It was decided that the Indian Army would send an all Indian brigade as part of BRINDIV, to join the BCOF and oversee the demilitarisation of post-war Japan. Little did this writer dream that, he would be serving under this distinguished soldier at the end of World War II.
Brigadier K S Thimayya, DSO, was the first Indian Commissioned Officer to command an operational brigade in Burma. He was then one of the three Indian Commanding Officers, the other two being Lieutenant Colonels Thorat and L P Sen, involved in the vital battle of Kangaw where his performance was described by Major General ‘Lakri’ Wood, GOC 26 Indian Infantry Division of the Fourteenth Army, as “outstanding”. The citation reads, inter alia, “Lieutenant Colonel Thimayya handled every situation with cool judgement and cheerful confidence” during the severe fighting at Maungdaw in the spring of 1944. This piece is by no means a mini biography or encyclopedic profile, but is penned by one who had the proud privilege of serving under him from 1945 onwards when the then Brigadier Thimayya had the distinction of being selected to command the all Indian 268 Indian Infantry Brigade designated to be part of the British Indian Division (BRINDIV) of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces (BCOF) in Japan.īeing a war time Indian Emergency Commissioned Officer of the Maratha Light Infantry in the mid 1940s, I was proud to hear of the exploits of Lieutenant Colonel K S Thimayya, then commanding a battalion of the Hyderabad Regiment in the Burma Campaign and award of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). A statue of General K S Thimayya, distinguished soldier statesman, stands proudly in the heart of Madigeri, Coorg. He is none other than “Thimayya of India” as this Officer and Gentleman is described by Geoffrey Evans. March 2006 marks the 100th birth anniversary of, perhaps the greatest soldier the Indian Army has produced. “Thimayya of India : Without Doubt the Greatest” Major General E D’Souza, PVSM (Retd) Guidelines for Contribution in Publications.War Wounded Foundation Joint Essay Competition.Lt Gen SL Menezes Memorial Essay Competition.
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