India China Conflict 1962: Mobility of 7 Inf Brigade

Patrolling 2003: Photo The TribuneThe road to Tawang
The only road available as line of communication for operations in Keming Division was road Tezpur-Misamari-Foot Hills-Rupa-Tenga valley and from there to Bomdila-Dirang Dzong upto Sela (4,198m) down to Nuranang-Jang and Towang. This was a fair weather class 9 road passing through some very difficult terrain. In the dry weather the road was dusty with sharp hairpin bends, steep inclines with overhanging rocks at many places. The culverts were
un-metalled and in places half built with wooden trestles. In the rains the road quickly became a quagmire and deeply rutted; any vehicle having got into one of the ruts had to move in it for long distances before it could come out of it .The frame of the vehicle particularly the suspension and steering system were subjected to severe stress and strains.

Tenga valley
On this line of communication it was not a question of steady climb in elevation but the road was like a roller coaster starting at an elevation of 305m at the Foot Hills, climbing up to Eagles Nest (2,837m) in a distance of 62 kms down to Tenga Valley (1,367m) over 39 kms. From here the road climbed to Bomdila (2,379m) over a distance of 21 kms. Bomdila to Sappers Camp (1,830m) a distance of 53 kms was comparatively easy except for land slides in places which made it difficult to negotiate without Engineer effort and assistance of dozers and recovery vehicles. Sapper Camp to Sela (4,198m) a distance of 41 kms was a hard climb with sharp bends some of which could only be negotiated by reversing the vehicle once or twice- a difficult operation even on best of the hill roads.

Approach to Sela
The approach to Sela was under improvement and paved by boulders. From Sela the road dropped to Nuronang (4,117m) over a distance of 8 kms. From here, there was down hill drive to Jang (2,502m) with twenty-seven hairpin bends in about 9 kms requiring the reversing of vehicles to negotiate each bend. The road to Towang crossed Twang Chu (river) over a wooden bridge of 27m span. . From here onwards, the road to Towang a distance of nearly 37 kms, was over a mud flat deeply rutted; calling for considerable skill and patience on the part of the vehicle drivers as well necessitating assistance from dozers and recovery vehicles to force the passage. Many vehicles stalled and burnt their clutches on this stretch of the road.

Freezing cold
Temperature varied from the very hot and humid climate of the tropical forests of the foothills to the freezing cold of Sela and the wind swept funnel of Nuranang where the wind chill factor constantly kept the temperature extremely low: a bottle of beer had to be thawed even at mid day with the sun shining bright overhead.

Mule pack
In the plains the road meandered through paddy fields with extremely soft berms requiring constant maintenance. Due to narrow roads overtaking of vehicles was not possible except at a few places. Movement away from the centre of the road invariably resulted in vehicles getting in the slush and at places where the road was elevated called for recovery assistance. Movement beyond Tawang had to be on foot and mule pack.
(Extract from History of Corps of EME)

Fwd by Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)

India China Conflict 1962: Sealing the lie

The fact is that on the 19th evening India had no plan to attack across the river Namak Chu, If there was any plan, it was that of the Chinese. The Chinese told the world: "At 7 O’ Clock (Peking time) in the morning of 20th October the aggressive Indian forces, under cover of fierce artillery fire launched massive attacks against the Chinese Frontier Guards."

The Times of India dated 28 May 1998 had published a letter from me to editor titled "Sealing a Lie" which highlighted the above Radio Peking lie. Quote, I was the Signal Officer of the late Brigadier J P Dalvi’s illfated 7 Brigade deployed in Namka Chu Valley in NEFA, and which faced the brunt of the massive Chinese attack in 1962. The then Lt Col K K Tewari, CO 4th Infantry Divisional Signal Regiment, came to visit me in the Bde HQ on October 18, 1962. He, among other things, asked me to work out the leave plans of my section. Subsequently, he was captured by the Chinese on the morning of October 20, 1962 in the forward infantry battalion location which he was visiting.

The point to note is that forward formations that are intending to attack do not plan leave for its personnel. The Commander Signals of the division also remains with the divisional HQ to control and execute the overall communication plan and does no go and stay with the forward most infantry battalion on the eve of the attack. This should seal the Chinese lie- if it has not been sealed yet- that India attacked the Chinese Frontier Guards on October 20, 1962.

Brig Lakshman Singh,VSM (Retd)

Western Theatre
On October 20, 1962, the Chinese People's Liberation Army launched two attacks, 1000 kilometers apart. In the western theater, the PLA sought to expel Indian forces from the Chip Chap valley in Aksai Chin while in the eastern theater, the PLA sought to capture both banks of the Namka Chu river. Some skirmishes also took place at the Nathula Pass, which is in Sikkim, a protectorate of India at that time. Gurkha rifles travelling north were targeted by Chinese artillery fire. After four days of fierce fighting, the three regiments of Chinese troops succeeded in securing a substantial portion of the disputed territory.

Eastern theatre
Chinese troops launched an attack on the southern banks of the Namka Chu River on October 20. The Indian forces were undermanned, with only an understrength battalion to support them, while the Chinese troops had three regiments positioned on the north side of the river. The Indians expected Chinese forces to cross via one of five bridges over the river and defended those crossings. However their strategy was wrong as while the Indian troops settled for the night on the banks of the river, the PLA crossed over the shallow October river and made their way to the other side. They gathered themselves up into battalions on the Indian- held south side of the river in the camouflage of the night, with each battalion assigned against a separate group of Rajputs.

