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Himalayan Blunder: The Angry Truth About India’s Most Crushing Military Disaster

by Brig JP Dalvi.

Thacker.

Among the books based on the subject of the 1962 India-China War Himalayan Blunder: The Angry Truth About India’s Most Crushing Military Disaster is considered to be the most striking and authentic version. It presents an account of the 1962 War, a war that India lost through the narrative of Brig JP Dalvi. He fought the war as the Commander of the 7th Infantry Brigade in NEFA (North-East Frontier Agency). His account of the war is graphic and telling. He was captured by the Chinese forces and was a PoW for seven months.

Point of controversy: Based on his firsthand experiences, Dalvi recounts the events that occurred between September 8 and October 20, 1962. and the manner in which India’s own political leadership worked against its cause. In no uncertain terms, he held three men responsible for India’s defeat — Jawaharlal Nehru, Krishna Menon and Gen Brij Mohan Kaul. Dalvi claimed that the apathy and the sheer ineptitude of those at the helm of India’s political affairs sacrificed hundreds of valuable lives. The Indian soldiers — underfed, ill-equipped and unprepared as they were — never stood a chance against the well-prepared and well-endowed Chinese army. Brigadier Dalvi’s detailed narrative of the massacre of the Indian soldiers, a horror that he witnessed firsthand, is heart-rending.

The War That Never Was: A Study of India’s Strategic Failures

by Ravi Rikhye.

Chanakya.

Journalist-turned-author Ravi Rikhye’s analytical book The War that Never Was puts the spotlight on 1987 Operation Trident/Brass Tacks where the Indian and Pakistan troops came within a hair’s breadth of a blood-soaked confrontation. The book examines India’s ability to achieve an all out victory over Pakistan in the backdrop of Operations Brasstacks and Trident. Pointing out misperceptions of adversary’s behaviour, the author brings out, in different chapters, how same mistakes were committed by India in several crisis situations.

Point of controversy: Rikhye points out weaknesses of the armed forces and the political leadership and the strategic failures that could have had disastrous results.

The Kargil War

by Praveen Swami.

LeftWord Books.

This book highlights a series of misjudgements and failures on part of the Army's top brass during the Kargil “war”. Praveen Swami is unsparing in his criticism as he raises vital questions that can’t be brushed under the carpet. Drawing on his experience of several years of covering Jammu and Kashmir as a journalist, Swami unearthed vital data and analysed the long-term reasons that led to the war, its course, and its consequences. In the revised and updated edition of the original, the author goes on to analyse post-Kargil escalation of militancy in Kashmir, the Report of the Kargil Review Committee, and the proposals concerning the 'autonomy' of Jammu and Kashmir.

Point of controversy: The author claimed that the Army was unprepared for the intrusions and mentioned that the Army formations responsible for Kargil at that time were occupied with laying golf courses and setting up a zoo.

He was detained when he tried to meet Brig Surendra Singh.

Betrayal of the Defence Forces: The Inside Truth

by Adm Vishnu

Bhagwat.

Manas Publications.

Injustice leaves scars on the minds and souls of men and damage individuals as well as institutions. Neither Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, nor Defence Minister George Fernandes adequately explained the dismissal of Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat from his post of Chief of Naval Staff (CNS). The book chronicles Admiral Bhagwat's experiences with the ‘powers that be’, particularly during his last nine months in office. It focuses on his struggle to “defend the Constitution and prevent the fabric of the armed forces from being vitiated by the influence of arms dealers, communal forces and pliant officers of doubtful moral fibre”.

Point of controversy: In addition, various substantive issues, including scams and deals affecting national security, have also been discussed.

Assault on Merit: The Untold Story of

Civil-Military

Relations

by RK Anand.

Har-Anand Publications.

An insider account of how India’s judiciary has upheld the merit system in military promotions by extricating top generals from webs of nepotism and harassment woven by South Block babus and politicians.

These well-documented case histories go to the very heart of the controversy over the date of birth of Gen VK Singh, Chief of Army Staff and other issues like those involving Maj Gen VK Sharma, Maj Gen RC Kochhar, Lt Gen RS Kadyan, Lt Gen DN Verma that had become a part of ‘military lore’ over the years.

standing apart: The book is a must read for all who wish to understand the causes that have led to the growing trust deficit between India’s apolitical armed forces and the politicised bureaucracy.

Courage and Conviction: An Autobiography

by VK Singh.

Aleph.

Gen VK Singh served in the Indian Army for 42 years, retiring as Chief of Army Staff on May 31, 2012. From his early days as company commander on the Line of Control in Poonch, to commanding elite formations, Victor Force in Jammu and Kashmir and the vast Eastern Command that shares international boundaries with Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, to his experience of military operations and exercises such as Bluestar, Brasstacks and Trident, General Singh’s story makes for fascinating reading. Candid, compelling and occasionally controversial, this is the story of a straight-talking soldier who is not afraid of standing by his convictions.

Point of controversy: The autobiography revealed information about bribery and corruption scandals in the armed forces during his tenure as Chief of Army Staff.

It also gives the full story about various lobbies that tried to victimise him over the issue of his falsified date of birth.

Besides, it also presented a worrying picture of how senior officers in the armed forces are constantly harassed by top bureaucrats.

—Compiled by Jaskaran Singh