kidneys. Much of his intestines were also removed.[10]

Command and Staff College[edit]

Having recovered from his wounds, Manekshaw attended the eighth staff course at Command and Staff College in Quetta between 23 August and 22 December 1943. On completion, he was posted as the brigade major to the Razmak Brigade.[12]

Australia tour[edit]

In 1946, he completed a six-month lecture tour of Australia.[12] Manekshaw was promoted to the substantive rank of major on 4 February 1947, and on his return from Australia was appointed a Grade 1 General Staff Officer in the Military Operations Directorate.[12][13]

3/5 GR[edit]

Manekshaw's posting order as the commander of 3rd Battalion of 5 Gorkha Rifles was cancelled, and he was posted to the M O Directorate again. As a consequence of the Kashmir dispute and the annexation of Hyderabad (code-named "Operation Polo"), Manekshaw never commanded a battalion.[14]

Director of Military Operations[edit]

During his term at the M O Directorate, he was promoted to colonel, then brigadier when he was appointed as the first Indian Director of Military Operations.[14]

26th Infantry Division[edit]

In 1957, he was sent to the Imperial Defence College, London, to attend a higher command course for one year. On his return, he was appointed the General Officer Commanding, 26th Infantry Division on 20 December 1957, with the acting rank of major general.[15]

DSSC[edit]

Manekshaw was promoted to substantive major general on 1 March 1959.[16] On 1 October, he was appointed the commandant of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.[17]

IV Corps[edit]

On 2 December 1962, after the debacle of Sino-Indian War, Manekshaw was promoted to acting lieutenant general and appointed GOC of IV Corps at Tezpur.[18]

Army Commander[edit]

Promoted to substantive lieutenant general on 20 July 1963, Manekshaw was appointed an army commander on 5 December, taking command of Western Command as GOC-in-C.[19][20]

Eastern Command[edit]

In 1964, he moved from Shimla to Calcutta as the GOC-in-C Eastern Command, having received his appointment on 16 November.[21][22][23] There he responded to an insurgency in Nagaland, for which he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1968.[24][25]

Chief of Army Staff[edit]

Manekshaw was appointed as the eighth chief of the army staff on 8 June 1969.[26] During his tenure, he developed the Indian Army into an efficient instrument of war, and was instrumental in stopping a plan to reserve positions in the army for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.[27]

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971[edit]

During a cabinet meeting towards the end of April 1971, Manekshaw said that he could guarantee victory if Indira Gandhi would allow him to handle the conflict on his own terms, and set a date for it; Gandhi agreed.[28].


Preparation[edit]

Following the strategy planned by Manekshaw, the army launched several preparatory operations in East Pakistan, including training and equipping the Mukti Bahini, a local miltia group of Bengali nationalists. About three brigades of regular Bangladeshi troops were trained.[29].

Start of the war[edit]

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 started officially on 3 December 1971, when Pakistani aircraft bombed Indian Air Force bases in the western part of the country.[30]

Strategy[edit]

The Army Headquarters, under Manekshaw's leadership, formulated the following strategy: II Corps was to enter from the west; IV Corps was to enter from the east; XXXIII Corps was to enter from the north; and the 101 Communication Zone Area, was to provide support from the northeast.[30]

Execution[edit]

This strategy was to be executed by the Eastern Command, under Lt. General Jagjit Singh Aurora. Manekshaw instructed Lt. General J F R Jacob, chief of staff Eastern Command, to inform the Indian prime minister that orders were being issued for the movement of troops from Eastern Command.[30]

Progress[edit]

As the war progressed, Pakistan's resistance crumbled. India captured most of the advantageous positions and isolated the Pakistani forces, which started to surrender or withdraw.[31] Major General Rao Farman Ali eventually decided to stop the war in order to save the lives of Pakistani soldiers.[31]

Decision of surrender[edit]

The actual decision to surrender was taken by Lt General Niazi on 15 December and was conveyed to Manekshaw. The Instrument of Surrender was formally signed on 16 December 1971.[32]

Birth of Bangladesh[edit]

The war lasted less than a fortnight and saw more than 90000 Pakistani soldiers taken prisoner. It ended with the unconditional surrender of Pakistan's eastern half and resulted in the birth of Bangladesh as a new nation.[33] After the war, Manekshaw became known for his compassion towards the Prisoners of War.[33]

