05-18-2005, 04:15 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>7-hr war that won India Tiger Hill </b>
SP Singh/ Ghaziabad
Yogendra Yadav, a brave soldier of the Indian Army, instrumental in capturing strategic Tiger Hill during the Kargil War, has been provided with a plot of land in Lajpat Nagar Colony of Ghaziadbad by the Uttar Pradesh Government.
Yadav, who was awarded Param Veer Chakra, the country's highest gallantry award, spoke to The Pioneer about the fight which decimated the enemy. In an exclusive interview to The Pioneer, he told how they captured Tiger Hill.
"It was 10.30 am on July 5, 1999 at 16,500 feet above the sea level. We were 25 soldiers of 18 Granadiers unit of the Indian Army. Earlier, we were ordered to advance to capture Tiger Hill from Drass Sector. After scaling the rocks for three nights, we were just 50 metres below the Tiger Hill. As chance would have it, a stone slipped during the scaling operation. And as the stone rolled down it provoked heavy crossfire from the Pakistani bunkers which were just 10 meters above us. Due to the heavy firing, 18 of our jawans and officers had to retreat. Now, we were seven jawans near the Pakistani bunkers. We were in a precarious situation, neither we could advance nor retreat.
"We had to wait for the right opportunity. By then, Pakistan had deployed a company of 135 jawans at the top of Tiger Hill. After the firing stopped we (remaining seven) slowly began advancing to capture the Pakistani bunkers which was just 10 metres away from us.
"At about 11.30 am we opened fire at the bunker and gunned down four Pakistani soldiers and captured Pakistani bunker. After we captured the Pakistani bunker, the Pakistan Army from the top of Tiger Hill sent 10 jawans to know our strength. The Tiger Hill was just 40 metres away from us. As they moved near, we gunned down eight of them.
"Two escaped and reported back to their bosses that actually we were seven jawans. After the preparations at 11.30 am on the same day 100 Pakistani Army attacked our bunker. The attack was fierce, though we could gun down 35 Pakistani soldiers, we lost 6 Indian jawans. I almost got my ammunition exhausted and the supply wasn't possible from the below. I carried 25 kg ammunition with me.
"It was a very critical time. Now out of seven, I was the sole survivor with six of my colleagues already dead. I was amid the dead bodies of Indian and Pakistani soldiers.
"The Pakistani troops thought they had destroyed the Indian Army below the Tiger Hill. To ensure that all Indian jawans were dead, they shot at the dead bodies of Indian soldiers.
"I sustained about 15 gunshot injuries on my legs, arms, thigh and in other parts of my body. The Pakistanis were sure that I was dead.
Then they took away the weapons from the bodies. But one soldier forgot the grenade that lay in my pocket. Meanwhile, I regained my consciousness. And after that things moved fast. I took out my grenade, pulled the pin and threw it at the enemy. It fell in the enemy's cap which was hanging behind his neck.
"It exploded before he could react. After the explosion, his body was blown off in the air plunging the Pakistani Army camp into confusion - they thought that the Indian Army had attacked. By then I picked up the Peeka Rifle of a Pakistani soldier lying nearby and I opened fire which left five Pakistani soldiers dead.
"After my attack, the enemy camp thought that it was the Indian Army which had attacked them. I heard the order on their wireless to retreat from the Tiger Hill and further heard the instruction to attack the Indian MMG-base 500 metres below Tiger Hill. My main task was to save the MMG base. But by that time I had lost too much blood and was unable to stay conscious.
I decided to scroll through a drain. I dumped myself in the drain covering my head. Now within five minutes I was below 400 meters and I saw my boss Lieutenant Balwan. I called him. He rescued me. I told him that the Pakistanis wanted to attack the MMG-base and had vacated Tiger Hill.
"On this tip-off, the officials deployed Charlie and Delta at the Tiger Hill and deployed Bravo to save MMG base. After few minutes Pakistani forces attacked MMG base in which all Pakistani soldiers were killed since we had the prior information and Delta and Charlie captured Tiger Hill.
"Now it was 5.30 pm when I met Lieutenant Balwan. The war of 7 hours. This is how we won Tiger Hill, said Yogendra Yadav."
Yadav, a resident of Aurangabad Ahir under Bulandshahr District UP is a 25-year-old soldier.
