The Indian Army is celebrating the 60th year of ‘Battle of Walong’ which stands as a commendable example of the unmatched valour & sacrifice made by the bravehearts of Indian Army in the face of a Chinese onslaught in 1962.
This month-long celebration was inaugurated by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Spear Corps in the easternmost location of India at Walong in Anjaw district.
According to a statement issued by the Tezpur-based Defence PRO – Lt Col A S Walia, “60 years ago during the 1962 Indo-China war, the Indian Army gave a bloody nose to the Chinese in the ‘Battle of Walong’. The Indian Army launched its only counterattack during the war to stall the advancing PLA soldiers.”
“The bravehearts of Indian Army held back the Chinese troops for 27 days, which forced the Chinese to deploy its reserve division from Tawang to Walong. Outnumbered and with little ammunition and no resource of any kind, the valiant troops continued to hold their ground in a classic example of fighting till last man, last round.” – the statement further reads.
The statement added that “This saga of valour and sacrifice serves as a tale of inspiration for generations to come.”
Diamond Jubilee of #BattleofWalong commenced with Lt Gen RC Tiwari #GOC laying wreath at War Memorial. @Spearcorps proudly acknowledges contribution of veterans & local porters who participated in battle by felicitating them in a solemn ceremony@adgpi@easterncomd pic.twitter.com/3sVmQadIVs
— SpearCorps.IndianArmy (@Spearcorps) October 18, 2022
According to reports, the month-long celebration will include lectures on Battle of Walong at Army War College, Mhow, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and for general public at Kolkata.
Besides, a motorcycle rally have been flagged off from Tezpur which will visit the historical battlefields of 1962 collecting soils from these battle fields, which will thereafter be instated at Walong War Memorial.
The celebrations will culminate on November 17 at Walong. While, a large number of war veterans, their relatives & locals of the area who participated in the battle will be honoured by the Indian Army.
Its worthy to note that the 6 Kumaon was the only Indian Army unit to launch a counterattack on the Chinese soldiers with scant supplies and subpar weapons but unrestrained ferocity and aggression.
Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel CN Madiah, the 6 Kumaon fought the Chinese forces at Kibithoo and Walong with astounding bravery.
The enemy forces had occupied Yellow Pimple, Green Pimple and other dominating heights to outflank the defences at Walong.
The 6 Kumaon was ordered to launch a counterattack and evict the enemy from these locations. Accordingly, on 14 November, 1962, the fearless Kumaoni warriors attacked the Chinese forces without adequate fire support.
The intense assault against the formidable Chinese resistance, which was backed by artillery bombardment, persisted throughout the entire day. When their ammunition ran out, the Kumaoni men turned to bayonet attacks and hand-to-hand battle, which resulted in numerous significant deaths for the opposition.
In order to reclaim the lost ground, the Chinese counterattacked in waves with superior forces during the night of 14/15 November. The enemy is claimed to have suffered heavy losses and eventually succeeded as there were no able bodied Kumaonis left to defend.
During the intense battle for Walong and Kibithoo, the 6 Kumaon had 391 casualties, including 115 killed, 109 wounded and 167 taken prisoners of war.
Whereas, sources informed that the Chinese suffered 752 casualties, including 198 killed and 554 wounded.
For their tenacity and bravery, Major PN Bhatia, Captain RK Mathur, Captain BC Chopra, second lieutenant AS Khatri and naik Bahadur Singh were awarded with Vir Chakra.
However, there were unsung heroes during the war, like lieutenant Bikram Singh, who led his company of 6 Kumaon gallantly in both phases of the war.
On 16 November, over 3,000 enemy forces attacked West Ridge, held by Bikram and his company of 100 odd soldiers. Its fall would allow the Chinese to overrun Walong.
He was ordered to hold the post for half an hour. However, showing tenacity and valour, his troops held off the enemy attack for more than three hours.
Under his leadership, the men fought until all of their ammunition was exhausted and they were completely overrun. There appeared to be no survivors of the battle, including lieutenant Bikram Singh.
