General Thimayya – The Indian Army’s Finest Heroes

Born on March 31, 1906, in Madikeri, the district town of Kodagu, previously known as Coorg, General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya grew up in the area. He was the son of two great sages, Shri Subbaya Thimayya and Sitamma. He is the son of a coffee grower. As a well-known government official, his parents also reared him. His mother was a member of the illustrious Kaisar-e-Hind Medal family at the time of his birth. Gen Thimayya has three siblings: Gangu, Dachau, and Amavva. The family’s three brothers were all officers in the Indian Army.

Early Years and Career

His secondary education was completed in Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton Boys School after transferring from St. Joseph’s College in Coonoor. When he was 15, he decided to attend the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, which he dropped out of at 15. Having this new facility, Indian cadets were better equipped to face the rigours of the British Army’s Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK. After graduation from the Royal Indian Military College (RIMC), General Thimayya was one of six Indian cadets to attend the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Following his military training, he joined the Indian Army as a Second Lieutenant on February 4, 1926. General Thimayya’s unit, the Highland Light Infantry, was transferred to the British Army to ensure long-term status in the British Indian Army. For duty with the 19th Hyderabad Regiment on May 28, he was assigned to its Kumaon Battalion. On May 4, 1928, he was promoted to lieutenant. Thimayya perfected her martial talents on the Northwest Frontier. There, he was challenged by a ferocious Pathan clan.

General Thimayya married Nina Cariappa, a native of Bangalore, in January 1935. Following their nuptials, they moved to Quetta. The city of Quetta was devastated by an earthquake in the same year. After the accident, Smt. Nina was a forceful voice for the people who had been injured. “Kaisar-e-Hind” medal was given to her as a recognition of her outstanding achievements during this era. On February 4th, he was promoted from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Colonel. When Mireille was born in 1936, her parents gave her the name Mireille. The University Training Corps in Madras had him as director from 1936 to 1938.

During the Second World War

A major was bestowed to him when he completed his service in the University Training Corps, where he was in charge of putting down an uprising in the city-state of Singapore. When he was promoted to acting Major in October 1941, against his better judgement, he was sent to India. After being elevated to Second-in-Charge of the regiment, he had then, recently assumed command of his new base of operations, Agra’s Hyderabad Regimental Centre. Because of the earthquake that struck Quetta in 1935, a local staff college summoned him and his wife to give a speech. 

To become a GSO2 (Ops) in the 25th Indian Division, he had to complete military training in the United States. The regiment operated in Burma during the Second World War against Japanese troops. After being promoted to lieutenant colonel, he was given command of the same unit he commanded in Agra in 1943. Because of his leadership, the Japanese could not injure any of India’s soldiers. 

The unit was sent to several Burmese towns for the next two years to fight against the Japanese. On September 6, 1942, he became the only Indian Commissioned Officer in the 36th Infantry Brigade to command it during World War II. “DSO” and “Mention in Dispatches” were awarded to him for his gallantry in battle.

At this time, Philippine General Thimaya, the first Indian Commissioned Officer, led an effort to persuade the Japanese that surrendering was in their best interest. At the Singapore surrender ceremony, he signed the document on behalf of India. Claude Auchinleck, the Indian Army’s top commander, immediately saw him. As a British Commonwealth Occupation Army member during World War II, he commanded the 268th Indian Infantry Brigade. With an impressive military record, he was promoted to Brigadier General.

Liberation of India: Its Importance

A member of the Indian Armed Forces Committee visited India in 1947 and evaluated British military supplies for India after the nation’s partition. After completing his duties on the committee, he was elevated to the rank of Major-General. 

Before leading the division’s soldiers, he was promoted to the rank of division commander. On his first day in charge, Maj. Gen. Thimaya ordered Pakistani invaders out of Kashmir; the rest is history.

Gen. Subhaya Thimayya achieved a lot during his term as the head of the Indian Military Academy at DehraDun. Not a secret here. Because of this, he was selected to serve on the Neutral Nations Reparations Commission for Korea. His work with the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission earned him a promotion to Lieutenant General and a transfer to the Southern Command in January 1953. 

At the time, he was the General Officer Commanding in Chief of all three military divisions: the Southern, Eastern, and Western (during different tenures). It began on January 1, 1949, when he became the first Indian Colonel of the Kumaon Regiment. In 1953, he earned the “Padma Bhushan” award for his services to India.

First Indian Commissioned Officer

On May 7, 1957, Gen. Subayya Thimayya became the Indian Army’s sixth Army Chief of Staff. I took a leave of absence in 1959 because of my discontent with Shri V K Krishna Menon, who served as India’s defence minister. To keep him as prime minister, Nehru persuaded him to quit first. In 1961, after 35 years of meritorious service, he retired from the Army.

Conclusion

At Sunny Side, his wife Gen Thimayya and their child spend most of their time. After India’s loss in the 1962 war, the Defence Council convened to review defence issues. Gen Thimayya, the newest council member, just joined the ranks. Although he made several suggestions to the government, the council never got off the ground and met less often after he stepped down. A few years after Cyprus became an independent state, the United Nations contacted General Thimayya about a peacekeeping mission. On December 18, 1965, he was shot and killed while in charge of the United Nations Forces in Cyprus. (UNFICYP).