Somnath Sharma
Major Somnath Sharma Major | |
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Service number | IC-521[1] |
Unit | 4th Battalion, Kumaon Regiment |
Battles/wars |
|
Awards |
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Relations | General V. N. Sharma (brother) |
Somnath Sharma, PVC (31 January 1923 – 3 November 1947), was an Indian military officer and the first recipient of India's highest military decoration, Param Vir Chakra (PVC), which he was awarded posthumously.[2]
Sharma was commissioned into the 8th Battalion,
Early life and education
Sharma was born into a
Military career
On 22 February
Throughout his military career, Sharma was influenced by his uncle Captain K. D. Vasudeva's gallantry in action. Vasudeva also served with the 8th Battalion, participating in the
Battle of Badgam:Somnath Sharma
On 27 October 1947, a contingent of troops of the Indian Army was air-lifted into Srinagar in response to the invasion by Pakistan on 22 October into the Kashmir Valley(sonkmark). On 31 October, D Company of 4th Battalion of Kumaon Regiment, under the command of Sharma, was flown in to Srinagar. During this time, his left hand was in a plaster cast as a result of injuries sustained previously on the hockey field, but he insisted on being with his company in combat and was subsequently given permission to go.[1]
On 3 November, a batch of three companies was deployed to the
When heavy casualties adversely affected the company's firing power, Sharma took upon himself the task of distributing
"The enemies are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to our last man and our last round."
By the time a relief company, from the 1st Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment, reached Badgam, the position held by Sharma's company had been overrun. However, the 200 casualties suffered by the tribal infiltrators caused them to lose the
Receiving the Param Vir Chakra
On 21 June 1950, Somnath Sharma's award of the
The official citation reads:
On 3 November 1947, Major Somnath Sharma's company was ordered on a fighting patrol to Badgam in the Kashmir Valley . He reached his objective at first light on 3 November and took up a position south of Badgam at 11:00 hours. The enemy, estimated at about 500 attacked his company position from three sides; the company began to sustain heavy casualties. Fully realizing the gravity of the situation and the direct threat that would result to both the aerodrome and Srinagar via Hum Hom, Major Somnath Sharma urged his company to fight the enemy tenaciously. With extreme bravery he kept rushing across the open ground to his sections exposing himself to heavy and accurate fire to urge them to hold on. Keeping his nerve, he skilfully directed the fire of his sections into the ever-advancing enemy. He repeatedly exposed himself to the full fury of enemy fire and laid out cloth strips to guide our aircraft onto their targets in full view of the enemy. Realising that casualties had affected the effectiveness of his light automatics, this officer whose left hand was in plaster, personally commenced filling magazines and issuing them to the light machine gunners. A mortar shell landed right in the middle of the ammunition resulting in an explosion that killed him. Major Sharma's company held on to this position and the remnants withdrew only when almost completely surrounded. His inspiring example resulted in the enemy being delayed for six hours, thus gaining time for our reinforcements to get into position at Hum Hom to stem the tide of the enemy advance. His leadership, gallantry and tenacious defence were such that his men were inspired to fight the enemy by seven to one, six hours after this gallant officer had been killed. He has set an example of courage and qualities seldom equalled in the history of the Indian Army. His last message to the Brigade Headquarters a few moments before he was killed was, 'the enemy are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round.'
— Gazette Notification: 2 Pres/50, 21.6.50, [11]
legacy of late major Somnath Sharma
In the 1980s, the
On turning 100, Lt Gen Surindra Nath Sharma (Retd), the Engineer-in-Chief from 1979 to 1981, pays homage to all brothers in arms at the National War Memorial National War Memorial, New Delhi and also salutes his brother Late Maj Somnath Sharma, Paramvir Chakra.
In popular culture
The first episode of the TV series on the lives of Param Vir Chakra recipients,
Notes
Footnotes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Chakravorty 1995, pp. 75–76.
- ^ "SOMNATH SHARMA | Gallantry Awards". Gallantry Awards, Government of India. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "Major Somnath Sharma: A hero for generations of soldiers – ADU News". aviation-defence-universe.com. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ Desk, India TV News (15 February 2013). "India's first Param Vir Chakra winner Major Som Nath Sharma, the hero of 1947 war". indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "The soldier who won India's first Param Vir Chakra". Rediff. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ^ Khanduri 2006, p. 148.
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette". thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "11 Facts You Need To Know About The Param Vir Chakra". The Times of India. 5 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ^ NCERT 2016, p. 12.
- ^ Priya Aurora (27 December 2013). "7 Facts Average Indian Doesn't Know About Param Vir Chakra". Topyaps. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ^ "Maj Somnath Sharma, PVC". The War Decorated India & Trust. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ^ "Vessel details for: Major Somnath Sharma PVC (Crude Oil Tanker) – IMO 8224107, MMSI – 8224107". Marine Traffic. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ Madhu Jain (15 August 1990). "Mandi House hardsells Kashmir in its serial 'Gul Gulshan Gulfam'". India Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
References
- Chakravorty, B.C. (1995), Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners, New Delhi: Allied Publishers, ISBN 978-81-7023-516-3
- Khanduri, Chandra B. (2006), Thimayya: An Amazing Life, New Delhi: Knowledge World, ISBN 978-81-87966-36-4
- ISBN 978-93-5007-765-8
External links
- "Param Vir Chakra – Major Somnath Sharma – Episode-1m" (Video). HimalayaFilmsIndia – via YouTube.
- "Major Somnath Sharma – Param Vir Chakra" (Video). Param Vir Chakra. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 – via YouTube.