The Battle of Longewala

After drifting for approximately thousand kilometers from Alwar, I have reached Longewala. This place romanticizes me allot. The battle of Longewala a legend in itself. It is located at 120 kms from city of Jaisalmer. Only way to reach this place is boulevard and if you are tourist then you have to hire a cab.

Longewala is prevalent because of the illustrious skirmish tussled between India and Pakistan in 1971. The clash of Longewala is all about how hundred odd men clogged and overwhelmed approximately 2000 Pakistani legionnaires. This battle was all about the audacity, impetus, chauvinism and drive to prizefight exhibited by those eighty Indian warriors. This scuffle is one of my favorite scuffles, and whenever I come to this place, my mind start envisaging how horde of men repudiated the destiny.

During the Indo-Pak war of 1971, A-Coy of 23 Punjab had taken up the defences at Longewala. The A-Coy company commander was Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri later on emeritus from Indian Army as a Brigadier.

On the nocturnal of 3^rd Dec 1971, lieutenant Dharamveer was directed towards border pillar number 638 to carry out trans-border patrol, in order to bring enemy’s info. Late in night-time on 4^th Dec 1971, lieutenant Dharamveer passed back the info about the crusade of Pakistani tanks entering the Indian Territory. Appreciative the gravity of the status quo Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri requested battalion headquarter to send the reinforcement and in the riposte, he was told either to delay till morning or start retreating towards Ramgarh which was approximately fifty kilometers away from Longewala. The pronouncement was taken on basis of the métier of the enemy imminent towards Longewala. A-Coy had circa hundred odd men holding the ground matched to virtually two thousand Pakistani soldiers laterally with tanks hastening towards them.

Astoundingly, soldiers of A-Coy unequivocal to hold the ground, and either kill the enemy or die shielding their mother land. Pakistani forces pounce on at 0030 hrs, and keen-sighted this Indian soldiers placed mines onward of their defences.  Indian soldiers did not uncluttered fire and hold their horses till enemy tanks did not reach thirty to forty meters away from the defences. Pakistani stopped at perimeter fences and erroneous it as minefield. Pakistanis squandered two hours in breaching the perimeter fence which they thought was a minefield. This allowed Indian warriors to buy more time and wait for reinforcement which was about to come with the first light in morning.

When Pakistanis were busy breaching the dummy minefield, Indians opened their RCL guns and wrecked twelve Pakistani tanks. Then Pakistanis exasperated to spasm on Indian defences from altered bearing but unfortunately their tanks and recovery vehicle got wedged in the sand. Indians kept firing on the soldiers who tried to gale towards them. By morning, Hunter bombers took off from Jaisalmer Air Force base. Pakistani tanks and soldiers were a sitting ducks for Hunters and by afternoon, Pakistani forces were completely smashed.

In this battle, losses were on both side. Pakistan lost 38 tanks and 179 soldiers were killed. India lost three of its courageous soldiers. Pakistani forces while attacking on India through Longewala, had taken out border pillar 638 from its original location and carried it till Longewala. They wanted to make Longewala as new international border between the two countries. The reason was that Longewala was a strong point to carry forward a war because of availability of necessary resources. Indians did not allow Pakistanis to succeed in their intentions.

 On 9^th Dec 1971, 13 Kumaon battalion of Indian army, carried out counter attack and crossed actual border pillar 638. Unlike Pakistanis, they carried out this attack in day light and surprised the Pakistani army. They captured 3 border observation post of Pakistan and forced Pakistani army to withdraw. In this counterattack 13 Kumaon lost one junior commissioned officer, and three other ranks. That border pillar 638 has been made as a battle trophy and kept at the center of Longewala.

This was not a story of any movie, this battle was real and it is always remembered for display of exemplary courage and wisdom. You must have seen the movie 300 which is considered as fictional. This real life battle was much more than the story of 300 where self-motivated soldiers defeated the destiny.