Saga of ‘last man-last round’ at Rezang La

Fluttering to the whistle of the mountain wind, a massive Tricolour with its attendant regimental pennants at the Rezang La war memorial near the hamlet of Chushul presents an awe-inspiring sight in the desolate yet spectacular highlands of south-eastern Ladakh. Facing the memorial in the distance is the 18,000 feet high Rezang La top.

It was here in the harsh winter of 1962 that men from C-company of the 13th Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment had made their last stand against an overwhelming number of Chinese attackers. As many as 112 men made the supreme sacrifice, with company commander Maj Shaitan Singh being posthumously decorated with Param Vir Chakra, the highest award for gallantry.

Since then, November 18 is observed each year as the Rezang La day to commemorate the legacy of what is officially recognised as a "rare battle in military history" with the fighting being "hard and bitter".

In official documents pertaining to the conflict, Rezang La is described as an isolated hill feature which is important because it dominates the lifeline to the Chushul garrison that lies close to the Line of Actual Control south of Pangong Tso. The occupation of this feature would have enabled the Chinese to cut off the single road to Leh, isolating the garrison and its vital, though now defunct, airstrip. Access to the pass and the ridge would have given the Chinese access to Point 18,300 to its north, a position deemed to be vital for the overall defence of the sector.

On October 27, 1962, 114 Brigade under 3 Himalayan Division was moved for the defence of Chushul. As part of the brigade, 13 Kumaon was deployed along the southern flank. The defences were occupied only in the last week of October, with the winter making preparations very difficult.

According to official excerpts of the battle, a general shortage of snow clothing made matters worse and digging in the hard rocky surface proved difficult, forcing troops to pile up stones above the ground level to prepare firing positions. None of the equipment of the Indian Army was designed for operating in sub-zero temperatures.

The Chinese had concentrated a regiment and a battalion of troops, along with heavy mortars and artillery support in that sector. Barring incidents of mortar firing and patrolling, the real Chinese attack in the Chushul sector commenced on November 18, with simultaneous attacks being launched in the east.

In their coordinated attack on Chushul, the official history of the war states that the Chinese appeared to have used nearly two battalions against Rezang La, which due to the unavailability of resources, was without artillery support and had to depend only on light 3-inch mortars. Given its isolated position, the company had to be prepared to face the enemy from all directions.

At about 4 am on November 18, forward observation posts detected Chinese troops approaching. Soon, a battalion-size force attacked Rezang La from two directions, approaching the Indian positions through nullahs that led up to hill tops. The defending troops opened-up with everything they had and the Chinese became sitting ducks in the nullahs to mortar fire and hand grenades. After about half an hour of intense firing, the first Chinese attack disintegrated.

The Chinese thereafter opened up artillery fire, which though not effective, broke telephone lines and damaged the company's radio, leaving the company totally on its own and unable to call up reinforcements.

After the first attack failed, the Chinese launched a simultaneous attack from the rear and the southern flank under the cover of an intense artillery barrage, followed by intense combat at close quarters. Wave after wave of Chinese troops came in and many were cut down by the Kumanonis. As the Chinese regrouped and attacked again, they brought down concentrated medium machine gun fire on Indian positions, wiping out two platoons. The Chinese then brought up a 57-mm recoilless gun and targeted trenches one by one.

By this time, Maj Shaitan Singh had to take a decisive step. He had three choices - Hold on to his position and fight on, break out towards the rest of the battalion though at the risk of additional casualties or to surrender and save the lives of his remaining men. If the position was now abandoned, the Chinese would get easy access to Point 18,300, making it impossible for the rest of the battalion to secure the area and thereby having an adverse impact on the brigade's defensive plan.

He chose to hold ground even though his strength was down to just one platoon, which would give additional time to the Brigade. As he picked up new positions and re-deployed the remnants of his company, he and two others were hit by MMG fire. Heavy enemy fire swept the area, decimating Indian troops. All this while a handful of those still remaining, continued to man their mortars and light machine guns until they were finally overwhelmed.

According to one historical excerpt, as a jawan was disabling his mortar, he was hit in the arm by Chinese soldiers about 20 yards away from his post. He picked up a rifle and shot the first Chinese to enter the post. This was followed by several grenades being hurled into the post, ending the resistance at Rezang La.

The battle's official history states that of the 112 men deployed at Rezang La, only 14 survived. The Chinese casualties are officially estimated at 500, while other sources put it between 500 and 1000. The Chinese have acknowledged that they suffered their highest casualties during the 1962 war at Rezang La.

Months later, when teams went to the area to collect the mortal remains of the war dead, they discovered that the bodies were still in the trenches or lying ahead of them, with multiple bullet or bayonet wounds. In 1963, when the Red Cross teams went to recover the bodies, they saw the place littered with field dressings and blood marks, indicating heavy casualties suffered by the enemy.

Major Shaitan Singh's citation for the nation's highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy states: "On 18 November 1962, the Chinese forces subjected the company position to heavy artillery, mortar and small arms fire and attacked it in overwhelming strength in several successive waves. Against heavy odds, our troops beat back successive waves of enemy attack. During the action, Major Shaitan Singh dominated the scene of operations and moved at great personal risk from one platoon post to another, sustaining the morale of his hard-pressed platoon posts. While doing so he was seriously wounded but continued to encourage and lead his men who, following his brave example, fought gallantly and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. For every man lost to us, the enemy lost four or five. When Major Shaitan Singh fell, disabled by wounds in his arms and abdomen, his men tried to evacuate him but they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Major Shaitan Singh then ordered his men to leave him to his fate in order to save their lives."

The battle for Rezang La lasted about five hours. Besides the Param Vir Chakra, eight Vir Chakra and four Sena Medals were awarded for gallantry. Shortly after the war, C-Company, 13 Kumaon was designated by a special gazette notification as the Rezang La Company.

Near the war memorial complex’s entrance is the Ahir Dham, where the epitaph thus reads: “The Bravehearts of Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon were cremated with full military honours at this very place and Brig TN Raina Maha Vir Chakra, Commander 114 infantry Brigade lit their funeral pyres. This sacred place bears testimony to the resolute valour, indomitable courage and conspicuous bravery of these bravehearts and is a source of inspiration for one and all.”