Thread by @TORUKH_MAKTO

Here are some unknown facts about The legend Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw
His nickname was Sam Bahadur ( “Sam the brave” )
Sam Manekshaw was first IA officer to be promoted to the 5* rank of field marshal, was born on April 3, in the year 1914.
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He spent a glorious military career spanned over 5 decades & participated in 5 different wars.With a swashbuckling personality & signature twirling moustache,his name is enough to spark reverence &admiration in minds of army officials bt also of evry1 who knws Abt him.
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Born on April 3, 1914, to Parsi parents, Hormusji Manekshaw and Heerabai, Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw grew up in Punjab. Interestingly, Sam was initially given the name Cyprus, before it was changed by a concerned aunt.

~ pic of her wife siloo with daughters
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She had heard of a Parsi named Cyrus being sentenced to jail and did not want her nephew to have a name that could prove to be unlucky.Sam has completed his education from Nainital’s Sherwood College with distinction.

~sam and his wife
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A good student, he wanted to go to London to pursue medicine like his gynaecologist father. But Hormusji refused, saying that Sam was too young to stay abroad on his own. In an act of rebellion, an angry Sam appeared for the Indian Military Academy (IMA) entrance examination.
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He got through, and on October 1, 1932, became a part of the first batch of 40 cadets to be selected for the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.After being commissioned, Sam was attached to the 2 Royal Scots.
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Since his name was a mouthful for most of the officers of the Scottish Regiment, they abridged to “Mr Mackintosh”Nearly a decade later, the outbreak of World War II led to Japanese forces invading Burma & in Feb 1942, Manekshaw saw action during the battle of Sittang bridge.
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During a counter-offensive, he was hit nine times in the stomach by machine-gun fire – but continued to lead his soldiers. His exemplary leadership ultimately clinched the crucial Sittang bridge for the Allies.
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When the Divisional Commander, Sir David Tennent Cowan, heard of Manekshaw’s bravery, he rushed to the battle site, whipped off his own Military Cross ribbon and pinned it on the wounded officer’s chest, saying: “A dead person cannot be awarded a Military Cross.”
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One of the most famous anecdotes abt Manekshaw also linked to the aforementioned time when he ws shot at 9 times in Burma yet miraculously survived. So grievious were his injuries that the surgeon operating ws gng to gve up bullet-riddled body until he asked Sam wat happened
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To this, the wounded soldier retorted in true Manekshaw-fashion, “Nothing happened, I was kicked by a donkey.” A man who could joke at such a time, the surgeon reckoned, had a chance. And he did indeed, going on to become the 8th Chief of Staff of the Indian Army.
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He got wounded for the second time in Burma after he joined the 12 Frontier Force Rifles under Field Marshal Slim's 14th Army..But the history was written for Sam' courage and valour due with golden words and nothing can take it that for granted
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As a military leader, Sam was able to demand courage frm his soldiers because his own was never in doubt.His distinguished career spanned 4 decades & 5 wars,beginning with British IA during World War II & culminating decisive 1971 triumph that led to birth of Bangladesh
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Such was the respect Sam commanded in the military world that when he visited Nepal after liberating Bangladesh, King Mahendra conferred on him the title and sword of Honorary General of the Royal Nepal Army.
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This was the beginning of a tradition whereby chiefs of the 2 neighbouring countries are made generals in each others’ armies. One of the mst celebrated generals of the Indian Army,Sam ws awarded the PV in 72 & became 1st IA officer to be promoted to the rank of FM in Jan 73
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Although Manekshaw never actually commanded any Gorkha regiment, he was an avowed admirer of Gorkha soldiers. He could never actually decide which of the two regiment (5 or 8 Gorkhas) he liked more, so he carried two lanyards representing both regiments.
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In fact, so impressed was he by the fighting skills and valour of the gritty Gorkhas, that he famously said,
“If a soldier says he is not afraid of death, he is either lying or he is a Gorkha”

