Finding order amid war: Tale of a young Intelligence Officer

 

 

“WE WERE lucky to have been exposed to war within two years of induction. At young age, you are full of josh. You just want to go, accomplish the given task, win… The thought of lurking death does not even cross your mind,” says Maj Gen Glenn Reginald Ford (Retd) when one asks him about the experiences of the Indo-Pak War of 1971 that culminated into creation of Bangladesh.

Born and brought up in Nagpur, he studied at SFS School and later completed his B.Sc at SFS College, In January 1968, he joined the Indian Military Academy, passed out in December 1969. He was with 2nd Battalion of Mahar Regiment located in Pune, having operational area of Barmer in Rajasthan. As the war clouds started hovering, 2 Mahar reached Barmer in October 1971. He was Intelligence Officer to Lt Col S D Mehta, Commanding Officer (CO), 2 Mahar, which was part of 85 Infantry Brigade.

Inducted in the Indian Army on December 21, 1969, he was only two years into service in 1971. He retired in January 2006 as Dean of the Defence Institute of Quality Assurance, after 35 years of service in uniform. He is the author of the book ‘Battle of Naya Chor: 1971 Indo-Pak War’, in which he recollects his participation in the war and how the Indian troops penetrated 60 kms deep inside West Pakistan territory and overran Pakistani main defences overlooking Naya Chor.

Maj Gen G R Ford (Retd) has several experiences to share. His job as Intelligence Officer to the CO was a challenging one. He had to take care of communications of the CO, brief on landmarks, and more importantly to find order in the thick of the war. There were no roads inside West Pakistan. The troops had to move cross-country. Since GPS was not available at that time, they had to rely on maps that were old. They had to refer to compass and stars etc. as they moved at night. There was the threat posed by scorpions, snakes (vipers), and beetles in the sand. Then, there were other problems like bad weather, sand, and water was scarce.

Speaking of water in scarce supply, he recalls one incident. The 2 Mahar had reached Sakna on the night of December 6-7, 1971 and firmed in. “The troops had walked the whole day with the only water they carried on themselves. They were tired, thirsty, and hungry,” he recalls.

The B echelon vehicle did not fetch up at last light due to air attacks at the rear of the division. Capt Duli Chand, Quarter Master, travelling on railway tracks with 3 Ton vehicles could bring water and food only around midnight. “The boys, seeing the 3 Ton vehicle with water, jumped into it with their boots and started drinking. Capt D C Berry and myself were detailed (Contd from page 1)

by the CO to do the distribution of water and food to the companies. Seeing the commotion, the CO came and started shouting at the boys but after 10 minutes, the CO gave up and left the place. It took us some time to control the situation before we could distribute the water in an orderly manner to the companies,” he adds, while explaining the happenings on ground during the war.

It was a difficult job for Capt Berry and him to control ‘the boys’ and distribute water and food and also to meet the demand of the company commanders ‘who were senior to us’ for extra water for their companies. Nonetheless, the young officer did the balancing act and restored order amid chaos, with aplomb.

During movement, the troops also came under enemy fire. One day, five Pakistani Sabre jets strafed the team, which the young Intelligence Officer was part of, for 20 minutes. “Those minutes seemed endless,” he recalls now.

The most important mission of 2 Mahar came soon when it was decided to attack and capture Parbat Ali feature which was part of the main defences of Pakistan. On December 12, 1971, as the Intelligence Officer 2Lt G R Ford gave out the landmarks. The CO then gave out his plan for capture of Parbat Ali.

“I moved with the Intelligence section to mark the Forming up Place or FUP and provide a firm base for attack. By 1.15 am, the FUP was marked, secured, and the assaulting companies moved out of the Apex feature, led by Second-in-Command 2IC Major Singha. The assault commenced at 3 am. After intense action, the CO informed the Brigade Commander around 7.30 am on December 13 that 2 Mahar had captured its objectives of Parbat Ali and Right Bump. By 8.30 am, the engineers had made a safe lane through the mine-fields. The CO then decided to move the Battalion headquarters including the Intelligence party and battery commanders party to Parbat Ali. Our mission was accomplished,” he recalls.

The 2 Mahar settled on Parbat Ali top and established the Battalion headquarters there. Around 10.30 am or so, Pakistani observation post started ranging on this position. After two ranging shots, the third one landed close to 2Lt G R Ford and others, and all of them dived in their trenches. No one was injured. “Shrapnel ripped through my blanket outside the trench. I had taken it as a souvenir and given it to my mother who was very proud and showed it to everyone who came home,” he says with a smile.

A proud moment came for 2Lt G R Ford at Parbat Ali. Lt Col S D Mehta, the CO, asked him to call Capt Berry as there was an urgent task for him to perform -- to move immediately and go behind enemy lines along with 10 Para Commando. Capt Berry was about to leave when the CO told him that there was a problem – they would require a Field Officer only to go with them. The CO then put on the applets of a Major on Capt Berry’s shoulders and put the Captain’s applets he took out from Capt Berry on 2Lt G R Ford’s shoulders. “Thus, we both were promoted on this historic day of December 13, 1971,” he adds with joy still palpable in his voice.

Even after the ceasefire and Pakistan’s surrender on December 16, 1971, at Dacca, the Indian forces on Western frontier had to be on alert and evacuate certain villages. It was in December 1972 that the 2 Mahar received orders for withdrawal from Parbat Ali. Maj K K Sharma’s company was to be the last to leave Parbat Ali. As Maj Gen G R Ford (Retd) has mentioned in his book, Maj K K Sharma picked up sand from Parbat Ali and filled it in a glass bottle and stuck a paper on it with the words ‘blooded grains of sand’ in the memory of the brave and valiant soldiers of 2 Mahar. This speaks of the respect one has for the brave men of one’s unit.

Having seen the war at a young age, and having retired from uniformed service as a seasoned officer, Maj Gen G R Ford (Retd) is well qualified to comment on the change since 1971. “Yes, since then, everything has changed. Now, there are roads, good maps, communications at all frontiers. Tanks have evolved, weapons have changed, troops have got night-fighting devices and goggles etc. We are better equipped today,” he says.