The Battle of Tololing
The recapture of Tololing on 13 June 1999 is widely regarded as the turning point of the Kargil War.
This episode retraces the three-week struggle for the ridge — the failed early assaults, the change of approach, and the night attack that finally carried the position.
Transcript▾
Battle Chronicles. Episode one. The Battle of Tololing.
In the second week of June, nineteen ninety-nine, the heights above the Srinagar to Leh highway were held by well dug-in intruders. Tololing was the first of those heights that had to fall.
The early assaults were costly and did not succeed. The position was steep, exposed, and covered by fire from the ridges around it. The approach was changed. Artillery was brought to bear, and the next attack went in by night.
On the thirteenth of June, after nearly three weeks of fighting, Tololing was recaptured. It opened the way to Point five one four zero and beyond, and it is widely regarded as the turning point of the Kargil War.
We remember the soldiers who carried that ridge. Thank you for listening.