A. B. Tarapore | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 18 August 1923 Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (Present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) |
| Died | 16 September 1965 (aged 42) Chawinda, Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Hyderabad State India |
| Service/ | Hyderabad Army Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1951 (Hyderabad Army) 1951–1965 (Indian Army) |
| Rank |  Lieutenant colonel |
| Service number | IC-5565[1][2] |
| Unit | Hyderabad Lancers Poona Horse |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |  Param Vir Chakra |
Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore, PVC (18 August 1923 – 16 September 1965), was an Indian military officer and posthumous recipient of India's highest military award, the Param Vir Chakra. After completing his schooling in Pune, Tarapore joined the Hyderabad Army, and was commissioned in January 1942. Initially he joined the infantry, but was later transferred to an armoured regiment, the 1st Hyderabad Imperial Service Lancers. During World War II, Tarapore saw action in the Middle Eastern theatre of the war.
After Hyderabad State was annexed by India in 1948, Tarapore was selected to join the Indian Army. He was commissioned again in April 1951, and was posted to the Poona Horse regiment, 17th Battalion. Later he attended a training course in the United Kingdom on the Centurion tank. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, 17 Horse saw action in the Sialkot sector. Tarapore led the regiment in several tank battles between 11 and 16 September, and was killed in one such battle at Butur-Dograndi on 16 September. Under his leadership the regiment destroyed sixty Pakistani tanks, while the Indians suffered the loss of nine.
- ^ Chakravorty 1995, p. 77.
- ^ "Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore". Gallantry Awards, Ministry of Defence. Government of India. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.