Indian Army Brought Tanks To 11,575 Feet — A World Record That Saved Ladakh | Zoji La 1948

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]1948, 11,000 [music] feet.

[00:00:04]India did what military history said impossible.

[00:00:08]Indian tanks crossing [music] the Himalayas.

[00:00:12]Late '48, Pakistani raiders held Zoji La Pass, blocked the road to Ladakh.

[00:00:18]If India failed, Ladakh was lost forever.

[00:00:21]India tried infantry [music] first.

[00:00:24]77th Para Brigade attacked.

[00:00:27]The cliffs [music] were too steep.

[00:00:29]Pakistanis still held the pass. Major General Thimayya had an audacious idea.

[00:00:36]Bring tanks to 11,000 feet.

[00:00:39]The world said impossible.

[00:00:42]He said November 1st, Madras Sappers [music] carved a road through ice and rock.

[00:00:47]Tanks dismantled, hauled by winch, pushed by men in minus 20°. [music] Snow fell October 20th.

[00:00:57]Operation Bison [music] should have been postponed.

[00:01:01]Thimayya refused.

[00:01:03]November 1st stays [music] D-Day.

[00:01:07]Weather is irrelevant.

[00:01:10]November 1st, dawned.

[00:01:13]Thimayya in the lead tank, Sparrow commanding 7 Cavalry.

[00:01:19]Stewart tanks [music] rolled out of the snow.

[00:01:22]The Stewart tanks opened fire. The Pakistanis broke.

[00:01:26]Indian infantry [music] charged with bayed bayonets.

[00:01:30]Zoji La fell in hours.

[00:01:33]Pushed to Matayan, then to Dras, then to Kargil.

[00:01:38]Two weeks, the Indian flag rose.

[00:01:42]Sparrow won the Maha Vir Chakra.

[00:01:45]First tanks ever to fight at 11,000 feet.

[00:01:49]The world record [music] stood for decades.

[00:01:52]Ladakh remains India because of Zoji La.