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    Gorichen to Siachen: The Untold Saga of Hoisting the Tricolour on Saltoro
    Gorichen to Siachen: The Untold Saga of Hoisting the Tricolour on Saltoro
    Gorichen to Siachen: The Untold Saga of Hoisting the Tricolour on Saltoro
    Ebook268 pages2 hours

    Gorichen to Siachen: The Untold Saga of Hoisting the Tricolour on Saltoro

    By D K Khanna

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    Far too many books have been written as to how India secured the Siachen glacier and won the close race against Pakistan by a margin of a couple of days. However; here is a narration with a difference; it is the very personal experience of the Commanding Officer of the Battalion (19 KUMAON) who were the pioneers to scale these icy heights. The Nation has always been proud of this achievement but what is generally not known is the hard work and the sacrifice that go into such arduous and physically daunting missions. The adage that “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war” is well brought out in the book as we realise that routine training stood the Unit in good stead throughout its stay on the Glacier. Here we have the first-hand account of the untold saga of 19 KUMAON, a young Battalion in 1984, as to how it took an opportunity by its horns to etch its name into the history books. The role of combat leadership at tactical level in the most challenging circumstances also emerges quite clearly. This narrative, which is suitably substantiated with first hand accounts and photographs, sets the record straight about the pioneering achievement of Unnis Kumaon.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlpha Editions
    Release dateFeb 1, 2017
    ISBN9789386834850
    Gorichen to Siachen: The Untold Saga of Hoisting the Tricolour on Saltoro
    Author

    D K Khanna

    Brig DK Khanna is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. He was commissioned in the 2nd Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment (Berar) and commanded 19 Kumaon (Unnis). During his tenure at Misamari, Assam, the unit was actively involved in Internal Security (IS) duties and also successfully scaled the highest peak in the East, Gorichen. The unit under him moved to Khrew, J&K, and from there was tasked to move to the Glacier in Mar 1984. The officer has undergone Staff Course at DSSC, Higher Command at MHOW and NDC at New Delhi. The officer has held various prestigious Command, Instructional and staff appointments, including being a DS at the War College and the Staff College. He commanded an infantry brigade on the Line of Control in J&K. For his meritorious service the officer was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2001. He is presently settled in Gurgaon and this is his first book.

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      Book preview

      Gorichen to Siachen - D K Khanna

      Prologue

      Why This Book

      Normally soldiers do not like to talk about their exploits either while in service or even after superannuation and much less boast about them. It has been 32 years since 1984, when the first battalion (19 KUMAON) trekked to and seized the highest, coldest and toughest battle ground ever in the world, the Siachen Glacier. Even after 32 years, it still continues to be an area of active operations and a region of interest for India, Pakistan and China.

      While a lot has appeared in the media and books about Siachen, conspicuously, none of the writings have devoted any space to record the pioneering work that went into establishing the initial foothold on the uncharted Glacier by the unit assigned the task to do so, thus omitting many important lessons. In fact, some of the accounts even portray inaccurate picture, far removed from reality. The absence of any record of the travails and triumphs of this unit, coupled with the revolution in the social media, many members of the unit were prompted to express their discomfiture and urging that the facts be recorded for posterity. That is when I decided to reach out to my fellow men who did this long trek with me years back.

      Most of the material is either from my memory or my personal diary. Keeping a diary became a necessity because of security as there were no other means to keep notes and references — no office, no clerks and no standard reports and returns were being compiled. As soldiers, we are trained with our minds to reflect and develop strategy and tactics for the foreseeable battle and with our hands to use weapons, hence we are hesitant to write. I felt it was time now to pick the pen and create memoirs for the wonderful feat that 19 Kumaon, popularly called UNNIS (19 in hindi) achieved that has paved the way for generations of brave Indian soldiers to do what they have done best – hold steady on the highest and coldest battle ground in the world, which as the saying goes Only best of friends and worst of enemies will dare to visit.

      UNNIS

      UNNIS had the maximum number of people operating in the area of the Siachen Glacier and its surrounding peaks during the early stages of Operation Meghdoot from April to August 1984. Following is my account of how and why they were moved 630 Kms from their permanent location to take part in the Siachen Operation and how it was the first and only battalion ever to cross the Zoji la in winters with full loads (35 to 40 Kgs per person) on foot in over 40 ft of snow without a single drop out. In the process, UNNIS achieved many firsts for both the Indian Army and the world. The secret induction of UNNIS in the area of operation had proved successful. It is time that the actions of these brave men be given the recognition it deserves and not be forgotten in a cloud of mystery.

      Training and building up skills to undertake specific tasks is extremely important for successfully accomplishing any task. More important is the person, his personality and character, who is being imparted those skills. The personality and character of the individual is the sum total of his experiences over his lifetime. His performance in difficult times, particularly in situations of life and death is guided by his character. Two individuals similarly trained are likely to react differently depending on their personality and character. Similarly, every unit has its own personality, culture and character. It is not only the sum total of the personality and character of persons comprising it. It would depend largely on the unit’s history, current leadership, decorations received, tasks performed during peace time and the operations it had taken part in during war. Two units of the same formation trained similarly may perform differently based on their culture and character. In the army we do lay a lot of emphasis on training and sharpening of skills in order to standardize performance of individuals and units.

      UNNIS was newly raised in 1979 and had less than five years of service when it went into operations on the Siachen. In the first three chapters, we examine what went into creating the culture and personality of UNNIS that were instrumental in its selection for the operation.

      Mountain Marauders

      The first time news about the Siachen operations appeared in the news media was in September 1984. An article, Mountain Marauders was published in ‘India Today’ of 30 September 1984 by Shekhar Gupta. Since then the men of the UNNIS have been using it to describe themselves.

