Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri had only two options -- hold on to his post or withdraw.
He chose the former.
He and his 120 soldiers heroically defended the Longewala post against a formidable Pakistani tank attack till first light brought IAF fighter jets. The air attack turned the desert into a graveyard of Pakistani tanks.
Key Points
- The Battle of Longewala was fought between India-Pakistan in the 1971 War near Jaislamer.
- 15 kilometres from the India-Pakistan border, there is a memorial to the heroic stand of 23 Punjab in defending the Longewala post.
- The Pakistani objective was to capture Longewala and proceed towards Jaisalmer.
- Major Chandpuri and his soldiers held on till dawn till IAF aircraft from Jaisalmer arrived and turned it into a graveyard of Pakistani tanks .
If there was one famous battle that has found a place in Indian public memory -- it is the Battle of Longewala.
Fought on the India-Pakistan border in the Thar desert near Jaisalmer 55 years ago, much has been written about it in military accounts, books and popularised in two blockbuster movies -- Border and Border 2.
At the Longewala War Memorial, the cafeteria is called 'Border'. A few short steps away is an imposing gate leading to the war memorial with a 108 feet flagpole sponsored by the Flag Foundation of India dominating the landscape.
A group of bikers in full gear -- helmets, gloves, knee guards -- had stopped to pay their respects.
Located 15 kilometres from the India-Pakistan border, the open air museum is a memorial to the heroic stand of 23 Punjab in defending the Longewala post against a heavily outnumbered infantry and tank attack.
The Pakistani objective was to capture Longewala and proceed towards Jaisalmer, 108 kms ahead and then on to Jodhpur, capturing a sizable tract of Indian territory.
They set about this objective, just a day after the war broke out on December 3, 1971.
On the night of December 4-5, 1971, Pakistan launched a major tank attack by a regiment of T-59 tanks and a squadron of M4 Sherman tanks on the Longewala post manned by 120 soldiers of 23 Punjab commanded by Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri.
Major Chandpuri had only two options -- hold on to his post or withdraw.
He chose the former.
The post did not have defensive fortifications. No mines to stop the advancing tanks or barbed wires. With the odds stacked heavily against them, the soldiers braved the intense fire power of the Pakistani artillery, tanks and weapons throughout the night.
They laid anti-tank mines in real time as the enemy tank columns advanced, facing heavy fire.
Sepoys Charan Dass and Bishan Dass, Sena Medal, continued to lay mines till they were killed in action.
When the enemy was closing in, tank support was dispatched by a nearby regiment, to bolster 23 Punjab's response. The light tanks were no match for the superior Pakistani American armour, but put up a fierce fight to halt the Pakistani advance.
Dafedar Harbir Singh, Vir Chakra, commander of the leading Indian tank knocked out two enemy tanks, but his own tank was hit. Despite being critically injured, he continued to fire at enemy tanks till his last breath.
Sepoy Jagjit Singh, Vir Chakra, jumped out of his bunker after it was destroyed and came out in the open to fire his machine gun till he was killed in action.
The busts of the brave soldiers at the memorial tells the story of brave young men and what it took to defend this land of ours.
People slowly move from one bust to the other, pausing in front every soldier. While a large group of people sit under shady trees waiting to enter a replica of the underground Company Commander's HQ.
Uniformed soldiers stand guard as people patiently wait to be allowed in to see what Major Chandpuri must have experienced that night.
He must have gone bunker to bunker, rallying his troops and using his skills as a commander to stop the enemy from running over their post.
The soldiers used battlecraft skillfully to outwit the Pakistani tank assault, waiting till their tanks came closer to launch an attack with recoilless guns mounted on jeeps. Two heavy tanks were destroyed this way by the much smaller recoilless rifle.
Many Pakistani tanks got stuck in the soft desert sands because of their massive size and were rendered immobile.
Major Chandpuri and his soldiers held on till dawn till IAF aircraft from Jaisalmer arrived. There was no night flying equipment available at that time.
The air strikes led by Wing Commander M S Bawa and facilitated by Major Atma Singh of the Air Observation Post destroyed a large number of enemy tanks. Waves of air strikes continued and 37 enemy tanks were destroyed.
Two of those massive tanks are placed at the entrance of the memorial.
120 men of 23 Punjab under the inspiring leadership of Major Chandpuri defended the post with exemplary courage till the IAF started its aerial bombardment.
The Indian Air Force conducted a number of air strikes causing massive damage to Pakistani armour and vehicles and stopped the Pakistan army from gaining territory.
Not a single aircraft was lost, while Longewala became a graveyard for Pakistani tanks.
Pakistan suffered heavy casualties and withdrew on December 5.
Major Chandpuri was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest award for bravery in war for his dynamic leadership in holding his command intact and steadfast.
'He inspired his men moving from bunker to bunker, encouraging them in beating back the enemy till reinforcements arrived. In this heroic defence, he inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and forced them to retreat leaving behind twelve tanks,' read his MVC citation.
He retired as a brigadier and passed away in 2018.
On a hot summer day, people from different parts of the country had come to remember the brave and set foot on the land where one of India's most crucial stands were taken -- 120 against 3,000 enemy troops and nearly 40 tanks.
Imagine that! Salute!
