THE GREATEST GENERAL
FIELD MARSHAL S.H.F.J. MANEKSHAW
Though known for his humour and wit, S.H.F.J. Manekshaw was a fierce strategist and pragmatic on the battlefield. In April 1971, when Indira Gandhi asked him if the country was ready for war, he refused. The onset of the monsoon and the army’s unpreparedness would make it difficult to win the war, if the army was to go to war, he emphasised, it would go prepared. More importantly, the Mukti Bahini or the Bangladeshi guerrilla resistance movement had to be trained. Manekshaw even offered his resignation if the prime minister went ahead with the war plan. When she gave him the six months he asked for, he set a date for the war, personally coordinated the infrastructure build-up, monitored the battle-readiness of unit formations and stocked up on logistics and ammunition supplies. The victory on December 16, 1971, the capture of over 90,000 Pakistani PoWs and the liberation of Bangladesh were a huge morale boost for the Indian army less than nine years after its disastrous border war with China.
Manekshaw’s personality had a combination of confidence and gallantry. His knack for coordination coupled with complete trust in the men he led and clairvoyance on the battlefield made him one of independent India’s finest military leaders. These are qualities the army is sorely missing today. The Intelligence Bureau, the home minister, the National Security Advisor and the RAW chief seem to have a greater say in security. Everyone, it would seem, but the service chiefs. They clearly need to learn lessons from Field Marshal Manekshaw if they are to restore the primacy of the armed forces.