Kanwar Zorawar Singh - Military Career

Military Career

After receiving his commission as a cavalry officer, Singh briefly joined the 16th Light Cavalry before being transferred to the Central India Horse. During the Italian Campaign, the Central India Horse was a reconnaissance unit for the 4th Indian Division. Singh was made second-in-command of B Squadron in this regiment. On 3 August 1944 Singh led a reconnaissance patrol consisting of his squadron and another towards Casale Vecchia, which is north-west of Arezzo. The objective was to determine the location of the German frontline and eliminate any Germans encountered. During the patrol, a German reconnaissance force was encountered. The result of this engagement left two enemy dead and three others taken prisoner. Singh was awarded the Military Cross for leadership during the operation. In October 1944 the Central India Horse was sent to Greece to stabilise the country following the withdrawal of German forces.

After the Second World War, the Central India Horse returned to India in February 1946. Singh was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became Commandant to the Central India Horse. In 1948 Pakistani forces attempted seize control over the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Singh was tasked with recapturing the town of Rajauri. The 28 mile road from Naushera to Rajauri was heavily damaged with felled trees and boulders acting as roadblocks. These obstructions had been mined. The road had a significant elevation gain and sections of the road along cliffs had been intentionally narrowed by the enemy. An assessment of the operation deemed it to be both time and labour intensive to enable the road to be usable for an advance to Rajauri. Despite the difficulty involved, Singh went ahead with the operation on 7 April 1948. He would advance along the Tawi River, which was parallel to his route when sections of the road became impassable. On the evening of 10 April his task force had reached Rajauri. The arrival of Indian tanks in Rajauri had surprised the Pakistani Army and without equivalent firepower, they were forced to withdraw. His successful leadership of the operation earned him the status of being one of independent India’s first great tank commanders.

In 1948 Singh's tenure of command at the CIH ended, when he was selected to attend the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, United States. He was appointed to the staff of the Defense Services Staff College at Wellington, where he served for three years until being appointed to command the Tactical Wing of the Armoured Corps Centre and School at Ahmednagar. Upon promotion to Brigadier, Singh was India’s Military Attaché to France.