PRIDE OF INDIA_ভারতবর্ষের গর্ব (Page 2 of 2)

At the morning meeting he handed over the (Accession) thing. Mountbatten turned around and said, ' come on Manekji (He called me Manekji instead of Manekshaw), what is the military situation?' I gave him the military situation, and told him that unless we flew in troops immediately, we would have lost Srinagar, because going by road would take days, and once the tribesmen got to the airport and Srinagar, we couldn't fly troops in. Everything was ready at the airport.

As usual Nehru talked about the United Nations, Russia, Africa, God almighty, everybody, until Sardar Patel lost his temper. He said, 'Jawaharlal, do you want Kashmir, or do you want to give it away'. He (Nehru) said,' Of course, I want Kashmir (emphasis in original). Then he (Patel) said 'Please give your orders'. And before he could say anything Sardar Patel turned to me and said, 'You have got your orders'.

I walked out, and we started flying in troops at about 11 o'clock or 12 o'clock. I think it was the Sikh regiment under Ranjit Rai that was the first lot to be flown in. And then we continued flying troops in. That is all I know about what happened. Then all the fighting took place. I became a brigadier, and became director of military operations and also if you will see the first signal to be signed ordering the cease-fire on 1 January (1949) had been signed by Colonel Manekshaw on behalf of C-in-C India, General Sir Roy Bucher. That must be lying in the Military Operations Directorate.

Field Marshal Manekshaw-Part-2

As I started this topic based on the Military personnel of India so writing detailed on Kashmir issue is doing to be a deviation from the topic and more to it since it is quite a controversial matter hence it can create a lot of ambiguity among the readers. Hence I am concluding the issue with a letter which was written to Sardar ballav bhai Patel by maharaja Hari Singh.

Threatening to withdraw accession due to India's inability to protect Kashmir against Pakistan, apprehending India's reference of Kashmir to UNO might go in favour of Pakistan

THE PALACE JAMMU TAWI                       31 January 1948

In Mirpur district at the time when the Indian forces arrived we were still holding Mangla and our territory along the Jhelum Canal bank, but during the last two months we have lost Mangla, Alebeg, Gurdwara and the town of Mirpur, the town of Bhimber and the villages of Deva and Battala, the town of Rajouri and the whole of the area adjoining Chhamb and Noshera. Jhangar, a key-place both for Mirpur and Kotli, was lost after a defeat. These defeats have been a heavy blow to us and have also undermined the prestige of the Indian forces, Not a  single town has so far been recovered by the Indian troops. The  people judge an army from results and not from propaganda carried on about it. On the Kathua-Sialkot border attacks have intensified. Every day there is one raid or another. A number of villages have been burnt, people have been looted, women abducted and there have been killings also. The result is that all the border villages have been vacated and we have about 70,000 to 80,000 refugees in the city of Jammu. Crops, houses and valuables have been lost. Most of the people are also now vacating Jammu and its suburbs and are going to East Punjab. The situation, therefore, is worsening everyday.  The name of the Indian Army is getting into the mud in spite of its brilliant record. I was a member of the War Cabinet. I travelled in war  zones during the Great War. The name of the Indian Army was at its  highest pitch and it pains me to see that the name of that Army has become a topic of every tongue during these days and it is daily losing  prestige. Some people think that it is not the fault of the Army but the  fault of the policy that is being followed; others feel that it is the fault  of the commanders who are quite new to the job. People who would have had to wait for 10 to 15 years have become generals and have  been put in charge of operations. Opinions differ, but the fact is that  the name of the Army is in the mud. Sardar Baldev Singh was here for  a day. He has heard from our politicians, members of the public and  from me and my Prime Minister all that everyone had to say. He told  me secretly that he had ordered certain actions to be taken. I told him  that a mere order is nothing unless it is implemented. When you kindly  spent two days with us here a number of decisions were taken and you  gave instructions in certain matters. Since your departure nothing has been done and as I have said, we had more serious attacks. The effort  on the part of Pakistan is gaining ground every day. Their morale  owing to success is going up. They loot property, they take away cattle  and women and when they go back to Pakistan they incite people and  tell them how much loot and what benefits there are to raid our  territory. On the other hand our morale is rapidly going down. So far  as the people are concerned they are thoroughly demoralised and they start fleeing as soon as there is even a rumour of a raid. Even people  living at distant places start fleeing when they see a fire five or six miles from their villages. So far as the Indian forces are concerned they do not leave their apportioned places to meet the raiders. There  are no mobile columns to meet them. The work is left to a few Home  Guards or to a platoon or so of very tired State forces. How can it be possible for them to engage 500 or 1000 raiders? Last time, you  ordered guerillas to come into the State and take over this work. As far as I know no guerillas have arrived so far. Some Home Guards have been raised, but they have to look after their homes and they  live in those very localities. Moreover, they are mostly not trained and  cannot be expected to meet trained people. The work has mainly to be  done by the Army and supplemented by the Home Guards and by organised guerillas.

