Leadership In The Indian Army Biographies Of Twelve Soldiers Pdf Download Free ^NEW^
Gregory Muench
Works such as Maj. Gen. (retired) V. K. Singh's collection of short biographies are thus welcome as they provide some glimpses into the histories of these two large military establishments. Working with interviews and a few sets of private papers, in addition to published sources, Singh's well-written narrative sketches the lives and careers of twelve Indian Army generals, capturing their experiences as officers in the British Indian Army, the transition to independence, and the four wars that marked the first quarter century of Indian statehood. Unfortunately, only one of these men entered service after India's independence, so we do not learn much about differences between pre- and post-1947 generations of officers. Among the strengths of the book, however, are the nuances with which Singh conveys the relationship between young Indian officers and their colonial masters. The book also reflects the struggle between young India's military leaders and the powerful civilian bureaucracy, particularly the bitter infighting that contributed to disastrous defeat in the 1962 war with China. Furthermore, the reader benefits from Singh's portrayal of some lesser-known officers, most notably Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh, whose energy and innovation were central to India's success in the 1971 Bangladesh war.
On the debit side of the ledger, the book is thin on analysis. Singh misses the opportunity to draw larger conclusions from his research. Although he describes the life of one Muslim officer, for example, he does not explain why this individual chose India over Pakistan at partition or explore how Muslims, Sikhs, and other minorities have fared in the army since independence. Nor does he relate the careers of these twelve officers to the evolution of strategy, tactics, and doctrine in India. Topics such as civil-military relations and interservice rivalry are touched on but deserve some additional evaluation. For example, the Indian Army's dedication to democracy and culture of obedience to the nation's political leadership are evident in all of these sketches, but several of the subjects are praised for exceeding or disobeying instructions. Such behavior may have had limited impact during the 1960s, but could bear serious consequences in the globalized context of the twenty-first century. It was not Singh's intention to produce a comprehensive study of the Indian Army, but a summary of key conclusions on questions such as these would have enhanced the value of his effort considerably. The book also suffers from some technical weaknesses. Chief among these is the lack of maps. As is the case with many South Asian military histories, tactical operations are described in intimate detail without the requisite cartographic support. [End Page 290]
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Manekshaw was promoted to substantive major general on 1 March 1959.[43] On 1 October, he was appointed the Commandant of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington,[44] where he was caught up in a controversy that almost ended his career. In May 1961, Thimayya resigned as the COAS, and was succeeded by Gen. Pran Nath Thapar. Earlier in the year, Maj. Gen. Brij Mohan Kaul had been promoted to lieutenant general and appointed the Quarter Master General (QMG) by Menon. The appointment was made against the recommendation of Thimayya, who resigned as a result. Kaul was made the Chief of General Staff (CGS), the second highest appointment at Army Headquarters after the COAS. Kaul cultivated a close relationship with Nehru and Menon and became even more powerful than the COAS. This was met with disapproval by senior army officials, including Manekshaw, who made derogatory comments about the interference of the political leadership in the administration of the army. This led him to be marked as an anti-national.[35]
Soon after taking charge, Manekshaw reached the conclusion that poor leadership had been a significant factor in IV Corps' failure in the war with China. He felt that his foremost responsibility was to improve the morale of his demoralised soldiers, which he achieved by ordering them to operate more aggressively. Just five days into his command, Nehru visited the headquarters with his daughter Indira Gandhi and the COAS, and found the troops advancing. Nehru stated that he did not want any more men to die. The COAS assured him that he would get the orders to advance rescinded. Manekshaw retorted that he should be allowed to command his troops the way he wished, or he should be sent to a staff appointment. Gandhi intervened and told Manekshaw to go ahead. Though Gandhi had no official position, she had great influence in the government. The next task Manekshaw took up was to reorganise the troops in the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), where he took measures to overcome shortages of equipment, accommodation, and clothing.[47]
Spanning over 60 years of military leadership in India, this unique book brings to life the human side of twelve exceptional military leaders. Unlike traditional biographies of leaders which focus primarily on many operations or regimental histories, the author concentrates on personal accounts, anecdotes and reminiscences in order to highlight these leaders' personalities, and to draw out the human face behind the military façade. The author argues that written records tend to glorify the actions of battalions as well as individuals, magnifying achievements while suppressing the mistakes and glossing over failures. This book, on the other hand, provides a truer picture of the strength of character and convictions of each of these leaders. The other important features of the book are:
M/Sgt. (then S/Sgt.) Roy P. Benavidez, United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam, to gather intelligence information about confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to intense enemy small-arms and anti-aircraft fire. Sgt. Benavidez was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters returned to off-load wounded crewmembers and to assess aircraft damage. Sgt. Benevidez voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing while he jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters under withering small-arms fire to the crippled team. Prior to reaching the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of the extraction aircraft and the loading of the wounded and dead team members. He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the leader's body, Sgt. Benevidez was severely wounded by small-arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed. Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds, Sgt. Benevidez secured the classified documents and made his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic-weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sgt. Benevidez mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and so permitted another extraction attempt. He was wounded again in his thigh by small-arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land. His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed from additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary. He then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the aircraft door-gunner from firing upon them. With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed and to bring in the remaining wounded. Only then, in extremely serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sgt. Benevidez' gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.