Indian War Journal

The Republic of Maldives is located south of Lakshadweep, and the archipelago is the smallest Asian country with a land area of 300 sq km. Despite its small size, the Maldives plays a significant role in regional politics, particularly due to the strategic maritime passages in its northern and southern parts, making it a key toll gate in the Indian Ocean. Over three decades ago, in 1988, India came to the rescue of Maldives and thwarted a coup attempt. The decisions made by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation for close ties between the two countries. S.O.S - From Male To New Delhi At 6 am on November 3, 1988, Kuldeep Sahdev, a senior bureaucrat in charge of the Maldives desk, received a call from the acting High Commissioner in Male, the capital of Maldives, informing him about a shooting incident in the city. Thirty minutes later, another call confirmed that Male was under attack, and this time the foreign secretary of Maldives, Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, requested New Del

Brigadier Amar Jit Singh Behl, a veteran of the 1962 India-China war, died on January 8, at the age of 82 at a military hospital in Haryana's Chandimandir. Brigadier AJS Behl (retired) was a decorated officer who fought gallantly against the Chinese during the Battle of Namka Chu in the northeast and witnessed action in 1965 and 1971.  Brig Behl died due to age-related issues and the last rites will take place in Chandigarh. He was commissioned into the army in 1961 as a second lieutenant and earned the prestigious maroon colours of the elite parachute regiment in 1962. In one of his interviews with  Claude Arp i, a French historian and an expert on Tibet and China, Brig Behl talked about his journey from joining the Parachute Field Regiment to witnessing action in Arunachal Pradesh, erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). He joined the 17 Parachute Field Regiment, an artillery regiment, after completing an officer's course in July 1962 in Agra. He underwent a gruelling te

The Indian Air Force successfully conducted a night landing of the C130-J transport aircraft at the Kargil airstrip. This marks the first time a night landing has been carried out at the airstrip, situated near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Ladakh region. The C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, manufactured by US aircraft maker Lockheed Martin, is an advanced tactical airlifter utilized by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for special operations and humanitarian crises. The night landing of the C130J is significant for the Air Force in many ways. Credits: X.com/ @IAF_MCC   Proximity to LoC The Kargil airstrip is positioned at an elevation of approximately 9,700 feet and is located south of the LoC. During the 1999 Kargil conflict, when Pakistani troops crossed the LoC and seized a strategic height overlooking the Srinagar-Leh highway, the airstrip suffered damage from artillery bombing by enemy troops. The airstrip is strategically positioned between Dras on the west and Batalik on the east, b

After an eight-year fight for his life, Lt Colonel Karanbir Singh Natt from the Territorial Army (TA), died on Sunday. Lt Col KBS Natt, a Sena medal winner, had been in a coma since 2015, when he was hit by a bullet in the face during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara. Lt Col KBS Natt was the second-in-command of the 160 Infantry Battalion TA (Jammu and Kashmir Rifles). On November 22, 2015, the army had launched an operation in Haji Naka village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara following intelligence regarding the presence of terrorists in the area.  Lt. Col. Natt was an experienced officer who had served in the army for almost 20 years. Before joining the Territorial Army, Lt. Col. Natt joined the regular army in 1998 after passing out from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai and was commissioned in the 19th Battalion of the Brigade of Guards, a mechanized infantry regiment, through the Short Service Commission entry of the army. After serving for almost 14 years

India celebrates Vijay Diwas today to mark the surrender of East Pakistan troops in the 1971 war. Fifty-two years ago the war led to the liberation of East Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh.  Some important factors played in India’s favour that led to the fall of Dhaka and the surrender of over 90,000 troops in East Pakistan in a fortnight of fighting. Land, Sea and Air Operation East Pakistan was isolated from its western half following India’s declaration of a no-fly zone for Pakistani aeroplanes. A naval blockade in the west disrupted all routes to supply relief and ammunition. Within three days of the commencement of the war, the Indian Air Force established air superiority in East Pakistan, which helped in the swift advance of the army to march forward deep inside Bangladesh. INS Vikrant, the navy’s aircraft carrier, naval aviators blocked reinforcements to the east, cutting off escape routes and Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC). Meanwhile, the Indian Army’s 4, 33 and 2 Cor

The Pakistan Army developed a “fortress strategy” to defend Dacca (now Dhaka) during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The East Pakistan army planned to create a fortress-like formation in cities around Dacca and then fall back to the capital when these “fortresses” fell.  Dhaka is between the Padma River on its west and Meghna on its east. The Indian Army’s 2 and 33 Corps quickly marched deep into Bangladesh in districts west of the Jamna-Padma river. The Tezpur-based 4 corps started operations to cross the Meghna and finally enter Dhaka. Behind Enemy Lines The Pakistan army started retreating towards Dhaka after the “fortresses” started falling. The Indian Army outfoxed Pakistan with a battalion-sized airborne operation to take on a brigade that would eventually become one of the reasons for Lt Gen AAK Niazi, the commander of the East Pakistan army, to surrender. Pakistan’s 93 Infantry Brigade started retreating from Jamalpur and Mymensingh, located north of Dhaka. The Indian Army

 In the inevitability of a 1971 war between India and Pakistan, Chief of Army Staff, General Sam Manekshaw, gave Prime Minister Indira Gandhi a paper on which he wrote December 4, the date on which India will go to war with Pakistan. On December 3, Pakistan bombed nine Indian airfields, and the war broke out. The Indian Navy emerged as a pivotal force in the liberation of East Pakistan. India's maritime force operated in two theatres - Eastern and Western - and ensured a Naval blockade to break the link between East and West Pakistan. Operation Trident The armed forces had been preparing for the war for months. After the air raids by Pakistan, orders were dispatched to the Western Naval Command (WNC) for 'Operation Trident'. Vice Admiral SN Kohli (Later Admiral) was the Flag Officer C-in-C of the WNC, and orders were given to dispatch the Naval fleet in Mumbai and Okha. The plan was to bomb the Karachi port. The 'Karachi Strike Group' from the 25th Missile Boat Squa

The life of Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, Military Cross (MC), has been turned into a motion picture, ‘Sam Bahadur,’ which was released today.  People remember him as the man who played a crucial role in bringing the Pakistan Army to its knees in 1971, a war that catapulted him as one of the greatest commanders in modern India, but almost 30 years ago in 1942 in Burma (now Myanmar), Sam Manekshaw defeated death to become a war hero. Photo credits: Parsi Times Action In Burma, 1942 S.H.F.J Manekshaw was posted in the 4th Battalion of the 12th Frontier Force as a Captain in Burma and witnessed action during World War II when the Japanese were at the eastern doorstep of India. Before his posting in 4/12 FF, Sam Manekshaw was commissioned in the Royal Scots. Newly commissioned Indian officers had to join a British regiment in their first posting. The Americans wanted to keep the Japanese busy in China, while the Japanese Imperial Army, apart from Burma’s resources,