Pakistan Army Armoured Corps

Pakistan Army Armoured Corps
Active	1947-Present
Country	Pakistan
Branch	Army
Size	52 regiments incl. President's Bodyguard
Regimental Centre	Nowshera
Nickname(s)	Men of Steel
Colors	Red and Yellow
Engagements	Indo-Pakistani War of 1947; Indo-Pakistani War of 1965; Indo-Pakistani War of 1971; Battle of Chawinda; Operation Desert Storm
Commanders
Colonel Commandant	Lieutenant General Muhammad Naeem Ashraf
Notable; commanders	Gen Zia-ul-Haq; Gen Jehangir Karamat; Lt Gen Gul Hassan Khan Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat

Pakistan Army Armoured Corps (Urdu: ﺁرمى ﺁرمرڈ كور) is a combatant branch of the Pakistan Army, tasked with armoured warfare. Equipped with more than 3,000 Main Battle Tanks, the corps is based at the old garrison town of Nowshera and is organized into two armoured divisions and a number of independent armoured brigades. The Pakistan Armoured Corps has a proud history going back to September 1773, when its oldest unit Governor General's Bodyguard was raised in British India. The corps maintains a number of legendary units on its order of battle, who earned fame in numerous wars and engagements of British Indian Army including the two World Wars. At the time of the independence, Pakistan inherited six armoured regiments from the old British Indian Army.[1]

Since then, the corps has expanded into more than forty regiments. Many of these new regiments have also earned accolades for their performance in the wars fought with India. Prominent among them is the massive defeat of Indian Army at the Battle of Chawinda, one of the largest Tank Battles after world war two, with the 25th cavalry effectively blunting the Indian offensive at the Sialkot sector and ultimately halting any further advances of the Enemy. Ahmed, Lt Gen Mahmud. (2006). History of Indo-Pak War – 1965.

Regiments in the Corps

Al-Zarrar Main Battle Tank of the Pakistan Army

President's Body Guard.[2]
4 Cavalry [2]
5 Horse [2]
6 Lancers (Fateh Khem Karan) [2]
7 Lancers [2]
8 Cavalry (Izz-Ul-Khail) [2]
9 Horse (The Arabian Horse) [2]
Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) [2]
11 Cavalry (Frontier Force) [2]
12 Cavalry (Frontier Force) [2]
13th Lancers (Spearheads) [2]
14 Lancers [2]
15th Lancers (Baloch) [2]
16 Horse (Al-Mugheerat) [2]
17 Lancers [2]
18 Horse [2]
19th Lancers [2]
20th Lancers Haidri (Punjab) [2]
21 Horse (Murtajiz) [2]
22 Cavalry (Death or Glory) [2]
23 Cavalry (Frontier Force) [2]
24 Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Chargers) [2]
25 Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Men of Steel) [2]
26 Cavalry (Mustangs) [2]
27 Cavalry (Ribat-ul-Khail) Steeds of war [2]
28 Cavalry (Chhamb Hunters) [2]
29 Cavalry (Tigers) [2]
30 Cavalry (Bold Till Death) [2]
31 Cavalry (Sprocketeers) [2]
32 Cavalry (Conquerers) [2]
33 Cavalry (Fortunes with the Bold),[2]
34 Lancers (The Dragoons)" TAWAKKAL-ALALLAH"[2]
35 Cavalry (AL-MUBARIZUN-', Raised 1 November 2014.)
36 Cavalry
37 Cavalry (Ribat-us-Sehra) [2]
38 Cavalry (Desert Hawks) [2]
39 Cavalry ( The Vanguards) [2]
40 Horse (Sind)[2]
41 Horse (Frontier Force) [2]
42 Lancers (Punjab) [2]
43 Cavalry (al-Zarib) (Raised 2015)
44 Cavalry (Pioneers) (Raised 2016)
45 Horse
47 Cavalry
51 Lancers (Silver Eagles) [2]
52 Cavalry (HOWALMUSTAAN) (GOD) He, the helper [2]
53 Cavalry (Golden Eagle) [2]
54 Cavalry (Hizbullah) [2]
55 Cavalry [2]
56 Cavalry (Raad ul Harb) [2]
57 Cavalry [2]
58 Cavalry [2]
The President's Body Guard was formed at independence from the Governor General's Bodyguard, which was raised in 1773 under the name of Governor's Troop of Mughals at that time. In 1956 its name was changed to President's Bodyguard when Pakistan became a republic.
5 Horse is the successor to the 1st Sikh Irregular Cavalry (Wales's Horse), and the 2nd Sikh Irregular Cavalry, both raised in 1857.
6 Lancers is the successor to The Rohilkhand Horse raised in 1857, and the 4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry raised in 1858.
Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to the Corps of Guides raised in 1846.
11 Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to 1st and 3rd Regiments of Punjab Cavalry, both raised in 1849.
12 Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to 2nd and 5th Regiments of Punjab Cavalry, both raised in 1849.
13th Lancers is successor to the 1st and 2nd Native Troops of Bombay Cavalry, raised in 1804 and 1816 respectively. It is the senior-most armoured regiment of Pakistan.

2nd Bombay Lancers (now 13th Lancers).
Coloured lithograph by Richard Simkin, 1885.

15th Lancers is successor to the Muttra Horse and 7th Bombay Cavalry, raised in 1857 and 1885 respectively.
19th Lancers is successor to the 2nd Mahratta Horse (Tiwana Horse) raised in 1858, and Fane's Horse raised in 1860.
25 Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the famous regiment which stopped the Indian Army's armoured thrust during the Battle of Chawinda in 1965. The regiment was given the sobriquet " Men of Steel" by the then Chief of Army staff.
Al-Khalid Main Battle Tank (MBT) is a joint Sino-Pakistani production with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
T-80UD is of Ukrainian origin with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
T-85III is an upgraded version of Chinese T-85AP with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
Al-Zarrar is an upgraded Pakistani version of the Chinese T-59II with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
Type 69 tank is a Chinese MBT with a 105 mm gun.
33 Cavalry (Fortune’s with the Bold), is the only regiment in Pakistan Armored Corps which has five battle honours to its credit. After the Independence of Pakistan)

Notes

Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1989). The Pakistan Army 1947-49. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club
"BADGES – ARMOURED CORPS". pakarmymuseum.com. Retrieved 12 January 2018.

External links

Pakistan Armoured Corps on www.regiments.org

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[1] Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1989). The Pakistan Army 1947-49. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club

[pam-2] "BADGES – ARMOURED CORPS". pakarmymuseum.com. Retrieved 12 January 2018.