Indian Soldiers To March In Paris Again After 107 Years; Glorious Return For Punjab Regiment

NEW DELHI: Indian movie and military history buffs were more than a little disappointed when the 2017 Hollywood Film ‘Dunkirk’ omitted the part where Indian soldiers marched on the streets of Paris following the Allied victory in World War II.

That part will be remembered more than a century later, when the soldiers of the Punjab Regiment make a journey to France to take part in the Bastille Day parade to be held next week in the French Capital Paris on July 14.

The movie ‘Dunkirk’ is based on the Battle of France, which was fought during World War II, and the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk, a coastal city in Northern France.

It left Indians miffed for erasing the role Indian soldiers (of erstwhile British Indian Army) played during the First World War and then the WW II.

However, an iconic black-and-white photograph of a French lady pinning a flower on an Indian Sikh soldier became viral on social media during the release of ‘Dunkirk.’ This picture was taken during the First World War when Indian soldiers, most likely those of the Sikh Regiment, fighting as part of the British Indian Army, had saved France from falling into German hands in 1916.

Now more than one hundred years later, the wheel of history has turned full circle, as the soldiers of the Indian Army’s Punjab Regiment embarked on a journey to France to take part in the Bastille Day parade being held next week in the French Capital on July 14.

This year, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade or Fête Nationale Française, commonly called the French National Day.

“The Bastille Day parade will witness a 269-member tri-services contingent of the Indian Armed Forces marching alongside their French counterparts. The contingent has left for France today”, said Colonel Sudhir Chamoli, the Indian Army Spokesperson, in Delhi on Thursday.

The Indian contingent’s visit to France is taking place at a time when week-long riots and arson have wracked Paris and other cities.

“The association of the Indian and the French Armies dates back to World War I. Over 1.3 million Indian soldiers participated in the war, and almost 74,000 of them fought in the muddy trenches to never return again, while another 67,000 were wounded”, said the Indian Army in an official statement. It was added that the Indian troops fought valiantly on French soil also and their courage, valour, and supreme sacrifice not only helped thwart the enemy but also contributed significantly towards winning the war.

The spokesperson went on to say that the Army contingent in Paris is being represented by the Punjab Regiment, one of the oldest Regiments of the Indian Army. The Regiment’s troops have participated in both the World Wars, followed by the post-independence operations, he added.

Troops of the Punjab Regiment were awarded with 18 Battle and Theatre Honours in World War-I.

In France, they participated in a battle near Neuve Chapelle in September 1915, which earned them the battle honours named ‘Loos’ and ‘France and Flanders.’

Later, during World War II, a mind-reeling 2.5 million Indian soldiers made valiant contributions in various theatres of the war from Asia to Africa and Europe, including the battlefields of France.

In World War II, 16 Battle Honours and 14 Theatre Honours were earned by soldiers of the Punjab Regiment.

This year, celebrating 25 years of ‘Strategic Partnership’ between the two countries, the armies of India and France have been organizing joint exercises.

The famed Rajputana Rifles Regiment Band is also part the Indian contingent to France, said Colonel Chamoli. The Regiment is the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army, with a long and glorious history.

Captain Aman Jagtap is leading the Indian Army contingent comprising of 77 marching personnel and 38 band members. Commander Vrat Baghel is leading the Indian Navy contingent, while Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy leads the Indian Air Force contingent.

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