Artillery The Back Bone Of PAK Army...........

Before reaching the enviable stage of self-propelled guns, automated fire control system, target acquisition radars, meteorological radars, variety of munitions including nuclear warheads, guided missiles, Artillery has come a long way. There was a time when the regiment was organized in a garrison and field artillery, for laying sieges and defending fortresses. Later came a new organization based on the degree and means of mobility i.e the garrison, horse and field artillery.




The first being fixed and last two being mounted. Still later, followed a newer organization based on the caliber of guns and size of shells i.e. light, medium, heavy and super heavy. Pack or mountain, horse and field artillery falling in the category of light artillery and huge caliber coastal guns falling under the super heavy category. Today, we have bifurcated into mountain, field, medium, heavy and mortars. This division is based on a combination of factors like mobility, caliber, range, trajectory and size of shells etc.

The roots of Royal Artillery and Pakistan Artillery link to the evaluation of Royal Artillery to Royal Indian Artillery and then to Royal Pakistan Artillery, until it became the Regiment of Artillery as today. In the British India, prior to 1861, requirement of artillery was met by the presidency artillery. The year 1861 saw conversion of presidency artillery into Royal Artillery which kept on serving the British Indian Army till 1 November 1940, when the foundation of the Indian Artillery was laid. Later, after the end of World War II in August 1945, the Indian Artillery was re-designated as the Royal Indian Artillery. After the independence in 1947, the Pakistani complement of the Royal Indian Artillery was converted into Royal Pakistan Artillery. Finally, on assumption of national constitution on 23 March 1956, It was decided to re-designate it as the Regiment of Artillery.





Pakistan Artillery inherited only eight gun units, one survey battery, an air observation post flight and two formation headquarters. In addition to this, the Frontier Corps had six 3.7 inch howitzers and fifteen 25 pounder guns. The units inherited were built around a steel frame of old mountain gunners. These men had tempered through years of service in frontier operations and honed in the battlefields of Africa, Middle East, Italy and Burma. Their reaction to the battle was unexcited, instinctive and professional. And it was with these men that we raised regiments after regiments and built a formidable arsenal for the Nation in the form of Pakistan Artillery.