Bikaner Camel Corps

Bikaner Camel Corps

The Bikaner Camel Cops was a military unit from India that fought for the allies in World War I and World War II.

The Corps was founded by Maharaja Ganga Singh of the Indian state of Bikaner, as the Ganga Risala after the British government of India accepted his offer to raise a force of 500 soldiers. The state of Bikaner had a long tradition of using camel soldiers going back to 1465 when Rao Bika had led a force of 300 sowar (or camel riders) to conquer neighbouring territories. [Crump. Page 204.] Ganga Singh subsequently lead the Ganga Risala when it fought in the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, in Somaliland in 1902-1904 to quell the Somali Uprising and in Egypt in WWI.Crump. Page 194.] At the Suez Canal in 1915 the corps routed the opposing Turkish forces in a camel cavalry charge. The Corps fought in the Middle East in WWII, when it was supported by the camel mounted Bijay Battery, which became a mule team battery.

After India's Independence the Bikaner Camel Corps was merged with camel troops from Jaisalmer in 1951 to become the Ganga Jaisalmer Risala and joined the Grenadiers as the 13th battalion. [Crump. Page 205.] It took part in the actions to foil Pakistani raiders in the Bikaner and Jaisalmer regions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

After 1975 all of the Indian Military Camel Corps, including the Ganga Jaisalmer Risala were disbanded. A brief attempt was made to resurrect them but the plan never bore fruition. The Ganga Risala still survives though as a part of the Border Security Force, retaining the name Bikaner Camel Corps. [http://orbat.com/site/history/historical/india/camel_1948-75.html]

The Ganga Jaisalmer Risala was decamelised in 1974 and underwent conversion into standard infantry. It continues to serve as a regular infantry battalion under the name 13 Grenadiers(Ganga Jaisalmer). Post 1971 the unit has seen action in counter insurgency operations in the states of Punjab and Assam. It has to its credit 1 Kirti Chakra and 1 Shaurya Chakra among numerous other awards.

Notes

ources

*cite book|author=Crump, Vivien; Toh, Irene| title= Rajasthan| location=London| publisher=Everyman Guides|origdate=1996| format = hardback| id = ISBN 1-85715-887-3| pages = 400 pages


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Camel Corps — Several military units bore the name of Camel Corps:*The U.S. Camel Corps, a mid nineteenth century experimental unit that used camels for transport*The Imperial Camel Corps, an Allied unit that fought in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign during… …   Wikipedia

  • Somaliland Camel Corps — The Somaliland Camel Corps was a unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland.Camels are a necessity in Somalia, being as important as ponies in Mongolia. In Somalia s drought stricken land, the camel was one of the only animals worth the …   Wikipedia

  • Imperial Camel Corps — The Imperial Camel Corps was a brigade sized military formation which fought for the Allies in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in World War I. Its personnel were infantry mounted on camels for movement across desert.The Corps was founded in… …   Wikipedia

  • Bikaner — Bîkâner Ex principauté de Bîkâner Fondateur râo Bîkâjî Fondée en …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bîkâner — Le palais de Lalagarh Administration Pays …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Camel cavalry — Camel cavalry, or camelry, is a generic designation for armed forces using camels as a means of transportation. Sometimes warriors or soldiers of this type also fought from camel back with spears, bows or rifles.Camel cavalry were a common… …   Wikipedia

  • Bikaner — /bee keuh near , ner , bik euh /, n. 1. a former native state of NW India: now incorporated into Rajasthan state. 2. a city in NW Rajasthan. 188,598. * * * ▪ India       city, north central Rajasthan (Rājasthān) state, northwestern India. It lies …   Universalium

  • History of Bikaner — Bikaner state was founded in the 15th century and persisted until shortly after India s Independence in 1947. Earlier this region was known as Jangladesh which was a region of northern Rajasthan state in India. It included the present day… …   Wikipedia

  • Camel — Taxobox name = Camel image width = 240px image caption = Dromedary, Camelus dromedarius image2 width = 240px image2 caption = Bactrian camel, Camelus bactrianus regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Artiodactyla familia =… …   Wikipedia

  • Kamelreiter-Regiment 7 — Kamelreiter der Mahdisten Deutsch Südwestafrika Hereroaufstand 1904 Kamelreiterkompanie der deutsc …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”