Kargil War - A research paper by US Military on High Altitude Warfare

[Stephen Cohen]

Smoke rises from Indian Doordarshan television relay center in Kargil after getting hit by Pakistani Artillery shelling. 1 June 1999.

Indian supply road comes under Pakistani shelling. The capture of different strategic Indian posts had cut off road to Siachen glacier.

Pak artillery strikes Indian Army barracks. 4 June 1999,

Captured and abandoned weapons of Indian Army at display.

Due to the NUCLEAR scare mongering by Pakistan
India had to fight with a lot of restraint

Other wise we could have easily crossed the LOC

Remember the USA was still your ALLY ; but your audacious attack soon
after the Lahore visit by Indian PM ; forced them to dis own you

The Indian restrained approach made India into a RESPONSIBLE Nuclear Weapon state

And over night Pakistan became a rouge state ; who had started an unnecessary conflict

 

[Jamwal's]

Its funny Indians tend to ignore that NLI was a paramilitary force & wasn't even part of the army back then, yet those sons of Gilgit Baltistan stood their ground in the face of a numerically superior force of indian army backed by artillery & air support. NLI was ordered to abandon its positions by the high command, when nawaz sharif was pressurized by clinton administration, infact sect of state was the one who prepared the statement to be issued by Pak govt.
Civilian govt should have been consulted, that was a huge mistake, otherwise NLI had indians by their throats. If Indians were such superheroes which their fantasy media claims them to be then why they couldn't clear some peaks including 5353 still in Pakistani control. The ones indians claim to have captured were those abandoned by NLI under orders from high command as this is what the int'l community wanted, indians can claim whatever they want to feed their public, their officers involved in the conflict know the reality & have on occasions severely criticized their official govt stance of victory in that limited war.

Why just 5353.IA re captured more than 100 peaks in 3 sectors of kargil including Tiger Hill and Tololing.5353 is situated directly on LOC not inside Indian Territory and surrounded by 3 Indian Posts,troops on 5353 were pounced by IA artillery in early 2000 which resulted in 40 ~ Pak casualties,first they were flushed out by smoke shells then air burst rounds.

As for re capturing this lone post,it's not about the mettle of IA,we annexed this entire region including Turtok in 1971 and forced pak to sign humiliating shimla agreement converting CFL into LOC in our Favor.

Can I get the direct link to this article? Please! @Jamwal's

Department of National Security Affairs - Naval Postgraduate School

@Jamwal's - excellent read.
The conclusion - Holding the high ground does not ensure victory...... The Indian Army changed the theory.

Some peaks which troops scaled with the help of ropes and hours of crawling are now been been connected with Kaccha Roads so that our BMP 2 could reach the peaks within Hours,if need arise.

Road construction on few kargil heights

The guns of Kargil
Behind the infantry's heroism lay the artillery's prowess.

Raj Chengappa

August 9, 1999 | UPDATED 18:58 IST
A +A -


Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh, Lucky for short, makes no apologies for his tactics. The commander of the artillery brigade of India's 8 Mountain Division admits what he did was akin to using a sledgehammer to shell a peanut.

After all when has a powerful gun like Bofors, capable of hurling over 40 kg of deadly explosive to a distance of over 30 km, ever been used like a sharpshooter to knock down well-entrenched enemy soldiers sitting on top of peaks? Or which recent battle has seen over 100 artillery guns both big and small lined up and fired simultaneously to pulverise the enemy in a small target area into submission?

This was the untold story. While the infantry came in for much praise, it was the artillery that worked hard to soften up the enemy. In a war the ends usually justify the means. Singh unabashedly admits that he took a page out of history to use what even his Corp Commander Krishan Pal describes as " one of the most innovative artillery tactics to win a war".

He remembers reading how famous warriors like Babar and Ranjit Singh employed rows of master gunners to fire cannonballs directly at the enemy. His logic: if such simple tubes could be utilised in controlled direct firing then why not sophisticated gun systems?


So he first tried out the technique during the battle for Tololing. A battery of six guns were lined up and told to make direct hits at targets on top of the peak where Pakistani intruders were holed up. It made the final assault by the infantry much easier - casualties were lower too - to give India its first major victory in the Kargil war.

TOP SHOT: Lakhwinder (second from left) with commanders
Yet it was on a neighbouring peak called Point 5140 where Singh's brigade demonstrated how an ancient war tactic still held good. Singh ordered all available guns, including Bofors, 105 mm field guns and 120 mm mortars, to line up.


