Battle of Longewala: Indo Pak War 1971

Dear General Kadyan,
I read with interest your mention of Battle of Longewala in your last e-mail. I agree with the similarity of the situation and the lessons we learned from this battle.

I appreciate the tremendous effort being made by you, Brig Kamboj and your Team of Veterans to get justice to the Indian Armed Forces. It is a gigantic task and as you rightly said, it is not easy to move the Bureaucracy.

Just to add a few facts about the historic battle of Longewala as being talked about in various discussion groups. I watched the movie “Border” with great interest and must say that it was one of the best war movies ever produced in Bollywood. However, there appeared to be a major gap in the story. Perhaps it was done intentionally to show the superiority of the Indian Soldier.

At no time this Company of 23 Punjab was without any Artillery support (as being depicted everywhere). A Battery of 168 Field Regiment was in its direct support right from the time this Company occupied defences at Longewala. Further, when forward patrols reported the movement of the enemy tanks, a Battery of Heavy Mortars commanded by me was ordered to be deployed directly behind this Longewala Company.

Since we were ready to march towards Kishangarh (in the opposite direction) we had no maps of Longewala Sector. Regardless of this shortcoming I led my Battery personally and advanced towards Longewala. On reaching Longewala, we were given the maps of the area and ably guided for deployment by guides from the rear elements of 23 Punjab.

My OP officers then Capt Santosh Datta and Yogiraj Kapoor reached the Longewala post around midnight and the Heavy Mortars of 185 Light Regiment were firing continuously on the enemy tanks throughout the night and the next two days (Sarvatra Izzato Iqbal).

It was a combination of some exemplary courage of our Infantrymen, the massive fire power of the Indian Artillery and its brave Gunners, the supporting Arms and the IAF working together as a well knit team which compelled the enemy to withdraw after suffering very heavy losses.

A few rare pictures of the place after the battle are attached.
Col Kulvinder Singh, psc (NRI)
Armed Forces Veteran
Earlier Blog Posts on Longewala Battle
A Real Life Hero Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
Battle of Longewala 1971 Honouring Heros
Brig KS Chandpuri shares battle experience: Indo Pak War 1971

Brig KS Chandpuri shares battle experience: Indo Pak War 1971

Indo Pak war 1971: Indian soldiers, along with Maj KS Chandpuri (Right) in front of a bombed Pakistani Jeep
Kuldip Singh Chandpuri (3rd from left) with his company
Mohali, November 23, 2004
Students of the local Government College had an interesting interaction with Brigadiar Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri (Retd), a Mahavir Chakra winner and the hero of the Battle of Longewala of 1971.

While giving details of the battle at the Longewala post in Rajasthan, Brigadier Chandpuri told the students that the battle could not be won just because he fought bravely at the front but due the bravery shown by jawans of the Punjab Regiment during the war.

They fought fearlessly and that was how a company comprising nearly 90 jawans, headed by him, defeated a Pakistan division, comprising 3,500 jawans and fully armed.

He said the Punjab Regiment had lost 16 jawans in the war at the Longowala post and another 16 got injured. He also got an injury while fighting the enemy. The casualties on the Pakistan side were much higher and number of officials were sacked by the Pakistan Government for giving a poor performance on the Rajasthan border.

While addressing students, most of whom came from rural areas, the Longewala hero said he, too, was from a rural background. He said 90 per cent of those serving in the defence forces had a rural background and they were always considered better fighters than those coming from urban areas.
Brig KS Chandpuri, MVC speaks to school children
Brigadier sues Air-Marshal, Maj-Gen for disputing history Seeks damages of just Rs 1
Battle of Laungewala (Longewala) - latest developments

I had the privilege of serving in HQ 15 Corps when Brig KS Chandpuri was the Assistant Adjutant-General (AAG) tasks involved personnel management, financial management, general administration, military education, legal services, and provost (military policing) services. He was a thorough professional, a gentleman to the core and with simple tastes. He respected his Juniors and never threw his weight around. I had close association with him for nearly one year. He is symbol of a great soldier and approachable by one and all. An edifice of impeccable Integrity and Honesty. The bravest of the brave.

