In their grand plan to annex Kashmir by force, during their offensive of 1947-48, the Pakistani army had inducted large columns of tribesmen, led by officers of the army towards Srinagar and Jammu and towards Ladakh in the North. The starkly beautiful region of Ladakh lies to the North East of Kashmir and is connected by a scenic road from Srinagar to Leh which passes through Kargil via the 11,553 feet high Zojila Pass – one of the highest passes in the world which aptly means, “The Pass of Blizzards”. While the Pakistani actions were being contested in Kashmir, the Ladakh region saw some equally fierce fighting and in the end was virtually saved by a hair’s breadth with the capture of Zojila Pass.
Pakistani incursions upto Leh (June 48)
At the time of partition, the area of Ladakh was lightly held by members of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces who were strung across in penny-packets across this vast region. Pakistan launched its offensive here in conjunction with its actions in the Kashmir valley. It used its same ploy of having armed tribesmen led by Pakistani army officers to pour into the region in November 1947. Gilgit and Baltistan were lost even before the Indian Army could even react. Ladakh was thrown into panic as the refugees streamed in from the captured Northern Areas, carrying tales of atrocities. Most of the State forces fell back to Skardu, a small town which guarded the approach to Leh. The town was held by a small garrison of around a thousand men under Lieutenant Colonel Sher Jung Thapa. Skardu was contacted by the enemy in early January, but each of its attacks was determinedly beaten back. Besieged on all sides and heavily out numbered; the garrison would hold on for over eight months before finally capitulating on 14 Aug 1948.
While Skardu was grimly holding out, the enemy by-passed the town, moved towards Kargil and Drass and captured both towns by end May 48. Even worse, he captured the crucial Zojila Pass and thus cut off the land link from Srinagar to Kargil- Drass and Leh. With the capture of Zojila, Leh could only be connected by air or 400 kilometre long route from Manali. The fall of Leh, and with it all of Ladakh seemed imminent.
As the threat to Leh intensified, it was decided to reinforce the small garrison there. A small detachment of 2 DOGRA under Major Prithi Chand with 70 volunteers marched out from Srinagar and after a month long trek through snow storms, avalanches and blizzards reached Leh on 8 March 1948. Each man carried additional rifles and weapons and using the state force personnel already there, they formed a local defence force. A make-shift airstrip was constructed and on 24 May 1948, a single Dakota, landed on the highest airstrip in the world. That aircraft was piloted by Air Commodore Meher Singh and had on board General Thimmaya, such was the importance of Leh. With the airfield operational, additional forces were flown in and the defences reinforced to withstand an enemy attack.
Dakotas landing at Leh airstrip
Though Leh was reinforced, the town was still effectively isolated as the capture of Zojila Pass had cut off the entire Ladakh region from the valley. The pass had to be recaptured, but it would be a tough nut to crack. It was held by a Pakistani battalion with three main positions; Mukand Ridge and Chabutra Ridge – on the right and left shoulders and a depth position on Machine Gun Ridge. At those forbidding heights it could not be assaulted and the enemy was dug into well-sited positions in the natural caves of the mountain side which were virtually immune to air or artillery fire.
The first attack to recapture Zojila went in on 11 September 48 with 77 Para Brigade. Two successive infantry assaults were launched which failed in the face of heavy fire. The enemy was too well- dug in and air and artillery attacks had no affects. As September was drawing to a close and winter setting in, time was running out. If the pass held for just a month or two more, it would become impossible to capture it in winter and then Leh would have automatically fallen. The entire Indian operations in this sector depended on the capture of Zojila.
Thimayya realised that the only way to eliminate the enemy from their positions would be by using the direct fire of tanks – but then no tanks had ever reached these heights and no tanks had ever operated as such altitudes before. Yet it was decided to take the chance and a squadron of Stuart Mark 6 tanks of 7 LIGHT CAVALRY was moved from Akhnur to Zojila. The turrets of the tanks were removed to reduce weight which would enable them to cross the numerous small bridges en route. Bridges were reinforced, tracks were hurriedly widened, and the tanks trundled up the long difficult climb towards Zojila. A eight kilometre length of track was widened by cutting into sheer rock face in just 20 days by Engineers of the Madras Sappers. It is a credit to the drivers that not a single tank gave way to mechanical failure or was struck on the slushy narrow tracks, even though the move was made purely by night to ensure secrecy. By 15 October the squadron was in position, the turrets refitted and the stage was set for the historic assault on Zojila. Even in the last stage, the tanks had to be physically pushed by jawans along the steep gradient to bring them in position for the final assault.
Operation “Bison”, the code name for the attack, was scheduled on 20 Oct, but when all was ready it began to snow. Zojila lived up to its name. The Pass of Blizzards was hit by raging snow storms and twice the operation was postponed because of the weather. Finally D- Day was set for 01 November and with winter worsening, it was literally now or never.
Tanks and Infantry assault Zojila The Capture
On 01 November, in spite of another raging snow storm, General Thimayya gave the order to attack. Beneath a leaden sky, with snow flakes swirling all around them, the tanks rumbled across the start line at 10:15 a.m. As the tanks roared through, with Thimayya in the leading tank, the infantry attacked from the flanks and on the shoulders of the pass. The poor visibility and atrocious weather actually aided surprise as the enemy did not expect an attack in these conditions. With the infantry moving along the flanks, the tanks sprayed the pass with machine gun and high explosive fire. The sight of the tanks unnerved them and in a panic the enemy fled, leaving behind his dead and dying and vast stocks of equipment. Tanks and infantry swept through the pass, the tanks firing into the bunkers and caves, the infantry clearing the shoulders. By the next evening it was all over and on 02 November the tri-colour was raised once again on the wind-swept pass.
The appearance of tanks at these heights shocked the enemy and was perhaps the most important factor for the victory. Never have tanks been used at such altitudes – then or after and it was a masterpiece of innovative tactics. The rejuvenated troops surged forward in sub-zero temperatures in some of the worst terrain imaginable, and on 16 November captured Drass. On 23 November the leading troops entered Kargil, and the same day linked up with Leh. The long isolation of Leh was over. Leh and Ladakh were saved.
Areas recaptured by the Indian Army
The capture of Zojila was perhaps one of the most important operations of the 1947-48 Kashmir war. Had it failed, all of Leh and Ladakh would have been lost and perhaps Srinagar as well. And it was just in the nick of time. A month later on night 31 December, the cease fire came into being. The Ceasefire prevented the Indian army from recapturing Skardu and the Northern areas which were occupied by the invaders, but Leh, Ladakh and two thirds of Kashmir remains in Indian hands. The tanks that rumbled in at 11,500 feet, perhaps helped shape the geography of the nation.