The Battle of Rezang La saw a small Indian company make a last stand against a vastly larger Chinese force at 16,000 ft, becoming central to Indian military memory of the 1962 war.
Key Facts
- Date
- 18 November 1962
- Altitude
- 16,000 ft (4,900 m)
- Indian defenders
- 120 soldiers (13th Kumaon Regiment)
- Chinese force (Indian claim)
- More than 3,000 soldiers
- Chinese casualties (Indian sources)
- More than 1,400
- Highest award
- Param Vir Chakra to Maj. Shaitan Singh (posthumous)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In October 1962, China launched a large-scale offensive against India in disputed border regions of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. The Chushul sector, including the Rezang La pass, became strategically critical because it guarded the vital airstrip at Chushul. The Indian Army, under-prepared and lacking adequate artillery support, was tasked with holding these exposed high-altitude positions.
On 18 November 1962, the reinforced 3rd Battalion of China's 11th Infantry Regiment attacked Rezang La. According to Chinese accounts, the pass was captured in under two hours using superior artillery. Indian accounts describe approximately 120 soldiers of the 13th Kumaon Regiment, under Major Shaitan Singh, holding off a force described as exceeding 3,000 Chinese troops in one of the most intensely contested engagements of the war.
Major Shaitan Singh was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor, and numerous other decorations were awarded posthumously to soldiers of the company. The battle became a defining episode in Indian military tradition, commemorating the sacrifice of soldiers who fought without reinforcement or adequate support in extreme high-altitude conditions.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Major Shaitan Singh.
Side B
1 belligerent