Page 250 - Leadership in the Indian Army

awardees, as well as their spouses. Prem and Mohini attended the
celebrations in London, which comprised a grand parade in Hyde Park, a
garden party at Marlborough, and several other functions. The couple were

in England for almost a month, going on to Europe for a holiday
accompanied by their hosts, the Dewans. Madan Dewan was the Military
Attaché in London, and he and his wife Guddo were close friends of Prem
and Mohini. After a very enjoyable holiday, they returned to India. It had
been an excellent trip and had given both of them a much needed break.
In March 1957, Prem was promoted Brigadier and posted as Commander,
165 Infantry Brigade, located at Ramgarh. This was to be a turning point in

his career, as he had now joined the general cadre, and therefore would be
automatically eligible for command of a division, corps or an army. Though
no Engineer officer had risen to the rank of General, technically this was
possible, and Prem could well be the first one to achieve this distinction. By
all accounts, his performance as a brigade commander was well above par.
His style of functioning made a refreshing change from the typical armchair

commander, who rarely ventured out of his office and did everything by the
book. Prem believed in running a happy team, based on mutual trust and
confidence. He delegated authority to his subordinates and interfered only
when it became absolutely necessary. This applied to operational, training,
as well as administrative matters.
Prem’s brigade was part of 20 Infantry Division, being commanded by
Major General Henderson-Brooks. Once, a two-sided exercise was held, in

which 165 Infantry Brigade was required to effect an opposed river
crossing. Another brigade of the division was in defence, holding the
opposite bank. Prem made a plan which involved a silent crossing away
from the expected crossing point, and then concentrating his force at the
enemy’s rear. When Henderson-Brooks heard of the plan, he thought it was
too ambitious and would probably result in heavy casualties since the

surprise element would be lost. ‘You must be expecting a miracle,’ he told
Prem, who took this as a challenge and was therefore even more determined
to succeed.
True to his word, Prem managed to get his brigade across and behind the
‘enemy’ without loss of surprise. The exercise, which was to last a week,
had to be called off on the fourth day. During the summing up, Major
General Henderson-Brooks lavished praise on Prem and his brigade, saying

that they had ‘succeeded in achieving what appeared to be the impossible.’