Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (4 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), often known as Sam Manekshaw or Sam Bahadur, was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War and the first Indian Army officer to be appointed to field marshal. He is widely recognized as the mastermind of India’s triumph in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and as a result, today we delve into his life learning about him.
Early Years of Sam Manekshaw
Sam Manekshaw was born in Amritsar on April 14, 1914, to Hormizd Manekshaw and his wife Hilla. Hormizd Manekshaw was a doctor who had a successful clinic and pharmacy in the heart of Amritsar. The couple had six children, four boys and two girls, with Sam being the fifth child and third son.
Sam wanted to be a doctor like his father and requested his father to send him to London to study medicine. His father declined since Sam was too young and Hormizd already supported two of his brothers who were studying engineering in London. Instead, Manekshaw enrolled at the Hindu Sabha College (now the Hindu College, Amritsar) and took his final exams in April 1932 at the University of Punjab, graduating with a third division in physics. It was at this point that the Indian Military College Committee, which was founded in 1931, suggested creating a military institution to prepare Indians for officer appointments in the armed forces. The candidates for the academy would be chosen for a three-year program based on a Public Service Commission examination. When the examination notification was issued, Sam Manekshaw, in defiance of his father’s reluctance, sought for a spot and took the admission examinations in Delhi. On October 1, 1932, he was one of the fifteen cadets chosen through open competition.
The Military Career of Sam Manekshaw
When Sam Manekshaw was commissioned on February 4, 1935, he was sent to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots, since it was customary to serve in a British regiment before being transferred to an Indian force. He was eventually assigned to the 12th Frontier Force Regiment in Burma, where he was named quartermaster of his company in May 1938.
The future Field Marshal would see battle in Burma when World War II broke out. He served with distinction in the Bruma campaign in 1942, earning the Military Cross, the highest honor available to Commonwealth forces. After India’s partition, Sam Manekshaw’s battalion, the 12th Frontier Force Regiment, became part of the Pakistan Army, and he was moved to the 8th Gorkha Rifles. Before he took over as the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, 5 Gorkha Rifles, Pakistani forces invaded Kashmir on 22 October, seizing Domel and Muzaffarabad.
During the signing of the Instrument of Accession (signed on October 26, 1947) by the Maharaja of Kashmir, Sam Manekshaw was conducting aerial surveillance on the approaching Pakistani Army and proposed airlifting the Indian Army into Kashmir to prevent it from being captured. In 1957, he was transferred to the Imperial Defence College in London to complete a one-year higher command training. On his return, he was named General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 26th Infantry Division on December 20, 1957, with the acting rank of Major General.
On March 1, 1959, Manekshaw was promoted to substantive major general.
Role in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971
When the West Pakistani government rejected East Pakistan’s call for more autonomy, a separatist movement began. In March, the Pakistani Army violently reacted to the separatist movement. This action killed hundreds of East Pakistanis and caused millions more to escape to India. Knowing full well that the refugee issue would place a strain on the country’s economy, and seeing a chance to outfox its adversary, India chose to help build the new nation of Bangladesh. The India-Pakistan War of 1971 was about to commence.
In April, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi questioned Sam Manekshaw about the Indian Army’s readiness. He said that the majority of its armoured and infantry units were already deployed elsewhere and that moving them to East Pakistan’s border would take some time. Furthermore, the Himalayan mountain routes remained accessible, posing the possibility of Chinese invasion, complicating the war even further for India. Sam Manekshaw promised that if he handled the issue on his own terms, he could ensure victory. The Prime Minister consented to this. Sam Manekshaw devised a strategy that would involve all three services of the Indian Army, as well as auxiliary assistance from the Mukti Bahini, a 75000-strong guerrilla group fighting for East Pakistan’s liberation. These guerillas were extremely important in troubling the Pakistani army by damaging supply lines, interrupting communications, and sending vital intelligence back to the Indian army. The war formally started on December 3, 1971, when the Pakistan Air Force struck Indian Air Force sites in western India. Under Sam Manekshaw’s guidance, the Indian army implemented a combined arms strategy that decisively eliminated Pakistani resistance in the eastern theatre of the war and blocked any assistance from its western wing.
On December 9, 1971, with all vital locations secured and Dhaka fully surrounded by the Indian Army, Sam Manekshaw implored Pakistani soldiers to surrender unconditionally, promising them good treatment and protection from the reprisal of East Pakistan’s populace. He reiterated his message again on the 11th and 15th of December.
When a United Nations Security Council meeting on the matter failed to produce any results, Pakistan’s army commander realized there was little prospect for long-term resistance. He accepted Sam Manekshaw’s offer of surrender, which became official at 9:00 a.m. on December 16th. This act marked the formal conclusion of the war and the birth of the new nation of Bangladesh. Following the war, Indira Gandhi chose to promote Manekshaw to the rank of field marshal and designate him as the first Chief of Defence Staff. However, bureaucratic meddling hampered his appointment to the position of Chief of Defence Staff and the establishment of the position itself.
The Later Life of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
In 1972, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the President of India for his contribution to the country. After nearly four decades of active service, he retired on January 15, 1973. He settled with his wife, Silloo, in Coonoor, a civilian village near Wellington Cantonment where he had previously served as commandant of the Defence Services Staff College. After retirement, he went on to serve as an independent director on the boards of various firms, and in a few cases, as chairman. Manekshaw, 94, died of pneumonia complications on June 27, 2008, at 12:30 a.m., at the Military Hospital in Wellington, Tamil Nadu. Every year on December 16th, people celebrate Vijay Diwas to remember the triumph that was attained in 1971 under Manekshaw’s direction.
