The Indian Army Trivia Quiz

Answer: Germany

India's tank arsenal, some of it inherited from the British World War 2 stock post-Independence, has included tanks from the above countries, except Germany. While British and French tanks, such as the Centurion and AMX-13, plus a few vintage Shermans, formed the pride of Indian armour in the 50's and 60's, Soviet tanks such as the T-55, T-62, T-72 (in large numbers) and most recently the T-90, have formed the majority of India's armoured corps since the 70's.

Answer: Vijayanta

After the success of the British Centurion tanks against the much-touted M-48 Pattons of the Pakistani Army, in the fields of Punjab in the 1965 Indo-Pak War, the Indian Army decided to go for British made Mark 1 Vickers' MBT, which was locally renamed as the "Vijayanta" (Victorious tank).

Although this tank is in the process of being phased out, there are still 700-800 in inventory, although they are unlikely to be in active use for long. The other options are T-72 (Ajeya), T-90 (Bheeshma) and BMP-2 (Sharath)

Answer: Nag

"Nag is a third- generation "fire and forget" anti-tank guided missile with a range of 4 to 6 kilometers. Nag can be mounted on an infantry combat vehicle and helicopter launched version of Nag is also available.
Nag is a third generation anti-tank missile system with "fire and forget" and "top attack" capabilities. Capable of defeating modern armour, Nag uses Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) guidance having both day and night capability. The state-of-the-art Imaging Infra Red homing guidance system has lock-on-before-launch capability for day and night operation " (source:http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/nag.htm)
It is said to be superior to the American "Javelin" ATGM in terms of range. It was developed as part of the integrated missiled development plan, which also includes MRBMs, IRBMs and SAMs.

Answer: False

India has never imposed the draft since Independence despite having been involved in three and half declared wars with Pakistan, one with China and numerous insurgencies in the North East and Kashmir. It is an all volunteer force of nearly a million men.

Answer: Brigade of the Guards

"The Brigade of the Guards has been accorded the senior position in the infantry and takes rank first in the arm. Punjab, Grenadiers, Rajputana Rifles and Rajput Regiments provided the battalions that started the Guards. Succeeding battalions were raised by direct recruitment. It's battalions have formed part of United Nations forces in Gaza (Middle East) and Angola. In addition to the 19 infantry battalions, the Regiment also has two Territorial Army battalions and one Rashtriya Rifles battalion.
Guards have made a special name for themselves in the Indian Army, by their combat record and excellence in almost all fields of war and peace. Mechanisation of these battalions is likely to be completed, as only four battalions were left in March 1999. The mechanised battalions of the regiment have already acquired BMP-2 ICVs, anti-tank guided missile launchers and other equipment utilised in mechanized forces. The 19 Guards operates anti-tank guided missiles, while four other battalions operate in the Recce & Support role. These four fight right on the border as frontal support units to the main battalions."

Source:http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Regiments/Guards.html

Answer: Punjab regiment

The Punjab regiment is one named after a REGION, the rest are based on CASTE. Among the other regiments based on a region are: Assam Regiment, Rajputana Rifles, Bihar Regiment, etc.

Answer: Grenadiers Regiment

The Grenadiers Regiment, one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army, has had three PVC awardees in its ranks. Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid, 4th Grenadiers was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra (Posthumous) for the Regiment in 1965 and the second recipient to get the Param Vir Chakra was Major Hoshiar Singh, 3rd Grenadiers in 1971. Hoshiar Singh retired as a Colonel from the Army and passed away in 1998.

The third recipient of this coveted medal, but certainly not the last, was Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav, 18th Grenadiers in 1999. Source: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Regiments/Grenadiers.html

Answer: Bofors guns

The Bofors gun purchase was shrouded in a huge controversy after the discovery of certain incriminating documents, which purported that Rajiv Gandhi had received kickbacks for making the deal come through. Also implicated, in a trial currently underway, are the British-Asian businessmen, the Hinduja brothers.

However, the Kargil saw the effectiveness of the gun proved tremendously, and a tentative order has been placed for more.

Answer: President's Bodyguards

The President's Bodyguard (PBG), as it is known today, was raised in 1773 at Benares, by then Governor General Warren Hastings, with a strength of 50 picked troopers and horses. This nucleus of the Bodyguard was later augmented by another 50, provided by Raja Chet Singh of Benares, bringing the overall strength of the Bodyguard up to 100 horses and men by the end of that year. The establishment of the Regiment varied through the years, being augmented in times of war and it attained its maximum strength of 1929 all ranks, in the Army List of 1845, just prior to the First Sikh War. The PBG continued to be a select cavalry unit, primarily for the personal and battlefield security of the Governor General.
The President's Bodyguard has the unique distinction of being the only military unit in the Indian Army, privileged to carry the President's Silver Trumpet and Trumpet Banner."

Source: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Regiments2/PBG.html

Answer: Joginder Jaswant Singh

"General Joginder Jaswant Singh assumed charge of the Indian Army, as the 22nd Chief of Army Staff, on 31 January 2005. Hailing from a family of warriors, he is a third generation soldier. His grandfather served in the 1/67 Punjab Regiment during the Second World War and his father, Colonel J.S. Marwah served in the Indian Army from 1943 to 1973 and is also a veteran of the Second World War. Born on 17 September 1945 in Bahawalpur (now in Pakistan), he is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and was commissioned into the 9 Maratha Light Infantry on 02 August 1964"

Source: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Army-Chiefs/Chiefs-Army24.html

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