4/3 Gorkha Rifles’ Raid on Penga Post in Rajauri District of Jammu & Kashmir

DELHI, India - June 25, 2013 - PRLog -- The June 2013 Issue of India Military Review carries a story of a daring raid conducted by the 4/3 Gorkha Rifles’ Raid on Penga Post in Rajauri District of Jammu & Kashmir in May 1965.

4/3 Gorkha Rifles found itself in a cauldron of daily spats with the enemy, during the period October 1964 to May 1965, when it was holding picquets along the Cease Fire Line (CFL), in the 25 Division sector, in the Rajauri District of Jammu & Kashmir.

Raids were the order of the day. It was official policy to respond with a counter raid in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) within 24 hours of a raid on an Indian post. The Penga Raid was conceived out of this policy.

With a morning Road Opening Party (ROP) 4/3 Gorkha Rifles was ambushed by the wily Baluchis  in May 1965 the Battalion was given just about 24 hours to get ready to raid Penga. After a black-board sketch by Major Jayant Chanda, the troops set out for Penga immediately after last light. After an uneventful approach march in the summer moonshine they arrived at the rendezvous (RV) after about an hour and a half.

After Gangte confirmed on the radio that his support group was in position, the various assault sub-groups set off for their objectives via the Release Point at the base of the Penga feature. Unluckily the surprise was lost much before the groups reached their Release Points mainly due to Subedar (Sub) Mandhoj Gurung’s outbursts and chaffing at gurkha johnnies, within earshot of the enemy.

Thus alerted, the enemy opened up with all their weapons including two or three Browning Machine Guns (BMGs) firing from the flanks and depth, as soon as the Gurkhas got into their small arms range in the partly dry nullah bed. The Pakis brought to bear very heavy, intense and overwhelmingly effective fire on the Gorkhas.

As an immediate reflex action, men went to ground! Confronted with this sad state of affairs, Chanda was left with no option except to give the call to rush the objectives, instantly. Nobody got up! Having come all the way, Chanda decided that the only way to get the show going was to set a personal example and charge the post himself. He did so, and got the desired results, but only after much butt-kicking and haranguing of the troops by the young officers.

Much to their credit, the young officers did not take cover, but kept standing in full view of the enemy in bright moon-light good enough to enable aimed fire. One by one the men broke cover….all got up and were herded and hounded by the leaders towards their objectives.

Mayhem followed and only the grit,determination, leadership and valour of the junior leaders and Indian soldiers affected the retribution on the wily enemy they ultimately did. At the end of the encounter the Penga post had been abandoned by the enemy but for a few enemy soldiers. Drove upon drove of turkey buzzards as they perched on the parapets of the Penga post feasting on the enemy dead told the true tale of casualties suffered by the enemy.

Maj Gen Amrik Singh, GOC of the Infantry Division, called it a ‘candid and plucky raid’ in his after-action report to Corps HQ.

2/Lt A K Sharma came out of Penga with a personal success of the operation - a .303 rifle that he had snatched from an enemy Pathan soldier.