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View Full Version : May 62 :Prelude to 20 October 1962



bls31
October 14th, 2013, 08:27 PM
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ARLY ON THE MORNING of the 9th May 1962. I left Misamari to take charge of my new command that of 7 Infantry Brigade Signal Section, then located at Towang.

An hour's drive brought me to the foothills, the inner line of NEFA (North East Frontier Agency), now Arunachal. No one except for army personnel could cross it without a political officer’s authorization, from where the climb started for the six-hour torturous drive to Tengavalley via Doimara, Chako, and Eagles Nest.

At Chako, just short of Bomdila, the driver brought the Jeep to a halt. I assumed that he wanted to give the vehicle a bit of rest and time for the over-heated engine to cool down after the steep climb. We had stopped near a Teashop being run by two pretty girls of indeterminate race. It was later discovered that they were Chinese spies complete with a wireless-set; the transmitter antenna was hidden and well camouflaged in the tall Bamboo-poles replete with the ubiquitous prayer flags, symbols of piece, fluttering gently in the cold mountain breeze. It was a strategic location for their task, ideal for a tea break and for stretching cramped muscles and chit-chat with girls. The girls, more than the Tea served in the shop acted as the proverbial magnet pulling the solders and officers alike , the light banter exchanged while sipping the tea providing all the intelligence on the troop composition and their deployment.

Our stop for the night was near the Dirang Dzong village with an Army unit. Leaving after the overnight stay to continue on my way to Towang, I was soon forced to break the journey en route, short of Sela Pass. Due to some road building activity going on up ahead the road had been shut down. The small hut allotted to me was perched on the very edge of the narrow road, which climbed steeply towards Sela Pass. Just at the rear of the hut was a deep gorge clearly visible from the window. The view of the setting Sun, the shadows slowly creeping over the valley was beautiful, breathtaking and picture perfect. The sight was enchanting enough in that it is still fresh in my memory. On the flip side I did get the feeling of extreme vertigo when I looked down from my window into the deep, dark and heavily wooded ravine.

The journey until now had been incredible, mostly a roller-coaster ride. The road climbing to dizzy heights as it wound up the mountains, disappearing into moist fog and mist and then the Jeep rushing back down into the valley to emerge from the fog and mist with the sun shining brightly. The driver's one foot, at all times on the brake making a screeching sound when stepped on, the revving of the overworked engine as we climbed uphill once more, until finally the road aligned itself along the grain of the barren mountain ranges

I left early next morning hoping to reach Towang by afternoon. The drive through Sela Pass at 13,000 plus feet, a bleak snow covered foggy place sans any vegetation, was not too difficult but the descent to Jang Village, a sheer, nearly vertical drop of 7, 500 feet, on a track, now covered with mud and slush, was a nightmare.

The Jeep crossed over the river Towang Chu and we drove-up towards Towang. I was harbouring visions of glory being driven to my new command in style, which unfortunately was not to be. As we neared Towang, Lav Bridge a culvert on the road had collapsed making impossible any further progress by jeep. However, having come all the way I had no intention of spending the night on the road. I decided to foot it, following the track in the general direction of Towang.

Out of breadth and struggling, having come straight from the plains of Assam, totally un-acclimatized to the height, the cold and the rarefied atmosphere, I huffed and puffed up the steep trail making slow progress. Just before dark and completely exhausted, I some how made it to the Brigade Officers living area.

I had no idea at that time that my future was equally dark. I was soon to resume the journey onwards, once again on foot, instead of proceeding on the promised leave, thanks to the Chinese who on 8th September decided to have some fun and surrounded one of our posts, located at the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and Tibet. Soon the Brigade was ordered to exit Towang, move forward and drive the Chinese out. The Chinese infested the Thagla Ridge across the river Namka Chu, a stone’s throw away from the Brigade HQ deployed at Rongla. My immediate destination, this location, was a five day march from Towang with a trek across the formidable Karpola pass at 16,000 feet.
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The Chinese could attack the Brigade at any moment and all our fears did come true as they decided to do so on the 20th October.

Ill prepared and under-equipped as the Brigade was, the massive Chinese assault made quick work of decimating it.

With the situation becoming untenable, and ordered to abandon the place immediately, I got hold of my men, a modicum of communication equipment and was on my feet and moving once again, but this time without food, rest or sleep, with the Chinese in hot-pursuit, our destination was India. However, we had little idea of the route to follow, as there was none. We had to find our own way out, but that as they say is another story.

It was a miracle that we did some how managed to reach the Indian border in the process traversing Bhutan mostly on foot. By now all of us were starved, half-dead and exhausted with lack of nourishment, sleep, suffering the effects of biting cold and relentless trudging on the non-existing trails and tracks on the snow-covered mountains.

As we crossed over the border we must have been a sight to behold, haggard and unshaven with our uniforms in tatters, most certainly reeking to high heaven of body-odour.

bls31
October 19th, 2013, 10:06 PM
Let us not forget that tomorrow is 20th OCTOBER. 51 years back on 20th October 1962 China had attacked us in NEFA, now known as Arunachal Prades. bls31

bls31
October 27th, 2013, 10:48 AM
Last year the 50th year of the Sino Indain Conflict, I was the hero with all the TV channels making a bee line to my flat and converting the sitting room in to a studio ,with cameras, lights and microphones. 20th October 2013 has gone past with out a whimper and I feel like a zero. BLS