Partition did not spare Indian Artillery. It consisted of Field, Air Defence, Counter Bombardment, Coastal, Air Observation Post Branches and was allotted eighteen and half Artillery Regiments while the remaining nine and half units were allotted to Pakistan.

To add to the already strained atmosphere, there was the vexed question of the British themselves. Where would they go? Could they continue with their present units? All these questions remained unanswered and Major PD Morris of 659 Squadron found an unlikely confident in Lieutenant Colonel Bazeley in faraway England. As Morris wrote on 14th Aug 1947.

“I am writing this letter on the last day of 659 Squadron existences. The Squadron disbands in theory, at midnight and at the same moment two independent AOP Flights, one Indian and the other Pakistan come into being. The Partition however is still very obscure. We have no Muslim officers, very few senior Indian or Pakistan air force NCOs, and no Indian on Pakistan Gunners at all. All the British Members of the Squadron have had the opportunity to volunteer to stay on out here for a year, but the terms of service are very bad, and the only volunteer in the whole squadron is myself”.

Army Air Defence

 Indian Air Defence Artillery came into being 01 Aug 1940 with the raising of ‘K’ Indian Anti Craft Regiment at Hyderabad. Due to rapid modernization and expansion of Air Defence conversion courses for officers were introduced at the School of Artillery in the sixties. The officers were there after transferred from the Field Artillery to the Air Defence Artillery. In February 1969 a separate Air Defence Wing was raised at the School of Artillery, Devlali to cater to specialized training. This wing moved from the School of Artillery, Devlali and was established as Air Defence and Guided Missile School (now rechristened Army Air Defence College) at Gopalpur in Orissa during Dec 1989. The Army Air Defence Corps formally came into being on 10 Jan 1994 breaking its umbilical cord from the Regiment of Artillery.

Army Aviation Corps

Artillery officers had been at the controls of aircraft as Air Observation Post for over 60 years. This elite band of selected Artillery officers flew small, unarmed fixed wing aircraft on a variety of missions. Right through this period, the Army had been canvassing for its own ‘air arm’ one that would be wholly manned and controlled by it. Such thinking was very much line with global trends and sound tactical and strategic reasons. In 1986, after prolonged debate and consultation, the Government of India gave formal approval for the formation of Army Aviation Corps. Caved out of Regiment of Artillery, this young dynamic with state of art flying platforms continue to carry the proud legacy of Gunners. The Air Observation Post first came to Indian Artillery In the form of 656 Air OP Squadron RAF which arrived on 14 November 1943. Lieutenant Furdon SB Mehta becoming the first Indian Air OP officer.