They called him ‘Baba’, writes Gen Lachhman Singh, in his classic, Victory in Bangladesh. Soldier- Saint Brig Sant Singh Gill, MVC* won his second MVC for capturing Mymensingh and Basantpur in northeast Bangladesh…They saw a father-figure in him, the Bangladeshis he trained and led. Unsurprisingly, the Sikhs he led in the post-ceasefire operation of OP Hill, 1965, saw him similarly. That battle won him his first MVC, setting amazing standards of courage under fire. Read his story of infectious, ‘follow me’ courage, thinking on-one’s-feet and jugaad to convert fleeting battlefield opportunities into classic attack/pursuit operations. Sant is one of only six officers awarded a Bar to the MVC.
Humble beginnings
Physically of modest stature, Sant was born on July 12, 1921 to a marginal Jat Sikh farming family in Panjgrain Kalan village, Faridkot Princely State. Post-Matriculation and Intermediate as a boarder, Sant enlisted in July 1941 as a clerk in the Faridkot State Forces Engineer Field Company when World War II was raging.
During the Japanese siege of Imphal in March-June 1944, his CO, Lt Col B A E Maude, recommended him for an Officers Commission. After display of fortitude and persistence of a rare order, Sant was commissioned on February 16, 1947 in 1/14 Punjab Regiment then deployed in NWFP; gaining firsthand guerilla warfare experience.
On partition, with the Regiment allotted to Pakistan, Sant reported to 2 SIKH LI at Rajkot, Gujarat in November 1947 in time for the Junagadh State operations. He then reported to 1 SIKH LI, participating in operations in Naushehra-Jhanger Sector from January 1948-April 1953 and being awarded a M-in-D (Gallantry) though recommended for a Maha Vir Chakra (MVC).
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2020 من Geopolitics.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2020 من Geopolitics.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
TIME FOR A ROBUST BMD SHIELD
With nuclear-armed Pakistan and China in the neighbourhood, India must prepare ballistic missile defences at the earliest for protecting its densely populated cities
URGENT NEED FOR SMART AND LETHAL WEAPONS
India must tread the path towards the development of a whole gamut of next-generation smart and lethal weapons for countering a two-front threat scenario, writes AMARTYA SINHA
MOBILITY SOLUTIONS FOR THE INDIAN ARMY
While the Indian Army has a significantly large fleet of trucks and utility vehicles, there is a need to further augment the capabilities by adding latest platforms with better fuel-efficiency, faster speeds, larger wheelbases and enhanced axle-load bearing capacities, argues AMARTYA SINHA
C-295 CREATING A MANUFACTURING BLUEPRINT FOR INDIA
With the right momentum, a realistic roadmap and enabling policy framework, a story is being scripted to make India a hub for global aircraft manufacturing. The potential is enormous. An in-depth report.
ENHANCING NAVAL AVIATION CAPABILITIES
A robust Indian naval air arm will prove to be the biggest sea-based conventional deterrence, both for the tactical as well and strategic level battlefields.
HAS THE WORLD FORGOTTEN THE PLIGHT OF THE AFGHAN WOMEN?
With the Taliban and command in Afghanistan, serious questions are being raised about the status of women in that country. GAYATRI SINGH dissects the situation on the ground.
HOW TANKS ARE EVOLVING TO AVOID OBSOLESCENCE
Is the dominance of tanks in modern wars coming to an end? This question is increasingly attracting attention of the military experts as the ongoing war in Ukraine and the second Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan not long before have witnessed the staggering numbers of tanks being destroyed and outgunned, particularly by military drones.
MISSION GAGANYAAN AFTER LOK SABHA POLLS
The Indian human spaceflight programme will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biggest gift to the Indian scientific community.
TIME TO GO FOR SIXTH-GENERATION AIRCRAFT
With China racing ahead in 6th-Gen Fighter Aircraft Programme, India cannot afford to be left behind. AIR MARSHAL ANIL CHOPRA (RETD) explains
Unending War In Ukraine
Is Russia's War in Ukraine following a script or it is lost in direction? RAVI SRIVASTAVA attempts to answer