India's China War by Neville Maxwell
India's shameful Debacle

There has never been a clear answer from the Leftists and Communists in India with respect to these questions concerning China.

Was China the aggressor in 1962?

Is China in illegal possession of Indian territory?

Do they support the Hananisation of Tibet ?

Do they condemn the facilitation of acquisition of missile and nuclear technology by China to Pakistan?

Do they support religious freedom in China?

Do they support Chinese activities in India’s neighbourhood?

What is Karat now saying about the Nuclear Deal? Endgame not clear!

Abandoned? Life in Tezpur 1959

Like a good soldier I abandoned my wife of less than two years and the child of nine months or so to join the unit by 29th October 1959 in far away Assam. ‘Abandon’ was the word she used then and again and again later to remind her mental state on being left behind.

Mrs Lakshman Singh and 9 month Baby
The train journey to Tezpur across the vast breadth of India from UP through Bihar West Bengal and on to Assam a distance of more than 2000 Kms with three changes of trains and rail gauges was slow time consuming and tedious. One did see the changing landscape the distinct cultural differences of the people that made the nation the changing dresses the spoken language the dialects the accents and the food habits so obvious from the fare sold on the platform even the flavour of the tea sold on the stalls which became sweeter and richer in aroma as one neared Assam, the home of most of the tea gardens. One normally did encounter some old friend on the train which helped in decreasing the tedium of the journey and help in updating about others friends.

Tezpur town is situated on the north bank of the massive and majestic Brahmaputra so broad at Tezpur that the other bank in not visible to the eye. The Signal Regiment was located far away from the town on the airfield a Second World War legacy left by the British. The IAC daily flight from Calcutta with the characteristic drone of the twin engine Dakota took- off and landed regularly at the Sonebari Airport a friendly sight and sound. The Vampire fighters of the IAF also thundered in and out burning rubber on the runway flying training sorties. I do still wonder as to what they were training for since when we needed them most they were conspicuous by their absence. The difficult times under the tough Commanding officer call it my fate or luck proved to be a boon in the long run.

The CO’s Team Third row2 Lt KV Ram Das, Maj Nasib Singh, Capt R S Trehan, Capt SVS Choudhry, Capt K S Man, Maj SMM Jaffery
Second RowCapt Pinto, Maj Brij Lal, Lt Col KK Tewari, Capt AS Bawa, AuthorFront Row2 Lt Mohan Lal, Maj Sardul Singh Gupta, 2 Lt V K Kapoor, 2 Lt Lal Singh, Lt G L Rajpal

I had been with the Regiment holding a difficult and responsible appointment now for more than two years on round the clock duty. Our waking hours were long for more reasons than one. Our living conditions were primitive to say the least. No electricity except for a short duration in the evenings the accommodation consisted of barracks with bamboo matting walls tin roofs and good old mother earth for a floor. The water table was so high that at times the legs of the bed would sink a few inches in the soft earth canting the bed at most unnatural angles. Weather wise except for the short winters.

2 Lt CL Anand, and Maj Gangadharan, OC1
Tezpur was hot humid and sultry with all sorts of crawling and flying insects of the latter mosquitoes were in abundance. The sun rose early in Tezpur we were on 'Garden Time' hours ahead of the Indian Standard Time an innovation of the Planters to save daylight hours. We rose early for work and after a long day late in the night soon after the 9 PM news on the Radio eyes drooping with sleep when one wanted to be excused from the Mess he was generally reminded that it was only 9 PM in Delhi and still too early to call it a day.

If not on duty for entertainment one could go on Saturdays to the Tea Planters club at Thakurbari forty miles or so away where on those days a film show was generally held. One could also drink or get drunk and make a fool of oneself. In any case dressed in our mandatory working uniforms with an unauthorised tie round the neck a concession to the club rules we would be visible like a sore thumb even from a distance. We were a species apart unwelcome unwanted but a necessary evil to be tolerated suffered and endured. With all this there was no chance of any social interaction with the club members more so for us junior officers. However, what is still fresh in my memory is the view of the airfield area.

The mundane and uninspiring view during the day of the flat expense of ground with the ugly concrete aircraft pens constructed during the Second World War dotting the landscape with clumps of tall ungainly wild grass growing all over would suddenly transform itself into a beautiful night scape. Spread as far as the eye could see suffused with pale white moonlight the tall reed like grass with white plumes swayed in the breeze shining as if made of silver. On a cold winter night with the moon high in the sky it was an ethereal sight so vastly different from that of the day. The sight and sounds and the peace and quiet of those special nights some what compensated for all the hardships of separation from the family a difficult job and general discomforts of the place of work. Though disappointed in not getting annual leave life had to be lived and work done. I was in the service of my wife now for good seven years and her call could not be ignored also any change from Tezpur was welcome. The two years or so spent with the Regiment in Tezpur were a prelude to the more momentous postings and events to follow at Tawang and forward areas bordering China in 1962.

Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)