Buildup to the Battle

1. Fiercest battle along with battle of Thermopylae (Spartans), or Saragarhi or Alamo.

2. 13 Kumaon Regiment at Rezang La, numbered 7,8,9 platoon fought against chinese army.

3. Backdrop of War was : Tibet issue with china, jawahar then prime minister, Dalai Lama took refuge in India, americans didnt help when Indians asked for their help with weapons.

4. Out of 118, 109 died, 5 captured, 4 returned alive. More than 1000 chinese were killed in the battle.

5. Fought near Chusul sector with .303 rifles, 600 rounds per jawan, 6 LMG, 1000 grenades and mortar bombs.

6. 5000 meter height above sea level, i.e. 17000 feet.



The Battle that would Etch these Heroes Names into Eternity, Stated

1. November 18 chinese attacked, cold winter night, light snow was falling.

2. Company had no covering fire from big guns due to weather and surroundings, The attack opened with a heavy barrage of artillery and mortar fire supported by medium machine guns. Shaitan Singh’s men were ill-clad for the freezing winter of Ladakh, their weapons were outdated and ammunition limited with no artillery support worth the name. Frozen earth made digging very difficult and the defender had based his defences mostly on Sangars. Notwithstanding all that, these gallant men of Kumoan hills met the overwhelming enemy onslaught head-on.

3. At 5 in morning ahirs fired at the advancing chinese with rifles, LMG, grenades and mortars, but indian artillery was not used. All the Chinese were killed.

4. At 5.40 chinese again attacked from front, but were killed by 9 platoon when they reached at a distance of 90 meter.

5. 400 chinese attacked from rear, simultaneously opened intense medium machine gun fire on No.8 Platoon, Chinese then resorted to heavy artillery and mortar shelling, An assault group of 120 Chinese also charged No.7 Platoon position from the rear, However, Indian Army 3-inch mortar killed many of them.

6. When 20 survivors charged the post, about a dozen ahirs rushed out of their trenches to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

7. The encirclement of No.7 Platoon was now complete, The platoon, however, fought valiantly till there were no survivors

8. No.8 Platoon also fought bravely to the last round.

9. Unmindful of his personal safety Major Shaitan Singh moved from one platoon post to another and encouraged his men to fight, while moving among the posts he was seriously wounded, by a sniping Chinese MMG, while he was being evacuated by two of his comrades, the Chinese brought heavy machine gun fire on them, Major Shaitan Singh sensing danger to their lives, ordered them to leave him, they placed him behind a boulder on the slopes of a hill, where he breathed his last.



... and the country lost their most beloved sons

1. Of the 120 martyrs, 114 were Ahirs from the Ahirwal heartland of Rewari - Mohindergarh belt in Haryana.

2. The ahirs, alongwith Major Shaitan Singh, were discovered after the winter, frozen in their trenches, holding their weapons but with almost no ammunition to fire and defend, every single man of this Company was found dead in his trench with several bullet or splinter wounds.

3. The 2-inch mortar man died with a bomb still in his hand.

4. The medical orderly Lance Naik Dahiya had a syringe and bandage in his hands when the Chinese bullet hit him... Of the thousand mortar bombs with the defenders all but seven had been fired and the rest were ready to be fired when the mortar section was overrun.

5. Nk Ram Singh, a wrestler of repute almost killed one dozen Chinese single handily after his ammunition was exhausted.

6. The heroes who were awarded the Vir Chakra in 1962 defending Rezang La were Naik Hukum Chand (posthumous), Naik Gulab Singh Yadav, Lance-Naik Ram Singh (posthumous), Sub Ram Kumar and Sub Ram Chander while Hav Phool Singh and Nk Sing Ram (posthumously) were awarded Sena Medals respectively.

7. Major Shaitan Singh was awarded Param Vir Chakra.

8. China Declared Cease Fire on 21st November 1962, just 3 days after 1000s of their soldiers died in Rezangla against 120 ahirs.

9. The coming generations will find it extremely difficult to match their Bravery. May God Send More Such Men to Our Country.



Rezang La Heroes



A Poem to remember these Heroes

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