When 120 Men Killed Over 1,000 Chinese Soldiers At 18,000 Feet To Save Leh

Stories Of Glory

Major Shaitan Singh directing his men at Rezang La top

Over 60 years ago, the sounds of bullets and bombs roared in Ladakh when the Chinese, after illegally occupying Aksai Chin, set their sights on other areas in Ladakh, including Chushul, the gateway to Leh.

ORBAT

To safeguard Leh, the defense of Chushul was also crucial, and the 114 Infantry Brigade (Inf Bde) under Brigadier TN Raina (later General) was tasked with defending the Chushul airfield.

Nestled at over 14,000 feet, the defense of Chushul is vital to halt any Chinese advance along the Kailash Range. A flat 3 km-wide patch of land called the Spanggur Gap is an ideal place for the movement of tanks and mechanized infantry.

Spangurr Lake is the only region in Ladakh where India's official border and the Chinese illegally claimed line run very close.

The Order of Battle (ORBAT) for 114 Inf Bde at Chushul was as follows: 1/8 Gorkha at the North Flank of Spanggur Gap, 1 Jat Light Infantry at Gompa, Thakung Heights, and four companies of 13 Kumaon. One company defended the southern flank of the gap and the track junction at the south airfield, two companies were stationed at Magar Hill, and one company of 120 men was positioned at Rezang La.

Additionally, 5 Jat had one platoon less company at Tsaka La, along with a section and three companies at Lukung. A company of 1 Mahar Machine Gun Regiment, 8 AMX-13 tanks from 20 Lancers, and one field engineer company were deployed to defend Chushul.

Kulpreet Yadav, in his book 'The Battle of Rezang La,' provides a detailed day-to-day account of one of the fiercest battles in Indian history. 

Prelude To The Battle

The Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon, under Major Shaitan Singh, was deployed to defend the Rezang La approach towards Chushul. Located at approximately 18,000 feet, the probability of a Chinese approach from Rezang La to Tsaka La road and then to Chushul was assumed to be low.

The 13th battalion of the Kumaon Regiment is an all-Ahir regiment, with soldiers recruited from the Ahir clan.

On October 25, 1962, the jawans reached their positions to defend the feature. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPO) or mountain sickness was an added threat. Muscle pain, lack of oxygen, frostbites, and memory loss were among the many challenges the soldiers faced. Some soldiers saw snow for the first time when they were deployed at Rezang La.

ORBAT at Rezang La

Three platoons - 7, 8, and 9 - were set up to defend Rezang La. With 600 Enfield rifle bullets, no Medium Machine Guns (MMGs) or Recoilless Guns (RCL), 500 hand grenades, three 2-inch mortars (one for each platoon), and one 3-inch mortar were available. Despite being low on arms and ammunition, the spirit to defend the feature and the paltan’s izzat (regiment’s honour) was high.

November 18, 1962 - Shots Fired

Around 2 am, the listening post of 8 platoon spotted a dozen Chinese soldiers navigating through the gullies toward their position. It was not a regular Chinese patrol but a group of 30 PLA soldiers with 7.62 mm Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs). 8 platoon commander Naik Hukum Chand fired the first shots at the Chinese.

What started with just 30 PLA soldiers against 120 turned into a wave of Chinese attacks. The three platoons and the commander's post were attacked from all directions, supported by Chinese artillery fire. By 6 am, four Chinese waves had attacked the post, but the undeterred Ahirs were holding their ground.

The PLA had attacked Gurung and Magar Hill along with Rezang La simultaneously. The brigade headquarters had anticipated that the Chinese would approach Chushul from Gurung and Magar. Radio communication between Charlie company and headquarters was cut, and troops of 13 Kumaon positions at Magar Hill knew Rezang La had been attacked but didn’t know that the Chinese were coming with full force.

The soldiers initially struggled to pull the trigger of the .303 due to the gloves they had to wear to protect them from frost bites in -20 degrees. They unfortunately removed the gloves to load and pull the trigger. Frostbite occurs at a low temperature in which the skin, if it comes in contact with a cold surface, freezes.

Major Shaitan Singh, the company commander, ran from post to post directing platoons during the battle. By 8 am, 7 and 8 platoon' positions were captured, and Maj Shaitan Singh knew only 9 platoon and 3-inch mortar positions and company headquarters were left to fight the PLA.

Almost 6 hours into the battle, Major Shaitan Singh was left with around 50 men. The Chinese started firing at Platoon 9, but the brave company commander decided to retake the Platoon 7 position and ordered his men to move ahead.

Major Shaitan Singh was hit by a burst of MMG when he was approaching the company headquarters position. He was hit in the abdomen and fell. CHM Harpul Singh and Sepoy Ram Chander took Maj Shaitan Singh away to safety, who was in extreme pain. Badly wounded, Major Shaitan realized he wouldn't be able to make it and ordered his men to go to the Battalion headquarters and tell how these 120 men gallantly fought.

The resilient soldiers were still holding their positions. Sepoy Nihal Singh, the LMG gunner, was accurately firing at the Chinese. After being hit in the arms, he still followed the orders to dismantle the LMG. Sep Nihal Singh was taken POW, but he escaped a day later.

Sepoy Nihal Singh and Honorary Captain Ram Chander, in a Walk the Talk interview aired in 2012 on NDTV, talk about the valour displayed by the soldiers

It took seven waves of the Chinese to counter the Indian soldiers. The first shots were fired around 2 am, and by 9 am, the Charlie company was almost finished. However, one man, Naik Ram Kumar, wasn’t ready to give up. Ram Kumar fought until the last bullet and the Chinese, fearing for their lives, set the Company headquarters on fire to kill Ram Kumar, but he wasn’t ready to give up.

Severely injured with at least nine bullet wounds, Naik Ram Kumar managed to escape and roll down the hill to reach the battalion headquarters.

What Happened After The War

The battle lasted for around 7-8 hours, and 114 soldiers, including the company commander, were killed in action. Those who survived shared the tale of the gallant soldiers who fought approximately 4,000 Chinese with almost nothing. Sadly, the high command was not ready to believe that the Chinese attacked Rezang La with such ferocity, and the tales were even admonished.

On February 10, 1963, almost 4 months after the battle, a shepherd found the bodies of Indian soldiers at Rezang La. He rushed to the garrison in Chushul and informed the army. Brigadier TN Raina himself scaled the mountain and found the heroes of Rezang La, dead at 18,000 feet. Some soldiers died holding their guns, a testament to their spirit to never give up.

Major Shaitan Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra (Posthumously), all platoon commanders were awarded the Vir Chakras, and Naik Ram Kumar was awarded the Vir Chakra too. Sepoy Nihal Singh was awarded the Sena Medal.

The Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon was renamed as Rezang La Company to immortalise the legend of Major Shaitan Singh and his 120 men.

58 Years Later

During the peak of the India-China border conflict in Ladakh, Indian troops on August 29, 2020, launched a preemptive operation and took control of heights along the Kailash range, including Rezang La, Rechin La, Gurung Hill, and Magar Hill. This was the first time in 58 years that the troops had taken control of the ridges on the Kailash range.

The objective was to surround the Moldo garrison of the Chinese near the Spanggur gap and take control of heights overlooking the region, including the south bank of Pangong Lake. This daring operation to twist the Chinese arm helped India have an upper hand at the negotiating table. The Army also scaled heights overlooking finger 4 on the north bank of the lake by outflanking the Chinese.