India's Wars: A Military History 1947-1971

India's Wars

by Arjun Subramaniam

India's armed forces play a key role in protecting the country and occupy a special place in the Indian people's hearts, yet standard accounts of contemporary Indian history rarely have a military dimension. In India's Wars, serving Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam seeks to rectify that oversight by giving India's military exploits their rightful place in history. Subramaniam begins India's Wars with a frank call to reinvigorate the study of military history as part of Indian history more generally. Part II surveys the development of the India's army, navy, and air force from the early years of the modern era to 1971. In Parts III and IV, Subramaniam considers conflicts from 1947 to 1962 as well as conflicts with China in 1962 and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971. Part V concludes by assessing these conflicts through the lens of India's ancient strategist, Kautilya, who is revered in India as much as Sun Tzu is in China.

Not merely a wide-ranging historical narrative of India's military performance in battle, India's Wars also offers a strategic, operational, and human perspective on the wars fought by independent India's armed forces. Subramaniam highlights possible ways to improve the synergy between the three services, and argues in favor of the declassification of historical material pertaining to national security. The author also examines the overall state of civil-military relations in India, leadership within the Indian armed forces, as well as training, capability building, and other vitally important issues of concern to citizens, the government, and the armed forces. This objective and critical analysis provides policy cues for the reinvigoration of the armed forces as a critical tool of statecraft and diplomacy. Readers will come away from India's Wars with a greater understanding of the international environment of war and conflict in modern India. Laced with veterans' intense experiences in combat operations, and deeply researched and passionately written, it unfolds with surprising ease and offers a fresh perspective on independent India's history.

Reviews:
"The battle for Goa was an early example of a combined operation for the Indian military, combining land, air, and sea elements. It is one small piece of a growing heritage for that nation, a history that is well told in this book. The work is impressive in its readability and clarity, as the author does not presume any foreknowledge of his subject and strives to make clear a subject relatively unknown in the Western world. The work deftly traces India's military origins in the 20th century." --Military Heritage

"Retired Indian Air Vice Marshal Subramaniam, who is now an instructor at the Indian National Defence College, has produced a comprehensive history of India's armed forces and their wars, from the First Indo-Pakistan War in 1947, which was sparked by partition and independence through the Third, sometimes known as the Bangladesh War in 1971…. Subramaniam's treatment of policy, strategy, and operations is very good, and his description of tactical encounters are well written, integrating air, ground, and naval operations as appropriate, and are pretty easy to follow…. India's Wars offers an excellent overview of Indian military history since independence for both the professional military historian or the interested layman." --StrategyPage

"The picture India's Wars paints of the evolving Indian military is a flattering one." --Naval War College Review

"Air Marshal (Retired) Arjun Subramaniam, in his book India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971, narrates an incident in Italy in 1943 that would make any Indian proud of the way the Indian man honoured -- and protected -- women." --The New Indian Express

"India's Wars is an eminently readable work on the Indian military and India's experiences with wars over a period of roughly twenty-five years after independence. Given the serious neglect of military history in the understanding of India's contemporary history (post-1947), this is a notable contribution…. Subramaniam has provided us with a useful and thought-provoking book on India's wars until 1971, and one hopes that the next volume on the period after the Bangladesh War will be equally engaging." --H-Asia

"[Subramaniam] offers a richly detailed history of India's wars with Pakistan, China, and Portugal as well as a balanced appraisal of India's military wartime performance, highlighting successes and failures." --Military Officer

"This book is a good introduction to the subject. It is generally quite detailed when it comes to the IAF…. The author has a definite political and ideological agenda [and] the details are accurate…. Well worth a read." --Brown Pundits

"In this turbulent twenty-first century, the rise of India will be critical for understanding global geopolitics. This superb overview of India's military history in the twentieth century is essential to appreciate th...

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction, War, Military History, Military Fiction, Indian Literature

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Barry Sierer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subramaniam’s book starts by examining the pre-independence formation of the Indian military, mainly by focusing on Indian units that served in World War II and in counter insurgency work in the NWFP (Northwest Frontier Province). Much of the initial narrative focuses on recounting tales of medals earned or thanking his sources to the point of distraction. At this point I became concerned about his objectivity. He is clearly lobbying the powers-that-be in India to open up more information so more can be published about India’s military conflicts.

That being said, when Subramaniam actually dives into the heart of the story, starting with the Kashmir war of 1947, he shows his analytical chops. He gives a fairly clear blow by blow account of the relevant battles with good maps (so rare these days) to boot. He also analyzes India’s opponents giving credit where credit is due, particularly with Pakistani actions 1965 and 1971.

Subramaniam’s biggest deficiency is that his narration is from the command point of view. The engagements discussed usually lack the perspective of the soldier, sailor or pilot doing the actual fighting.

While I wish Subramaniam success in uncovering more records for a military history that goes beyond 1971, I fear that he has too many obstacles. Aside from Operation Cactus (India’s intervention against a coup in the Maldives in 1988) and the military’s response in the Kargil War of 1999, most of India’s military operations have been in the murky world of counter insurgency operations in Kashmir, Punjab, and the eastern part of the country against Maoist rebels. Some of more prominent actions such as India’s intervention in Sri Lanka and Operation Blue Star (the assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar) are a source of embarrassment which may preclude many of the people involved from coming forward.

