First Indian Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army

General (later Field Marshal) K.M. Cariappa was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army. He was Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army from 15 January 1949 to 31 March 1953. 

Field Marshal K M Cariappa was born on 28 January 1900 in Mercara state, in present day Karnataka. He had his formal education in the Central High School at Madikeri, after which he pursued his higher education at Presidency College, Madras. After the end of First World War in 1918, Indian politicians of the time raised a demand to sanction Indians to the King's Commission. Cariappa received the King's Commission in 1919 with the first group of Indian cadets, and in 1933, was the first Indian officer to join Staff College, Quetta. 

K M Cariappa won the award of OBE in 1945 while serving as the Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General with 26 Indian Division in the Arakans. In 1986, General K M Cariappa was honored with the rank of Field Marshal by the President of India. Field Marshal Cariappa passed away on 15 May 1993.

First Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army

General Sir Francis Robert Roy Bucher was the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army. He was Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army from 1 January 1948 to 14 January 1949. 

General Roy Bucher was born on 31 August 1895. He was commissioned in the British Indian Army on 15 August 1914. He held various appointments including Assistant Adjutant General from Jan 1941 to June 1941 and Additional Quartermaster General, in Iraq, from June 1941 to March 1942. General Bucher was appointed as General Officer Commanding Bengal and Assam Area in 1946 and was latter General Officer Commanding - in - Chief, Eastern Command, from 1946 to 1947. Later, he took over as Chief of Staff, Army Headquarters, and was appointed Commander in Chief. General Roy Bucher died in 1980.

First Recipient of Param Vir Chakra

Major Som Nath Sharma was the first recipient of Param Vir Chakra (PVC). Param Vir Chakra is the highest Indian gallantry award. Major Somnath Sharma was awarded PVC for his bravery in Badgam, Kashmir in November 1947 while fighting Pakistani invaders. 

Major Somnath Sharma, was born on 31 January 1923, in Himachal Pradesh. He was commissioned in the Kumaon Regiment on 22 February 1942. On 22 October 1947, Pakistan launched the tribal invasion of Jammu & Kashmir. The intention was to grab the Kashmir valley by force. To save the State from a tribal invasion, India dispatched troops to Srinagar. 

On 3 November 1947, Major Somnath Sharma's company was ordered on a fighting patrol to Badgam Village in the Kashmir Valley. He was soon surrounded by the enemy from three sides and his company sustained heavy casualties from the ensuing artillery bombardment. He realized the importance of holding onto his position as both the city of Srinagar and the airport would be vulnerable if it were lost. Under heavy fire and outnumbered seven to one, Major Somnath Sharma and his troops fought till last blood and halted the advance of Pakistani invaders for a few crucial hours till Indian reinforcements arrived.

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.

First Woman Air Marshal of Indian Air Force

Padmavathy Bandopadhyay was the first woman Air Marshal of Indian Air Force. She was the Director General Medical Services (Air) at the Air Headquarters. Padmavathy Bandopadhyay joined the IAF in 1968. She had the distinction of being the first woman officer to become an aviation medicine specialist.

Padma Bandopadhyay was awarded the Visisht Seva Medal for her meritorious service during the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict. She is the first woman Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society of India and the first Indian woman to have conducted scientific research at the North Pole. She is also the first woman officer to have completed the Defence Service Staff College course in 1978 and to command the IAF's Central Medical Establishment (CME). Padma Bandopadhyay was also the first woman officer of the Indian Air Force to be promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal.

First Indian Chief of Air Staff

Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee was the first Indian Chief of Air Staff of Indian Air Force. He was Air Chief from 1 April 1954 to 8 November 1960. He was one of the six recruits selected for training at RAF Cranwell, when the decision to give commissions in the RAF to Indians was taken. He was inducted in the Indian Air Force as pilot in 1933, when the first Indian Air Force Squadron was formed. In July 1938,he was put in command of 'B' flight of the No.1 IAF Squadron in the rank of Flying Officer. Subroto Mukherjee became the first Indian Officer to command a Squadron when he took over No.1 on 16 March 1939. 

On 15 August 1947, when India achieved Independence, Air Commodore Mukherjee was promoted to Air Vice Marshal and posted as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff at Air HQ. On 1 April 1954, Mukherjee took over from Air Marshal Gerald Gibbs as the Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. Subroto Mukherjee died on 8 November 1960 in a Tokyo restaurant, when he choked on the food which blocked his air passage.

First Woman Lt General of Indian Army

Lt General (Mrs) Punita Arora of the Army's Medical Corps was the first woman Lt General of Indian Army. Lt Gen Punita Arora graduated from Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune and joined Army Medical Corps in 1968. She did her Post-graduation in Gynae and Obst from AFMC and was awarded Gold Medal for standing first in Pune University. During her service she worked as Gynaecologist at various prestigious Armed Forces Hospitals like Prof & Head AFMC and Army Hospital (R & R).

Lt Gen Punita Arora was awarded Sena Medal by President of India for establishing Gynae Endoscopy and Oncology facilities in Armed Forces Hospitals. She was awarded Vishisht Seva Medal by President of India for the efficient and prompt treatment provided to the victims of Kalu Chak terrorist attack, under her leadership while commanding Military Hospital, Jammu. Lt Gen (Mrs) Punita Arora was appointed as Commandant, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune

First Indian Chief of Naval Staff

Vice Admiral RD Katari was the first Indian Chief of Naval Staff. He was Naval Chief from 22 April 1958 to 4 June 1962. Vice Admiral Katari had many other "firsts" to his credit. He had the unique triple distinction of being the first cadet to join the Training Ship Dufferin, when this institution was founded in 1927, to be first winner of the Viceroy's Gold Medal and to become the first Member representative Ex-Cadets on the Governing Body of the Dufferin. 

Vice Admiral Katari was born in Chinglenut (near Madras) and spent his childhood and youth in Hyderabad. After completing his studies, he joined the Training Ship Dufferin and stood first in the entrance examination. After World War II, Vice Admiral Katari held important sea commands and was responsible for clearing the mines that had been laid near the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in December 1948. In 1954, he took over as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and was promoted to the rank of Commodore. In March 1956 he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. He was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and Chief of Naval Staff in April 1958.