Book to tell true heroic stories from 1971 Indo-Pak war

From the story of the flight lieutenant who went missing after his plane crashed inside Pakistan to the last khukri attack in modern military history, a new book unearths true stories of the 1971 Indo-Pak war showcasing the exemplary courage and fortitude of Indian soldiers at the warfront.1971 Charge of the Gorkhas and Other Stories, written by author Rachna Bisht Rawat, will hit the stands on December 10.

From the story of the flight lieutenant who went missing after his plane crashed inside Pakistan to the 'last khukri attack' in modern military history, a new book unearths true stories of the 1971 Indo-Pak war showcasing the exemplary courage and fortitude of Indian soldiers at the warfront.

''1971: Charge of the Gorkhas and Other Stories'', written by author Rachna Bisht Rawat, will hit the stands on December 10. It is published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI).

On the evening of December 3, 1971, Pakistan Air Force attacked the Indian airfields of Srinagar, Avantipur, Pathankot, Uttarlai, Jodhpur, Ambala and Agra. Thus commencing the official beginning of the third Indo-Pak war.

The 13-day military conflict -- December 3,1971- December 16, 1971 -- was one of the shortest wars in history. It ended with a decisive win for India and led to the creation of Bangladesh.

''When I started writing 1971, I knew I was going to focus on the human stories that traditional war histories tend to leave out.. In these pages you will find stories of phenomenal courage, but you will also meet men who felt terrible fear, regret and trauma,'' writes Rawat in the introduction of the book.

''You will meet soldiers who were scared, who were weak, who were facing internal conflict, and yet they chose to go ahead and do what they believed was right,'' she added.

While 'Charge of the Gorkhas' is about the gutsy warriors of 4/5 Gorkha Rifles who attacked an enemy position, fortified by machine guns, with naked khukris in their hands, the 'Bloodied in Tangail' is about a young wannabe paratrooper who had never been on a plane but stubbornly insisted on going for an attack with his unit, which was going to be airdropped behind enemy lines.

Another story 'Behind Enemy Lines' is the tale of a naval diver who was so enraged by the atrocities inflicted on helpless Bengalis that he decided to cross the border, against orders, risking death and court martial.

''The story closest to my heart is 'Missing'. It is about a brave young fighter pilot who went missing when his plane crashed inside Pakistan. The hero of that story, for me, is his young wife, who continued to believe for many years that he was alive and has spent the last fifty years of her life trying to find out what happened to him,'' explained Rawat, author of several books, including bestelling ''The Brave and Kargil''.

According to the publishers, vigorously researched and pieced together from interviews with survivors and their families, these are stories of the bravest of the brave.

''On the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, revisit its battlefields through stories of bravehearts from the army, navy and air force who fought for a cause that meant more to them than their own lives,'' they said in a statement.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)