      The article and relevant details are reproduced below:

      "In April. Indian intelligence gathered that the Pakistanis were planning to sponsor international expeditions across the glacier. This was a shrewd move to formalize the Pakistani claim. The Indians decided to stop it. Elements of a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment were flown to Thoise, an airfield close to the Chinese border. The troops undertook a perilous trek to the glacier, losing an officer and 19 other ranks to an avalanche. But they overwhelmed the Pakistanis manning the small post at the glacier, after a fierce fight. The Pakistanis have been counterattacking but, in spite of the recurrent problem of frost-bite, exposure and pulmonary oedema, the Kumaonis are holding out. The Pakistanis are not giving up either. The latest reports speak of their bringing in the elite Special Services Group (SSG) commandos to take the area before winter sets in in right earnest. But Indian officials say they are not worried, as the Kumaonis hold the heights as well as the passes that dominate the approaches from the Pakistani side."

      It is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it.

      – Douglas MacArthur

      The Preparations

      1

      Early Preparations

      The endeavour with this book is to share the history and background of 19th Battalion the Kumaon Regiment (UNNIS) making the reader a part of the history. Letting the reader understand the state UNNIS was while it undertook the historic task of operating successfully on the Siachen Glacier. A newly raised unit is just a collection of men and material. To make it into a cohesive fighting machine takes time, tremendous effort and positive attitude by all involved in it. This is how it started for UNNIS.

      The Raising of the UNNIS

      It was in the salubrious climate of the Kumaon Hills at Ranikhet that 19 KUMAON was raised on 01 July 1979. Lt Col VK Bogra was selected to raise the battalion. He was commissioned in 2 KUMAON (BERAR), the oldest battalion in the Kumaon Regiment with rich traditions, having won a number of battle honours during its long and varied history. After his early grooming in the Beraris, as everybody who has served in the battalion is also called, Lt Col Bogra saw service with 9 Kumaon. While he was with 9 Kumaon, the battalion took part in 1971 Operations and Lt Col Bogra then a major was officiating as the Commanding Officer (CO) for a longtime, his permanent CO having moved out as the officiating Brigade Commander.

      Officers to a new raising are selected; whereas, JCOs and Other Ranks are sent at the discretion of the dispatching battalion as long as they meet certain criteria. Since Major Satyender Nath, Second in Command and next Commanding Officer Designate came from 3 Kumaon, he brought along with him Subedar Major (SM) Radha Ballabh Joshi. The SM served with UNNIS for his full five-year tenure and retired as Honorary Captain. When he was retiring, I asked him what is he going to do next. He said, worked enough in the army. Now is my time to relax with my family and enjoy my pension. When I sent him a new year’s greeting card in 1985, I got a response from his brother that he was no more. Unfortunately, he died early and did not enjoy his pension even for one year. They say life should be counted by its achievements and not the number of years. SM Radha Ballabh Joshi accomplished a lot. The SM was straight forward and always gave honest and clear advice, never mincing his words. He was the backbone of the battalion. UNNIS was fortunate in having a CO like Lt Col Vijay Bogra, an excellent band of officers and SM like Radha Ballabh Joshi at its raising.

      Ranikeht 1979 – The team that raised UNNIS.

      Last Row Standing > Maj ID Khare, Maj Kailash Chander, Capt MS Suresh, Capt SK Mahajan, Maj Satyender Nath, Lt Col VK Bogra, Capt SK Ganguly, Capt Ved Prakash, Capt RL Yadav,

      Middle Row Ladies >Mrs Khare, Mrs Kailash, Mrs Suresh, Mrs Mahajan, Mrs Bogra, Mrs Bahuguna, Mrs Nath, Mrs Ganguly, Mrs Ved Praksah and Mrs Yadav.

      Sitting > Capt Patnaik (RMO), Capt AD Samuel, Capt Sandeep Kumar, Capt PK Kayastha and 2/Lt Sanjay Agarwal

      SM on the Dholak

      It is normal for the battalions to be moved to a peace station after their raising. In 1980 UNNIS was sent to Rekhamari for a peace tenure as a part of a mountain brigade. The same year the mountain brigade had to move out to a field area and UNNIS was left behind to complete its peace tenure. Therefore, the battalion had to take over the duties of the brigade and thus had lot more peace time duties, including internal security and aid to civil authorities.

      19 Kumaon a Surprise

      We were two officers, from the same batch, approved for the rank of Lt Col from 2 Kumaon (Berar). Major RM Sewal was a few months senior to me and rightly would be taking over 2 Kumaon (Berar) as their Commanding Officer. In those days, aim of all regimental officers was to command their own battalion, however much time it may take. As such I wrote to the Colonel of the Regiment, volunteering to wait and take over 2 Kumaon (Berar) after Lt Col RM Sewal finishes his command of the battalion. However, a few days later, I was taken aback to receive my forthwith posting order to 19 Kumaon. One does not represent against the posting order. My wife and I packed up our baggage and prepared ourselves for the long journey ahead. My memories of railway journeys from Delhi to Misamari were quite vivid having travelled on that route many times. The travel took about five days, the journey from Lucknow onwards was on meter gauge train. Rangiya was another station where train had to be changed for Misamari and there were very few trains going there. No food was generally available during the journey. Based on my earlier experience I told my wife to be self contained for the duration of journey. With two young boys there was a lot of baggage to be carried in the train. At Rangiya we restocked ourselves with food. The train was to arrive Misamari after mid night and I was quite prepared to stay for the night at the Railway Station waiting

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