In all they numbered over 100. He then told his gunners to fire them continuously at the positions held by Pakistanis on the heights. Singh even had rockets launched against them. So effective was the firepower that the infantry was able to regain the positions without a single casualty.

With the infantry getting more confident of the artillery's prowess it was even willing to cut down the safety margins and take some daring risks. Normally the soldiers stay at least 350 m away from a spot towards which the shells are directed. But with the guns proving so accurate they would call for shelling even when they ventured to within 50 m of the targeted enemy positions.

It was night when the brigade targeted Tiger Hill and the entire sky lit up like Diwali as they resorted to nonstop firing for several hours. The pounding saw the Pakistani soldiers running for cover though many of them were killed by the deadly fusillade. Intercepts of conversations had one of them saying: "Hell has fallen on us."

The continuous firing made the infantry's task of capturing the hill much easier. Major-General Mohinder Puri, general officer commanding of the 8 Division, acknowledges that "it was the preponderance of the artillery fire that helped us score many victories".

The brigade has one regret though. It just could not silence the big guns of the Pakistanis. The result: splinters caused almost 80 per cent of the Indian casualties. Without a sophisticated weapon-locating radar, which Pakistan had, the Indian Army had to depend on the conventional method of observers perched at vantage points and directing the fire. But they were unable to cause telling damage.

There were other problems too. Because of the rarefied air and strong wind currents in the upper atmosphere, the accuracy of the Bofors gun, especially over longer distances of 20 km or more, caused problems. Singh dismisses them as minor hitches. There was such a demand for the Bofors gun that while in the beginning there were barely 25, by the end of the war the number had swelled to 100. Not bad for a gun whose name had become infamous for other reasons.

 

[thrilainmanila]

Whose Idea was to send these poor soldier as Canon Fodder.If you cannot support the position , you abandoned them to die at such places.

kargil was a failure, i'm not stupid enough to deny this, but you're argument that indian army did something spectacular is nothing more then bullshit. there were little more then 2000 pak soldiers in those peaks, and they were exposed to indian bofors the whole time they were there, they held out over a month, militarily this is a failure on indias side, that a formation of soldiers from the NLI who at the time were regarded as paramilitary(the pak paramilitary have always been ill equipped they lack basic equipment that regular pak soldiers have, this propaganda you hear about them being experts in mountain warfare is a fabrication). yet those same soldiers held out for 6 weeks against 300k indian troops with the backing of the indian air force. Most the pak army were unaware of what was going on in kargil. the kargil war didn't involve the full backing of the whole pak army, the pak army manned the artillery on there side of the LOC, but they at no point committed tens of thousands of soldiers that in any shape or form could challenge the 300,000 men who were actively fighting in kargil, my point is Indian media/and indian members paint the pakistan army as an unprofessional, begger like army who always get whopped, but in this case 2000 men held there own and only got there backs broken for a culmination of reasons(part of that reason was india finally got its tactics right, but another part of the reason was the lack of logistical support), please don't portray what india did in kargil as some big military achievement when in fact it wasn't that big a deal.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Determination was not there right from the start from hailing NLI as insurgents to not providing military/air support . To think sitting in military HQ that India would not do whatever it takes to to evict the NLI . It was really bad plan .

Bad plan? You got to be kidding here. It was a monumental cock up. Frankly if there was any justice Musharaf should have faced firing squad although if he had drop of honour he would have taken his service revolver and blown his brains out thereby regaining some honour posthumously.

As ever the average Pak soldier. The poor grunt on the ground proved his mettle. He fought to the death despite starvation, freezing temps and when ammo ran out he used even stones and boulders. Then he laid his life on side of mountain all for no purpose other than to pay with his blood for the ambitions and failure of his senior command who frankly did not deserve to command such splendid men. My heart cries for all those poor men and their mothers who lost their sons for the cowardly vanity of their senior command.

What is so unforgiveable is that even before the operation was launched defeat was writ large. How in gawds name could 1,700 men (light infantry) be expected to hold the hill against entire army group numbering over 300,000 men, artillery, air power? All this without any back up or any logistical supply. Where the *f* was PAF? Are they just for show on defence day?

