Photographed sometime in the summer or early fall of 1962, Sikh artillerymen of the Indian Army train with a well worn Ordnance QF (Quick Firing) 3.7” (94mm) mountain howitzer. The crew's training is being overseen by a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) who holds the rank of Naib Subedar. This can be told by the shoulder boards on his uniform shirt that are olive drab in color with a red and yellow band and a gold-hued metal rank pip. For training purposes, the gun shield wasn't needed but as the firing table was affixed to the right portion of the shield, it has been fitted to the gun carriage for the crew to reference.
It is likely that the men are part of the Sikh Regiment, a prestigious and highly decorated unit that was formed on August 1, 1846. Today, the Sikh Regiment is made up of twenty infantry battalions with another three Sikh battalions in the the Territorial Army (a volunteer reserve force). The unit saw combat in many campaigns through the years, including the Second Opium War (in China), the Second and Third Anglo-Afghan Wars, World War One and Two, and numerous post-World War Two conflicts such as the Indo-Pakistani War (1947-48) and the Sino-Indian War which occurred from October 20, 1962 through November 21, 1962.
The catalyst for the Sino-Indian War was the disputed Himalayan border between China and India. As far back as 1959, Chinese and Indian troops fought the occasional skirmish as India's pro-Tibet stance was objected to by China, not the least of which China blamed India for supporting the 1959 Tibetan Uprising. In 1960, India commenced the Forward Policy which saw Indian forces setting up outputs behind Chinese troops in order to sever Chinese supply lines, the intent being to force Chinese troops to retreat. The history of the events that led up to the Sino-Indian War is rich with political machinations, far too many to cover but suffice it to say, on October 20, 1962, the Chinese abandoned a diplomatic resolution to the many issues of contention and outright pushed forces into the disputed territory which ultimately resulted in the Chinese pushing Indian forces out and the Chinese held their Line of Actual Control, a demarcation line that some historians believe was created following the Chinese military gains during the war. Even to this day, the border area remains in dispute despite a formalizing of the line in 1993 under the Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement.
During the brief conflict, Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan of the 1st. Battalion, Sikh Regiment was the only member of the regiment to be decorated for valor with the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), though it was done so posthumously. During the Battle at Bum La which occurred on October 23, 1962, twenty men (including Singh) from the 1st. Battalion manned a post at the Bum La Pass that connects Cona County, Tibet and the Tawang District in India. Chinese troops, marching on Tawang, hurled two waves of attacks against the post to dislodge the defenders. Despite each wave numbering some 200 men, the Sikh soldiers threw the Chinese back but lost half their number in the process. When the third and final wave came, Singh (who was, by this time, wounded) refused to leave his post and out of ammunition, his men fixed bayonets and charged the Chinese troops. This bold counter-attack initially caused panic in the Chinese but soon, their superior numbers won the day and Singh and his men were cut down or captured. Singh himself survived the battle but died of his wounds in Chinese captivity. Singh had been in service since 1936 and saw combat in World War Two and the Indo-Pakistani War in 1947. The PVC is India's highest military decoration, awarded for distinguishing acts of valor during wartime.
Returning to the QF 3.7” mountain gun, the design dates back to 1912 when the Indian military of the British Army wanted a more modern mountain gun to replace the aging 10-pounder mountain gun that had entered service in 1901. The new gun first entered service in 1917, being blooded in battle during the later stages of the Mesopotamian Campaign during World War One. Later versions built in the early 1930s saw the carriage modified with a new gun shield and rubber tires on metal rims rather than the original wooden, spoked wheels shown here. As can be seen, even well after World War Two, the Indian Army still retained these guns as there was nothing suitable to replace them. The gun was also manufactured in India during World War Two. As a mountain gun, it was able to be broken down into eight pack animal (mules, usually) loads. A well trained crew could set up the gun in just under two minutes and break it down in three minutes. A gun crew consisted of six men: commander, gunner, breech operator, loader, and two ammunition handlers. Total weight was 1,610 pounds with a barrel length of 3.8 feet. The gun used a hydro-pneumatic recoil system and the split-trail carriage permitted a maximum gun depression of 5 degrees, a maximum elevation of 40 degrees and a left and right traverse of 20 degrees. The typical muzzle velocity was 973 feet per second that provided a maximum range of 3.4 miles. The gun fired High-Explosive, fragmentation, smoke/chemical, illumination, and High-Explosive Anti-Tank ammunition.
The 3.7” mountain gun remained in service into the early 1970s in the Indian Army though the British had declared it obsolete in 1960. Today, the Indian Army is equipped with the Italian designed and built OTO-Melara Mod 56 105mm pack howitzer for use in mountainous terrain.
Primary Sources:
Clarke, Dale British Artillery 1914-19 (Botley, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2004)
Hogg, Ian V. Allied Artillery of World War Two (Ramsbury: The Crowood Press, Ltd., 2001)
