Laungewala - A battle that sprung surprise

Akashdeep Singh · #1 (**permalink**) 05-Dec-2006, 05:53 AM

A battle that sprung surprise

Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri briefs Britain's Chief of the Imperial
General Staff, Field Marshal Carver, on the battle at Laungewala,
a few days after the 1971 war.

How could Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, a company commander of 23 Punjab, with only 70 men under his command, beat back an attack by a Pakistani brigade supported by a regiment of tanks? Though it sounds incredible, it did happen on December 5, when his truncated company was occupying the Laungewala post in Rajasthan in the 1971 war.
According to our plan, two brigades of the division located at Jaisalmer were to launch an attack into Pakistan. The third brigade under the late Brig RO Kharbanda, which was nominated to defend Jaisalmer Bulge, too had to launch three limited attacks to divert the enemy from our main thrust. Thus what Brig Kharbanda was left with were two rifle companies, one each at Laungewala and Sadewala. Laungewala was the least likely route of the enemy's ingress.
It was against this setting that the Pakistanis started shelling the Laungewala post with medium artillery little after 2.30 am on December 5, and by 3.30 am the post was surrounded by the enemy. This was followed by a series of attacks by the enemy. All of which were beaten back. In the morning, our Air Force also came into action and targeted the enemy's armour. At 9.30 am when the IAF planes had gone back to the base to refill, one enemy tank, which was coming straight on to the post, got bogged down in the sand.
Several brave men of our company were honoured with gallantry awards in this battle. Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri (now a retired Brig) won a Maha Vir Chakra. His unit, 23 Punjab, was awarded the Battle Honour of Laungewala and Theatre Honour of Sind.

A monument rout

"We will have breakfast at Laungewala, lunch at Ramgarh and dinner at Jaisalmer", said Brig Tariq Mir, Commander, 51 Brigade of the Pakistan Army. This boast of the Brig was revealed by the Pakistani prisoners of war. The marked maps and documents captured by us also proved that the enemy's destination was Jaisalmer.
How could 70 men under Major Chandpuri defeat a brigade grouped with a regiment of armour? According to the recorded opinion of his Brigade Commander, Brig RO Kharbanda: "The Pakistani Commander had the means but Kuldip and his boys had the will. They held the post against all odds and the Pakistanis had to retreat in defeat and humiliation. They left behind on the battlefield 37 tanks, nearly 200 vehicles and 100 dead. The commanders of the Pakistani division and brigade were both sacked after this action."
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-news/14691-laungewala-a-battle-that-sprung-surprise.html

Enigma of promotions

Who is a good officer? One, who is professionally sound, trains his men well, looks after their welfare and leads them into battle with success. Besides, a good officer should possess high integrity and should be sincere and loyal to his superiors as well as subordinates.
A number of cases have come to light where officers who have been acknowledged to be good in all respects have not made the grade for their next promotion. Among them are Cols Umesh Singh Bawa and Lalit Rai, who not only won Vir Chakras in the Kargil war but their units also won a host of gallantry awards. Similar is the case of Col OP Yadav, who was awarded Yudh Seva Medal. All the three units commanded by them were awarded "Chief's Unit Citation" and Col Rai's unit also got "Bravest of the Brave" award. Cols Bawa and Yadav, apart from being graduates from the Defence Services Staff College, have also attended the Higher Command Course. Col Rai has done the Long Defence Management Course. Yet another case is that of Col Kamal Kumar Sharma, who won a Shaurya Chakra and a Sena Medal twice. He has chucked the Army in disgust and is in the hotel industry now.
These officers, besides possessing the best qualifications, have led their men to victory in battle. Why have they then been denied promotions? The answer puts a question mark on the Annual Confidential Reports' (ACRs) system, which it is felt by most needs a major revision.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14691

— Pritam Bhullar

Source: Tribune, Dec 05, 2006

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Huck_Finn · #2 (**permalink**) 07-Dec-2006, 11:16 AM

the army is under severe pressure now.. a lot of chinks are opening up and corruption has been eating out the pillars...

vijaydeep Singh · #3 (**permalink**) 07-Dec-2006, 17:35 PM

Gurfateh
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=14691

Some parts of paramilitary and intelligence are still better and better then Army and so India is OK.