Frankly this was like sending lambs to the slaughterhouse. At least that has end goal. To provide meat. This did not even have that. Hell what was the idea? Send these poor buggers and then just leave them to freeze to death on top of the hill. Then declaring that they were not PAK Army. How bad can this get. What were the orders? Go there. Freeze to death. Starve to death. Throw stones till death and oh by the way we will refuse to acknowledge you as Pak soldiers.

Only in country like Pakistan full of ignorants can leadership that planned this and then gave orders walk away without even blemish to their records. Mr Enlightended Moderation should have been Mr Enlightened Planner. His singular achievement was battle he had against Nawaz Sharif. He prevailed. Bravo.

Salute to all the fallen heroes like Karnal Sher Khan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Indika]

are you fucking stupid?being on a high vantage point means jackshit in this day and age, the taliban and al-qaida were on top of tora bora, did they have more of an advantage lol?

Really then tell that to pakistan, that siachen is no of use and let go.

Frankly if there was any justice Musharaf should have faced firing squad although if he had drop of honour he would have taken his service revolver and blown his brains out thereby regaining some honour posthumously.

Agreed, that is some very poor leadership and heights of irresponsibility. Knowingly sending your men to be ravaged by nature and then by enemy is unacceptable. ppl in subcontinent have very poor memory hence such persons are hardly held unaccountable.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

The heroes. It is men like them that make Pakistan .....

 

[EyelessInGaza]

The heroes. It is men like them that make Pakistan ....................

As an Indian I have often wondered- since I first saw this video more than a decade ago- what happened to these boys after they were repatriated. To the best of my knowledge no journalist covered their post war stories.

I hope they found respect and peace in their homes. They deserved that at the least.

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

kargil was a failure, i'm not stupid enough to deny this, but you're argument that indian army did something spectacular is nothing more then bullshit. there were little more then 2000 pak soldiers in those peaks, and they were exposed to indian bofors the whole time they were there, they held out over a month, militarily this is a failure on indias side, that a formation of soldiers from the NLI who at the time were regarded as paramilitary(the pak paramilitary have always been ill equipped they lack basic equipment that regular pak soldiers have, this propaganda you hear about them being experts in mountain warfare is a fabrication). yet those same soldiers held out for 6 weeks against 300k indian troops with the backing of the indian air force. Most the pak army were unaware of what was going on in kargil. the kargil war didn't involve the full backing of the whole pak army, the pak army manned the artillery on there side of the LOC, but they at no point committed tens of thousands of soldiers that in any shape or form could challenge the 300,000 men who were actively fighting in kargil, my point is Indian media/and indian members paint the pakistan army as an unprofessional, begger like army who always get whopped, but in this case 2000 men held there own and only got there backs broken for a culmination of reasons(part of that reason was india finally got its tactics right, but another part of the reason was the lack of logistical support), please don't portray what india did in kargil as some big military achievement when in fact it wasn't that big a deal.

I am just wondering how can one send 3 lakh troops up the hill

 

[Jamwal's]

the NLI did not have proper equipment in kargil they weren't equipped to deal with mountain warfare, even some of the men you captured wore tracksuits they never had thermal clothing necessary for the high altitude,

That is a sentry post not toilet with some reinforced material enough to give protection against small arms and shrapnel.


Height is always a crucial factor of mountain warfare and it takes 9 men against 1 to dislodge the occupants.

On top of it the terrain of Kargil is such that it provides minimum cover for advancing Indian troops thus they approached the peaks on unexpected way I.e by scaling with the help of ropes in night.

Pak deployed whole lot of Artillery to support Kargil op with US Weapon locating Radar but it was the pathetic leadership of Musharaf which resulted in complete failure,otherwise he should've have reinforced those NLI with regular infantry and India would've open a new front in Punjab or Rajasthan.

 

[surya kiran]

What is so unforgiveable is that even before the operation was launched defeat was writ large. How in gawds name could 1,700 men (light infantry) be expected to hold the hill against entire army group numbering over 300,000 men, artillery, air power? All this without any back up or any logistical supply. Where the *f* was PAF? Are they just for show on defence day?

Miscalculation of enemy intent and will by the Gang of 4.

1. They did not expect the IA to launch such a massive retaliation.
2. They did not believe the IA would move heavy artillery.
3. They did not expect the IAF to be involved.

