The Kargil Victory (Battles from Peak to Peak)

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As the sun set, the Pakistani artillery started shelling. The bombs flew past us, bursting with a loud thundering sound as they landed, and sending shockwaves that shook the ground. While we were alarmed, the soldiers present continued their work...

Early in May 1999, when word came from a shepherd searching for his strayed yak that some mysterious men in black clothes were clambering around on the frozen hilltops of Kargil, no one could have anticipated that it would be the precursor to a full-fledged armed conflict between India and Pakistan. Over the next several weeks, the Indian Army responded with courage, focus and immense professionalism to craft a comprehensive victory, recapturing all the posts that had been occupied by stealth by the Pakistani Army.

This Himalayan showdown is brought alive in these pages through the words of a veteran Indian Army officer who was present throughout the conflict and, for the first time, recounts both his own experiences and the stories of the heroic soldiers who fought and won fierce battles from one peak to another. He narrates the individual and collective acts of bravery and the astute military strategies that won the war for India. Containing detailed maps, eyewitness accounts and photographs, The Kargil Victory is a thorough, inspiring and accessible book for all those who want to know the real story of the Kargil War.

An infantry officer, Colonel S.C. Tyagi (Retd) was commissioned in the Rajput Regiment of the Indian Army and has held various instructional and staff appointments at the National Defence Academy, the Army War College, and as the Colonel G.S. of a Mountain Division, among others. He took part in the operations of the IPKF in Sri Lanka and voluntarily served in the Kargil war zone during Operation Vijay. He was the Founder Commandant of the Corps Battle School in the Kashmir Valley. He has been a Research Fellow at USI, where he authored his first book, The Fourth Estate: A Force Multiplier for the Indian Army.

After retirement from his career of active military service spanning thirty-two years, Col Tyagi has served in the Ministry of Electronics and IT and as a Cyber Consultant with the Government of India at the apex level. He recently designed an online cyber security fundamental hygiene course for the Common Service Centres. He is the founder and President of the National Association for the Blind, Meerut and the co-founder of Setu, in Delhi, both not-forprofit organizations working in the field of disabilities.

'It is a country where the sun shines mildly, being a place created by Kashyap as if for his glory. High school-houses, the saffron, iced-water and grapes, which are rare even in heaven, are common here. Kailasa is the best place in the three worlds, Himalaya the best part of Kailasa, and Kashmir the best place in Himalaya

-Rajatarangini

Rajatarangini (The River of Kings), a historical account written by Kashmiri poet Kalhana, describes the Valley of Kashmir in the Himalayas as a large lake around which great sages lived. As per legend, Kashmir has its origin in the name of one of these revered sages, Kashyap Rishi. Archaeological finds indicate that civilization existed in Kashmir as early as 5000 BCE.* A land of unparalleled beauty, Kashmir assumed geostrategic importance several centuries later, due not only to its natural abundance, but also because of its link to the famous Silk Route that connected Central Asia with China, via Tibet. The fame of its rich caravans attracted an army of invaders who came to conquer and plunder. As Kashmir offered access to the rich plains of Punjab and beyond, as well as to the Silk Route, it was a prize conquest. The Kushans, Huns, Tartars, Mughals, Sikhs and Dogras controlled or ruled over this paradise from the mediaeval period onwards.

The Partition of India in August 1947 was one of the greatest tragedies that our planet has seen, as millions of people who shared a common heritage left their homes and family histories, to form separate cultural identities. When it came to Kashmir, its ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh, had been slow to make up his mind about whether to join India or Pakistan. Many attempts were made to influence the Maharaja to accede to Pakistan, but in the end he chose to remain independent.

Within a few months, Pakistan had sent its Raiders to conquer Kashmir. They occupied many parts of both Jammu and Kashmir and took over Gilgit and Baltistan. Threatened by their actions and their rapid advance to Srinagar, the capital city, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession with India. The Indian Army landed in Kashmir to fight the Raiders the very next day, 27 October 1947. The Raiders offered resistance, but soon lost heart and began retreating, even though they were backed up by Pakistani troops.

In Ladakh, most of the existing army forces had fallen back to Skardu, a small town which falls en route to Leh. It was held by a small garrison of men under Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa. The garrison was heavily outnumbered and the town was besieged from all sides for the next eight months, before finally capitulating on 14th August, 1948. The Pakistani Raiders also occupied the shoulders of Zoji La* and quickly moved to Dras and Kargil to reach the vicinity of Leh. Once Leh was threatened by a well-entrenched enemy, Major General K.T. Thimayya, DSO, the General Officer Commanding, decided to employ light tanks to regain control over the pass and the road link to Leh. In addition, two relief columns were sent to Leh by different routes.

**Contents and Sample Pages**