Tiger Hill (Kargil): Difference between revisions

Tiger Hill
Tiger Hill
	Tiger hill (highest mountain seen in the background) as seen from the River Drass in Kargil.
Highest point
Elevation	5,062 m (16,608 ft)
Coordinates	34°29′03.8″N 75°39′30.2″E / 34.484389°N 75.658389°E
Geography
	Tiger Hill Drass, Ladakh, India Tiger Hill Tiger Hill (India)
Parent range	The Himalayas

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Tiger Hill (also called Point 5062^[1]^[2]) is a mountain in the Drass-Kargil area of Ladakh, India. It is one of the highest peaks in the area and was the subject of a battle during the 1999 Kargil War.^[4]

Strategic relevance

Since Tiger Hill is the highest peak in the sector, it overlooks National Highway 1 that connects Srinagar to Kargil, and is the main supply route of the Kargil sector. Any enemy atop the peak would have a direct line of sight onto the headquarters of India's 56 Brigade, the main Indian unit in the area, and as well as a 25 km stretch of highway, thus hindering the movement of troops and supplies. The peak also offered a surveillance point onto other nearby peaks.

Battle

Tiger Hill was illegally captured by elements of the Pakistan Army's Northern Light Infantry during Kargil War. The 8th battalion, Sikh Regiment (8 Sikh) attempted to regain Tiger Hill in late May 1999, but they were unsuccessful. Further attempts to regain were also repulsed, and Indian troops dug in around the hill. The final attempt began on 3 July at 17:15 with an artillery bombardment. 8 Sikh advanced up the left flank of the mountain, the 2nd Battalion, Naga Regiment (2 Naga) advanced up the right flank, and 200 troops from the Ghatak platoon, Alpha and Charlie Companies of the 18th Battalion, The Grenadiers (18 Grenadiers) scaled a 1,000-foot vertical cliff on the rear side of the mountain. After days of heavy fighting on the peak, 18 Grenadiers seized the mountaintop on the morning of 8 July.

References

^ ^a ^b Puri, Mohinder (2015). Kargil: Turning the Tide. Lancer Publishers LLC. p. 107. ISBN 9781940988238.
^ ^a ^b Singh, Amarinder (2001). A Ridge Too Far: War in the Kargil Heights 1999. Motibagh Palace. p. 86. ISBN 9788193107416.
^ "Tiger Hill". Tiger Hill.
^ "Troops re-capture Tiger hill after 3 pronged attack". Jammu-Kashmir.com. 4 July 1999. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2013.

[Kargil:_Turning_the_Tide-1] Puri, Mohinder (2015). Kargil: Turning the Tide. Lancer Publishers LLC. p. 107. ISBN 9781940988238.

[A_Ridge_Too_Far-2] Singh, Amarinder (2001). A Ridge Too Far: War in the Kargil Heights 1999. Motibagh Palace. p. 86. ISBN 9788193107416.

[3] "Tiger Hill". Tiger Hill.

[4] "Troops re-capture Tiger hill after 3 pronged attack". Jammu-Kashmir.com. 4 July 1999. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2013.

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[2]

