Interesting facts you should know about the Indian Army

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FACTS:

Every year, Army Day is celebrated on January 15 because it was on this day in 1949 that Lieutenant General KM Cariappa became the first Indian to take over the post of commander-in-chief of the Indian Army from the last British Commander of India, General Francis Butcher.

On the occasion of the 73rd Army Day, here are some interesting facts about the Indian Army you probably didn’t know:

1. Indian Army controls Siachen glacier, the highest battlefield in the world (5000metres above Mean Sea Level).

2. In the battle of Longewala (on which the famous Bollywood movie "Border" was made) in December 1971 between India and Pakistan, India reportedly suffered only two casualties.

3.The Indian Forces carried out one of the biggest civilian rescue missions in the world, 'Operation Rahat' in Uttarakhand in 2013, airlifting about 20,000 people, and dropped a total of 3,82,400 kg of relief materials.

4. Indian Army is one among the last 3 regiments in the world to have a horse-mounted cavalry regiment. However, the Jaipur-based 61st Cavalry is set to replace its horses with T-72 tanks.

5. The Bailey Bridge, the highest bridge in the world, in Ladakh was built by Indian Army in August 1982.

6. India ranks fourth in terms of military might across the world.

7. Arguably, the Indian Army has never initiated attack on any warfare nor involved in military coup.

8. During the 1971 War between India and Pakistan, 93,000 Pakistani forces subdued before the Indian Army, marking a record of Largest Military Surrender after World War II.

9. Indian Army trains foreign Armies of US, UK, Russia at training centres namely, Indian Military Academy at Dehradun and Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte, Mizoram.

10. The Gorkha regiment is one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army that has managed to impress leaders worldwide with their combat ability.