Apart from the military situation the reference to the UNO and the proceedings that are hanging fire there are causing great uncertainty and perplexity not only to me but to every Hindu and Sikh in the State as well as to those who belong to the National Conference. The feeling is strongly gaining ground that the UN Security Council will take an adverse decision and that the State will eventually have to accede to Pakistan as a result of what the Security Council will decide. The Hindus and Sikhs have therefore started going away from the State as they anticipate that their fate as a result of the UNO decision will be  the same as what happened in West Punjab and therefore it is much better to clear out of the State before that eventuality arises. The National Conference leaders also feel that they may eventually be let  down by accepting the decision of the Security Council and that would be disastrous for them. My position in this matter is also precarious.You know I definitely acceded to the Indian Union with the idea that the Union will not let us down and the State would remain acceded to the Union and my position and that of my dynasty would remain secure. It was for this reason that I accepted the advice of the Indian Union in the matter of internal administration. If we have to go to Pakistan it was wholly unnecessary to accede to India or to mould the internal administration according to the desire of the Indian Union. I feel that the internal administration or the question of accession is wholly foreign to the jurisdiction of the Security Council. The Indian Union only referred a limited question to the Security Council, but the whole issue has been enlarged and not only the matter of aggression by one Dominion over the other is being considered by the Security Council but internal questions of the formation of Interim Government and the matter of accession have all been taken notice of by  them. It was a wrong step in going on the limited issue to the Security Council and then agreeing to the enlargement of the agenda before that Council. As soon as the Council enlarged the agenda the Indian Union should have withdrawn the reference and ended the matter.

Last edited by Bratish (2011-09-27 13:37:34)

Another alternative that strikes me is that if I can do nothing I should leave the State (short of Abdication) and reside outside so that people do not think that I can do anything for them. For their grievances they can hold the civil administration responsible or the Indian forces who are in charge of the defence of the State. The responsibility will then clearly be either of the Indian Union or of the Administration of Sheikh Abdullah. If there is any criticism those responsible can have it and the responsibility for the suffering of the people will not be mine. Of course, I well anticipate that as people started saying when I left Kashmir only on Mr. Menon's advice that I had run away from Srinagar they will say that I have left them in their hour of misery, but it is no use remaining in a position where one can do nothing merely to avoid criticism. Of course, if I go out of the State I will have to take the public into confidence and tell them the reasons why I am going out. The third alternative in the situation that has arisen is that the Indian Dominion discharges its duty on the military side effectively and makes an all-out effort to stop the raids from Pakistan and to drive out of the State not only the raiders but also all rebels. This can only be done if the Dominion really fights. It has avoided fighting so far. 'Iino or three courageous battles will more or less end this situation, and if it is delayed there is bound to be a catastrophe. Pakistan is more organised against Kashmir than the Indian Dominion, and as soon as snow melts it will start attacking Kashmir on all sides and the province of Ladakh will also come into the hands of the enemy and the Valley and the whole border will be raided and even double the number of troops at present in Jammu and Kashmir will not be able to save the situation. What should have been done and achieved a month before can still be achieved during the next month, but if matters are delayed and if owing to the UNO reference and the attitude of compromise the situation remains at a standstill it would become terribly grave after the expiry of a month. Therefore, unless the Indian Union makes up its mind to fight fully and effectively, I may have to decide upon the two alternatives mentioned above.

While we talk or listen of Army of our country or any other in the world there are certain common terms like platoon, regiment, brigade we listen and I believe a lot of people are not aware of the actual numbers of it. There is more or less a standard specification in the whole world regarding the same.
The standard calculation is more or less like this;

Unit                    Soldiers             Commander    
                   
Fire team         4                 NCO                        

Squad/Section     8–13             Squad leader

Platoon                26–55             Platoon leader

Company            80–225             Captain /Major

Battalion         300–1,300             (Lieutenant) Colonel

Regiment/Brigade     3,000–5,000          Colonel/Brigadier (General)

Division                 10,000–15,000     Major General

Corps             20,000–45,000      Lieutenant General

Field army         80,000–200,000     General

Army group         400,000–1,000,000     Field Marshal

Army Region         1,000,000–3,000,000     Field Marshal

Army Theater         3,000,000–10,000,000     Field Marshal

In this context it is to be remembered that lot of countries like India does not have the regular Field marshal rank and hence General is the highest rank in that case.

