Tiger Hill (Kargil)
| Tiger Hill | ||
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.jpg) View to Tiger Hill |
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| height | 5307 m | |
| location | Ladakh ( India ) | |
| Mountains | ( Himalaya ) | |
| Coordinates | 34 ° 29 '4 " N , 75 ° 39' 30" E | |
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| particularities | Battle site in the Kargil War 1999 | |
Tiger Hill or Point 4660 is a mountain in Kargil District , Ladakh , India . It is one of the highest peaks in the area and was the site of a battle between India and Pakistan in the Kargil War in 1999. Its recapture was one of the main objectives of the war. Today the Dras War Memorial lies at the foot of Tiger Hill.
Strategic importance
Since Tiger Hill is the highest point in the region, the Pakistani troops could see the headquarters of the 56th Brigade, which is the main force there. In addition, the nearby Point 5353 overlooks the National Highway 1D , a strategically important connection to the Siachen Glacier and from Srinagar and Leh in Ladakh. The Pakistani troops would have been able to have a full view of the main supply route in the Kargil sector and to direct the fire on 25 km of the road.
India could not tolerate this situation and also needed a checkpoint to combat further penetration by Pakistani troops.
The battle
Indian artillery bombed Tiger Hill while 18th Grenadier, 2nd Naga, and 8th Sikh Regiment took their attack positions. It was planned that a group of 12 to 18 soldiers would climb the approximately 300 m high steep mountain wall and attack the Pakistani troops in a surprise attack, as they were exposed to artillery fire.
The attack team consisted of 200 soldiers with 2000 soldiers in support. The Grenadiers Alpha, Charlie and Ghatak companies attacked from the rear, the Nagas from the left and the Sikhs from the right. The attack began on July 3 at 5:15 pm with the bombardment of the Pakistani positions. While this was happening, the grenadiers moved into position and attacked at 8 p.m. Ten Pakistani soldiers were killed and two fled. Five Indian soldiers were also killed. The hero of the battle was the Indian soldier Yogendra Singh Yadav , who was later awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest distinction in the Indian army.
On July 4th at 6:50 a.m., Indian troops had retaken Tiger Hill (Point 4660). Indian media later reported that Point 5353, near Dras , was still under Pakistani control. The Indian Army stated that the summit was never under Indian control and that it was not on their side of the Line of Control . Despite this, Indian troops made attempts to capture it until an armistice was signed in 2003. Pakistan meanwhile expanded its position at Point 5353.
Web links
- The Winning Spirits on ikashmir.net
- 10 years of Kargil, heroes recall the war , IBNLive.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Commander ordered capture of Point 5353 in Kargil . In: The Hindu , June 30, 2004. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ↑ Skeletons in the Generals' cupboards . In: The Hindu , August 12, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ↑ Troops re-capture Tiger hill after 3 pronged attack . In: Jammu-Kashmir.com , July 4, 1999. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ↑ Fact and Fiction on Point 5353 In: Frontline.
- ↑ Near Tiger Hill, Point 5353 still Pak-occupied - last paragraph ( Memento from October 22, 2014 in the web archive archive.today )
- ^ Kargil Questions. In: Frontline.