Tiger Hill, Kargil

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Tiger Hill is a mountain in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the highest peak in the sector, and its recapture was the most important objective for Indian forces during the Kargil War.

1 Strategic Importance
2 The Battle
3 Aftermath
4 References

[edit] Strategic Importance

Since Tiger Hill is the highest peak in the sector, the Pakistani forces who held the peak could easily see the military headquarters of the 56 Brigade, the main Indian force in charge of the area. The Pakistanis could also watch the Srinagar-Leh Highway, the main supply route of the Kargil Sector, and relay information of troop and supply movements to their superiors.

India could not allow this, since with this information, Pakistan could accurately and easily shell the Indian positions. Furthermore, the Pakistanis had infiltrated farther into the Kargil Sector, and India needed a good surveillance point to root out and destroy these posts.

[edit] The Battle

Main article: Battle of Tiger Hill

Indian artillery started shelling Tiger Hill to keep the enemy keep their head down, while the 18 Grenadiers, 2 Naga, and 8 Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army got ready to attack Tiger Hill. The assault team had 200 men, with some 2000 troops providing rear support. Such was the determination of the Indians soldiers that most of the Grenadiers eschewed their rations to carry extra ammunition. In the 36 hour operation, the first meal they had were the dates left behind by the retreating Pakistani defenders.

While the Alpha, Charlie, and Ghatak companies of the Grenadiers attacked from the rear, the Nagas were on the left flank, and the Sikhs on the right. The assault began at 5:15pm on July 3rd, with India shelling the Pakistani positions. The Pakistanis returned fire.^{[citation needed]}

While this was happening, the Grenadiers had moved into position, and at 4am, attacked. 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed, and 2 escaped; 5 Indian soldiers were also killed.

By 6:50am, on July 4, the Indians had re-captured Tiger Hill.

[edit] Aftermath

The Grenadiers were given instant battle honors by the General V.P. Malik, making them only the 2nd regiment to get this honor (after the Rajputana Rifles) in the Kargil War. They were also presented with a case of scotch whisky by the General.

The victory was hailed a great success in India, and boosted the morale of the Indian soldiers. It led to a series of victories for the Indian forces, leading to the eventual victory in the Kargil War.