The Battle of Tiger Hill encompasses the battles fought in and around the peak of

Tiger Hill The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

between the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

and

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

from the final week of May till second week of June 1999, during the

Kargil War The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...

. The battle, with the concomitant battle for the adjoining peak of

Tololing The Battle of Tololing was a pivotal battle in the Kargil War between India and troops from one full battalion of Pakistan’s Northern Light Infantry who were aided by Pakistani irregular military, irregulars in 1999. Background The Tololing ...

, culminated in Indian forces capturing

(Point 5060). The Tiger Hill area, including Point 5100, is to the west of Tololing. Peaks in Tololing include Point 5140 and Point 4875 and others.

Battle

Tiger Hill was held by elements of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

Northern Light Infantry The Northern Light Infantry Regiment (NLI) is a light infantry regiment in the Pakistan Army, based and currently headquartered in Gilgit, Pakistan. Along with other forces of the Pakistani military, the NLI has the primary responsibility of con ...

. In late May 1999, the 8th Battalion,

Sikh Regiment The Sikh Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is the most highly decorated regiment of the Indian Army and in 1979, the 1st battalion was the Commonwealth's most decorated battalion, with 245 pre-independence and 82 post-i ...

(8 Sikh) had attempted an assault on Tiger Hill, but were repulsed by heavy small arms fire. Poorly coordinated further assaults initiated without adequate artillery support failed under fire from an entrenched enemy. Unable to press the attack, the soldiers dug in and surrounded the hill. 192 Mountain Brigade assumed command of the operations on Tiger Hill in late June. The 18th Battalion,

The Grenadiers The Grenadiers is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly part of the Bombay Army and later the pre-independence British Indian Army, when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers. It has distinguished itself during the two ...

(18 Grenadiers), fresh from participating in the victory at Tololing, were then assigned to 192 Mountain Brigade. The final assault on Tiger Hill began on 3 July at 17:15. 22 batteries from the

Regiment of Artillery Regiment of Artillery may refer to: * Regiment of Artillery (Pakistan) * Regiment of Artillery (India) The Regiment of Artillery is a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of t ...

, including multi-barrelled rocket launchers, pounded enemy positions on the peak for 13 continuous hours, providing covering fire for the infantry advancing up the mountain. The 2nd Battalion, Naga Regiment (2 Naga) advanced on the right flank and 8 Sikh advanced on the left. They used unexpected, and therefore difficult, avenues of approach, maintaining the element of surprise. 200 men from Alpha and Charlie Companies of 18 Grenadiers, along with the battalion's Ghatak platoon, advanced up the rear side of the mountain, a 1,000-foot vertical cliff which the Grenadiers climbed up in 12 hours using fixed ropes, in the freezing rain. They almost made it to the top before the Pakistanis atop the peak spotted them and opened heavy fire, stalling their attack. Sensing the loss of initiative, Maj. Ravinder Singh of 8 Sikh launched a daring attack. He and a detachment of 200 soldiers climbed up the side of the adjoining Western Ridge, splitting the Pakistani defense on the night of 5 July. The group held off several counterattacks. Most of the Sikh soldiers attacked without cold weather gear, and many of the wounded died from exposure. After three more days of heavy fighting, the bold plan paid off, and 18 Grenadiers resumed the attack on the invaders from two directions. 18 Grenadiers seized the 16,700-foot (5,062 m) Tiger Hill Top on the morning of 8 July.

launched eight attacks on Karnal Sher Khan's position to capture the strategic posts. However, Khan and his men were able to defend those strategic posts. On 5 July 1999, the Indian army launched another attack and surrounded his posts with two battalions. With heavy mortar fire, the Indian Army captured one of his posts. Karnal Sher Khan personally led a successful counter-attack and was able to re-capture the lost post. Despite shortage of ammunition and men, Khan was successful in forcing the Indian army to retreat. However, during the battle he was hit by machine gun fire and was killed in action by NK Satpal Singh.

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

M. P. S. Bajwa was impressed by the actions of Karnal Sher Khan and wrote to the government of Pakistan citing the bravery of the young officer. Bajwa wrote a citation for Khan and placed it in his pocket while returning his body to the Pakistani officials. Khan's actions during the war were also vouched by his fellow Pakistani soldiers and Khan was posthumously awarded Pakistan's highest military honour, the

Nishan-e-Haider Nishan-e-Haider (NH; or 'Emblem of the Lion') is the highest military gallantry award of Pakistan. The Nishan-e-Haider is awarded only to members of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It recognises the highest acts of extraordinary bravery in the f ...

. While Satpal Singh was awarded the

Vir Chakra The Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa, ) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of gallantry on the battlefield, on land or in the air or at sea. It is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and ...

by the Republic of India. Gren. Yogendra Singh Yadav of 18 Grenadiers was awarded the highest military honour of Republic of India, the

Param Vir Chakra The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest Awards and Decorations of the Indian Armed Forces, military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates roughly as the "Wheel of Supre ...

, for his actions during the battle. Overall, Yadav suffered 17 bullet wounds and played a major role in capture of Tiger Hill.

References

External links

A Bloodbath foretold
The frontline.
Clinton urges India-Pakistan talks
BBC News.
Tiger Hill – how important is it?
BBC News. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiger Hill 1999 Battles of the Kargil War June 1999 in India July 1999 in India

Battle

See also

References

External links