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Whenever you call the name Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, the Battle of Longewala always comes to your mind. There have been many battles between Indian and Pakistan, but the Longewala war has been one of the remarkable engagements between the two countries where Major Kuldip showed the real patriotism and achieved victory with his limited company of 120 men.
Information about 1971 Longewala War
Talking about the battle of longewala casualties, most of the people have heard of heavy casualties from India’s end, but this is a complete myth. According to the data provided by the Indian military, only 2 Indian soldiers were killed. Apart from this 1 anti-tank was also destroyed.
But on the other side, nearly 200 Pakistani soldiers were killed during the Longewala war. Apart from this, 36 tanks and 500+ vehicles were destroyed by the Indian forces. But still, the data is never assured to be 100 percent accurate. Because of that, the battle of longewala controversy always remains on a dice that shows the results based on maximum data available.
Interesting Facts about Battle of Longewala
- When 23 Punjab witnessed the war with Pakistan, Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was the Company commander. He was leading a detached company, keeping the rest of the company away from the longewala location.
- The distance between company at Longewala and the rest 23 Punjab Battalion was 23 KM. This made it tough for them to deliver reinforce to Longewala Company.
- Most of the commanders consider Longewala as an unimportant location that made them deploy a detached company.
- Pakistani Forces attacked with an armored brigade that includes more than 200 army men with tanks.
- At the time of war, Major Kuldip Chandpuri was having just 80 men to deal with the armored brigade. But he decided to chase them instead of moving back.
- Indian soldiers called for air support, unfortunately, the hunter aircraft were not having the capability to fly at night.
- The first bullet was fired by India at 0430 hours only when the Pakistani Army was just 70 meter from the trenches of India.
- In the war, the Pakistani commander was killed by the RCL gun.
- Till now, there has been no country in the world who won the war while being in defence. Indian is the only country that won the Longewala battle while defending.
- In this battle, nearly 200 Pakistani soldiers were killed whereas only 2 Indian soldiers were martyred.
Some Rare Images of Longewala War
About Longewala War Memorial
Longewala War Memorial is built in the city of Jaisalmer to remember the victory of 23 Punjab over Pakistani Army. Here in Longewala, Pakistani tanks captured Indian soldiers are put on display. For the visitors, a short documentary of 20 minutes is also displayed that brings the whole scenario live. In the screening of war, almost everything is displayed to the visitors about the war and its happenings.
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This is the place that claims to compel the visitor to join Indian Armed Forces and serve the motherland till the last breath. For everyone who visits Jaisalmer once in their life, the Longewala War Memorial is the topmost place to visit.
On the way to the war memorial, you will visit the Longewala temple. This temple is also known as Tanot temple. The stories of 1971 India Pakistan war clearly says that the Tanot temple protected the soldiers during the war. This miraculous tale of this temple makes it a must to visit temple while visiting Jaisalmer.
A Glimpse of BORDER Movie (The Filmography of 1971 Longewala War)
The battle of longewala truth is that there were only 2 causalities from Indian Army which was shown to be highly dramatic in the film. The movie was directed to add flavor and interest for the viewers. Below is the Border movie star cast that played the role of renowned soldiers in Longewala battle.
- Border Security Force (BSF) Captain Bhairon Singh was played by Sunil Shetty
- Captain Dharam Vir Singh was played by Akshaye Khanna
- Sepoy Mathura Das was played by Sudesh Berry
- Subedar Rattan Singh was played by Puneet Issar
Major Veerbhan Singh was the father of Captain Dharam Vir Singh.
About Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri
Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was the heroic leader of Battle of Longewala. At the time of Longewala war, he was designated as Major and was leading a company of 23 Punjab.
Major Kuldip Chandpuri was born in 1962 in the Punjab province of undivided India. Being an active member of NCC since schooldays, he joined Indian Army as his career. Kuldip Singh Chandpuri family was serving in Indian Army as Officers since generation. Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was the third generation of Officers serving in Indian Army. Kuldip Singh Chandpuri caste was Punjabi, whose two uncles were already serving as Flying Pilots in the Indian Air Force at that time.
Major Chandpuri joined Officers Training Academy in 1963. He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra for his bravery and leadership in Longewala battle.
War Heroes of 1971 Longewala war
Name | Unit | Award |
Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri | 23 Punjab | Mahavir Chakra |
Lt Dharam Vir | 23 Punjab | Mention in Dispatches |
Sub Ratan Singh | 23 Punjab | Vir Chakra |
Sep Mathura Dass | 23 Punjab | Sena Medal |
Sep Bisham Dass | 23 Punjab | Sena Medal (Posthumous) |
Sep Jagjit Singh | 23 Punjab | Vir Chakra (Posthumous) |
Sep (CK) Bhagi Ram | 23 Punjab | COAS Commendation card |
DFR Harbir Singh | 20 Lancers | Vir Medal (Posthumous) |
Lnk Bhairon Singh | BSF | Sena Medal |
Mistakes done by Pakistani military during Battle of Longewala [and they failed]
If you analyze the 1971 India Pakistan Battle of Longewala, you will find that there was a plethora of mistakes done by Pakistani Army that led them run back home. Below are the major mistakes done by Pakistan Military that result into failure
Mistake 1: Pakistan’s objective was to target Jaisalmer, not Longewala:
The Pakistani Army approached Indian to capture Jaisalmer. But they were informed of the presence of a company at Longewala. So, in search of enemy, the Pakistan army changed their route to Longewala.
Mistake 2: Pakistan Army misleads the BSF Fencing as Fencing with mines:
The fencing was kept by BSF (Border Security Forces) to keep the camels within their premises. But Pakistan Army misleads it as the fencing with mines. For that, they start breaching the fence that wasted their 4 hours.
Mistake 3: No Attacking until fencing was crossed:
Until and unless fencing was breached completely, Pakistan Army wasted nearly 4 hours. But in this period, Indian Army holds the firing. Reason being, firing in night would have helped the Pakistani soldiers to track the location of Indian soldiers.
Mistake 4: High Energy Lose Before Actual War Begins:
Indian army starts defending at 0430 hours in the morning, but at that time, Pakistan Army lost its moral and energy. After traveling to Longewala and then breaching the fence, a long time was wasted that results in low morale and energy loss.
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