While Yogendra and his elder Jitendra are in the Army since December 1996, his younger brother Deepak is studying. Yogendra had lost his father two months ago. His mother Shanmta Devi looks after the family farms. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
SP Singh/ Ghaziabad
Yogendra Yadav, a brave soldier of the Indian Army, instrumental in capturing strategic Tiger Hill during the Kargil War, has been provided with a plot of land in Lajpat Nagar Colony of Ghaziadbad by the Uttar Pradesh Government.
Yadav, who was awarded Param Veer Chakra, the country's highest gallantry award, spoke to The Pioneer about the fight which decimated the enemy. In an exclusive interview to The Pioneer, he told how they captured Tiger Hill.
"It was 10.30 am on July 5, 1999 at 16,500 feet above the sea level. We were 25 soldiers of 18 Granadiers unit of the Indian Army. Earlier, we were ordered to advance to capture Tiger Hill from Drass Sector. After scaling the rocks for three nights, we were just 50 metres below the Tiger Hill. As chance would have it, a stone slipped during the scaling operation. And as the stone rolled down it provoked heavy crossfire from the Pakistani bunkers which were just 10 meters above us. Due to the heavy firing, 18 of our jawans and officers had to retreat. Now, we were seven jawans near the Pakistani bunkers. We were in a precarious situation, neither we could advance nor retreat.
"We had to wait for the right opportunity. By then, Pakistan had deployed a company of 135 jawans at the top of Tiger Hill. After the firing stopped we (remaining seven) slowly began advancing to capture the Pakistani bunkers which was just 10 metres away from us.
"At about 11.30 am we opened fire at the bunker and gunned down four Pakistani soldiers and captured Pakistani bunker. After we captured the Pakistani bunker, the Pakistan Army from the top of Tiger Hill sent 10 jawans to know our strength. The Tiger Hill was just 40 metres away from us. As they moved near, we gunned down eight of them.
"Two escaped and reported back to their bosses that actually we were seven jawans. After the preparations at 11.30 am on the same day 100 Pakistani Army attacked our bunker. The attack was fierce, though we could gun down 35 Pakistani soldiers, we lost 6 Indian jawans. I almost got my ammunition exhausted and the supply wasn't possible from the below. I carried 25 kg ammunition with me.
"It was a very critical time. Now out of seven, I was the sole survivor with six of my colleagues already dead. I was amid the dead bodies of Indian and Pakistani soldiers.
"The Pakistani troops thought they had destroyed the Indian Army below the Tiger Hill. To ensure that all Indian jawans were dead, they shot at the dead bodies of Indian soldiers.
"I sustained about 15 gunshot injuries on my legs, arms, thigh and in other parts of my body. The Pakistanis were sure that I was dead.
Then they took away the weapons from the bodies. But one soldier forgot the grenade that lay in my pocket. Meanwhile, I regained my consciousness. And after that things moved fast. I took out my grenade, pulled the pin and threw it at the enemy. It fell in the enemy's cap which was hanging behind his neck.
"It exploded before he could react. After the explosion, his body was blown off in the air plunging the Pakistani Army camp into confusion - they thought that the Indian Army had attacked. By then I picked up the Peeka Rifle of a Pakistani soldier lying nearby and I opened fire which left five Pakistani soldiers dead.
"After my attack, the enemy camp thought that it was the Indian Army which had attacked them. I heard the order on their wireless to retreat from the Tiger Hill and further heard the instruction to attack the Indian MMG-base 500 metres below Tiger Hill. My main task was to save the MMG base. But by that time I had lost too much blood and was unable to stay conscious.
I decided to scroll through a drain. I dumped myself in the drain covering my head. Now within five minutes I was below 400 meters and I saw my boss Lieutenant Balwan. I called him. He rescued me. I told him that the Pakistanis wanted to attack the MMG-base and had vacated Tiger Hill.
"On this tip-off, the officials deployed Charlie and Delta at the Tiger Hill and deployed Bravo to save MMG base. After few minutes Pakistani forces attacked MMG base in which all Pakistani soldiers were killed since we had the prior information and Delta and Charlie captured Tiger Hill.
"Now it was 5.30 pm when I met Lieutenant Balwan. The war of 7 hours. This is how we won Tiger Hill, said Yogendra Yadav."
Yadav, a resident of Aurangabad Ahir under Bulandshahr District UP is a 25-year-old soldier.
While Yogendra and his elder Jitendra are in the Army since December 1996, his younger brother Deepak is studying. Yogendra had lost his father two months ago. His mother Shanmta Devi looks after the family farms. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->