Posted on 07/21/2016 6:49:18 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
LADAKH: Tipu Sultan, Maharana Pratap and Aurangzeb are surveying the vast open valleys hugging the mountain ranges of eastern Ladakh, ready to counter any threat from China, which lies just across the border. If you are wondering how the three rulers, separated by hundreds of years, have come together, these are the names of three tanks of a regiment the Indian Army has positioned about six to eight months ago in eastern Ladakh.
India did briefly use tanks here in the 1962 India-China war (five were air dropped) but they were withdrawn after the humiliating defeat. Now, the tanks of the Indian Army are back in Eastern Ladakh for good.
For strategic and security reasons, NDTV will not identify the tank base in Eastern Ladakh just a few kilometres from the India-China border. Nearly 100 tanks have been positioned near the border; more are expected soon. "The vast flat valleys along the mountain ranges allow for armoured movement; besides, there has been an increase in the force levels across the border as well," a senior officer who didn't want to be identified told NDTV.
But maintaining tanks in these heights isn't easy. "The air is rarified and temperatures go down to -45 degree Celsius, these affect the performance of the tanks," Colonel Vijay Dalal who commands the tank unit told NDTV. The Indian military uses special lubricants and fuel to keep the tanks running, he said, and added that at least twice every night, the engines are revved-up to keep the systems in order. "It is indeed a very difficult task, but we have worked out a process to overcome these challenges," he said as a set of three tanks maneuvered into potential attack positions.
The weather and the terrain are exacting for the soldiers. The air, thin in oxygen, makes it difficult to breathe. The fierce winds amplify the chill. The accidental touch of a piece of metal can lead to chilblains and other injuries. "We work, therefore the machine works," quipped Major S Singh, the second-in-command of the unit who christened his tank Tipu Sultan.
With repeated incursions at different points of the border, China has signalled its aggression. Its hefty investments in roads and airstrips have left India playing catch up in strategically crucial regions. The positioning of the tanks is meant to prove that India is determined to assert its authority and rights over parts that China tries to claim as its own.
I had always wondered about it as they were diesel.
I don't pretend to know crap about what's going on here save that regimes and governments do things for reasons we all can't possibly know.
Heavy tank in the mountains?
what are chilblains ?
Wars and rumors of war...
100 tanks is like a finger in the 3 gorges dam.
Oddball knew a little about Tigers saying it was normal for the tanks to power up perodically.
Britspeak for frostbite. Indians learned their English from the English ...
Its the freezing equivilent of a hot burn injury.
Exactly. lol.
I always thought the Germans used diesel engines in their tanks too, but if you look it up the Tiger used gasoline engines.
That’s a huge incense stick holder on the front of that tank.
India and China had a war?
I don’t dispute but
rthat but then that makes me suspect it was more to keep the fuel lines homogenous. A problem with WWII German gasoline?
And if Pakistan attacks while fighting China?
China is flexing it’s muscles with all the little nations. Now what if all the little nations collectively got together and kicked the Chinese in the shins.
100 tanks? LOL! You’re gonna need more than that.
Who is going to light the match to this tinder box we call planet Earth?
What the LOL? We have token forces all over the world. They are there to slow the onslaught trigger a response thereby raising the stakes for the aggressor.
I have no idea.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.