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This deep admiration was enthusiastically returned by the Gorkhalis — Sam Bahadur remains a popular household name among the community. There’s also an interesting tale about the origin of ‘Sam Bahadur’, the moniker Manekshaw was affectionately known by.
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1ce, a Gorka soldier Harka Bahadur Gurung, serving in the Quarter Guard (a ceremonial guard mounted at the entrance of a military unit) was accosted by Sam,who barked: “Mero naam ke ho?(What’s my name?)” W/o batting an eyelid, the Gorkha belted out, “Sam Bahadur,saab.”
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The military hero loved the quick riposte and the name stuck. Sam was a decisive leader and able listener who was always considerate to those under his command. Almost always finishing his own work in an hour, he would often spend the rest of his time floating

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from one office to another, dropping in on harried juniors and eagerly helping them with their tasks. In fact, his colourful language and irreverent jokes were known to set off tidal waves of mirth through the army headquarters.
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The charismatic Gen stood on ceremony. As Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee 1ce said, it was Sam's plain-speak tht achieve ‘jointness’ amng the 3 services.This was evidenced by the synergised ops tht resulted IA achieving wat no army hs done since WW II—liberating a nation
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In fact, when he was asked to go to Dhaka to accept the surrender of the Pakistani forces, Manekshaw declined the honour, saying that it belonged to the eastern army commander, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora.
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This gesture illustrates why he was respected by all who served under or came into contact with him. At the end of WWII, Manekshaw was sent as Staff Officer to General Daisy in Indo-China. There he helped rehabilitate over 10,000 Japanese war prisoner's.
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His respect towards Womens was so good that
Mankeshaw did not want Indian Army to get into the brutal trend of dishonoring and raping women in a defeated land. So he advised his army
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A story few people know is that, at the time of the Partition, Manekshaw and Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (the third President of Pakistan) used to work together on the staff of Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck.
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Their job was to help out with the additional administrative duties that Partition brought along with it.After Partition, when the two military officers parted ways, Yahya offered to buy Manekshaw’s red James motorcycle.
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He promised to send over a princely sum of Rs 1000 from Pakistan. Manekshaw agreed and Yahya took the bike with him.However, as it turns out, Yahya never got around to sending the payment.
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After India’s victory in the 1971 and the Instrument of Surrender being signed on December 16, Manekshaw was heard saying,
““Yahya never paid me the Rs. 1000 for my motorbike, but now he has paid with half his country.””

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Magnificently moustachioed, dapper and droll, Manekshaw was a man impervious to political pressure. He once surmised,
“I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor;
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gun from a howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla, although a great many resemble the latter.”From fighting off the government’s attempt to downsize the army (in what came to be known as Plan 100) to frequent skirmishes with defence minister VK Krishna Menon,
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Manekshaw’s razor-sharp wit almost landed him in trouble on several occasions.But he ws saved by the fact that no1 evr doubted that he would uphold the oath he had taken while joining the army. As he said while giving the inaugural FM Cariappa memorial lecture in 96.
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There is a very thin line between being dismissed and becoming a field marshal.
*He was awarded by military cross for his brave action
Manekshaw received a Military Cross for his brave encounter during the WW II when he was shot in the stomach by a Japanese soldier in Burma.
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He was spearheading a counter-offensive against the Japanese army.After serving the Indian Army for nearly four decades, Sam Manekshaw retired on January 15, 1973.*Sam Manekshaw died at the age of 94. This sad incident happend on June 27, 2008, after suffering frm pneumonia
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*Sam Manekshaw died at the age of 94. This sad incident happend on June 27, 2008, after suffering from pneumonia. He died as Legend On June 27, 2008 pple gathered at India gate to pay their homage to FM Sam Manekshaw who passed away at the Military Hospital in Wellington,TN
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Even Ex- US president Obama paid him a glowing tribute after his death; Obama pays glowing tribute to Sam Manekshaw
He is especially known for his heroics during the 1971 Indo-Pak War when he was the Chief of Army Staff.
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Indian Forces successfully initiated operations on the Eastern and Western front and eventually won the war that led to the birth of Bangladesh under his leadership.

# JAI HIND !!