The Guns of Kargil: Artillery in the High Himalaya
Artillery played a decisive role in the Kargil War, firing in direct support against fortified high-altitude positions.
An expert explains how guns were ranged on near-vertical targets, and why the artillery effort at Tiger Hill was among the heaviest of the campaign.
Guests
Brig. (Dr.) Sunil Rao (Retd.)
Artillery officer and defence analyst
A retired Regiment of Artillery officer who has written extensively on high-altitude warfare.
Transcript▾
Host: Expert Talks. The guns of Kargil, artillery in the high Himalaya. My guest is a retired artillery officer and defence analyst.
Host: Artillery is often called the decisive arm of the Kargil War. Why is that?
Guest: Because the targets were fortified positions on near-vertical ground. Guns were ranged on slopes that artillery is simply not meant to engage. Kargil rewrote parts of the manual.
Host: And at Tiger Hill in particular?
Guest: At Tiger Hill, guns were brought into direct fire against the feature. That is an extraordinary measure, used here for an extraordinary objective. The weight of fire was among the heaviest of the campaign.
Host: Remarkable. Thank you for joining us on Expert Talks.