Controversy Why?
There has been some doubt about the heroism of valour by Brig K S Chandpuri, MVC and his team. In recent times this seems to be part of journalistic investigation. The reason is easy to fathom because no one individual can recreate the battle field in totality. Hence the real hero who braved the enemy is likely to be sidelined to other glamorous events of the supporting arms and services. No one is qualified to comment on the Heroic Deeds of Brig KS Chandpuri except by those who fought with him and survived to tell the tale.

Lt Col James Kanagaraj (Retd)
Moderator, Report My Signal Blog

To recapitulate the Battle
The Battle of Longewala December5 - December6, 1971 was one of the first major battles in the Western Sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defences at the Indian border post of Longewala, in Thar Desert of the Rajasthan state in India. It is generally regarded to be one of the decisive battles in the two week long war.

The Indian 'A' company of 120 odd soldiers of the 23rd Bn, Punjab Regiment, managed to hold a 2000-3000 strong assault force of the 51st Infantry Brigade of the Pakistani Army, backed by the 22nd Armoured Regiment, for two days, until the Indian Air Force would arrive to thwart the Pakistani assault. The Indian victory in this battle ensured that Pakistan had no way of countering the Indian Army in the west and eventually succumbed to a swift defeat in the war.

For his part, the Indian company commander Major (later Brigadier) Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was decorated with India's second highest gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra. Several other awards were earned by members of the defending battalion. On the other hand, the Pakistani Divisional Commander was sacked. However the commander of the Pakistani 51 Brigade who mounted the daring attack and crossed into Indian territory was later awarded Pakistan's high award of the Sitara-e-Imtiaz.

Battle of Longewala 1971 Honouring Heros

We all know what happened in the Longewala area during the '71 war. And I'm not talking of the movie 'Border' here. My Battalion was close to where Brig KS Chandpuri (then Maj) was, and he and his men took the term 'holding the fort' to new heights. With sheer grit and determination, this company of Punjab Regt held on and being in the area, we knew it was no easy task.

The controversy emerged after the release of 'Border' where Sunny Deol played the role of Chandpuri. Certain people started comparing reel with real life. Chandpuri never claimed the movie to be a true depiction of what actually happened, in fact if I remember correctly, the movie contained a disclaimer that it was inspired by the events at Laugewala and was not a true blow by blow account. Of course there had to be exaggeration of facts if the movie was to become a hit.

That we all know that in the movie the Army had a centre stage and this rankled certain Air Force and Air OP officers but the mudslinging campaign against the gallant men of 23 PUNJAB in Hindustan Times (by Rahul Singh of HT) and certain other media orgs recently was uncalled for. They in 2008 called the battle a 'fake' and claimed that not even a single round was fired in Longewala. Nothing could have been more untrue and they have done disservice to the lives lost in the area buckling down to the greed of sensationalism. Many men were lost in Longewala and here were people saying that there was no evidence of fire in the area ! The least they could have done was consult people who had served in the region during those times. I met Brig CHandpuri - he may not remember me, but I've never seen a war hero more humble in my life. The man is a grounded person and son of the soil and it pained me and the defence community a great deal to see his humiliation in the media whereas he maintained a dignified silence. It was also unfortunate that the Army did not come to his rescue by issuing any official media statement.

But now, when I opened my paper this morning, I felt very happy and relieved. The humble farmer- soldier has decided to fight a war again after 37 years. He has filed a case in a Chandigarh Court for redeeming his honour and you know how much he has sought as damages – Rupee 1/-. A great man and a great step. May the Lord be with him and the souls that were lost that night in Longewala.

Brig Chander Bhanot (Retd)
BATTLE OF LONGEWALA: BEST OF BRAVES
Battle of Longewala

I had stood watching ahead at the Lngewala post, it was some time in 1986. There was a burnt-out tank, obviously, a casualty of a R C L round, its gun pointing out straight at me. I could see rightin it's barrel: even in a burnt state the sight of the tank so near, was frightening. there was also a burnt out tank recovery vehicle just behind it. Unfortunately, fifteen years past there were no empties for me to count. My heart goes to those brave solders who stood ground and died there.

Brig Lakshman Singh, VSM (Retd)