1971. 1999. War Stories

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1971. 1999. War Stories documents the 'oral history' of the war veterans of the Liberation and Kargil War. Culled from personal interviews, this compilation of anecdotes gives you a glimpse into the minds of those who made decisions that saved thousands of lives and possibly changed the course of history.

From getting caught by the Pakistanis as a Prisoner of War, to dangerous landings on muddy grounds, healing bullet-ridden aircraft to clandestine missions carried out by our helicopter and transport stalwarts, each story brings out aspects of leadership, motivation, management and most importantly, the resilience of our soldiers in uniform. Unfiltered and unbiased, these are personal war accounts straight from the soldiers who participated in these conflicts.

Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (Retd) took to writing after 36 years of glorious service in the IAF. His columns appear in leading media and journals. Currently residing in Chandigarh, the veteran turned writer is a cyclist and keen adventure enthusiast who motivates young aspirants to join the Armed Forces. When not indulging himself in his love for graphology, Sathe can be seen cooking delicacies and devouring history.

His earlier works include A Few Good Men and the Angry Sea (2014), award-winning Born to Fly (2016) and Up in the Sky - Helicopter Stories (2018). This is his fourth endeavour.

1. Unadulterated, raw and real anecdotes from the soldiers who have toiled hard in wars always evoke immediate interest and patriotic fervour amongst its readers.

2. Contribution of IAF in the outcome of 1971 war and the Kargil conflict needs no special emphasis, but the vivid depiction of war scenes by the author Air Cmde Nitin Sathe in the book deserves a suitable mention.

3. Personal stories of both the wars are culled from personal interviews conducted by the author over many years. These stories from the war veterans offer a glimpse into the minds of those who made decisions at the right time that changed the course of history. Each story evinces leadership, motivation, man & machine management and most importantly, the resilience and perseverance of our soldiers. The book brings out many aspects of operations carried out at the icy heights of Kargil and the muddy landing grounds of East Pakistan and is an amazing compilation of first hand experiences.

4. I am confident that this book would be a great source of inspiration and awe to all the readers. My best wishes to the editorial team.

IN 1947, Pakistan was trying to handle a difficult partition with India. It was a country split into two parts called West and East Pakistan at a distance of 1,500 km apart, with the giant landmass of India in between. Right from the time they gained independence, it was clear to the Pakistani leadership that keeping the country together as one was a difficult proposition, for many reasons more than the physical distance between the two parts.

The power centre of this country lay in the West, and the command and control over the East which had more than 55 per cent of the total population, was difficult. A population which thought itself so different than their western counterparts that it always felt alienated and treated like a second-rate citizen.