Nevertheless, if you are truly serious about understanding the conflicts on the sub-continent, I would highly recommend this work.

[Omar Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

7-1971





India’s wars by Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam is a history of the wars (external wars, not counter-insurgencies) fought by the Indian army from 1947 to 1971. It is a pretty good summary, but does have it’s weaknesses.

The book starts with a bit of the “pre-history” of the Indian army. Interestingly Subramaniam chooses to highlight two distinct streams that he believes should get credit for the internal culture and ethos of the Indian army. One is obvious: the British Indian army, which was the parent organization that was split (unequally) between Pakistan and India to create the Indian army. The second is an angle that would not have been included by an official observer/author in 1950, but that has obviously grown since then to the point that a Pucca Air Marshal gives it near-equal billing in his book: i.e. the armies of the Marhattas and the Sikhs. I think this reflects contemporary politics and cultural arguments in India more than it reflects the reality of the Indian army from 1947 to 1971, but will be happy to be corrected by people who have better direct knowledge of the Indian army in that period. Anyway, the author gives a quick and very brief account of the British Indian army. The origins and growth of that force are dealt with very quickly and summarily, but there is more details about developments closer to 1947. This is not a book that is heavy on relevant numerical data (i.e. this is not the sort of book where you get tables showing “The caste/religious/ethnic composition of the British Indian army from X to 1947”) and this is a weakness that persists throughout the book; the author is not big on tables or data. Perhaps as someone who grew up with some of that history, I did not find it detailed or insightful enough, but most readers may not mind this omission too much. And even if you are a British Indian army brat, the sections on the origins of the Royal Indian Air Force and the Royal Indian Navy are likely to add to your knowledge. Incidentally, many of the early aviators in the Indian air force seem to have Bengali surnames; the author does not comment on this, but I wonder if anyone has more information about this. If you do, please add in the comments section.

The mechanics of partition are dealt with too briefly; I wish the author had provided some more information about this process. It is not the main topic of the book, but Air Marshal Subramaniam has read widely and it would have been interesting if he had stopped to tell us more about this process and how it unfolded; perhaps in a new edition? That said, the role of the INA and the Indian Naval rebellions in shaking British confidence in their Indian armed forces is dealt with in some details and is one of the many plus points of this book. Incidentally this is the book where I learned that Field Marshal Auchinlek’s name is pronounced “Aufleck” and is in fact the same name as in the name of the actor Ben Affleck. One lives and learns.

The first war to be dealt with is the 1947-48 war in Kashmir. The author does an excellent job of describing the tribal invasion of Kashmir (Pakistan’s first use of “proxy forces” in its wars with India) and the touch and go situation in which Indian troops landed in Srinagar and pushed the tribesmen back. A lot of this history is dealt with in a more traditional military history fashion by Major Amin (whose book I summarized in this post) and in a more hagiographic but still factually accurate manner by the Indian Twitter writer @cestmoiz ( he blogs at https://cestmoizblog.com/) but this book adds to most existing accounts by highlighting the role of the IAF, which played a critical role in airlifting troops to Srinagar and then to Leh, supporting the besieged garrison at Poonch (for a year) and providing close air support in some areas. The account is obviously pro-Indian in its slant and unlike his account of the 1965 and 1971 wars, gives almost no details about the opposing Pakistani forces (whether irregulars like the tribesmen or the later regular forces), but the facts are generally accurate and the analysis is balanced and reasonable. He commends Nehru for taking action and for redirecting the main effort towards the relief of Poonch instead of pursuing the tribesmen West and Northwest of the valley, but is critical of his inability to overrule his British commanders and send in more troops after the first brigade was airlifted into Srinagar. The ifs and buts of history.

Next up is the “police action” in Hyderabad, which is described in some detail. I have not read much about this elsewhere, so I cannot say more about its veracity and about his analysis of the action. He also covers the (very one-sided) Indian invasion of Goa and then moves on to the 1962 war with China. He gives an excellent summary of the colonial era exploration and expansion of British power into the remote mountains of Ladakh, Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh that laid the foundations of this war and his summary of the these events is objective and fair. He details Nehru’s curious mix of obstinate refusal to countenance Chinese complaints as well as naive and foolish myopia about Chinese intentions, followed by the disastrous “forward policy” that led to war. The history of the war itself is well described, though he (like almost all authors on this subject) remains in the dark about the details of Chinese military leadership and order of battle but that is not his fault, it is a natural outcome of Chinese opaqueness about such things. For the first (and only) time in this book he is openly critical of some of the senior Indian military officers, including a Lt General (BM Kaul) who left his post because of “altitude sickness” and went home to Delhi to recuperate, apparently without ever feeling the need to go to a hospital (and while happily sauntering around in Calcutta along the way). As an IAF person he also highlights the fact that the IAF was qualitatively superior to the PLAAF but was hardly used in battle except to airlift supplies.

