By the Numbers
A visual summary of India's military statistics across the two World Wars — aggregated from Chapters 4–7
The Indian Army's Strength, 1914–1947
From a colonial constabulary force to the largest volunteer army in human history — and back. Each bar is proportional to 2,500,000 (the 1945 peak).
Sources: Philip Mason A Matter of Honour; Daniel P. Marston, A Military History of India and South Asia; Commonwealth Graves Commission
Indian Army Awards: WW I vs WW II
The Indian Army's gallantry record across both world wars, reflecting its growing size, professionalism and integration into major combat operations.
Sources: Stephen P. Cohen The Indian Army; Ian Cardozo ed. The Indian Army: A Brief History; Air Chief Marshal P.C. Lal My Years with the IAF; Commonwealth Graves Commission centenary brochure
Named Recipients
Individual citations and named recipients of the Victoria Cross and Param Vir Chakra mentioned in the text — the human faces behind the aggregate statistics.
| Name & Rank | Regiment / Unit | Action | Date | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sepoy Khudadad Khan India's first VC | 129 Baluch Regiment | Last man standing at a machine-gun post, 1st Battle of Ypres | Oct 1914 | VC |
| Naik Darwan Singh Negi | Garhwal Rifles | Battle of Neuve Chapelle | Nov 1914 | VC |
| Havildar Maruti Jadhav | Bombay Sappers | Courage and initiative at Neuve Chapelle | 28 Oct 1914 | French Legion of Honour |
| Lance Daffadar Gobind Singh | 2nd Lancers | Carried messages under withering fire, Battle of Cambrai | Dec 1917 | VC |
| World War II | ||||
| 2Lt Premindra Singh Bhagat WW II's first Indian VC | 21 Field Coy, Sappers & Miners, 4th Indian Division | Led column through 15 minefields over 55 miles in 96 hours, Abyssinia | 31 Jan – 1 Feb 1941 | VC |
| Lt Indra Lal Roy First Indian DFC recipient | No. 40 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps | 9 kills in 14 days of aerial combat over France; killed in action aged 19 | Jun–Jul 1918 | DFC |
| Sqn Ldr K.K. 'Jumbo' Majumdar First Indian DFC in WW II | No. 1 Squadron IAF | Daring strikes on Japanese airfields, Burma; later Falaise reconnaissance, France | 1942–1944 | DFC + Bar |
| Sqn Ldr Mehar Singh | No. 6 Squadron IAF | Led 1,500+ hours of reconnaissance and strikes in Burma; "Eyes of the 14th Army" | 1943–1945 | DSO |
| Sqn Ldr Arjan Singh Later: Marshal of the IAF | No. 1 Squadron IAF | First to spot Japanese at Imphal; led squadron defense of the airfield | 1944 | DFC |
| Lt N. Krishnan | Royal Indian Navy | Boarded enemy tug single-handedly; disabled firing party under fire, Iran | Aug 1941 | DSC |
| Eng Lt D. Shankar | Royal Indian Navy | Boarded blazing Italian warship to capture crew | 1941 | DSC |
| Post-Independence: Pakistan (1947–48) | ||||
| Major Somnath Sharma India's first PVC | 4 Kumaon Regiment | "I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to our last man and our last round." Defended Badgam | 3 Nov 1947 | PVC |
| Post-Independence: China (1962) | ||||
| Subedar Joginder Singh | 1 Sikh Regiment | Held off a brigade-sized assault at Bumla Pass for 8 hours before being overwhelmed | Oct 1962 | PVC |
| Major Shaitan Singh | 13 Kumaon Regiment | Led epic defence of Rezangla, where 114 out of 124 men fought to the last bullet | Nov 1962 | PVC |
| Post-Independence: Pakistan (1965) | ||||
| Havildar Abdul Hamid | 4 Grenadiers | Destroyed multiple US-made Patton tanks with a recoilless gun in Khem Karan | 10 Sep 1965 | PVC |
| Lt Col A.B. Tarapore | 17 Poona Horse | Refused to abandon his crippled Centurion tank, going down with his guns firing in Chawinda | Sep 1965 | PVC |
| Post-Independence: Bangladesh Liberation (1971) | ||||
| Lance Naik Albert Ekka | 14 Guards | Assaulted fortified defences and silenced gun positions at the Gangasagar railway station | Dec 1971 | PVC |
| Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon IAF's only PVC | 18 Squadron IAF | Single-handedly engaged six PAF Sabres over Srinagar airfield in his Gnat | 14 Dec 1971 | PVC |
| 2Lt Arun Khetarpal | 17 Poona Horse | Knocked out 4 tanks and refused to abandon his damaged tank until a direct hit killed him | 16 Dec 1971 | PVC |
| Major Hoshiar Singh | 3 Grenadiers | Captured and held Jarpal complex across the Basantar river despite repeated assaults and wounds | 15-17 Dec 1971 | PVC |
Sources: Chapters 4–30 of this edition; The Brave: Param Vir Chakra Stories; Official Gazette Citations
Key Numbers: 1962 to 1971
Defiance against overwhelming odds, tactical brilliance, and the scale of the Indian military's greatest victories.
Six Wars, 1947–1971
The wars the book chronicles in Parts III and IV — each a distinct chapter in independent India's military coming-of-age.
Tribal raiders backed by Pakistan entered Kashmir days after Independence. India's desperate airlift to Srinagar and 1 Sikh Regiment's stand. Ended with a UN ceasefire that froze the Line of Control.
A 108-hour "police action" that integrated the Nizam's dominion into the Indian Union. The last princely state to accede — not by choice.
A 36-hour joint operation ended 451 years of Portuguese colonial rule on Indian soil. A rare moment of complete tri-service cooperation.
India's most painful military defeat. Intelligence failures, political miscalculation and the Forward Policy met China's meticulously planned offensive. NEFA and Aksai Chin fell in weeks.
Operation Gibraltar's covert infiltration, Operation Grand Slam's armored thrust, and the tank battles at Asal Uttar and Chawinda — the largest armored engagement since WW II. Ended in ceasefire and Tashkent.
Sam Manekshaw's masterclass. A two-front war, a lightning campaign across riverine terrain, and the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani troops in 13 days. India's most complete military victory.