Barely four months into his service, young Lieutenant Balwan Singh led the Army’s Ghatak Platoon in a strategic assault on Pakistani intruders during the Kargil war and was among the brave soldiers who captured the Tiger Hill on July 4, 1999.

“There was no looking back from there. It was victory after the capture of the Tiger Hill,” recalls Balwan Singh, now a Colonel with the famed 18 Grenadiers. He was injured during the battle, but continued to fight. He was honoured with Maha Vir Chakra for his valour.

Raised in 1976, the 18 Grenadiers played a pivotal role in the war. The battalion was conferred with 52 honours, including a Param Vir Chakra, two Maha Vir Chakras, six Vir Chakras, several Sena Medals and a Commendation Card of the Chief of the Army Staff.

On Wednesday, Colonel Balwan Singh and many other Kargil heroes from the battalion recalled the heroics of its bravehearts in the Operation Vijay. The war was declared over on July 26, 1999, after the Indian forces successfully pushed back the Pakistani forces which had stealthily occupied important heights in Ladakh.

On the night of July 3, 1999, soldiers of 18 Grenadiers, also called the Pole Star Battalion, embarked on their mission to capture the Tiger Hill and accomplished the task by the next morning, said Brig Khushal Thakur (retd), who commanded the battalion during the crucial battles of Tololing and Tiger Hill.

“On June 12-13, 1999, we won Tololing and it was a big turning point in this war. It boosted the morale of our armed forces. One by one, we kept capturing the peaks in Mushkow or Batalik sector and the next task was the Tiger Hill,” Brigadier Thakur, who was a Colonel during the war, said. “For the Tiger Hill, I had adequate time for reconnaissance. I had artillery guns, multi-barrel rocket launchers and high-altitude warfare equipment... Despite all losses suffered, the morale of the men of 18 Grenadiers was sky high and our brave men captured the Tiger Hill, planting the Indian flag on top,” he said.

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 5rd July , 2024