Kargil Vijay Diwas: How India conquered Kargil’s inclement conditions, 25 years ago

Kargil Vijay Diwas: How India conquered Kargil’s inclement conditions, 25 years ago

Subject:  Sci

Sec: Defence

Context:

The Kargil War officially ended 25 years ago, on July 26, 1999. The Kargil Vijay Diwas, observed annually on this day, commemorates India’s victory against Pakistan, and the sacrifices of her soldiers, who braved much more than just the Pakistani infiltrators to emerge victorious in Kargil.

The Kargil War

• The conflict was triggered when infiltrators from Pakistan crossed the LoC and occupied high positions in Ladakh’s Kargil district.
• First reported to the Indian Army on May 3, the infiltrators were initially thought to be jihadis.
• Between mid-May and July, the Indian forces slowly recaptured critical positions from the Pakistanis, in the face of heavy casualties.
• The Army announcing the complete withdrawal of all Pakistani regular and irregular troops from Kargil on July 26.

Trial by altitude

• Kargil is located at the northern edge of the LoC, some 200 km northeast of Srinagar and 230 km west of Leh.
• Kargil town lies at an altitude of 2,676 m (8,780 ft), Dras lies at a height of 3,300 m (10,800 ft), and the surrounding peaks rise to altitudes of 4,800 m (16,000 ft) to 5,500 m (18,000 ft).
• These extreme heights cause severe physiological effects on the one’s body— and equipment.  “The combination of thin air, cold weather and rugged mountains has dramatic effects on men and their equipment,”.
• Challenge number one was the crippling cold. The battlefield in Kargil lay in a cold desert where winter temperatures dropped to as low as -30 degrees Celsius.
• While the summers were more pleasant, frigid winds and the barren landscape still made the battlefield
• The cold impacted both the men and the machines – guns jammed while their operators expended great amounts of energy to keep the body warm.
• Problem number two was the thin air, and reduced oxygen levels. This led to a wide range of physiological effects among soldiers including acute mountain sickness (AMS), which can cause headaches, nausea, appetite loss, muscular weakness, and general fatigue.
• Low air pressure impacted the performance of both weapons and aircraft. While it increased the range of the projectiles fired, accuracy and predictability suffered. Aircraft engines produced less power, and helicopters lost rotor efficiency.
• Lastly, the terrain  imposed significant restrictions on soldiers. It reduced mobility, provided cover to the enemy, and limited the scope of operations.

Victory against all odds

• Units initiated acclimatisation and training programs to better prepare the soldiers for the conditions.
• Better cold-weather equipment was procured (although the Army remained lacking in this regard throughout the War).
• Techniques for high-altitude assault were further honed.
• Instead of daytime frontal attacks, assaults increasingly featured small groups scaling near-vertical terrain.
• With limitations of providing air cover to the ground forces due to the altitude and the terrain, the Army eventually leaned heavily on artillery, especially the controversial Bofors gun whose range nearly doubled in the thin air of Kargil.
• India’s hard-fought victory in the Kargil War illustrated the timeless challenges posed by combat at high altitude – challenges which are as deadly, if not more, than the enemy itself.