Page from the Past 33 Yrs Ago Today, India Launched 'Operation Meghdoot' To Capture Siachen, The World's Highest Battlefield

This day, that year: When India launched Operation Meghdoot in Siachen on April 13, 1984
Isolation from civilisation, subzero temperatures, avalanches and blizzards - these are just some of the adversities that India's brave jawans face on the highest and coldest battlefield in the world, the Siachen glacier.


Operation Meghdoot - The Masterstroke by India - Watch the Video below

HIGHLIGHTS

1For the last 33 years, Indian troops have been deployed on the Siachen glacier.
2They brave extremely adverse conditions to defend India.
3The faith soldiers have in their countrymen - and vice versa - keeps them going.
Siachen, a 76.4 kilometre-long glacier in the Karakoram range, covers around 10,000 square kilometres of uninhabited terrain and sits astride two disputed boundaries - with Pakistan and China.

In 1974, Pakistan started permitting mountaineering expeditions into the glacier, and by the spring of 1983, it was clear that India needed to maintain a close watch on the region.
On April 13, 1984, a Platoon of 4 KUMAON led by then-Captain Sanjay Kulkarni (Now a retired Lieutenant General (Retd)) planted the first Indian flag on the glacier at Bilafond La, which began Operation MEGHDOOT.

For the last 33 years, Indian troops have been deployed on the world's highest and coldest battlefield. They safeguard the nation's frontiers in temperatures of -40 to -50 degrees Celsius.

The Siachen Glacier presents a unique set of environmental challenges for the human body, which has to make great adjustments to function at such extreme altitudes. Low oxygen levels, an increase in blood pressure due to reduced barometric pressure at high altitude, extreme cold, high levels of ultraviolet radiation and low humidity are just some of the adversities that India's brave jawans endure.

ISOLATED FROM CIVILIZATION FOR MONTHS ON END

Deployed at posts where they're required to climb vertical snow walls and display great mountaineering skills, soldiers are isolated from civilization for around three to four months at a stretch.

To stay and survive in isolated posts at altitudes as high as 21,000 feet, requires a great amount of physical courage, mental stamina - and nerves of steel.
However, the faith soldiers have in their countrymen - and vice versa - keeps them going.

TOUGH WINTERS; CHALLENGING SUMMERS

During the long and fluctuating Himalayan winter, the ambient surface temperature drops below -40 degrees Celsius. The high altitude, combined with low temperature and glaciations, frequently results in blizzards with wind speeds in excess of 100 knots.
It's difficult to move and operate in blizzards: as if the chilly, high-velocity winds weren't enough, visibility drops to zero. Unpredictable and frequent avalanches are another major threat soldiers face.

When summer arrives, vertical and horizontal crevasses so deep and wide that they could swallow an entire helicopter, begin to open on the slopes. Soldiers need to use ladders to cross them, and since new crevasses open up every year, a lot of effort is required to bridge them.

DAUNTLESS COURAGE

After 33 yrs of Operation MEGHDOOT,  the Indian Army's longest deployment on the strategically-located Siachen Glacier continues. This is a saga of unmatched bravery, heroism, courage and sacrifice on the world's highest and coldest battle field.
The dauntless courage and willpower of Indian Army has ensured that the tri-colour keeps flying at the northern-most part of the nation with pride and elan.