Rezang La

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Rezang La, is a pass and is on the south-eastern approach to Chushul Valley. The feature was 3000 yards long and 2000 yards wide at an average height of 16,000 feet.

[edit] Overview

It was the site of the famous last stand of the of the 'C' Company of 13 Kumaon during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. The C Company was led by Major Shaitan Singh, who later won a Param Vir Chakra, for his actions, posthumously.

Rezang La had a very serious drawback from the Indian point of view. It was crested to Indian artillery because of an intervening feature, which meant that the Indian infantry had to make without the protective comfort of the big guns.

In this action, 109 Kumaonis out of a total of 123 were killed. Almost all jawans were Ahirs hailing from the Ahirwal region (see Valour of Ahirs [1], The Gods of Valour [2]). Of the 14 survivors, 9 were severy injured.

[edit] Memorial

There is a small memorial at the site, which reads:

How can a Man die Better than facing Fearful Odds,
For the Ashes of His Fathers and the Temples of His Gods, 
To the sacred memory of the Heroes of Rezang La,
114 Martyrs of 13 Kumaon who fought to the Last Man,
Last Round, Against Hordes of Chinese on 18 November 1962.
Built by All Ranks 13th Battalion, The Kumaon Regiment.


[edit] Comments on the battle

  • On this horrific battle, Major-General Ian Cardozo, in his book ‘Param Vir, Our Heroes In Battle’ writes,
"When Rezang La was later revisited dead jawans were found in the trenches still holding on to their weapons... every single man of this company was found dead in his trench with several bullet or splinter wounds. The 2-inch mortar man died with a bomb still in his hand. The medical orderly had a syringe and bandage in his hands when the Chinese bullet hit him... Of the thousand mortar bombs with the defenders all but seven had been fired and the rest were ready to be fired when the (mortar) section was overrun.".
  • General T.N. Raina said:
"You rarely come across such example in the annals of world military history when braving such heavy odds, the men fought till the last bullet and the last man .Certainly the Battle of Rezang La is such a shining example."
"I had said many years ago that the Army must have a Ahir Regiment. The supreme sacrifice of the Charlie Company has fulfilled my expectations. I hope a suitable memorial will be built in Ahirwal in their memory so that the generations to come may seek inspiration from the immense courage and valour of their forefathers."
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