The 1965 war with Pakistan is covered reasonably well, but again it is the air war where he is at his best. The military operations are described more or less accurately, but not in any great detail by military history standards. And two of the most embarrassing episodes (from an Indian point of view), i.e. General Niranjan Prasad’s breakdown when counter-attacked in Lahore by the PAF and General JN Choudhry’s suggestion (or verbal order, depending on whom you believe) that India should withdraw to the Beas river in the face of Pakistan’s armored offensive in Khem Karan sector, are not mentioned at all, though both are attested in General Harbaksh Singh’s own book about the war. Again, the book would have gained from some more data (numbers of troops, guns, tanks, casualties etc) but is otherwise reasonably good. You can read more about the military history aspects in Major Amin’s summary of the war in this article.

The easiest war to write about (from an Indian POV) is obviously the 1971 war and Subramaniam does a good job of describing the preparations as well as the conduct of operations in that war. He gives due credit to General Sagat Singh, whose unusual aggressiveness and initiative played a large role in the rapid Pakistani capitulation in the East. He gives due space to the IAF and the Indian navy and as with the account of the 1965 war, is able to describe the forces and commanders on the Pakistani side as well. He describes the “offensive-defensive” Indian strategy on the Western front and the fact that the disparity in forces was not as great on the Western front, but still hints that India could have done more and blames Indira Gandhi’s “magnanimity” for the fact that she did not coerce Pakistan into settling the Kashmir issue after 1971. This may be how it looks in hindsight, but the fact is that India did not have decisive superiority in the West and it is by no means clear how much more it could have achieved in the West even if Indira Gandhi had not been “magnanimous”. This is not the only place where he portrays the Indian leadership as being too timid and “idealistic” and in fact he then devotes an entire chapter to Kautilya and the lessons of realpolitik. One gets the feeling that these sections of the book may have more to do with contemporary Indian culture wars (Hindutva vs XYZ) and less with a strictly objective analysis of Indian military history from 1947 to 1971. While never as aggressive (or remotely as capable) as, say, the Japanese or the Germans in WWII, it is by no means the case that India was some sort of pacifist nation that ignored the importance of coercive force in international relations. From Kashmir, to Hyderabad, to Goa, to the “forward policy” to attacking across the international border in 1965, India was not as gun-shy as the author sometimes hints.

Overall, this book is a good introduction to the subject. It is generally quite detailed when it comes to the IAF, but sometimes a bit less so when it comes to army operations. More tables and facts and figures would have been useful, but may have been omitted because this is a popular history, not a traditional military history. The author has a definite political and ideological agenda (very pro-Indian as expected, but also keen to teach what he regards as “the lessons of hard-nosed realpolitik”) but the details are accurate; he picks and chooses his opinions, but does not do a bad job with the facts. Well worth a read.

[Aditya Kulkarni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly outstanding book that covers the military history of India from the origin of the Indian Army during the British Raj to a full fledged armed force unit that comprehensively defeated Pakistan and oversaw the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Especially liked how the author has described the DNA of the Indian Army and the roled played by the medieval Indian empires such as the Maratha Empire and the Sikh Empire in building up the initial unit of the armed forces. The importance of the Burma campaign of WWII and the lessons it imparted to the armed forces in independent India is excellently covered.

I didn't have much idea about the first India-Pakistan war of 1947-48 that was fought over Kashmir as far as the military aspects are concerned. Reading this book helped me gain insight over these details which are often overlooked by historians who generally focus too much on the political narrative that encompassed the war.

Prime Minister Nehru's mistrust of the military combined with Defence Minister Menon's disdain of the armed forces and the overall failure of the policy adopted by the then Indian government while dealing with China which ultimately led to an inglorious, humiliating, and a painful defeat in 1962 is a must read for all Indians.

The wars of 1965 and 1971 are also brilliantly illustrated by the author whose careful and meticulous research is visible throughout the narrative. Not only does the author provide the military details with perfection, he also provides crucial insight on the geopolitical scenario as well. Finally, the author ends with a note on the great Kautilya's views on military strategy and compares them with modern Indian war campaigns. Despite all these years, Kautilya's Arthashastra remains relevant.

The author has indicated that he will write more books on the wars in which the Indian armed forces have participated so far. This is an excellent start and I wish that the author, Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam is indeed able to write more books on the relatively unknown military history of India. I highly recommend this book and consider it to be a must read for all Indians.

[Sandeep Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Indian history being a necessary chapter in the secondary education in India, very less has been written about the military history of India. This book in an inspiring account of the military legacy of India during the period of 1947-71. Starting with the colonial history of the Indian military, author goes smoothly into the India Pakistan War of 1947-48. The issues of accession of Kashmir, Hyderabad, Junagadh, Hyderabad and Goa has been written with very much details filled with many ifs and buts. The loss of 1962 to China is very well dissected to analyse the reasons and strategy adopted. Going forward to India Pakistan War of 1965 and the liberation of Bangladesh of 1971, the books showcases imagery and brute reality at its best. With the conclusion resulting in comparison of military strategies adopted by Kautilya, the author brings forth the relevance of Arthashatra in modern warfare. A very different book which deserves a patient reading and recommended for every person related to the defence forces, that would be all of us Indians.

