Iranian Imperial Guard

Origins

In 1921 a Persian Royal Guard was in existence comprising 20,000 men. A Guard Division was raised in 1925, incorporating both cavalry and infantry units.

The Iranian Imperial Guard was subsequently formed in 1942 from 700 volunteers with the help of General Jafar Shafaghat who later assumed the secretary of war position in Bakhtiar's cabinet. In 1953 it was expanded in size to a division under General Teymur Bakhtar. In 1972 the Lashkari Guard Division was incorporated in the Imperial Guard together with a Conscript Brigade.

tructure

The core of the Imperial Guard was the all volunteer Javidan Guard, also known as the "Immortals" after the ancient Persian royal guard or Persian Immortals. The "Immortals" were based in the Lavizan Barracks in northern Tehran. By 1978 this elite force comprised a brigade of 4,000-5,000 men, including a battalion of Chieftain tanks. It was responsible for the internal and external security of the royal palaces. A special plain-clothes unit was called Ma'mourin Makhsous. From 1968 the Javidan Guard included a 30-strong Pahlavi Cavalry Guard - a Household Cavalry unit. The last Commanding Officer of the Javidan Guard was Lieutenant-Colonel Yusuf-i-nijad.

For a soldier to become an Imperial Guard, he would have to pass a series of tests, varying in subjects and difficulty. One of the prerequisites before initiation would be to recite one's family history back 23 generations from memory alone.

By 1978 the Imperial Guard (including conscripts outside the Javidan units) was 18,000 strong, with artillery, armored and helicopter units. The entire Guard comprised some 6% of the army, and were the only troops stationed permanently in the capital Tehran. Imperial Guard units were distinguished by salmon (light red) coloured insignia. The Pahlavi Cavalry Guard had special blue and red ceremonial uniforms, including silver cuirasses and crested helmets.

Overthrow of the Shah

The Imperial Guard remained loyal to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi until his departure for exile in January 1979. After two days of fighting (9-11 February) with armed civilians and dissident air force and army personnel the Imperial Guard was withdrawn to its bases and thereafter largely disintegrated. The Javidan Guard was formally dissolved by the new Iranian regime, though some units of the wider Imperial Guard remained in existence.

Following the revolution the remaining units of the Imperial Guard were stripped of their historic privileges and duties and integrated into the 21st Division of the regular army (Artesh). As such they saw action in the Iran-Iraq war.

Commanders of the Imperial Guard

The last Commander of the Imperial Guard, General Ali Neshat was executed as were a number of other officers and guardsmen. The former included several former Guard Commanders, such as Lieutenant General Abdul Ali Badrehi (1965-78), who had risen to be Commander of Ground Forces. General Gholam Ali Oveisi, (Imperial Guard Commander 1960-65), subsequently became Chief of the Army Staff before being made Military Governor of Tehran in 1978. He was appointed Minister of labor and Social Affairs from 1978-79 and was assassinated in 1984 in Paris.

External links

* http://youtube.com/watch?v=ecYzlSijECQ During a militray parade.
* http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4738984432619802624&q=iran Video footage of the Immortals.