History Did China and India fight a war?
China-India border self-defense counterattack operations
The China-India border is divided into three sections: eastern, central and western, with a total length of 2,000 kilometers. Although it has not been formally delineated, there is a historical formation of both sides. line of traditional customs.
In 1951, the Indian army crossed the traditional customary line and advanced northward, occupying 90,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory south of the illegal "McMahon Line." After that, the Indian army invaded and occupied Jinzemani north of the "McMahon Line" in the eastern section, Juwa, Quya, Shibuqi Pass, Bolinsanduo, Xiangzha and Labudi in the middle and western sections, as well as Barris and other areas.
After the People's Liberation Army won the victory against the rebellion in Tibet in 1959, the Indian government publicly proposed to China that 90,000 square kilometers of Chinese territory in the eastern section and 32,000 square kilometers in the western section be transferred to India. However, its unreasonable request was rejected. After the Chinese government refused, it implemented the "forward policy" and continued to encroach on Chinese territory. In August and October 1959, the Indian army caused incidents at the Langjiu and Kongka Passes in the eastern and western sections of the Sino-Indian border, killing and injuring many Chinese border guards.
The Chinese government has made unremitting efforts to peacefully resolve border issues. However, the Indian government regarded the forbearance of the Chinese army as weakness and could be bullied. Starting from 1961, especially April 1962, the Indian army encroached on Chinese territory. By September, 43 invasion strongholds had been established in the western sector of China alone. On September 20, 1962, the Indian army was ordered to cross the "McMahon Line" in the eastern section and launch an attack on the Chinese border defense forces in the Kejielang area. On October 10, it ordered the Indian army to attack the Chinese Chidong outpost in the eastern section. India has mobilized heavy troops to the Sino-Indian border. In the eastern section, it has deployed more than 16,000 troops; in the western section, the Indian army has deployed 1 brigade, 6 infantry battalions, 1 machine gun battalion and several attached units***5600 The remaining people. On October 20, the Indian army launched a large-scale attack on China.
Faced with the rampant aggression of the Indian army, the Chinese government and the Central Military Commission decided to launch a self-defense counterattack. Counterattack operations are divided into two stages. The first phase starts from October 20th to 28th.
On October 20, in the eastern section, in view of the characteristics of the Indian army's deployment in the Kejielang area, which were heavy in the front and light in the rear, and exposed on the flanks, the Tibetan border troops adopted two-wing operations, side-to-side detours, segmentation and encirclement, and annihilation. According to the tactics, the main force was concentrated to launch an attack on the left and right wings of the 7th Indian Brigade, and quickly captured Qian etc., Kalon, Keningnai, Shaze and other places; with one force, in coordination with the Shannan Army Division, attack the Indian Army Attack Zhaguobu and Bangangding from the front, and attack in a roundabout way with one force to the left and Zhangduo; Qamdo, Shannan, and Linzhi military divisions each use one force to counterattack the enemy in front of them; cooperate with the main direction of operations. The counterattack troops overcame natural obstacles such as mountains, canyons, and dense forests, and conquered the important stronghold of the Indian army in the Kejielang area. They quickly disintegrated the Indian army's deployment and the Indian army was defeated. The Chinese border defense troops followed the orders of the Central Military Commission and marched towards the "McMalaysia" Developed an offensive south of the "flood line" and captured Tawang on the 23rd. In this battle, the 7th Indian Brigade was annihilated and part of the Chinese territory south of the "McMahon Line" and north of the Tawang River was recovered.
In the western section, the Xinjiang border defense troops first launched an attack on the invading Indian army strongholds in Galwan Valley, Hongshantou and other places. A strong attack was carried out and the enemy was completely wiped out. Later, troops were transferred to Pangong Lake, Barigas and other areas. By the 28th, 37 Indian military strongholds that had invaded Chinese territory were cleared.
In the context of the victory in the battle in the Kejielang area in the eastern sector, the Chinese government issued a statement on October 24, proposing three proposals to stop the conflict, reopen negotiations, and peacefully resolve the boundary issue, and ordered the East Sector to The front line counterattack combat troops stopped pursuing. The Indian government once again rejected this peace proposal, declared a state of emergency across the country, carried out war mobilization, and adjusted deployment. By mid-November, the number of troops in the Sino-Indian border areas had increased to more than 30,000. On the 11th, 14th, and 16th, a full-scale counterattack was launched against the Chinese border defense forces. The Chinese border defense forces followed the orders of the Central Military Commission and once again launched counterattacks against the invading Indian troops. The second phase of the operation begins on November 16 and ends on November 21.
In the direction of Walong in the eastern section, a unit of the Tibetan Border Defense Force launched a counterattack against the 11th Brigade of the Indian Army on the 16th, and advanced to Jingudi on the 21st, approaching the traditional customary line; in the eastern section of Xishan Pass - In the direction of Bomdila, the Tibetan border defense forces launched a multi-channel attack on the Indian army on the 18th in view of the Indian army's linear configuration and the heavy front and light rear. On the 19th, Bomdila was captured, and search, suppression, and pursuit operations were immediately launched. On the 21st, all Indian military strongholds in the Xishan Pass-Bomdila area were cleared. In the western section, the Xinjiang border defense troops cleared the Indian invasion stronghold in the Pangong Lok area from the 18th to the 20th.
The Sino-Indian border self-defense counterattack lasted for one month. In the eastern section, the Chinese border defense troops entered the area south of the "McMahon Line" and close to the traditional customary line; in the western section, the Indian troops were cleared All bases located in China. More than 8,700 Indian troops were killed and captured, and a large amount of weapons, equipment and supplies were seized.
On November 21, the Chinese government issued a statement announcing that Chinese border troops would cease fire and withdraw along the entire Sino-Indian border. From December 1 to March 1, 1963, it retreated to the area 20 kilometers north of the Chinese side of the actual line of control between China and India on November 7, 1959. Subsequently, the Chinese government returned a large amount of seized equipment to the Indian government and released 3,900 captured officers and soldiers.
The Sino-Indian border self-defense counterattack operation is a large-scale anti-aggression operation carried out by the Chinese border defense forces in a special plateau area. The natural environment in the war zone is harsh, making it difficult for troops to maneuver, command, and coordinate; transportation lines are long, and transportation of supplies is difficult. The Central Military Commission flexibly used military, political, and diplomatic means to not only achieve military victory, but also take the initiative in political and diplomatic struggles. The counterattack troops overcame the difficulties of plateaus, severe cold, high mountains, and deep valleys, boldly used detours, division and encirclement tactics, and carried forward a hard-working, heroic and tenacious fighting style. They overcame the harsh natural environment, successfully completed combat missions, and defended the country. national territorial sovereignty.