[Archita · Rating 5 out of 5]

"As I conclude, I cannot help but draw a relationship between India's post independence strategic culture and the importance given to the study of military history"

Military forms a strategic component of a nation's power, and yet military history remains largely outside the range of common history as well as foreign affairs literature. India's Wars provides a comprehensive analysis of India's military, its evolution, and key insights into what the composition, leadership and its operations entail for the forces.

The book not only provides an account of the assignments undertaken by the forces and the three wars that India has witnessed from 1947 to 1971, but also analyses the learnings- strategic lessons as well as operational takeaways, where the leadership erred and answers to 'what ifs' during the wars- particularly with Pakistan. Contributions and situational judgements of those at the battlefield, in the air or the high seas vouch for the inspirational, operational and tactical leadership within the armed forces- particularly witnessed during the 1971 war.

[Akhilesh Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing, enriching, enlightening & excellent book. Meticulously researched and written to give the readers a very balanced narrative of the 4 significant conflicts that India has engaged in post Independence. One of the aims of the author seemed to establish the importance of recording and disseminating the learning obtained from military history of a nation, after reading the book I must say he has succeeded in making readers understand the importance of studying military history. What makes the book truly special is the way the author never takes any sides while analyzing the conflicts. Just the book that India needs to understand and appreciate the contributions of its superhuman soldiers.

[Sidharth Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book written by Shri Arjun Subramaniam - retired Air Vice Marshal of the Indian Air Force. The book does a great job of describing the various wars that independent India has been engaged in - whether it be the 1947-48 war with Pakistan, 1962 war with China, 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan or the liberation and integration of Goa and Hyderabad into the Republic of India. Not only does the book focus on the situation that led to these wars and how these wars were fought both at the frontiers and at a diplomatic level, but also offers strategic insights into how the various wars were managed by the Indian Government and military leadership. A must read for anyone fascinated by the Indian Armed Forces. Our country indeed owes a lot to them _/\_

[Uday · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you are interested in how armed forces were formed when India got independence from British .. A detailed walk through of how Hyderabad, Junagad, Goa were merged into Independent India. Great detailing about all the 3 defence forces in 47-48 Pak war, 62 China war, 65 Pak war and 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. This book tells us the essence of CDS in India.

[Nikhil · Rating 5 out of 5]

India’s Wars builds on the same gap in Indian history post Independence that one has lamented upon. So little is known and understood by the current generations that any insight is welcome.

If India’s political history is less known, the military side, despite numerous biographies and first person accounts, is even less understood by the general population. All we know is that the Indian armed forces are Teflon coated, can’t do anything wrong and we won all wars except being thrashed by China in 1962.

Arjun Subramanian does a phenomenal job in laying bare the trials and tribulations behind each of India’s four major wars - 1947-48, 1962, 1965 and 1971. His narrative neatly weaves through the roles played (and not played) by the three services, the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy, as well as the prevailing political establishments in India and the enemy country, to present a detailed and well-reasoned account of the wars.

The author could be charged with getting into too much operational detail and introducing too many cast of characters (which are difficult for a layman reader to follow) but then stories like the battle of Basantar in 1971 or the siege of Poonch in 1947-48 or the battle of Asal Uttar are incomplete without references to Brig Pritam Singh, Maj. Gen. Gurbaksh Singh, 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, and so many more military personnel who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and fought against all odds.

He poignantly brings out the flawed understanding of the role of war in realpolitik and an even poorer understanding of the military which led to the disastrous Forward Policy which not only led to a massive embarrassment for India at the hands of China, but exposed hundreds of hapless soldiers with little support as they fought a well trained, well armed, well-fed and well-led army.

Arjun Subramaniam does not pull punches as he highlights the extremely poor coordination between India’s three forces and the resultant embarrassments that India faced as a result.

Reading the book, one can’t guess that he donned the blue of the Air Force. As he says, the colour purple which combines the olive green of the army, the whites of the navy and the blue of the Air Force is the right colour to describe his effort at presenting this perspective.

Must read for all Indian history, military and political enthusiasts as well as all students.

[Girish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long searched for a book which would chronicle all the Indian wars in one place.

And Arjun Subramanian's book 1947-71 fulfils this wish of mine to the fullest.

Not only it focuses on the Indian wars in details, but it also provided insights on the development and making of the Indian Armed forces and how it comes out of the shadows of British after 1947.

Each war has been detailed with intricacies on circumstances leading up to the war, India's attack/counterattacks, our mistakes, our brilliance and results. On top of it, there are specific portions dedicated to each war which talks about the Strategic, Operational and Tactical lessons which India can learn from all these wars.

The writer has played the role of a critic perfectly with a brutal criticism for the mistakes and generous praise for good decisions taken during various wars. At no point of the time, you get the feeling that the writer has tried to glorify India just because he is an Indian. Additionally, at many points, the writer has gone to great lengths to include the perspectives of the soldiers of the enemy nation and writers of other countries. This is enough to show that book has tried to encompass nearly all the perspectives available.

After finishing volume 1, I will continue with volume 2 to know full details of Indian Wars till 2020.

