Kodandera Subayya Thimayya

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General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya DSO
General KS Thimayya
3rd Chief of the Army Staff
In office 8 May 1957 – 7 May 1961
President	Rajendra Prasad
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	Satyawant Shrinagesh
Succeeded by	Pran Nath Thapar
Personal details
Born	(1906-03-31)31 March 1906[1][2] Madikeri, Coorg, Mysore, British India (now Kodagu district, Karnataka, India)
Died	18 December 1965 (1965-12-19) (aged 59)[3][4] Cyprus
Military career
Allegiance	British India  India
Service / branch	British Indian Army  Indian Army
Years of service	1926 – 1961
Rank	General
Service number	AI-944[5]
Unit	19th Hyderabad Regiment (Now Kumaon Regiment)
Commands	Eastern Army Southern Army Western Army 19th Infantry Division 268th Indian Infantry Brigade 8/19 Hyderabad United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
Awards	Padma Bhushan Distinguished Service Order

General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya DSO (31 March 1906 – 18 December 1965) was the 3rd Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1957 to 1961 during the crucial years leading up to the conflict with China in 1962. Thimayya was the only Indian to command an Infantry brigade in battle during the Second World War and is regarded as the most distinguished combat officer the Indian Army has produced.^[6] After the Korean War, Thimayya headed a United Nations unit dealing with the repatriation of prisoners of war. After his retirement from the Army, he was appointed Commander of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus from July 1964 to December 1965 and died in Cyprus while on active duty on 18 December 1965.