Battle Honour : HUSSAINIWALA BRIDGE 1965: 2 MARATHA LI: 21 SEP*

 Battle Honour : HUSSAINIWALA BRIDGE 1965: 2 MARATHA LI: 21 SEP*

1. *2 Maratha LI (Kali Panchwin)* had come in from Mathura to defend the Hussainiwala Headworks from an enemy attack, a task made tougher by the knowledge that the fall of the Headworks and the Hussainiwala Bridge would mean that the road to Ferozepur and Ludhiana lay open. It had to be defended at all costs.

2. Under the command of

*Lt. Col. TTA “Terry” Nolan* – *2 MARATHA LI* reached an almost entirely evacuated Ferozepur on *4th September 1965* . A company under *Maj Jagdish Singh ( Jaggi) Dhillon* ( *Commanded 7 Bn , Lt Gen , retired as MGO)* was immediately sent to Hussainiwala Bridge to relieve a company of 9 Madras. *Col Nolan* subsequently deployed the Battalion in a defensive position at the Bridge, with three companies at the front, and one company along with a 3-inch Mortar Platoon at the rear.

3. Late the next evening, the majority of the battalion sneaked across Hussainiwala Bridge under the cover of darkness, a brazen move given that a Pakistani Observation Post housed in a 100-feet-tall structure stood no more than three hundred yards from the Bridge.

4. A 3.7-inch Howitzer Battery was deployed as artillery support at the rear of the Bridge; there were no other units nearby that would engage the enemy along with *2 Maratha LI.* The Battalion would face off against an entire infantry brigade (three times the size of the battalion, plus supporting elements such as armour).

5. On *7th Sept 1965*, they came under heavy bombardment from enemy artillery, resulting in two men being killed in action and a third being wounded.

6. As shells rained down on the battalion, *Col Nolan* ordered that the enemy observation post “Kikar”, which dominated over the Headworks area, be captured. *Maj Harphul Singh* and “Bravo” Company conducted the assault on the tower and captured it, also taking the enemy outpost “Kujjanwali”.

7. As the battle raged on, the Marathas sent out patrols that went deep into the enemy forward defences and gathered information for the howitzer battery to direct barrages of shells at. Some patrols were led by “Alpha” Company Commander *Maj JS Dhillon, and 2Lt Feroz Doctor* and *Sub Ramdas Somewanshi* led others. One instance involved *Sub Somewanshi* getting as close as twenty yards from the enemy positions as Pakistani armour and artillery moved forward.

8. The Pakistani onslaught came on *19th September*, when an infantry battalion moved in with tanks for support after their artillery had directed immense shelling on the Marathas, who stood their ground despite the obviously overwhelming material strength of the enemy, by dogged support of accurate supporting fire of Vickers MMGs and 106mm RCLs of the paltan. The unit destroyed two of the three tanks recceing the area, capturing the third, for the loss of two men.

9. Perhaps fittingly, given how Hussainiwala is a memorial to the ideal example of the young Indian revolutionary, young officers were key to the defence, with three of them – *Capt M Chandrasekharan ( Commanded 19 , Brigadier, Centre Commandant, brother of Col Nandakumaran/2) , Capt KM Palande ( Maj Gen , GOC 27 we lost him later in a Helicopter accident, father of Brig Samir Palande) and 2 Lt Sunil Wasudev Deshpande (Commanded 2 Bn)* leading the commando platoons with great success.

10. Despite the strength of the enemy, the Marathas held on to Hussainiwala because of relentless patrolling and sheer will and courage to not let the vital sector fall into enemy hands. They faced barrage after barrage unflinchingly and destroyed armour despite having just one howitzer battery and a mortar platoon for support.

11. They fought till the very end, holding on to Hussainiwala for over a fortnight, spurred on by *Col Nolan’s* diktat before the fighting commenced: *Kali Panchwin aakhri jawan aur aakhri goli tak Hussainiwala par baithega*. *Col Nolan* himself wasn’t there when the ceasefire was declared on 23rd September, having been killed in a shelling two days earlier.

12. A young officer – *2Lt PS Rana* – made the Supreme Sacrifice, along with twelve other soldiers *(Nks Vithal Patil, Vishnu Kadam and Shamrao Chavan, Lance Nk Narayan More, Seps Daga Nikam, Banda More, Raghunath Chalke, Shankar Bhosale, Baban Falke, Vasu More & Mahadev Paste)*. The Marathas had successfully defended Hussainiwala but had lost their CO. A quote attached to the capture of *Kondana Fort (Sinhgarh)* by *Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s* forces comes to mind when I think of *Col Nolan’s* martyrdom even as the battalion held Hussainiwala: *“Garh aala pan Sinha gela”.* The enemy lost nearly 40 soldiers and 200 wounded.

13. *KALI PANCHWIN* would be busy with their celebrations from 20 Sep , hence thought of posting this a day in advance.

14. It was heartening to receive calls from a couple of Ex JCOs of *2 Battalion ( who later joined 12 Bn)* from Satara on 18 Sep where they had gathered to celebrate the *Battle Honour Day*.

16. *Our Regiment* felicitates all ranks of *KALI PANCHWIN* on their Battle