Nerves of steel: When Artillery becomes infantry

September 15th, 2020

Overview and History:

Hon. Capt. Umrao Singh Yadav was born in the Jhajjar district of Haryana and joined the Royal Indian Army in 1939 precisely, the Royal Indian Army.

He was awarded the Victoria Cross by the British Army, which is the highest gallantry award in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and the commonwealth forces for his gallant actions in the Burma campaign by the British Army against the Japanese troops. He passed away in his hometown in 2005 and was also awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Battling in Burma: 

It was a chilly night on December 15th, 1944, in Kaladan Valley, Myanmar. Every breeze of wind seemed to cut through the chest, however unaffected by which Indian soldiers of the 30th Mountain Division of Royal Indian Army. Umrao Singh was the field gun detachment commander, supporting the XV corps fighting the defending forces in Arakan.

After a heavy sustained fire from the Japanese artillery, two enemy infantry companies attacked Singh's position; however, Singh didn't lose his cool despite being heavily outnumbered. He used his LMG to kill several attacking soldiers even after being wounded by 2 grenades. He successfully repelled the first wave. The Japanese attacked the surviving soldiers with full force, Umrao Singh kept fighting. The section was able to repel this wave as well, but with only three Indian soldiers, including Singh, left with limited ammunition. But for the platoon's Naam, Namak and Nishan, Singh held his position, the third wave soon arrived, and Singh blasted the enemy by whatever ammunition he was left with. Still, they ran out of ammo soon, unaffected by this, Singh quickly picked up his gun bearer and started lynching the enemy. Even when on the verge of succumbing and severely wounded, he killed three heavily armed enemy soldiers with his baton.

After the reinforcement arrived, he was seen lying on the ground but in an unconscious state with his baton still in his hand; beside him lay 10 Japanese soldiers brutally slain by him, 7 out of which were already dead and the rest mortally wounded. His face was almost unrecognizable from injuries, but with the quick medical attention, he survived the fight, and his field gun was back in action again.

Aftermath:

Singh was decorated with Victoria Cross in 1945 and retired from Royal Indian Army in 1946 but rejoined the Indian Army after independence and went on to become an Honorary Captain. He was also awarded Padma Bhushan in 1983.

Willing to exploit his poor background, many people tried to buy the VC and even persuaded him to sell for a hefty amount of money, but Singh refused, saying that doing so would "stain the honor of those who fell in battle."

His name was the last one to be added to the memorial of Victoria Cross winners of the Royal Artillery in the apse of St George's Garrison Church in Woolwich, London, near the Royal Artillery Barracks as depicted in the above photograph.

Hony. Capt. Umrao Singh Yadav is one of the few unsung heroes of the Indian Army who inspire numerous officers and men serving the nation. I have tried to do justice with his achievements, but I doubt that his bravery can be contained in a 500 words article. I am sure you would have got to learn something new today; for more such inspiring stories, stay tuned with my blog.

~Apoorv Saxena

Conquering the Tiger: The real inspiration behind Lakshya

September 11, 2020

We all have seen the Lakshya movie countless times, I still watch it from time to time for inspiration. It really was a brilliancy of its time; however, I am sure you would be doubly excited to hear the story behind the inspiration behind Lakshya.

As you might have guessed, he is none other than Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav PVC from the 18 Grenadiers, Indian Army. He was one of the few who survived the battle of Tiger hill with 21 bullets in his body. He became the youngest PVC awardee to ever exist in the history of India.

Statue of  Sub Maj Yogendra Singh Yadav PVC

 at the national war memorial, New Delhi 

Background:

Yogendra Singh Yadav was born in 1980 in Aurangabad, UP, which was a fairly rural area. His father served in the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army. Following his footsteps, he enlisted into the Army at the age of 16 with 18 Grenadiers as a Ghatak commando, who are the most elite soldiers of a unit.

Sub Maj Yadav PVC at the republic day parade.

Battle of the Tiger Hill:

It was early in the peaceful morning of Kargil with birds singing melodies. At the same time, 30 Ghatak commandos were preparing to leave for the Tiger hill where they were supposed to flush out the Pakistani intruders by capturing three well fortified bunkers.

Illustrative map of the Tiger Hill. source: Google.

As illustrated by the above map, the Pakistani positions were at the peak of the 1000 ft. high mountain which had a very low geographical cover, immediately making it a cakewalk for the defending Pak Army to spot any attack with the added benefit of snow.

However, men had made their minds; they had to bring honor to their Paltan, unit, the regiment, and the nation. Keeping in mind his extensive high altitude warfare training, he was immediately selected for the mission.

Yadav, along with some of the men, climbed and quickly installed climbing ropes on the cliff face from where there were the least chances of getting spotted, and soon the whole unit started their journey to the top. Halfway through the cliff, the platoon came under massive mortar and artillery fire, killing the platoon commander. 

When life gives you lemons:

The death of the platoon commander came as a big shock to the platoon; however, Yadav led his men into the assault. He lobbed grenades from bunker to bunker, crawling his way amidst the massive fire. He single-handedly killed 8 Pakistani soldiers and kept fighting even when hit by 21 bullets in his body. The Pakistani side suffered heavy casualties, even though their intensive preparation, defended the posts from the first attack, they knew about the Indian reinforcements matching towards them. They quickly regrouped their numbers however started to shoot the injured Indian soldiers, one of whom were Yadav. 

When asked about the incident, Sub Maj Yadav thanks his luck and god that even after being hit in that fire, he survived and somehow got medical attention.

Soon the Indian reinforcements arrived and captured the abandoned posts.

Aftermath:

The battle of Tiger Hill was a crucial point of war which tilted the war into Indian favor, It bought honor not only for the officers and men of 18 Grenadiers and the country but also Sub Maj Yogendra Singh Yadav who was decorated by the PVC at the age of 19. Few people know that the PVC was announced posthumously first as the officers of the unit thought that Yadav died in action. The battle remains an inspiration for the young officers and men of 18 grenadiers. Sub Maj Yadav is currently serving in Bareilly, UP and continues to inspire his fellow personnel as well as citizens.

The battle of Tiger hill is covered in two popular films Lakshya and LOC Kargil.

Sub Maj Yadav interacting and inspiring the youth.

I am sure the readers would have enjoyed the read. At the end of the blog, I would like to ask you the same question I ask myself whenever I read about this legend, Mr. yadav joined the Army at 16 and was decorated with the PVC at 19, what were you doing at that time? Do you feel that you have done your duty to the nation ?  Do you feel that you have been a citizen, worth dying for ? Ask your conscience and if the answer is no, don't give your future self the chance to experience the same. You are the future of this country. Go make it proud!! Jai Hind!!

~Apoorv Saxena