[Bhushan]

This book clinically covers what it says on the cover - the military history through the 4 wars that India fought between 1947 to 1971. The author objectively and open mindedly covers the events that led to and through these wars. What is refreshing is that it avoids the usual 'we shall overcome' tone of the official history books and rather presents a scholarly account of mistakes and missed opportunities that are often blamed on the fog of war.

It comes out clearly that India (read Nehru) lacked a military mindset and the know-how to use the hard power to achieve strategic goals. Also disheartening to learn is how what we won in the battle was lost on the table in Shimla in 1972 by Indira Gandhi.

What could have been better in this book? Perhaps the anecdotal stories that add color to the battle history. But of course, the book is for serious readers of the strategy and military history rather than cheap thrill seekers (me included), so I am not surprised that it lacks them.

Finally, the author also rises above the inter-service rivalry and extensively covers the exploits of all the arms of the Indian defense forces. Himself a fighter pilot, he covers in detail how the Air Force and Navy played the role of unsung heroes in many a war. As he mentions, he truly wears the purple uniform - symbolic of all the colors of services, olive (army), blue (air force) and white (navy).

[Divya Pal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immensely readable. Not pedantic or overtly gung-ho.
An insecure and paranoid Indian government, fearing a repeat of what happened in Pakistan, lead to the neglect of modernising the Army.

Much national effort was frittered away in developing paramilitary forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs – not so much for internal security as advertised, but more as a hedge against the armed forces. A disconnect between the armed forces, the political establishment, and society at large meant that lingering feats of a military coup under a strong military leaded remained a troubling thought in the minds of political leaders.

The defeats the country faced can be attributed to both this distrust, as well as a lack of geostrategic vision on the part of the ruling political class. Gandhi’s legacy of ahimsa caused the circumspect reactions of Nehru to Chinese invasion. The naivety of Indira Gandhi was exploited by Bhutto as he managed to delink the Kashmir issue with the abject 1971 Pakistani surrender after its surgical dismemberment by Manekshaw and his gang. The author concludes with the sage advice for the politicians to follow the tenets of Chanakya.

[Himanshu Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new generation of Indians are rediscovering their military history, realizing that the popular narratives often fail to reflect the complexities of the truth. Today, India's military remains resource-constrained, overstretched, and increasingly aware of the dual-front threat posed by China and Pakistan. Its strategy and preparedness are shaped by a mix of historical conflicts, and contemporary geopolitical realities. For anyone genuinely interested in understanding the historical wars with our Pakistan and China, "India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971" by Arjun Subramaniam is an indispensable read.

The book offers a compelling examination of India’s military evolution post-independence, with detailed accounts of pivotal wars, including the Indo-Pak Wars (1947-48, 1965, and 1971) and the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Battles into contested regions like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (referred to as Azad Kashmir by Pakistan), Gilgit-Baltistan, Arunachal Pradesh (claimed by China as South Tibet) are meticulously explored, often accompanied by maps to provide clarity. While the historical narrative may pose a challenge for casual readers, the book is rewarding for those seeking the intricacies of battlefield strategies and political decision-making. I have few notable observations as a reader

1. The departure of the British left India with inadequately demarcated borders leading to the territorial disputes.
2. India has reliance on idealism and restraint that clashed with the pragmatic, force-centric approaches of adversaries like China and Pakistan.
3. Unfolding of events in China India 1962 war is tragic tale for the Indians. Tragedy presents situations in which there is a desperate urge to assign blame. In all this chain of events, failure of intelligence and political decision framework hurts most.
4. India's limited intelligence-gathering capabilities and the "fog of war" resulted in critical decision-making dilemmas. These inadequacies were evident in moments of crisis, often amplifying the challenges faced during conflicts.
5. India captured the strategically vital Haji Pir Pass during the 1965 war but returned it to Pakistan under the Tashkent Agreement, forfeiting a key advantage in controlling infiltration routes into Kashmir.
6. After the Bangladesh Liberation War, India released about 90,000 Pakistani prisoners of war without leveraging their return for a resolution on Kashmir or territorial securities, drawing criticism for missing a major bargaining chip

Subramaniam also highlights a hard-learned lesson for India: in international relations, realism often trumps idealism. It took 25 years for Indian leadership to move beyond the non-violent and nonaligned ideals of the independence movement and adopt force as a legitimate instrument of statecraft. This shift is at the heart of India's modern military doctrine, making the book an essential resource for understanding the evolution of its strategic mindset.

[Pankaj Verma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written
Excellent analysis
First through military perspective on India's strategic growth through ages.
It pains while reading the naivety of then political leadership who prefers moralism, idealism than realism.

However battle stories have been paid a cursory glance and read like a monologue, most of it look like copy, paste. Heros like Shaitan Singh, Hoshiarpur Singh etc their exploits should have been dealt with more details.

What the author is good in is analysis of each war however he is heavily tilted towards IAF, the service to which he belongs, though he claims that he has given fair play to each services.