Promotion to field marshal[edit]

Though Manekshaw was to retire in June 1972, his term was extended by a period of six months, and was promoted to the rank of field marshal on 1 January 1973.[34] The first Indian Army officer to be so promoted.[35]


Honours and post-retirement[edit]

For his service to the Indian nation, the President of India awarded Manekshaw a Padma Vibhushan in 1972. Manekshaw retired from active service on 15 January 1973 after a career of nearly four decades; he settled with his wife, Silloo, in Coonoor.[36]

Honorary general of Nepalese Army[edit]

Nepal fêted Manekshaw as an honorary general of the Nepalese Army in 1972.[36]

Controversy of allowances[edit]

Although Manekshaw was conferred the rank of field marshal in 1973, it was reported that he was not given the complete allowances to which he was entitled. It was not until 2007 that President Kalam met Manekshaw, and presented him with a cheque for ₹1 point 3 crore (US$230000 approx.)—his arrears of pay for over 30 years.[37]

Death and legacy[edit]

Manekshaw died of complications from pneumonia at the Military Hospital in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, at 12:30 a m on 27 June 2008 at the age of 94. Reportedly, his last words were "I'm okay!".[38]

Vijay Diwas[edit]

Annually, on 16 December, Vijay Diwas is celebrated in memory of the victory achieved under Manekshaw's leadership in 1971. On 16 December 2008, a postage stamp depicting Manekshaw in his field marshal's uniform was released by then President Pratibha Patil.[39]

SAM Bahadur (film)[edit]

On his life, Meghna Gulzar is directing a movie, SAM Bahadur, starring Vicky Kaushal, which will release on Dec 1, 2023.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Panthaki 2016, p. 21.
  2. ^ a b c Panthaki 2016, p. 22-23.
  3. ^ a b c Singh 2005, p. 185.
  4. ^ a b Singh 2005, p. 186.
  5. ^ Panthaki 2016, p. 23.
  6. ^ Singh 2005, pp. 188–189.
  7. ^ a b Singh 2002, pp. 237–259.
  8. ^ Indian Army 1945, pp. 198–199.
  9. ^ "Sam Bahadur: A soldier's general". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 27 June 2008. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  10. ^ a b Singh 2005, p. 191.
  11. ^ "Issue 35532". The Gazette. The London Gazette. 21 April 1942. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  12. ^ a b c Indian Army 1947, pp. 198–199.
  13. ^ Singh 2005, p. 192.
  14. ^ a b Singh 2005, pp. 193–197.
  15. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 February 1958. p. 35.
  16. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 19 March 1960. p. 65.
  17. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 12 December 1959. p. 308.
  18. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 5 January 1963. p. 2.
  19. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 21 September 1963. p. 321.
  20. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 January 1964. p. 9.
  21. ^ Singh 2002, p. 10.
  22. ^ Singh 2002, p. 9.
  23. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 19 December 1964. p. 509.
  24. ^ Singh 2002, p. 16.
  25. ^ Sharma 2007, p. 60.
  26. ^ Singh 2005, p. 201.
  27. ^ "Field Marshal S. H. F. J. Manekshaw (08 Jun 1969 to 15 Jan 1973)". Indian Army. Government of India. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  28. ^ Singh 2005, pp. 204–205.
  29. ^ Singh 2005, p. 206.
  30. ^ a b c Singh 2005, p. 207.
  31. ^ a b Singh 2005, p. 208.
  32. ^ Singh 2005, p. 209.
  33. ^ a b Singh 2005, pp. 210–211.
  34. ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India-Extraordinary. 2 January 1973. p. 1.
  35. ^ Singh 2005, p. 215.
  36. ^ a b Mehta, Ashok (27 January 2003). "Play It Again, Sam: A tribute to the man whose wit was as astounding as his military skill". Outlook. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  37. ^ Sinha, S. K. "The Making of a Field Marshal". Indian Defence Review. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  38. ^ Pandya, Haresh (30 June 2008). "Sam H.F.J. Manekshaw Dies at 94; Key to India's Victory in 1971 War". New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  39. ^ Indo-Asian News Service (18 December 2008). "Stamp on Manekshaw released". The Hindu (website). The Hindu Group. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  40. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krXGJzt6vLQ. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Bibliography[edit]

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