[3]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description | Mountain in Ladakh, site of wartime battle}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
 {{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
@@ Line 4: / Line 5: @@
 {{Infobox mountain
 | name = Tiger Hill
-| other_name              = GangzLa
+| other_name              =
 | photo = The Tiger Hill (3976856895).jpg
 | photo_caption = Tiger hill (highest mountain seen in the background) as seen from the River Drass in Kargil.
 | elevation_m = 5062
 | elevation_ref =<ref name="Kargil: Turning the Tide">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zptCCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT107 |title=Kargil: Turning the Tide |last=Puri |first=Mohinder |publisher=Lancer Publishers LLC |year=2015 |isbn=9781940988238 |page=107}}</ref><ref name="A Ridge Too Far">{{Cite book |title=A Ridge Too Far: War in the Kargil Heights 1999 |title-link=Amarinder Singh |last=Singh  |first=Amarinder |publisher=Motibagh Palace |year=2001 |isbn=9788193107416 |page=86}}</ref>
-| location = [[Drass]], [[Ladakh]], [[India]]
+| location = [[Dras|Drass]], [[Ladakh]], [[India]]
 | range = [[The Himalayas]]
 | easiest_route =
 | coordinates = {{coord|34|29|03.8|N|75|39|30.2|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | coordinates_ref =<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Tiger+Hill/@34.484374,75.661175,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x38e3a90f533feba1:0x74dae6cc84254e6a?hl=en|title=Tiger Hill|website=Tiger Hill}}</ref>
+|map=India Ladakh#India}}
-}}
-'''Tiger Hill''' traditionally known as '''GangzLa''' (also called '''Point 5062'''<ref name="Kargil: Turning the Tide" /><ref name="A Ridge Too Far"/>) is a mountain in the Drass-Kargil area of [[Ladakh]], [[India]]. It is one of the highest peaks in the area and was the subject of a battle during the 1999 India-Pakistan [[Kargil War]]. Its recapture was one of the most important objectives for Indian forces during the [[Kargil War]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Troops re-capture Tiger hill after 3 pronged attack|url=http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/archives/archives1999/99july04d.html|accessdate=15 December 2013|newspaper=Jammu-Kashmir.com|date=4 July 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130085808/http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/archives/archives1999/99july04d.html|archive-date=30 January 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
+'''Tiger Hill''' (also called '''Point 5062'''<ref name="Kargil: Turning the Tide" /><ref name="A Ridge Too Far"/>) is a mountain in the Drass-Kargil area of [[Ladakh]], [[India]]. It is one of the highest peaks in the area and was the subject of a battle during the 1999 [[Kargil War]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Troops re-capture Tiger hill after 3 pronged attack|url=http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/archives/archives1999/99july04d.html|accessdate=15 December 2013|newspaper=Jammu-Kashmir.com|date=4 July 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130085808/http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/archives/archives1999/99july04d.html|archive-date=30 January 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
-==Strategic importance==
+==Strategic relevance==
-Since Tiger Hill is the highest peak in the sector, the Pakistani and  terrorists, who held the peak could easily see the military headquarters of the 56 Brigade, the main Indian force in charge of the area. Tiger Hill overlooks the [[National Highway 1D (India)]], a strategic route to [[Siachen Glacier]] and connects [[Srinagar]] to [[Kargil]] in [[Ladakh]] which enabled the Pakistanis to watch the [[Srinagar-Kargi Highway]], the main supply route of the Kargil Sector, and relay information of troop and supply movements to their superiors. They can easily direct fire on a 25&nbsp;km stretch of the national highway.
+Since Tiger Hill is the highest peak in the sector, it overlooks [[National Highway 1 (India)|National Highway 1]] that connects [[Srinagar]] to [[Kargil]], and is the main supply route of the Kargil sector. Any enemy atop the peak would have a direct line of sight onto the headquarters of India's 56 Brigade, the main Indian unit in the area, and as well as a 25&nbsp;km stretch of highway, thus hindering the movement of troops and supplies. The peak also offered a surveillance point onto other nearby peaks.
-India could not allow this, since with this information, Pakistan and Kashmiri separatists could accurately and easily shell the Indian positions.  Furthermore, the Pakistanis and Kashmiri separatists had infiltrated farther into the Kargil Sector, and India needed a good surveillance point to root out and destroy these posts.
 ==Battle==
 {{Main|Battle of Tiger Hill}}
+Tiger Hill was illegally captured by elements of the [[Pakistan Army]]'s [[Northern Light Infantry]] during Kargil War. The 8th battalion, [[Sikh Regiment]] (8 Sikh) attempted to regain Tiger Hill in late May 1999, but they were unsuccessful. Further attempts to regain were also repulsed, and Indian troops dug in around the hill. The final attempt began on 3 July at 17:15 with an artillery bombardment. 8 Sikh advanced up the left flank of the mountain, the 2nd Battalion, [[Naga Regiment]] (2 Naga) advanced up the right flank, and 200 troops from the [[Ghatak Force|Ghatak]] platoon, Alpha and Charlie Companies of the 18th Battalion, [[The Grenadiers]] (18 Grenadiers) scaled a 1,000-foot vertical cliff on the rear side of the mountain. After days of heavy fighting on the peak, 18 Grenadiers seized the mountaintop on the morning of 8 July.
-Indian artillery started shelling Tiger Hill to force the enemy to keep their head down, while 18 [[The Grenadiers|Grenadiers]], 2 [[Naga Regiment|Naga]], and 8 [[Sikh Regiment|Sikh]] of the Indian Army got ready to attack Tiger Hill. The main tactic was the most difficult ever employed on an open battlefield. An Indian contingent of 200 soldiers were to climb a steep cliff with a height of 1000 feet and attack the Pakistani forces, which were then engaged in shelling with Indian artillery, and stage a surprise attack.
-The assault team had 200 men, with some 2000 troops providing rear support. 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 5:15 pm on 3 July, with India shelling the Pakistani positions.
-The Indian military was in advantageous position as the they had artillery and air support while the Pakistani and Kashmiri separatists did not have artillery and air support since the start of war. The Indian troops also outnumbered the Pakistani and Kashmiri in this battle around 5 Indian to 1 Pakistani and Kashmiri separatists.
-Infantry battalions advanced on unexpected, and therefore difficult, avenues of approach, supported by overwhelming artillery fire. Multi-directional
-attacks produced the element of surprise. Daring nighttime maneuver over steep terrain, in coordination with massive firepower, broke NLI defenses in all areas. 8 Sikh had attempted to scale the heights of Tiger Hill in late May, only to be repulsed by small arms fire. Poorly coordinated assaults initiated without adequate artillery support failed under heavy fire from an entrenched enemy. Unable to press the attack, the soldiers dug in and surrounded the hill. 192 Mountain Brigade assumed command of the operations at Tiger Hill in late June, and received 18 Grenadiers, fresh from participating in the victory at Tololing. 18 Grenadiers picked up the assault, supported by the concentrated fire of twenty-two artillery batteries and 8 Sikh. In freezing rain on the night of 3 July, 18 Grenadiers launched an assault on the 16,700-foot (5,062 m) Tiger Top that began with a twelve-hour, vertical climb using fixed ropes. 18 Grenadiers achieved surprise and made initial gains, yet the assault stalled near the top under heavy resistance. Sensing the loss of initiative, Major Ravinder Singh of 8 Sikh launched a daring attack. He and a detachment of 200 soldiers climbed up the side of the adjoining Western Ridge, splitting the Pakistani defense on the night of 5 July. The group held off several counterattacks. Most of the Sikh soldiers attacked without cold weather gear, and many of the wounded died from exposure. After three more days of heavy fighting, the bold plan paid off, and 18 Grenadiers resumed the attack on the invaders from two directions. 18 Grenadiers seized Tiger Hill Top on the morning of 8th of July.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a417318.pdf |title={title} |access-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221081606/http://dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a417318.pdf |archive-date=21 December 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
+{{Ladakh}}
 [[Category:Geography of Ladakh]]