The lack of coordination between the three services was the reality then & is also now.
How many times we will capture our own territory from Pakistan and will again return to it after ceasefire, gaining nothing from the sacrifices of many honourable & courageous men. The saga repeats after each war and political leadership flails at crucial juncture every time.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a serious attempt at examining the wars fought by India between Independence and the 1971 war from a military perspective. The author is an aviator, but makes the proper emphasis on the army, while not neglecting India's air force and navy. It is also interesting to read the views of an Indian officer on the old British Indian Army, the antecedents of her modern military. Due respect is also paid to her Pakistani and Chinese foes. All in all, an objective narrative, although the maps are almost useless for the operational-level descriptions of the battles.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 3 out of 5]

CONTENTS

PART I: OPENING PERSPECTIVES
1. Sighter Burst
2. A Personal Quest
3. Whither Military History and Understanding the Military
PART II: THE DNA OF INDIA’S ARMED FORCES
4. The Indian Army: Indian or Colonial?
5. The Indian Army: Coming of Age
6. The Indian Navy
7. The Indian Air Force
PART III: TEETHING YEARS
The First India–Pakistan War 1947–48
8. Holding on to Kashmir
9. Surprise and Riposte
10. The War Drags On
11. Guns Fall Silent
12. Liberating Hyderabad


13. Seizing Goa
PART IV: ACROSS BORDERS
India–China War of 1962
14. Unravelling the Frontier with China
15. Sparring and Probing
16. Ominous Signs
17. Defeat
The Second Round: India–Pakistan Conflict of 1965
18. Opening Moves: Kutch to Kashmir in 1965
19. Operations Gibraltar and Grand Slam
20. Operational Stalemate
21. Strategic Revival
The Liberation of Bangladesh, 1971
22. South Asia in Turmoil
23. Shaping the Eastern Front
24. Destination Dacca
25. Opening the Western Front
26. Attrition Battles
27. What 1971 Means to India and Pakistan
PART V: CONCLUSION
28. Remembering Kautilya


29. Postscript
30. Further Reading

My review

Despite me not glorifying the book with a perfect 5 star rating this is actually a competent and detailed book about a few Indian wars. Yet largely I was let down. The audiobook narrator is pretty terrible. Some of the worst I can remember. Obnoxious and legit sounds like an Indian who learned to speak English as an adult and makes up for it by over delivering each word and shouting. There is no fluent narration as clearly sentences are recorded by themselves and it for sure ruins the book for me. Of course that's irrelevant to readers and reading may be a much better option for it unless you find a better audiobook edition with a competent narrator. It's hard for me to look past the narration as I did miss points and storylines because of it so obviously I can't just ignore this factor somehow. But I don't think reading it would make me like it that much more.

Second weak point are the topics and focus. The author is very much an Indian nationalist biased towards the Indian army. He never directly attacks any unfriendly country except USA to some degree as they supported Pakistan while USSR supported India. So you can feel the irritation with USA or at least like half of the government and politicians there who supported Pakistan with billions worth of weapons. But his main bias is pro the Indian army to a degree where it becomes very obnoxious very fast. He unfortunately doesn't attack leaders or soldiers even after mistakes. And time and time again he uses exactly the same ideas to describe a specific soldier. He was: brave, a go-getter, nationalistic, a great leader, attractive, tall, smart, historically significant. It's always these same ideas for each single soldier and military leader so we seldom hear about screw-ups, laziness, or some soldiers messing up unless it's just general statements about a battle. Apparently all Indian army units are amazing. Which, if you know anything about war, seems quite impossible. He does blame politicians and does point out some military blunders. Like politicians refusing to negotiate with Pakistan about Kashmir when India won the war. Meaning they could have straight up annexed the area outright. But instead they wanted to leave the issue alone after the win to show appeasement and Pakistan kept attacking it years later and even today claims the territory. There are also many battle errors that he assumes made India lose quite a bit of territory. Yet if there are all these errors how come no Indian soldier is lazy or stupid?

But the main issue with the focus is the timeline and descriptions. He often describes single fighters and battles in detail which to 99% of readers is quite pointless as we don't follow the story on a map and don't really care about what happened a certain day in a certain long-term skirmish. It makes it very hard to get an overview of the conflicts and what they changed because the book keeps going into microstories. It's important to have this info somewhere, but not great for newcomers to Indian history who just want to understand the main events. It's a book that utterly confuses without ever feeling lazy or lacking on info. Similarly these are only the main battles in a short period of time meaning that even if you read it carefully and memorize everything you will only get 40% of the modern war history in India. It doesn't even tackle all of the 20th century. I have seen great short clips and videos of how India used their great need for colonialism to demolish smaller nations into submission, but much of this is post 1971 history. I guess I'm unfairly panning the book for not being enticing enough for readers who are not Indian and first and foremost are looking for an overview. But it does leave you with a ton of questions about what India wants or how the country acts on a world stage. Without this overview it's hard to understand national motivation in single battles. Even if you ignore the weird short timeline it's still not a book that dives into much meta or macro stuff. We go into micro events as the author has a great need to praise single soldiers to the sky. Yet he doesn't dare to explain much of the politics or geopolitics here as clearly he doesn't want to pan Pakistan or the much more powerful and spiteful China. So we feel like these wars kinda start and finish without anything changing or people cheering or feeling sad. Modern wars with Pakistan are won and modern wars with China easily lost with no history changing much at all. He tries to tell us the background for all this stuff, but is so afraid of criticising China that I was often confused about who was the bad guy in a certain conflict.

