On the silver jubilee of the Kargil War, one of the commanders of the Indian Army's artillery unit who was actively involved in the entire operation, highlighted the critical role of the artillery guns in the battle against the Pakistani forces.
Major Rakesh Sharma, a battery commander, led a group of soldiers operating six artillery guns, 30 vehicles and other equipment of artillery units during the Kargil War.
As the team leader, Major Sharma gave the orders to fire, strategise the attacks and executed the fire plan that played a key role in the operation. The contribution of his artillery unit proved critical in the conflict, especially in what is now known as the battle for control of Tiger Hill.
The recapture of Tiger Hill was one of the most complex military operations conducted by the Indian Army during Operation Vijay, Major Sharma told Sputnik India in an exclusive interview on Friday. Tiger Hill, which lies in the Great Himalayan Range, is one of the steepest in the entire region.
India's operation to eliminate Pakistani intruders from Tiger Hill began much later, after the Army had already succeeded in freeing the Tololing Heights from the enemy in mid-June of 1999. Control over Tololing was crucial to advance any operation in the Drass sector, because Tiger Hill is located between the Drass and Mushkoh Valley in Ladakh, he stressed.
Taking back Tiger Hill has become a legend in Indian military history because the Indian Armed Forces failed to recapture it in their first two attempts, according to Sharma. However, the groundwork for victory in the battle of Tiger Hill was laid by the artillery units of the Indian Army, particularly the Bofors Regiment, which played a pivotal role in this arduous fight.
“My unit and I bombarded Tiger Hill for three nights constantly. In fact, volleys of shells were fired on the mountain using two different techniques,” Sharma highlighted. “Among the tactics that earned us rich dividends was deploying the artillery guns extremely close to the target area, firing the munitions directly on top of Tiger Hill, which resulted in the Pakistanis losing their grip on the mountain.”
He explained that this ensured that when the Indian soldiers moved in to launch a frontal attack on top of Tiger Hill, most of the enemy's bunkers and ammunition stored there were already destroyed.
“One of the Indian officers leading the frontal assault was astounded by the kind of annihilation and destruction the artillery guns had caused on Tiger Hill,” Sharma underlined.
He recalled that he could see the bodies of the intruders blown into pieces lying there. There were hardly any survivors left from the Pakistani side by the time Indian troops reached the top of Tiger Hill.
The former military officer stressed that it was crucial for young officers like him to ensure that when the final attack to recapture Tiger Hill took place, the target was overwhelmed or pounded with firepower to such an extent that the enemy was almost annihilated, if not 100 percent, then at least 90 percent.
Major Sharma also shared his insights into the psyche of the Indian soldiers during the Kargil War with an anecdote that would make nearly every Indian emotional. Recalling the incident, the former Indian Army officer remembered that his artillery unit was involved in an operation in the Tololing area around June 18-19.
“One of my soldiers was hit very badly. Three bullets pierced his back, and one of the splinters from enemy fire fell close to his foot, resulting in his left foot being chopped off,” a teary-eyed Sharma said. “I was preparing to send him to the field hospital in Kargil, but to my utter shock and surprise, he refused to leave the war.”
Sharma said the soldier asked to stay in the war zone, even being handicapped.
“This injury, these wounds are too small for a soldier like me to be scared and run away from the battlefield,” the soldier insisted.
Eventually, he proved the saying 'fortune favors the brave' as he stuck with his comrades until the war ended in July, continuing to be a part of the operations the best way he could, Sharma noted.
“This episode demonstrated the ethos of the Army, which its members are ingrained with: Naam (Name), Namak (Salt), Nishan (Symbol),” Major concluded.