On the question of the PAF being involved, one way to look at it is that, after the monumental c0ck up, the Pakistani establishment did not want a full frontal war. Hence, the prudent decision to with-hold them. Even if they were used, how would you fight against BVR equipped planes with WVR planes?

What could have also helped was acceptance early in the conflict of them being Pakistani regulars? Insistence that they were mujahideen, would have opened another can of worms, if the PAF were used. Why was PAF supporting mujahideen?

On a whole, it was a plan thought by tactical commanders without thinking about strategic implications. No point blaming PAF for the debacle.

you are mistaken, you've watched too many daal movies like border or LOC or some other bullshit bollywood movie. Being numerically superior having more artillery gun and better quality artillery pieces (which is what the indian army had) having 24/7 combat air support and having one of the best strike platforms in the mirag 2000 vs fighting a few thousands max 3000 men who don't have air support, don't have a huge no. or artillery guns, who are in open area and exposed easily to enemy airstrikes means nothing. the pak troops were ill-equipped to begin with, they didn't have enough to sustain them for more then a month at which point india waited it out and then attacked. kargil was a failure but don't act like it was some huge military victory when your own army held all the cards.

You know what? Just stop. Your cackling makes the PA look even worse than what they did during Kargil. As per your admission on this post, the Pakistani Army launched an operation knowing
1. They were ill equipped
2. They did not have enough rations
3. They did not have air support
4. They did not have arty support

The bottom line is the PA lost soldiers in a completely c0cked up operation, and I am being polite. The PA was beaten. They withdrew. You can look at it from any angle. Bottom line is as 1965,1971 and again 1999 the PA has always retreated. Always. The opponent, always the IA.

 

[third eye]

NLI troops inflicted heavy casualities on 2 Indian regiments -- despite facing closer to 2000 Indian troops ( Naga & Sikh Regiments) + massive arty barrages (1200 rounds every 5 minutes) & air strikes.

There is difference between a Regiment & a Batallion.

 

[Jamwal's]

Brig Lakhvinder "lucky" singh - an outstanding Artillery officer and commander of 8th Mountain Art Brigade introduce several innovations to compensate the disadvantages of height and Art locating Radar.


"Apart from lobbing shells to pulverise targets behind enemy lines, the guns were also used in the unusual role of sharp-shooting to dislodge Pakistani soldiers who had occupied the heights and were raining fire at the Indian infantry below.

Brigadier Lakhwinder ‘Lucky’ Singh, commanding the artillery brigade at Dras, showed me just how effective the Bofors guns could be. He asked me to choose any point on one of the surrounding hills that was being used for target practice. I chose a clump of bush through the binoculars. He then turned around to his gunner and told him to fix the coordinates and fire at it. The next thing I saw was the bush take a leap in the air – such was the deadly accuracy with which the guns were being fired with."

Direct Attack Mode

 

[third eye]

It was a monumental cock up. Frankly if there was any justice Musharaf should have faced firing squad although if he had drop of honour he would have taken his service revolver and blown his brains out thereby regaining some honour posthumously.

As ever the average Pak soldier. The poor grunt on the ground proved his mettle. He fought to the death despite starvation, freezing temps and when ammo ran out he used even stones and boulders. Then he laid his life on side of mountain all for no purpose other than to pay with his blood for the ambitions and failure of his senior command who frankly did not deserve to command such splendid men. My heart cries for all those poor men and their mothers who lost their sons for the cowardly vanity of their senior command.

This subject has been discussed umpteen times here. Reading what you have written compels me to pen down what I do below.

Our soldiers have the same traits, they will gladly give their lives & limb unquestioningly for the " izzat' of their Paltan. Its for their Generals to make the enemy pay the heaviest price for what the soldiers give.

Don't get me wrong , but Pak Generals have consistently displayed a common characteristic across the six plus decades. I shall elaborate on some of them.

1. Bold planning with terrible execution. The attack on Laungewala in 71 was a masterstroke ( the forces allotted for it is debatable) .However it failed even before it began for two major reasons - No air cover & no logistics. No army can fight without any of them.

Changing a winning combination in 65 when the GOC was replaced in mid stride for no apparent reason .

2. Inability to think things through. A cardinal error Pak has made all along is to assume that any misdemeanor in J&K will stay localised to that region. India does not compartmentalize its thinking, an attack in J&K is an attack on India who then reserves the right to respond at a time & place of its choosing. Example : India's retaliation on Lahore in 65.
Similarly, in Kargil, would India have allowed the road to remain cut ? Can a small force as that sent take the kind of beating it deservedly got ? Would Indian not expand the theater of war to the plains & sea ?

