1962 India-China war: A war which should never have been fought

New Delhi: It's a story of valour, of indomitable courage of Indian jawans and yet a story of national shame for the Indian political leadership and army top brass who went to a war ill-prepared. A war which should never have been fought. The Indian army suffered the following casualties: 1,383 killed, 1,047 wounded, 1,696 missing, 3,968 jawans captured. The Chinese PLA (People's Liberation Army) suffered the following casualties: 722 killed, 1,697 wounded. (source:historyguy.com)How did the war come about? After India gained independence in 1947, and Communist China came into existence in 1949, the Chinese PLA annexed Tibet in 1950, and began constructing border posts in Aksai Chin. Taking advantage of an undemarcated border both in the north and northeast, the Chinese laid claims on Aksai Chin and NEFA (Northeast Frontier Agency) now known as Arunachal Pradesh. There were a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan uprising, when India granted asylum to the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet. India initiated a Forward Policy in which it placed outposts along the border, including several north of the McMahon Line, the eastern portion of a Line of Actual Control proclaimed by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1959. As Indian and Chinese governments could not reach agreement on disputed territories along the 3,225-kilometer-long border, the Chinese launched simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line on October 20, 1962. Chinese army Marshal Liu Bocheng headed a group to determine the strategy for the war. He concluded that the opposing Indian troops were among India's best, and to achieve victory would require deploying crack troops and relying on force concentration to achieve a decisive victory. Chinese troops advanced over Indian forces in both theatres, capturing Rezang la in Chushul in the western theatre, as well as Tawang in the eastern theatre. In the eastern theatre, Chinese troops launched attack on the southern banks of the Namka Chu River on 20 October 1962, and quickly occupied Namka Chu. The Chinese PLA occupied Walong and Tawang. In the western theatre, the Chinese who were already in control of most of Aksai Chin, advanced and occupied Chushul, Chip Chap Valley, Galwan valley and Pangong Lake. Indians troops withdrew from Rezang La Ridge and Dault Beg Oldi. After four days of fighting, there was a three-week lull, and the Chinese had advanced 16 kilometres south of the control line. Fighting resumed on November 14, and the Indian troops reoccupied Walong. On Nov 18, the Chinese attacked near Chushul and Rezang La, in which the Indian jawans fought valiantly, but were outnumbered and outgunned. In the eastern theatre, the Chinese attacked Se La and Bomdi La, and occupied Thembang. The PLA almost came near Tezpur, a major city in Assam, which was evacuated by the civil administration. The war ended when the Chinese declared a ceasefire on November 21 1962, and simultaneously announced its withdrawal from the areas it had ccupied. The Chinese did this, as the US decided to send its aircraft carrier, and provide air support to Indian army in the war. The India-China war was fought in harsh weather conditions entailing large-scale combat at altitudes of over 4,250 metres (14,000 feet). The war was also noted for the non-deployment of the navy or air force by either the Chinese or Indian side. Aksai Chin, claimed by India to belonged to Kashmir and by China to be part of Xinjiang. It has an important road link that connects the Chinese regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.China's construction of this road was one of the triggers of the conflict. In the last 20 years, both India and China had been maintaining peace and tranquility at the Line of Actual Control, but occasional transgressions do take place. The border between India and China has been the subject of 14 rounds of fruitless talks since the war and, despite warm words during official visits, friction remains high on the LAC itself.