7th Infantry Division (Pakistan)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=7th Infantry Division (British Indian Army) 1940-47
7th Infantry Division (Pakistan Army) (1947-present)
country=flagicon|India|BritishBritish India
PAK
type=Infantry Division
dates=1940 to 1947 (Part of British Indian Army)
1947 to present (Pakistan Army)
specialization=Infantry, though supporting, artillery and armour elements are attached
command_structure=flagicon image|Flag XI Corps Pakistan.jpg|size=20px XI Corps (Pakistan)
size=20,000 men (though this may vary as units are rotated)
current_commander= Maj-Gen Ghulam Dastgir
garrison=Peshawar
Nickmaes: Golden Arrow, Peshawar Division
colors=black and gold
wars=World War II,Indo-Pakistani War of 1948, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971,Gulf War 1991, Siachin Conflict, Kargil War, War on terror
notable_commanders= Maj-Gen Attiqur Rahman
Maj-Gen Abdul Qadir
Maj-Gen Yahya Khan
Maj-Gen Akram Sahi
Maj-Gen Azhar Ali Shah

The 7th Infantry Division, also known as the Golden Arrow (after its formation sign) and Peshawar Division, (after its garrison city) is the Pakistan Armys oldest and most battle-hardened division. The officers and men of the Golden Arrow Division have fought in all of Pakistan's Wars and have an unmatched combat record.

History

The division was raised on 1 October 1940 at Attock, in present-day Pakistan. Its formation sign was an arrow, pointing bottom left to top right, in yellow on a black background. The division was known as the "Golden Arrow" division from this sign.

After initially training for operations in the deserts in the Middle East, in early 1943 it was reassigned to the Burma Campaign. After extensive training and preparation, it fought in the Arakan from December 1943. After the divisional HQ was overrun by a Japanese attack, units of the division took part in the Battle of the Admin Box. The division later moved to Assam and fought in the Battle of Kohima. In 1945 it played a prominent part in the Battle of Central Burma and the subsequent advance down the Irrawaddy River.

After the war ended, the division moved to Thailand, where it disarmed the Japanese occupying army, and liberated and repatriated Allied prisoners of war.

Component Units (1 June 1944)

(Note: on this date, the unit was fighting at Kohima. Indian 89th Infantry Brigade was detached to the Indian 5th Infantry Division at the Imphal.)

*Indian 33rd Infantry Brigade
** 1st Bn. Burma Regiment
** 1st Bn. Queen's Royal Regiment
** 4th Bn. 15th Punjab Regiment
** 4th Bn. 1st Gurkha Rifles

*Indian 114th Infantry Brigade
** 1st Bn. Somerset Light Infantry
** 4th Bn. 14th Punjab Regiment
** 4th Bn. 5th Gurkha Rifles

*Indian 161st Infantry Brigade (attached from Indian 5th Infantry Division)
** 4th Bn, The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
** 1st Bn. 2nd Punjab Regiment
** 4th Bn. 7th Rajput Regiment

Support Units

* 7th Bn, 2nd Punjab Regiment

* 136th (1st West Lancashire) Field Regt. RA
* 139th (4th London) Field Regt. RA
* 25th Mountain Regt. IA

Commanders

*Maj. Gen. A.V.T. Wakely
*Maj. Gen. R. Richardson
*Maj. Gen. T.W. Corbett
*Maj. Gen. Sir Frank Messervy
*Maj. Gen. G.C. Evans

Upon the Partition of India in 1947, the division was one of two allocated to Pakistan.

The 7th Infantry Division is currently being commanded by Major General Naweed Zaman.

Indo-Pakistan War of 1948

The Division first saw action during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1948, where it fought and captured some territory in the Poonch sector.

Indo-Pakistan War of 1965

In the intervening years, the formation became part of the Pakistan Army's strategic reserve. At the outbreak of war, the Peshawar Division was commanded by a native Peshawarite; Major General Yayha Khan. In it, the Golden Arrow's were the lead division of the Operation Grandslam, where they and two divisions which had been placed under the division's command managed to achieve the most dramatic breakthrough of the war when they defeated the Indian formations in front of them, capturing the district of Chamb, and pushed up to a position 6 km beyond Jammu City, by the end of hostilities. Its commander, General Yayha Khan would be awarded the Hilal-e-Jurat for this achievement.

Jordan

During Black September in 1970 the Jordanian Government asked the Pakistan Government to assist in putting down the Palestinian uprising. The Peshawar Division was dispatched to Jordan where it would be placed under the command of the Pakistani attaché; Muhammad Zia ul Haq (later President of Pakistan, and would restore order and government control in Jordan.

Indo-Pakistan War of 1971

6 years later, the Peshawar Division would once again be called into action. Once again Pakistan's strategic reserve, along with 1st Armoured Division, would not see action as a unit but many of its sub-units would enter combat in various sectors.

Gulf War

The formation would go overseas for the third time in its history (and for the second time as a Pakistani division) when it deployed with two brigades to Saudi Arabia for the 1991 Gulf War.

iachin and Kargil

It would be the better part of a decade, before the formation would get the call to arms again, but when it came it was at the highest battlefield of the world, and several units would serve in that area. In 1999 during the Kargil War, the division was sent as a reinforcement to the Gultari area.

War on terror

After 9/11, and the United States led invasion of Afghanistan, the Golden Arrows would be called into a period of almost continuous action in difficult and mountainous terrain, carrying out operations in Waziristan and the North West Frontier Province, against Al-Qaeda and Taliban escaping from Afghanistan. Most of the Al-Qaeda operatives have been captured by elements of this formation.

Order of Battle

It is unsure what the exact composition of the formation is, since the Peshawar Division has received several additional troops during the ongoing war on terror, but the peacetime order of battle is:

*HQ 7th Infantry Division; Peshawar
**Infantry Brigade; Peshawar
**Infantry Brigade; Peshawar
**Infantry Brigade; Parachinar
** Division Troops; under HQ command, but usually parcelled out to the Brigades.

References

*Global Security Website.
*Orbat.com
*Pakistan Army; A History, by Brian Cloughly.

External links

* [http://www.Orbat.com Contains information on Pakistan Army Divisions including the Golden Arrows]

=External

* [http://www.ispr.gov.pk/Multimedia/1965/pages/3%20a_jpg.htm 7th Infantry Division Soldiers advance in Kashmir, 1965 war]
* [http://www.ispr.gov.pk/Multimedia/1965/pages/5%20c_jpg.htm GOC of the Division, briefs President of Pakistan on situation. 1965 War]