Here they fought the epic battle of Walong...
By Kartik Lokhande
The sentinel hills, that round us stand;
Bear witness that, we loved our land;
Amidst shattered rock, and flaming pine;
We fought and died on Namti Plain;
O’ Lohit, gently by us glide;
Pale stars above softly shine;
As we sleep here, in Sun and rain.
Thus
reads a plaque with epitaph, titled ‘Asleep in the Mishmi Hills’ and
composed by Bernard S Dougal, just close to the bank of river Lohit and
Walong advanced landing ground. It actually sums up the heroic battle of
Walong during the Chinese aggression of 1962.
Popularly known as
‘Battle of Walong’ was fought in Walong Sector of the then North East
Frontier Agency (NEFA). In 1962, as is known, non-acclimatised Indian
soldiers fought valiantly to protect their motherland from the Chinese
aggression following ill-conceived and politically motivated ‘Forward
Policy’. Of course, India paid a heavy price for that. Still, there were
bright spots of unmatched valour of devoted soldiers. And, among these,
Walong was the brightest spot. For, here, several probing attacks of
Chinese were repulsed by brave Indian soldiers inflicting very heavy
casualty on the enemy. For, here, Indian soldiers made recovery of the
first two weapons ever ‘captured from the enemy.’ No saga of 1962 war
could be complete without mention of the battle of Walong.
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| The canopied memorial of 1962 war near Walong ALG, on the banks of river Lohit. (Pic by Kartik Lokhande) |
“The
story of 3,000 officers and men of the Indian Army putting up a stiff
resistance and holding their positions for three weeks repulsing wave
after wave of fierce attacks by Chinese 12,000 to 15,000 in numbers, in a
seven-mile front over treacherous mountain terrain, where even drinking
water is scarce, is unparalled anywhere in military history,” reads a
report in ‘Sainik Samachar’ edition of March 3, 1963.
Even today,
inspiring memories of the battle are living on in the form of several
monuments and memorials. Apart from the canopied memorial closer to
Walong ALG, a new memorial has come up on a hillock overseeing the
air-strip. The ‘Lest We Forget’ memorial hut preserves helmets, and
photographs of valiant soldiers who fought the Chinese till last bullet
tirelessly. There are names of soldiers of 6 Kumaon, 4 Sikh, 4 Dogra
(from Nov 14 onwards), 3/3 Gurkha Rifles, 2/8 Gurkha Rifles, 2 Assam
Rifles, Platoon ‘B’ Company of 6 Mahar, 71 Heavy Mortar Battery, and 52
Para Field Battery inscribed on black marble slabs around the memorial
hut. A statue of the ‘Soldier in Silence’ is placed at a location from
where one can see Walong valley in the backdrop.
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| At Helmet Top, this tin-shed memorial is a place of reverence for soldiers. Here, the remains of grenades burst, bullets fired during 1962 war are still preserved. (Pic by Kartik Lokhande) |
“This memorial has
been erected in the everlasting memory of our fellow countrymen -- who
greatly outnumbered on the snowy mountain tops and rugged defiles of
Walong, without the shelter of even a tent and suffering from extremes
of cold, hunger, and thirst -- laid down their lives in October-November
1962, in the most gallant conflict for our tomorrow, and halted the
Chinese war machine here at Walong,” reads the inscription on a plaque
at ‘Lest We Forget’ memorial hut.
Some more distance ahead, towards
Namti Plains, is another tin-shed memorial at a feature referred to as
‘Helmet Top’. For years, helmets of Indian soldiers were placed here in
front of Indian national flag. Today, though helmets have been moved to
another place, the shells of bullets fired, blasted grenades dating back
to 1962 war have been preserved here. In fact, soldiers posted here
offer tea, water, and even meals at this place as a matter of respect to
the gallant men who made the supreme sacrifice in defence of
motherland. At Helmet Top, there is one plaque of a soldier’s saying of B
Company of 6 Assam Rifles, which reads, “If I advance, follow me. If I
withdraw, kill me. If I die, avenge me. So, help me God.”
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| 2/8 Gurkha Rifles, the unit that is known for bravery during 1962 war and other epic battles, is posted at Kibithu even today. (Pic by Kartik Lokhande) |
At Namti
Plains also, there is a small canopied memorial. Interestingly, from a
distance towards Kibithu, the Indian Army post 5 kms from the border
with China, one can see beautiful location of Namti Plains. Also, one
can visualise how the battle at this place could have been fought, as
the geographical features like Ladders hillock, Mithun Ridge, Plateau
are clearly seen even today.
At Kibithu, 2/8 Gurkha Rifles is
posted. At the entrance to the Army post itself, a popular sentence of
2/8 Gurkha Rifles shines in metal, “They shall not pass.” Between
October 25 and 27, 1962, Chinese carried out relentless attacks to
overrun the defences in Walong Sector but 2/8 Gurkha Rifles held on and
for the first time in 1962 war, Chinese troops were forced to retreat.
Brig N C Rawley, Commander, 11 Infantry Brigade had congratulated the
unit for ‘breaking up one major and several probing attacks, and
inflicting very heavy casualty on the enemy, and also for recovering the
first two weapons ever captured from the enemy.’ The letter is still
kept inscribed on a metal plate at Kibithu post.
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| At Namti Plains, Indian soldiers fought a brave battle and thwarted the Chinese advances. The geographical features like Ladder, ridge, plateau are still visible almost as they were in 1962. (Pic by Kartik Lokhande) |
Another glorious
chapter of unparalleled grit and determination of Indian soldiers in
rugged terrain in 1962 war is of Kumaon Battalion. It was the only unit
of the Indian Army to launch an attack on Chinese defences with severely
limited resources, but equipped with courage and aggression. The epic
battle that commenced on November 14, 1962, saw launch of attack without
any tangible fire support, and against very strong resistance from the
Chinese. The ammunition got exhausted, but courage did not. There was
hand-to-hand battle, with Indian and Chinese sides both suffering heavy
casualties.
Against all odds, and wave-after-wave of numerically
superior enemy, braveheart Kumaonis held their ground till the last man
standing and the last round fired, causing heavy losses to the Chinese.
As Brigadier N C Rawlley had stated then, “The Kumaon Battalion fought,
fought, and fought, till there was an eerie silence.”
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| The present-day tourist attraction, Hot Springs was a camping place for patrolling troops in 1962. Sadly, today, local youths prefer to bath in it and dump beer cans in the springs area. (Pic by Kartik Lokhande) |
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