| Battle of Rezang La | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Sino-Indian War | |||||||||
 Memorial for the battle at Rezang La | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 India |
 People's Republic of China | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Major Shaitan Singh † | Unknown | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| 13th Kumaon Regiment | People's Liberation Army (PLA) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| ~120 soldiers[note 2] | ~3000 soldiers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 114 killed[2] | ~1400 killed[3] | ||||||||
The Battle of Rezang La was a major military engagement that took place on 18 November 1962, during the Sino-Indian War between the Indian Army's 13th Kumaon Regiment and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). The battle is remembered as one of the most heroic last stands in the military history, where 120 Indian soldiers of all-Ahir Charlie C Company faced more than 3000 Chinese aggressors and successfully defended the strategic mountain pass of Rezang La in Ladakh. Fought at an altitude of 16,000 feet, against overwhelming Chinese forces, the battle saw one of the greatest last stands, with Indian sources documenting more than 1400 Chinese casualties. Major Shaitan Singh, who led the defense, was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor, for his extraordinary bravery; along with several other decorations being awarded posthumously to many officers and soldiers of the company.[4]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Battle of Rezang La 2023.
- ^ Maxwell 1970, p. 334.
- ^ Singh 2016, p. 201.
- ^ Singh 2016, p. 203.