First Field Marshal of Indian Army

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, popularly known as Sam Bahadur, was the first Field Marshal of Indian Army. He was appointed Field Marshal on 1 January 1973. He is the first of only two Indian military officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal of the Indian Army. The other was Field Marshal K M Cariappa. He was conferred the rank of Field Marshal in 1986.

Sam Manekshaw was born on April 3, 1914. He belonged to the first batch of 40 cadets to be selected for the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned into the 12 FF Rifles on 4 February 1934. He was awarded Military Cross (MC) for his gallantry and leadership on the Burma Front.

On 4 December 1963, then Lt General Manekshaw became the first Indian Commissioned Officer to become an Army Commander and became the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command before taking over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command in November 1964. Field Marshal Manekshaw was appointed the Chief of the Army Staff on 8 June 1969. His able military leadership helped India defeat Pakistan in the 1971 war.