Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa or Kodandera Madappa Cariappa was the first Commander-in-Chief of independent India. He led Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. He is one of only two Indian Army officers to hold the five-star rank of field marshal; the other being Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. He was appointed commander-in-chief of the Indian Army in 1949.