Obviously I'm rooting for democracies 9 out of 10 times, but especially the Indian annexation of Goa left a terrible taste in my mouth. It really was a giant power just demolishing the political power, rulership, and culture is a tiny nation to annex it and make it completely Indian by force. India refused to negotiate or wait as this was seen as a great and easy win for the Indian army so nationalist were excited to use military force. The author is completely on one side claiming this was an amazing conflict and that it was a pure liberation. Of course when it's a small nationhood and culture he doesn't care to attack the rulership and nation directly unlike with China where he clearly feels the Indian history of getting spanked around by the communists and therefore doesn't dare to feel nationalistic about wars with China.

The book is of course very biases, but this is frankly completely expected so I didn't hate it for it. It's just that the pro army bias is waaaaay too much. And the author claiming he is neutral is frankly a joke and makes me doubt his state of mind. Of course he is not. I support democracy so I'm not against India, but even I could clearly see this was an extremely patriotic book. I think readers from Pakistan or the smaller nations India attacked will see this as even more biased than I do and maybe feel it's unreadable. But for me it was just irritating and dry when he went into these biases. I would say avoid the audiobook with the Indian reader. But if you like and already understand Indian military history this will be more of that and a welcome read.

[Varun Bhakay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Independent India's military history has had patchy documentation - there are narratives about individual conflicts, written largely by participants, and often about specific theatres of conflicts, there are journalistic accounts, and lately there are collected pieces of history, montages of bloodbaths that are selective in their recollection of combat.

AVM Arjun Subramaniam's book is one of the few which aims at being a more comprehensive look at the wars India has been involved in, and this volume effectively takes place from the time India was newly freed of the British yoke to what remains, nearly fifty years later, her most comprehensive military victory.

Beginning with brief summaries of each service's history, AVM Subramaniam explores not only the contributions of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the moulding of the present day Indian Armed Forces, but also the forgotten contribution of this country to the two World Wars.

In many ways, the book is an ideal handbook of a person not familiar with the topic. For those who have read about it before, it is the more specific anecdotes from the likes of Lt. Gen. WAG Pinto that will probably make it an interesting read. For the former group, I would take particular note of the Poonch Siege and the leadership of Brig. Pritam Singh on ground as well as the fantastic RIAF effort to keep the town supplied for a year in extraordinary circumstances, as well as the spirit of the Poonch citizenry.

It is not a perfect effort and the few errors are glaring because the writer has donned the uniform for as long as he has and thus will be held to higher standards than a regular Joe/Jane military historian. Factual errors aside, incorrect usage of terms, like calling the "Maratha Light Infantry" the "Maratha Regiment" or the "Brigade of the Guards" the "Regiment of the Guards" stick out like a very, very sore thumb.

The writing itself wavers between easy-flowing to tremendous technical, especially in the context of describing direct confrontation with the enemy, where AVM Subramaniam could have been more greenhorn-friendly and fleshed out tactical movements better.

The book remains an exhaustive account all the same and, as mentioned earlier, would make for a good launching pad for those who find the subject interesting.

[Abhilash Gollapalle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One amazing read. This is one of the most engaging non-fiction books I've read. The author goes through the history as though he's lived through them, with first hand accounts aptly placed and included. It gives a broad perspective of the history of the Indian Armed Forces and even touches upon its pre-British-era roots.

The aim of the book is to not provide a rigid and dry history of the Indian Armed Forces, but to document its growth and its wars over the years following independence and be readable for a civilian enthusiast. The book scores a 5/5 in fulfilling this objective.

The only and rather minor issues I've had while reading this book is when at places, the narration is non-linear in time and the inadequate maps provided in certain parts such as for the 1948 war with Pakistan and for the Eastern theater in the 1962 war with China. I don't know of a better way to describe two events that simultaneously occurred at two different places in the past, so I might be wrong about judging the book with the first one. But more maps could certainly have been provided.

I have a feeling that this book is going to be the first in a long list of books on the Indian Armed Forces that I'm going to read as this one has surely kindled intense interest in the topic! If you're a military enthusiast and are unsure of where to start reading about the Indian Armed Forces, this is the book to go to!

[Sankalp Kak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by AVM Arjun Subramaniam (retd) is an important missing link between the history that is taught to us and the history that has shaped today's India. India's military history is sadly left out of the school curriculum, and even more sad is the fact that successive governments as well as armed forces themselves have not taken steps to preserve and share it. I am a civilian but very much interested in military affairs, with deep respect for the armed forces.

This book in my opinion is provides an excellent primer for military conflicts and wars of independent India from 1947 - 1971. Anyone who is interested in getting a broad picture from a tri-service as well as political perspective will find this book very useful, because it is only when all these areas are taken together one can get some idea about what really went on and why. Though the book is slightly academic in nature, the writing style is very fluid, structured well, sprinkled with anecdotes and stories from various officers, which makes for a very compelling read. There is never a dull moment. So if you are interested in knowing more about Indian military history, and from a very balanced perspective, this is the book to go for.

