The advent of the cannon many centuries ago added a new dimension to warfare, and soon became the weapon of choice of the Kings and Emperors. Since then artillery has evolved into a battle-winning factor, often being the determinant between success and failure. This book covers five great artillery battles fought in four continents over 136 years.
The Battle of Gettysburg (1 to 3 Jun 1863) is the most ‘written about’ battle of the US Civil War. The Battle of Vimy Ridge (9 to 12 April 1917), which saw the Canadian Corps fight as one entity for the first time, commenced with greatest artillery barrage in history (till then) – 983 guns! In the Battle of Bir Hacheim (Point 171) (27 May 1942) 2 Indian Field Regiment firing over ‘open sights’ knocked out 56 tanks of the German Afrika Korps, led by General (later Field Marshal) Erwin Rommel. The Battle of Chhamb (3 to 17 December 1971) recounts what was perhaps the toughest and most intensely fought battle of the Indo-Pakistan War. The Battles of Tololing and Tiger Hill fought during the Kargil Conflict in the summer of 1999 saw the Indian guns engaging targets at heights of 16000 feet!
With Honour and Glory : Five Great Artillery Battles
Major General AJS Sandhu, VSM(Retired), did his schooling from The Lawrence School, Sanawar. He was commissioned into the Army in June 1967, becoming the third generation of a martial family. In an illustrious career spanning over 37 years he has held varied assignments including overseas service.
He served in the Punjab sector in the 1971 Inda-Pakistan War, and in the operationally vital regions of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, during the critical periods of the Siachen Conflict and Operation Vijay (Kargil conflict).Major General Sandhu is a Master of Philosophy in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras, and has done the Post Graduate Diploma Course in International Human Rights Law from the Indian Society of International Law, New Delhi. His book titled ‘BATTLEGROUND CHHAMB: The Indo- Pakistan War of 1971’ was published in January 2017 and re-printed the same year. It vividly recounts what was perhaps the toughest and most intensely fought battle of the 1971 War.
The General is a recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal as well as the Chief of Army Staff and Northern Army Commander’s Commendations. Prior to his retirement on 31 August 2004, he was Additional Director General Artillery at the Army HQ, New Delhi.
