Anant Singh Pathania

Major General Anant Singh Pathania MVC, MC
Born	(1913-05-25)25 May 1913 Re, Kangra District, Punjab Province, British Raj (now Himachal Pradesh, India)
Died	19 December 2007(2007-12-19) (aged 94) Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India
Allegiance	British India (1936-1947)  India (1947-1965)
Service/branch	British Indian Army  Indian Army
Years of service	1936–1965
Rank	Major-General
Service number	IC-56
Unit	13th Frontier Force Rifles 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
Commands held	4th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Waziristan campaign World War II East African Campaign Battle of Keren Burma Campaign Indo-Pakistan War of 1947 Operation Bison Sino-Indian War
Awards	Maha Vir Chakra Military Cross

Major General Anant Singh Pathania MVC, MC (25 May 1913 - 19 December 2007) was a decorated Indian Army general; the first Indian to receive a Military Cross in the Second World War, he was also the first Indian commanding officer of the Gorkha Rifles.^[1]

Early life and career

Pathania was born the third and youngest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Raghubir Singh Pathania (1874-1915), an officer in the Jammu and Kashmir princely army, and Raj Devi Dalpatia. He was a member of a distinguished Rajput military and royal clan which had served the Dogra rulers of Jammu and Kashmir for generations. Descended from a cadet branch of the ruling Pathania Rajas of Nurpur, his paternal grandfather, Major-General Sardar Bahadur Nihal Singh Pathania (1853-1926), had been the commander of the Jammu and Kashmir army, leading them in the 1891 Hunza campaign and in the Black Mountain Expedition; his maternal grandfather Baj Singh Dalpatia had been a general during campaigns in Chitral. Pathania's father was killed during the First World War in Tanganyika while leading the 2nd Kashmiri Rifles during the East African Campaign.^[2]

Pathania had two elder brothers, Baldev Singh Pathania (1897-1985), who served as Military Secretary to Maharaja Hari Singh and who eventually retired as dewan of the princely state of Poonch, and Harnam Singh Pathania (1900-?), who became Chief Conservator of Forests in the state.^[2]

Commissioned into the 13th Frontier Force Rifles on 1 February 1936, Pathania served on the North-West Frontier during the Waziristan campaign.^[1] As a temporary captain during the East African Campaign, he fought in the Battle of Keren as a company commander and was awarded a Military Cross (MC) for his heroism.^[3] According to author Antony Brett: "Although wounded in the face and in both legs, he collected his company headquarters and any other men he could muster, and pushed the enemy out with the bayonet. Only then, and under orders, did he hand over the company to his second-in-command, but the latter, too, was wounded by bomb splinters."^[1]

The citation recommending Pathania for a Military Cross runs as follows:^[4]

22 March 1941

Lieut. (Ty. Captain) ANANT SINGH PATHANIA, 13th Frontier Force Rifles, 29th Indian Infantry Brigade, 5th Indian Division

For conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty.

On 17 March 1941, this officer was commanding a flank company which was heavily attacked by at least a battalion of enemy, using mortars, light mortars and grenades. When the enemy succeeded in penetrating the centre of his sector, he led his Company Headquarters and a few men whom he had collected to the counter-attack. He was hit by a grenade on the [illegible] of his steel helmet and temporarily blinded in one eye. He was also wounded in the legs, but he continued to lead his men, firing at the enemy at a few yards range with his pistol. The enemy withdrew and Company's position was re-established. He continued to command his company for another five hours under shell, mortars and small arms fire until ordered to the rear by a senior officer. His actions undoubtedly prevented the development of a very serious situation.

Subsequently posted to Burma, Pathania fought in the Burma Campaign as the first Indian officer to serve as a Brigade Major. In 1945, he was selected as deputy president of the Regular Commission Selection Board over 400 more senior officers.^[1]

Indian independence and Kashmir war

At Independence in 1947, Pathania was selected as the first Indian CO of the 1/5 Gorkha Rifles, his parent unit of the 13th Frontier Force Rifles having been allocated to Pakistan. As CO, he helped to provide aid for refugees and local residents in Delhi during the post-Partition chaos and rioting.

His battalion was sent to Kashmir during the 1947-49 Indo-Pakistan War, where in November 1948, the Indian Army’s advance towards Drass and Kargil was being halted at Pindras gorge. As part of Operation Bison, 1/5 Gorkha Rifles was deployed to capture the ridge ahead of Pindras, on the north of Gumri Nala; the resulting battle was reportedly the hardest ever fought during the Jammu and Kashmir operations.^[1] Anant not only led several reconnaissance missions but also pressed home the attack on the enemy on November 14, 1948. Despite heavy enemy machine gun fire the 1/5 Gorkhas achieved their objectives and inflicted heavy casualties. The victory was attributed to Pathania’s daring reconnaissance of enemy positions on the eve of battle. In tribute to Pathania, the strategically important mountain top he captured was named "Anant Hill."^[1]

Pathania was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) for his efforts. The official citation reads:^[5]

Lt-Colonel ANANT SINGH PATHANIA, MC (IC-56), 1 Bn. The 5th Gorkha Rifles

The fine achievement of 1/5 RGR during the ZOJILA operations was due entirely to the courage and fine leadership of Lt-Colonel PATHANIA.

The hardest battle fought by the infantry was in breaking the well-fortified enemy position on [the] 'ANANT' feature. The success of this operation was due entirely to Lt-Colonel PATHANIA's personal reconnaissance of the enemy defence and in finding the most suitable routes for the attack of his Bn. on [the] night [of] 14/15 November 1948. Throughout the reconnaissance stage and during the attack, this officer personally led his men. He was a source of great encouragement to his men.

Awards and Decorations

Maha Vir Chakra	General Service Medal 1947		Indian Independence Medal	Military Cross
India General Service Medal (1936)	1939–1945 Star	Africa Star	Burma Star	War Medal 1939–1945

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date of rank
	Second Lieutenant	British Indian Army	1 February 1936[6]
	Lieutenant	British Indian Army	24 February 1937[6]
	Captain	British Indian Army	1940-20 April 1942 (acting) 21 April 1942 (temporary)[6] 3 February 1943 (substantive)[6]
	Major	British Indian Army	21 April-31 August 1942 (acting)[6] 1 September 1942 (temporary)[6]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	British Indian Army	8 March 1945 (acting)[6] 8 June 1945 (temporary)[6]
	Captain	Indian Army	15 August 1947[note 1][7]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	Indian Army	September 1947 (temporary)[note 1]
	Major	Indian Army	1948 (substantive)[note 1][8]
	Colonel	Indian Army	1949 (acting)[note 1][8]
	Brigadier	Indian Army	14 October 1949 (acting)[note 1][8]
	Major	Indian Army	26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[7]
	Lieutenant-Colonel	Indian Army	1952[9]
	Colonel	Indian Army
	Brigadier	Indian Army	3 February 1958 (substantive)[10]
	Major General	Indian Army	1 July 1959 (acting)[11] 13 December 1960 (substantive)[12]

Notes

References