The
Dogras, the inhabitants of 'Duggar' or Dogra land hail from the Indian states of
Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh and the hilly regions of
Punjab. The Dogra Regiment traces its lineage to 1858, when the Agra Levy was raised by the
British East India Company as part of the
Bengal Army. The Dogras were added into the Bengal Army on the recommendation of Sir
Fredrick Roberts, the then commander-in-chief of India, who decided to add a Dogra regiment because he was impressed by the loyalty and soldierly qualities of Dogra troops.The Agra Levy was later renamed the
38th Dogras. In 1887 the 37th (Dogra) Bengal Infantry was raised and later renamed the
37th (Prince of Wales's Own) Dogras. In 1900 the 41st (Dogra) Bengal Infantry was raised and also later renamed the
41st Dogras. In 1922 the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. The 37th, 38th and 41st Dogras were all amalgamated into the
17th Dogra Regiment. It dropped '17th' from its title in 1945 and was allocated to
India upon its
independence in 1947. The 38th Dogras served in the
siege of Malakand in 1897 and during the
First World War, served in
Aden,
Suez and
Palestine during the
battle of Megiddo. The 37th Dogras took part in the
Chitral Expedition in 1895 and during the First World War, fought in the
Second Battle of Kut and the
capture of Baghdad as part of the
14th Indian Division. The 41st Dogras served in China from 1904 to 1908 as part of an international force, and then served on the
Western Front and the
Mesopotamia Campaign during World War I. In 1949,
Karan Singh, son of Maharaja
Hari Singh, the last maharaja of the
princely state of
Jammu and Kashmir, was appointed Regent by his father. He wrote the Dogra Regiment's regimental song, 'Dikhi Lai Dogra Desh'. Perhaps the best compliment given to the Dogras has come from Field Marshal Sir
William Slim who wrote to them thus: {{Blockquote
Formation The regiment was formed in 1922 through the amalgamation of three separate regiments of Dogras into the 17th Dogra Regiment. They were: • 1st Battalion – formerly the
37th (Prince of Wales's Own) Dogras • 2nd Battalion – formerly the
38th Dogras • 3rd Battalion – formerly the 1st Battalion,
41st Dogras • 10th (Training) Battalion – formerly the 2nd Battalion, 41st Dogras The regiment has produced one
Chief of Army Staff, Gen.
Nirmal Chander Vij. Vij also served as the 10th Colonel-in-Chief of the Dogra Regiment and the Dogra Scouts. ) in a trench with dugouts; Fauquissart, France.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–48 Pakistani raiders had besieged and reduced
Skardu in early 1948. It was vital that
Leh, the next likely target, be relieved before it was attacked by the raiders. Major
Thakur Prithi Chand, along with a band of 40 volunteers from the 2nd battalion, Dogra Regiment, began a hazardous mid-winter ascent of the
Zojila pass on 16 February 1948, with rifles and ammunition for the garrison. They reached Leh on 8 March, where an ad hoc force for defence was organised, followed soon by a
Jammu and Kashmir State Forces detachment bringing additional weapons.
Sino-Indian War A company from the 4th battalion fought in the battle of
Walong in November 1962 and suffered significant casualties against a vastly numerically superior Chinese force.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 On September 2, 1965, the 3rd battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. R.B. Nair, was given the task to capture Point 7702 in
Jammu and Kashmir. The brigade then planned two battalion attacks with the 2nd battalion,
Sikh Regiment on the left to clear the Raja picket and the 3rd battalion, Dogra Regiment on the right to capture point 7702. The battalion left late in the evening on September 5, and successfully sneaked past Raja picket. The two leading companies were to assault from the left flank and cross the start line at 04:00 on September 6 under the able leadership of Maj. Greesh Chandra Verma and Capt. Gurdev Singh Bawa. B and C companies stormed point 7702 at 05:00 on September 6. After a fierce hand-to-hand and bunker-to-bunker fight, the enemy was uprooted from the strongly built defences and the post was captured by 05:45. Maj. G.C. Verma was wounded in the head and refused to be evacuated. He died on seeing the success signal being fired from his pistol by Sub. Rattan Singh. Capt. G.S. Bawa, the other assaulting company commander was also wounded fatally while silencing an enemy MMG. The battalion lost two officers, one JCO and 14 ORs while 3 officers, 2 JCOs and 60 ORs were wounded in the battle. 39 men of enemy were killed and 5 were taken as POWs. In recognition of this valour the battalion was awarded the battle honour Chand Tekri and theatre honour of Jammu and Kashmir 1965. 2nd battalion, Dogra Regiment led the famed OP Hill attack on November 2, 1965, to capture a strategic location in Mendhar area of Jammu and Kashmir. This is regarded as one of the bloodiest battles fought by the Indian Army. Maj GS Pall led the Delta company up the steep and open hill towards Kala Pathar, a frontal attack under heavy machine gun and mortar fire, with the hillside strewn with landmines, followed by Charlie and Alpha companies. Meanwhile 7th Battalion of Sikh Regiment and 5th Battalion of Sikh Li Regiment troops flanked the enemy. Dogras suffered heavy casualties throughout the night but refused to withdraw, eventually meeting up with the Sikh and Sikh Li troops for the capture. Many awards were earned posthumously, including officers, JCOs and Jawans. 2nd Dogras earned a Battle Honour for this famed battle. An impressive memorial stands at the site today commemorating the battle and the bravery of 2nd Dogras.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 On the eastern front, the 9th battalion was responsible for the fall of Suadih, a small village in
East Pakistan that was a strong bastion of the Pakistan Army's most fortified position in the country. This led to the ultimate liberation of East Pakistan and a victory for the Indian Army. For this task, 9 Dogra was awarded the battle honour of Suadih. The 5th battalion was posted in
Asal Uttar,
Punjab, where it was assigned to accord depth to the defences of
Khem Karan.
Kargil War The 5th battalion fought in the Kargil War to capture
Tiger Hill.
UN Peacekeeping The Dogra Regiment has not only contributed to the
United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in the
Gaza Strip,
Korea, and the
Congo, but has also contributed in providing various military observers in various peace keeping operation around the globe. The 1st, 3rd and 9th battalions have participated in UN peacekeeping missions. ==Recruitment==