12th Infantry Division (India)

The 12th RAPID Division is a division of the Indian Army. It was formed during World War II in January 1943, in Persia. It was renamed South Persia Area in January 1945. During the war it had 34th Indian Infantry Brigade, 39th Indian Infantry Brigade, and 60th Indian Infantry Brigade under command.[1]

12th Indian Infantry Division
Formation Badge of the 12th Infantry Division
Active1943–1945
1966–Present
Country British India
 India
Branch British Indian Army
 Indian Army
SizeDivision
Nickname(s)"Battle Axe Division"
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders
J.F.R. Jacob

The division was formed again on 3 November 1966 from forces in the Barmer sector of the border with Pakistan. In December 1971 the 12th was under Southern Command, with the 30th, 45th and 322nd Infantry Brigades.[2] In 2004, the Arjun MBT entered service with 140th Armoured Brigade, 12th RAPID Division in Jaisalmer. The two Arjun units have been reported as the 43 Armoured Regiment (Jaisalmer) and 75 Armoured Regiment (Jaisalmer).[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ The Indian Army 1914-1947 By Ian Sumner, p.25
  2. ^ (Renaldi and Rikhye 2011, 43)
  3. ^ Joshi, Saurabh (25 May 2009). "Army gets first Arjun regiment". StratPost – South Asian Defense and Strategic Affairs. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  4. ^ Som, Vishnu. "Blog: Why The Army's Arjun Tank May Be Its Best Bet Yet". NDTV.com. Retrieved 10 March 2020.