It took 3-month war in 8217;48 to capture Drass-Kargil

Says Col Shamsher Singh, then second-in-command of 1 Patiala now 15 Punjab, who has settled down in Chandigarh: 8220;It was a great lesson in mountain warfare in snow-clad areas.8221; The unit, 1 Patiala, also known as The Rajindra Sikhs, was the first to capture Zoji La and Drass, winning four Mahavir Chakras and five Vir Chakras for the feat. Then Commanding Officer of 1 Patiala, Brig Sukhdev Singh Retd, is among the highest decorated living soldiers.

As the Drass-Kargil area adjoining the LoC is very close to the main link from Srinagar to Leh NH 1-A, if theenemy occupies the heights in the area, it can fire down on the highway, blocking the approach road to Ladakh. Although there is an alternative route via Manali to Ladakh in Himachal Pradesh, sources say it has limited capacity and is yet to become fully operational.

Col Shamsher Singh, whose grand-daughter Gul Panag was crowned this year8217;s Miss India, was the officiating Commanding Officer of 1 Patiala when the battalion arrived in Srinagar on May 11, 1948 after six months of operations in the Jammu Sector. 8220;We were straightaway ordered to move to Zoji La, tasked to secure and defend Zoji La at any cost and hold the enemy8217;s further advance,8221; he said. After surmounting numerous difficulties, including that of transport and clearing the road of snow and landslide debris, one company reached Zoji La on May 16 and secured Ghumri.

8220;There was snow everywhere when we arrived and the road was only up to Sonmarg, about 50 km from Srinagar,8221; Col Singh recalled. 8220;Troops were acclimatised and hill-climbingexercises were undertaken to make the men fit for high-altitude operations.

8220;We also sent a man to Srinagar to purchase snow goggles. Clothing in the early days was also inadequate and boots and socks used to get wet, causing numbness and frostbites.,8221; he added.

By this time, Drass and Kargil had already fallen and the enemy was advancing towards Zoji La. 8220;The first contact with the enemy was made on May 23, when a 24-man patrol led by a JCO was sent out. The patrol suffered 19 casualties, with the JCO and 12 others being killed,8221; Col Shamsher Singh said.

8220;Then six miles behind, we rushed there with two platoons. The enemy was forced to abandon the position, leaving behind a lot of equipment, including blankets.8221; He remembers that the enemy was from the Gilgit Scouts, raised by the British, well-trained and well-equipped. 8220;We were then situated at a height of about 14,000 feet, and the enemy, deployed in small pickets all around, continued to fire at us from higher positions. We stuck to thepositions for three months,8221; he said.

8220;The battalion withdrew to Zoji La and took up positions on either side of the pass at heights of 15,150 and 16,100 feet, from which enemy attempts to dislodge us failed. 1 Patiala held on till October 31 when 77 Para Brigade, commanded by Brig Atal reached us.8221; By then, it had been decided to break through the pass using Stuart tanks to capture certain vital basins. On November 1, amidst a snow blizzard, the attack commenced, with the tanks having a shock effect and the enemy vacating the ridges.

Tasked to secure certain ridges, 1 Patiala moved at night over the slippery, frozen rocks and took the enemy by surprise, blocking their escape route. About 73 dead and 150 wounded were counted. 8220;

Gen Thimmaya and the Corps commander, Gen Sri Nagesh visited us the next morning. Gen Thimmaya was also offered new boots from captured enemy equipment,8221; Col Shamsher Singh said. The advance continued and troops had to wade through a swift-flowing, waist-deep river.

Themen were rested and then the advance to Drass commenced, with one company moving on either side of the river. On November 14, the troops entered Drass without encountering much opposition. The battalion was again ordered to lead the advance to Kargil and secured the Drass-Shingo junction en route, while another unit, 1/5 Gorkha, secured Kargil.