Some more comments on the 1962 Sino-Indian War
If
anyone from this newspaper reads this, kindly advise some news items published
in the last few years which have shed positive light on Indian Army
leadership!! The worthy Editor-in-Chief and his staff need to introspect
deeply. Such cheap news making is not in the interest of the Nation’s security
apparatus.
In
1962 it was the arrogant Mr. Krishna Menon who ruled the roost and ran the MoD
in a dictatorial manner. It was he who hand picked Lt Gen BM Kaul to be the
Chief of General Staff and then GOC 4 Corps. The top Army hierarchy was completely
side lined. GenKaul had direct approach to Mr. Krishna Menon and thus
circumvented the Army Chief. Best
way to ruin an Army is for the higher ups in Delhi to side line the Chief,
which Mr. Krishna Menon did.
With
tinted advice from Mr. Mullick the Intelligence Zar at the time, Pt Nehru
living in a fantasy world as regards Chinese reaction, the forward policy was
adopted. Small posts were
set up in the shop window along the Himalayan border to check mate Chinese as
if a game of chess was going on. 7 Brigade was ordered to take defences along
the Namka Chu dominated by higher ground across where the Chinese were. Pt
Nehru and Krishna Menon totally misread the Chinese mind and reaction. Higher
international relations and policy must be carried out with due consultation
and advice of the military. IT IS THE SACRED DUTY OF THE POLITICIANS AND
DIPLOMATS TO ENSURE THAT HOSTILITIES COMMENCE AT A PLACE AND TIME OF OUR
MILITARY’S CHOOSING AND WITH MAXIMUM ADVANTAGE TO THEM. In 1962 it was the
reverse!!
Indian
troops were ill equipped for fighting in the mountains and still used World War
bolt action rifles. No winter clothing worth the name. Any other army would
have refused to be so deployed for possible military conflict. It goes to the
credit of the Indian generals and officers that they obeyed suicidal orders
issued by the Civilians and faced certain reverses and death.
Above
all the political leadership decided not to employ the Indian Air Force and
thus leaving the Army to fend for itself against a numerically superior and
much better equipped Chinese Army. As has now been revealed from Chinese
writings, to attack our defences in Sela they had deployed three divisions
against depleted Indian 4 Inf Div. This Division was completely devoid of
intelligence about the Chinese. It had only one road axis for its maintenance.
Like a boxer who has impaired vision, 4 Div was completely surprised by Chinese
coming in force and cutting off the only road axis at different points, by
trekking along mountain paths.
This
is not the only case where Indian generalship has been derided unfairly. In the
official report on 1965 War, the then Defence Secretary, now a Governor has
opined that Indian Military Leadership was not up to the mark!! This is
sprinkling salt on raw wounds inflicted by the same Ministry of Defence, which
as is happening now, just did not procure modern tanks, guns and other
equipment in time, knowing fully well whathe Pak had received from America as
military aid!! Imagine Indian Sherman tanks firing at Pak Patton tanks and the
shots just ricocheting off !!
No
one is talking about the delays in equipping India’s Armed Forces due to
political and more important bureaucratic hurdles. IN EVERY WAR THAT INDIA HAS FOUGHT AFTER
INDEPENDENCE, THE ADVERASRY HAS BEEN BETTER EQUIPPED.
Also the Nation has gone to war out maneuvered politically and its military has
had to react to enemy’s first moves. It was only in 1971, when the political
leadership paid heed to military advice, the
results were there to see. The Indian Generals came in their own and routed the
Pak Army in a matter of days.
Indian
Express needs to introspect and analyse military matters in greater detail and
objectively, before putting headlines on its front Page against Indian
Generals. In the case of 1962 War report, the headlines in today's Issue
of Indian Express are out of context.
The role of top political leadership at he time was the main cause for the
debacle.
Lt Gen (Retd) Harbhajan
Singh PVSM
Chandigarh
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