3. Poor preparation of the battle ground. Through the media & international relations - no explanation needed.

It amazes me & makes one wonder what is taught at Quetta to budding commanders who think & act like Young Officers.

" Dekhi Jayegi" does not work beyond a point & level in military hierarchy.

I could go on but then as I said , we have discussed this before hence & capping the pen.

 

[ravi gupta]

Why ur government has not provided the proper gear, proper clothing and equipment to brave soldiers.

You are a war monger,

India could have crossed the LOC during Kargil and in 2002 and again in 2008.....and if auntie had balls she would be called uncle.....you tried your misadventure during Kargil, how else do you think you lost two aircraft....and then in 2002 you sat on your back side for almost a year losing close to a thousand men but according to your ridiculous school of thoughts, India was trying to prove it's resp

onsibility.
And it's funny how you Indians pick words out of thin air to suit your tiny ego....so according to your Indian teachings, Pakistan became a rogue state but then US must have had a change of heart and declared Pakistan with another status.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Bush names Pakistan 'major ally'
As for the topic, do some home work before you start chest thumping on a forum.

Tehelka - The People's Paper
You are a war monger,india want to avoid any conflict with pakistan,and misadventure was from your side for which you got a proper reply from INDIAN ARMY.

you are mistaken, you've watched too many daal movies like border or LOC or some other bullshit bollywood movie. Being numerically superior having more artillery gun and better quality artillery pieces (which is what the indian army had) having 24/7 combat air support and having one of the best strike platforms in the mirag 2000 vs fighting a few thousands max 3000 men who don't have air support, don't have a huge no. or artillery guns, who are in open area and exposed easily to enemy airstrikes means nothing. the pak troops were ill-equipped to begin with, they didn't have enough to sustain them for more then a month at which point india waited it out and then attacked. kargil was a failure but don't act like it was some huge military victory when your own army held all the cards.

Y ur soldeirs where not given support the way indian soldiers get.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

You are Excluding the Numerous of attempts of Counter Attacks Mentioned to Retake Positions Captured
No one is Taking Credit of NLI.Its Basic Theory in Mountain Warfare that One is on Height Has Always in Advantage

What advantage? When you are facing 1700 ill equipped men with light weapons (and no logistic supply or even warm clothing) with over 30,000 soldiers, several arty brigades and massive airpower like gunships and jets?

PS: Pakistan Never Admitted Its official Casualties Toll.India On the other Hand Published its Official Figures with 527 Casualties
Indian Army-Martyrs Home Page

BS!
9th NLI is the most decorated PA unit today... The NLI which back than was a paramilitary unit was merged in the Army as a reward for courage they showed in Kargil ..,
Valiant soldiers like Havaldar Lalak Jan Shaheed & Capt Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed were awarded highest Military Awards!


Paks casualities 453 soldiers;
PakArmyKargil1999


On the first attempt to take tololing Indian army suffered 150+ casualties... That's just 1 incident... On Tiger Hill India again suffered hundreds of casualities despite rushing in 3 regiments,shelling 1200 rounds every 5 minutes and striking with airpower !! All that against less than 100 paramilitary soldiers armed with small arms and 1 X 12.7 .. Who weren't even equipped with cold weather gear and logistics, low ammo and food -- continously fighting for months -- in conditions where even survival against weather and disease (due to lack of gear,food and supplies) itself was a miracle...... and even rolling down boulders on entrenched indian troops due to lack of supplies.

India could have crossed the LOC during Kargil and in 2002 and again in 2008.....and if auntie had balls she would be called uncle.....you tried your misadventure during Kargil, how else do you think you lost two aircraft....and then in 2002 you sat on your back side for almost a year losing close to a thousand men but according to your ridiculous school of thoughts, India was trying to prove it's resp

onsibility.
And it's funny how you Indians pick words out of thin air to suit your tiny ego....so according to your Indian teachings, Pakistan became a rogue state but then US must have had a change of heart and declared Pakistan with another status.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Bush names Pakistan 'major ally'
As for the topic, do some home work before you start chest thumping on a forum.

Tehelka - The People's Paper

They lost 3 aircrafts - 2 jets and a gunship.