Kargil War: The story of 18 Grenadiers and Tiger Hill!

Tiger Hill and 18 Grenadiers: According to Brigadier (Retd) Khushal Thakur, on the night of July 3, 1999, the soldiers of 18 Grenadiers started their campaign to capture Tiger Hill and succeeded in their campaign by the next morning. Thakur commanded this battalion during the important battles of Tololing and Tiger Hill.

Operation Vijay: The Kargil war of 1999 is completing 25 years on 26 July this year. Before that, on 4 July of the same month, such an incident happened after which the Indian brave soldiers had stunned the enemies at the heights. At that time, Lieutenant Balwan Singh had joined the army just four months ago, but he led a group of 18 Grenadiers, the deadly regiment of the Indian Army, in the attack of Pakistani intruders on Tiger Hill and succeeded in hoisting the tricolor on Tiger Hill on 4 July 1999. From there, the course of the war changed. He is now the Colonel of the famous '18 Grenadiers'. Singh, who continued fighting despite being injured while fighting the enemy, recalled, 'There was no looking back from there.' He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra for his bravery.

According to Brigadier (Retd) Khushal Thakur, on the night of July 3, 1999, the soldiers of 18 Grenadiers started their campaign to capture Tiger Hill and succeeded in their campaign by the next morning. Thakur commanded this battalion during the important battles of Tololing and Tiger Hill.

He said, 'On 12-13 June 1999, we won Tololing and it was an important victory in this war. It boosted the morale of our armed forces and countrymen and lowered the morale of Pakistani soldiers. One by one we captured the peaks of Mushko or Batalik sector and our next target was Tiger Hill.' 

He said, 'I had enough time to reconnoiter Tiger Hill. I had artillery guns, multi-barrel rocket launchers, and war equipment required to fight at heights. Despite all the losses, the morale of our soldiers of 18 Grenadiers was high and our brave soldiers captured Tiger Hill and hoisted the Indian flag on its peak.' 

Colonel Sachin Annarao Nimbalkar was awarded the Vir Chakra for his bravery during the war. He was serving as Captain of 18 Grenadiers during the war and was about 23 years old at that time. Colonel Nimbalkar was a classmate at the Indian Military Academy and paid tribute to Tiger Hill battle hero Captain Manoj Pandey at the National War Memorial in New Delhi on his death anniversary.

After paying tribute to the martyrs at the National War Memorial, he said, "If I talk about my unit 18 Grenadiers, we were brave. Two officers, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 30 other ranks sacrificed their lives in this war and many others were injured and some became disabled for life."

He said, 'We have mixed feelings. There is a sense of achievement but a huge price has been paid for it. Today is a day for all of us to collectively pay tribute to the efforts and sacrifices of our heroes.' 

18 Grenadiers

Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Thursday attended a ceremony organized at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi to mark the 25th anniversary of the capture of Tiger Hill. He addressed army officers, JCOs, and soldiers of 18 Grenadiers. General Chauhan said, "The people of the country have faith in our (army's) capabilities and that is why we have this immense prestige. The legacy that has been handed over to you has been earned by our ancestors. We may not have contributed directly but we are reaping its benefits." 

General Chauhan congratulated the members of the '18 Grenadiers' battalion. He also congratulated the 'Veer Naris' whose sons or husbands made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. '18 Grenadiers' was established in 1976 and played an important role in the war. This battalion was awarded 52 honors including Param Vir Chakra, two Mahavir Chakra, six Vir Chakra, seven Sena Medals, and a commendation letter from the Chief of Army Staff.

The Indian Army will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay on July 26. Several events have been organized ahead of the main celebrations to be held in Kargil this month.