Around 1:30 pm on September 26, the 18 Grenadiers regiment of the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir police launched an operation inside the Miliyal forests in Kupwara's Trehgam area.

Twenty-six-year-old Lieutenant Sushil Khajuria was part of the team that was scrambled to take on terrorists who were trying to infiltrate from across the border.

The mountainous, densely-forested terrain provided the perfect cover and vantage points for the heavily-armed terrorists.

Gunfire boomed as soon as the army made contact with the terrorists. Four days on, a tale of heroism emerged from ground zero, where the encounter continues.

On September 28 morning, Lieutenant Khajuria, who joined the army only last year, was killed while trying to evacuate injured colleagues from the line of fire.

Lt Colonel J S Brar (PRO, Srinagar) told rediff.com, "Lt Khajuria killed two terrorists in the encounter. He was trying to take his injured colleagues to safety when he was hit."

Commissioned on March 20, 2010 to the Army Service Corps, the young officer was attached to the 18 Grenadiers regiment.

Born on August 28, 1985, at Sangwali village in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, two of Lieutenant Khajuria's brothers are also in the army.

The loss of their son would not have come at a more unfortunate moment for the young officer's parents.

The family was in the midst of the preparations for Khajuria's wedding when the news of his demise came in.

Lieutenant Khajuria's body was handed over to his parents on September 29. His last rights were performed with full State honours.

Meanwhile, the gunfire has not stopped in the Miliyal forests. Lieutenant Khajuria's colleagues are still engaging the enemy.

The toll so far: 5 terrorists, 2 policemen and 1 army officer

Major General Ian Cardozo was a young major in the 5 Gorkha Rifles in the 1971 war with Pakistan. In a swift military offensive, India defeated Pakistan within 13 days, liberated a region and led to the creation of Bangladesh.
In the war, the then Major Cardozo stepped on a landmine and had to cut off his badly wounded leg with his own khukri.

Yet, through sheer will power and determination, he did not let his disability
come in the way of his duty as a soldier and went on to become the first disabled officer in the Indian Army to command an infantry battalion and a brigade.

Awarded a Sena Medal for gallantry, General Cardozo spoke to Claude Arpi about the historic war and how he conquered his disability in the second part of a fascinating interview.

Q:Tell us about your wound.

At that time, I was still not wounded. There was a BSF commander who got panicky when he saw all these fellows (prisoners) and asked: "Please send someone here.' I told the CO that I would go. I did not know that I was walking on a minefield. I stepped on a mine and my leg blew off.

A Bangladeshi saw this happening, he picked me up and took me to the battalion headquarters. They were feeling bad. I told the doctor, 'Give me some morphine.' They had no#8800 it had been destroyed during the operations. 'Do you have any Pethidine?' 'No'
I told him: 'Could you cut this off?'
He said: 'I don't have any instrument.'
I asked my batman: 'Where is my khukri?'
He said: 'Here it is, Sir.'
I told him: 'Cut it off.'
He answered in Gorkhali: 'Sir, I can't do it.'
I told him: 'Give it to me.' I cut my leg off and ordered: 'Now go and bury it.'

Q:You tell people that you are embarrassed to tell the story because it was nothing at all. What was your first thought?

My first thought was for her (pointing to his wife, Priscilla). I thought, 'What a stupid thing happened to me. It was beyond my control, it just happened.'

Then the doctor came and tied it up. My CO also came: 'Ian, you are very lucky, we have captured a Pakistani surgeon. He will operate on you.'

'Nothing doing, Sir, I don't want to be operated by a Pakistani doctor. Just get me back to India,' I answered.

By that time Dhaka had fallen and there was no chopper available.
I then told the CO: 'Two conditions.' He immediately said: 'You are not in position to put conditions.'

I told him: 'OK, two requests. One, I don't want Pakistani blood.'
He retorted: 'You are a fool.' I said: 'I am prepared to die a fool. My second request, Sir, I want you to be present when they operate on me.' The CO asked: 'Why?' I answered: 'You know why.' (There had been cases of torture). So, he agreed.

Anyway, the Pakistani surgeon did a good job. His name was Major Mohamed Basheer. I have never been able to say, 'Thank you.' I owe him a thank you, but it is not easy (to find someone in Pakistan]