The world is a fine place and worth
fighting for - Ernest Hemingway
|
|
|
Blooding of Phor Thud Gorkha Rifles May 1965 This is a true account of the raid carried out by Lt. Nawang's battalion in May 1965 across the Cease Fire line into enemy territory.
Read the poems composed for this raid Buzzard Feast, Summer Moonshine and Dicing and Death by Lt. Col. A.K. "Sam" Sharma and also the account by Sam of the same raid
The below account has been provided by Lt P Gangte who was the support group commander. The picture have been provided by Sam Sharma.
Background from Sam's Article "The Fourth Battalion, The Third Gorkha Rifles (4/3 GR) was holding a part of the Cease Fire Line (now Line of Control) in the Naoshera Sector of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in May 1965. At night the piquets could see the lights of the Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). From end 1964, the area had become very active; taking pot shots at each other was commonplace and enemy ambushes were frequent. After last light, tracer rounds from heavy automatics criss-crossed the Valley. The area was a veritable a cauldron of daily spats between the Pakistanis and the Indians. Raids were the order of the day and the general policy was that the raiding of an Indian post had to be replied by a counter raid in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir." As we creepily neared the objective, my party which was supposed to be in an advance position to give covering fire to the main attacking party led by Sam, but was given away by some oaf with his torch light! And when my party approached the site selected by Maj Jayant Chanda, we were under terrific automatic fire, and as we scrambled, my torch light flipped out of my pouch with light on as if it was giving guidance to the night firing! Before I jumped and covered the damned thing and put it back where it belonged, I said to myself, "Ek din paida honewala do din nahin marte" and jumped!! I grabbed the LMG from the LMG 1 and started giving covering fire, and the bombardment that you have amassed of the 2" motars did wonderful fire works for the night and Sam's party.
As we slipped out of the company area I couldn't walk and asked Sam time to pull out the thorn that got stuck in my left shoe. While I was removing the throne, Sam told me, "Thank you Paoche for the Book!" What a time to be thanked for! I had lended him a book called Men Against Fire by Gen SLA Marshall of the US Army.Yes, this book had helped me to behave as if I was a veteran in the battle field, and I know it made Sam too!
|
.JPG)