Army gears up to battle elements at strategic heights

HIGHLY PLACED sources said that the Army has procured a large number of extreme cold weather clothing systems and mountaineering kits for the soldiers who have been deployed in huge numbers along the LAC

On the hilltops and inhospitable ridgelines at mind- numbing altitudes of more than 15,000 feet, when the temperatures plummet to - 25 º Celsius and lower, all that one has for “company” constantly are frostbite, chilblain, blood clots, lung infection and even memory loss amid the heavy snowfall.

The windchill factor makes it worse. Taking it easy for a while could mean sure death, a painful one at that.

High altitude warfare is nothing new for the Indian Army which has battled the elements at Siachen glacier, Ladakh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and several points along the Line of Control with Pakistan. Now, with massive deployments on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, after capturing strategic heights from where soldiers are keeping an eye on the People’s Liberation Army ( PLA), the Indian Army is gearing up to battle the elements at strategic heights even as the “road open period” to Ladakh from Rohtang and Srinagar- Kargil route will soon close due to heavy snowfall.

Highly placed sources told this newspaper that the Army has procured a large number of extreme cold weather clothing systems and mountaineering kits for the soldiers who have been deployed in massive numbers along the Line of Actual Control ( LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The soldiers have begun to put on the special clothing as night temperatures have begun to drop. These are similar to the ones used by soldiers deployed in the Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield.

With unpredictable weather throwing a major challenge and frequent avalanches, large quantities of K- oil ( kerosene), canned food, medical supplies, repair equipment for communication, vehicles among other logistics are being supplied to the strategic locations.