Post by simon darkshade on Dec 16, 2018 11:51:53 GMT
I apologise for the delayed nature of this reply, but the combination of the last days of the school term and year, cooking up 29 dishes for a modest Christmas party, cricket, wassail and travel has given me very little time for writing and correspondence.
Steve is quite correct that India has two major threats in the form of the Soviet Union and Imperial China. The traditional Central Asian border area of the Great Game is India's primary security zone and the focus of its heaviest military forces. Northern Command is based in Rawalpindi and its active component consists of the Second Indian Army, which deploys four corps and 12 divisions (8 infantry and 4 armoured), and the North West Frontier Force of 4 mountain divisions and 2 cavalry divisions, along with numerous independent brigades and special forces units.
To the east, the North East Frontier is the primary area of tension with China, as well as Burma. Eastern Command, based in Calcutta, deploys the Third Indian Army of four corps and 12 divisions (10 infantry and 2 armoured), the North East Frontier Force of 4 mountain divisions, the 24 battalions of the Assam Rifles and Burma Command of 2 infantry and 2 commando divisions. The Indian Army in Burma operates alongside the 4 divisions of the Burmese Army/Burma Rifles and British Army forces.
The total size of the regular Indian Army in 1960 is 72 divisions and over 2.5 million men, making it one of the largest in the world.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and empire cannot be guaranteed and in any case isn't being thought of as likely in 1960.
Steve is quite correct that India has two major threats in the form of the Soviet Union and Imperial China. The traditional Central Asian border area of the Great Game is India's primary security zone and the focus of its heaviest military forces. Northern Command is based in Rawalpindi and its active component consists of the Second Indian Army, which deploys four corps and 12 divisions (8 infantry and 4 armoured), and the North West Frontier Force of 4 mountain divisions and 2 cavalry divisions, along with numerous independent brigades and special forces units.
To the east, the North East Frontier is the primary area of tension with China, as well as Burma. Eastern Command, based in Calcutta, deploys the Third Indian Army of four corps and 12 divisions (10 infantry and 2 armoured), the North East Frontier Force of 4 mountain divisions, the 24 battalions of the Assam Rifles and Burma Command of 2 infantry and 2 commando divisions. The Indian Army in Burma operates alongside the 4 divisions of the Burmese Army/Burma Rifles and British Army forces.
The total size of the regular Indian Army in 1960 is 72 divisions and over 2.5 million men, making it one of the largest in the world.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and empire cannot be guaranteed and in any case isn't being thought of as likely in 1960.