[VVivacious · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Introduction to the Book
a. Title: India's Wars - A Military History 1947-1971
b. Author: Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam
c. Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India
d. Edition: First Edition
e. Pages: 562
f. Price: ₹799
g. ISBN : 9789351777496
h. Special Features: Pictures relevant to the text as well as maps detailing the various operations being discussed in the text

2. Introduction to the Author
Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College, National Defence Academy and National Defence College. He is an accomplished fighter pilot who has primarily flown MiG-21s and Mirage-2000s during his active flying career. He has commanded a MiG-21 squadron and a large flying base. An instructor at academies and institutions of military learning in India and abroad, he is a soldier-scholar with a PhD in defence and strategic studies. He is a prolific writer and speaker on military history, air power and national security.

3. About the Book
This book covers India’s military history from Independence till the 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh in a succinct manner.

4. Review
I wanted to read about the 1962 Sino-Indian War and I asked my father for a recommendation on something that will not only cover that particular war but will give me an overall view of all the wars India has fought and he recommended me this book.

This book is roughly divided into four parts - the introduction to the book, the introduction to India’s armed forces, the wars themselves followed by the conclusion. But the book spends the maximum of its page length on introducing us to India’s armed forces, followed by discussing the events immediately after Independence and then goes on to cover the 1962 Sino-Indian war and the 1965 & 1971 Indo-Pak wars. So, those are the broad headings under which I’ll be reviewing the book.

This book introduces us to the institutions that are the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. Given India’s history, its armed forces are a legacy of British colonialism and nowhere is that more apparent than in the Indian Army.

The author starts off the introduction to the Indian Army by delving into the British concept of martial races and how the Indian Army to date has the fingerprints of this concept all over it. The author in fact discusses the various empires in India prior to British colonialism but chooses to eschew the Mughal Empire from the discussion on the basis that the Mughals were invaders. Unfortunately, that seems to be a relatively narrow view of the Mughal Empire because at what point do invaders become native, it must happen because we are not all considered invaders. Also while the leaders might have been invaders their armies weren’t wholly made up of foreign elements, so they should have warranted a discussion.

The colonial blueprint still shines through in the Indian Army. The Indian Air Force by virtue of its relative newness as compared to the other two arms of the armed forces means that it has been least influenced by British colonialism which is something that is reflected in its modern iteration.

Another thing this section highlighted is that because of India’s existence as a British colony, a lot of Indian soldiers, sailors and air warriors participated and laid down their lives during World War I and II. The discussion of the forces as they were at the time of the World Wars helps cement an idea of the nature of these forces.

The most interesting part of this book is the part that comes next which focuses on the events following India’s Independence and partition. It was enlightening to read about the events taking place around Independence specifically because I was largely in the dark regarding these events. It was interesting to read about how military power was used to liberate Hyderabad and Goa, and how that same force was needed to rescue Kashmir once Pakistan decided to divest India from it.

The very first war fought over Kashmir was immediately following Independence when a lot of state actors with completely different objectives in mind were on the table. While military power was used to deliver the state of Kashmir, the fact that things weren't decided one way or another would give rise to a thorny issue that to date has left everyone involved sore and bitter. I really liked how this book magnificently captures the crux of the Kashmir issue and highlights how it came to be the problem it is.

While I was reading this book to get a better understanding of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, this book manages to cover this war in the worst way possible. While I have some understanding of the underlying politics, the actual war is less clear to me. We somehow never learn about the Chinese positions and their capabilities instead the only worthwhile thing I gleaned from this book with regard to the conflict itself is the narrative of an ill-prepared India caught completely off guard by China.

The 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars are covered in a much better fashion, this could be entirely because India sees both these wars as victories and therefore there was a greater incentive in remembering these while India did its best to forget the defeat it was handed over by China in 1962.

I love the way the author covers the Indo-Pak wars because he never belittles Pakistani soldiers or their capabilities and doesn't go out of his way to bad mouth them, in fact, he presents both parties respectably which is frankly admirable. The author's coverage of the 1965 Indo-Pak war might be the best-covered war in this book because it was the author who made me realize that the 1965 war was not as immense a victory as India likes to portray it. In fact, at times it can be hard to figure out what lessons should be learnt from the 1965 war and that was eye-opening because sometimes classifying wars as victories and defeats mean that we are unable to truly learn from their happenings.

The 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh is a feat unto itself and as the author acknowledges the entirety of what the army did in the process of encircling the then East Pakistan from all sides and then proceeding to storm to Dhaka couldn't be included into the book. So, while the army's exploits are mentioned they are also greatly trimmed to fit the entire narrative of the war in a hundred-odd page which had to also include the deft political manoeuvring of Indira Gandhi, the politico-military synergy that saw the feat be accomplished as a triumph while also detailing the on ground exploits of the Army, Air Force and Navy. So, while the author does a great job touching upon it all, this is still a subject that requires further reading as there is a lot to be said and learnt from the 1971 war.

5. Conclusion
The author tries to give a comprehensive view on all the wars India has fought since Independence till 1971 and while he is more successful on some occasions than others, this is still a good read. It manages to shed light on India's military history a topic oft neglected by historians in a succinct but comprehensive manner.

If you are someone reading about India's wars and it's military for the very first time, I don't think you will find a better book to pick up then this one.

[Shyantan Tarafdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not a fast page turner. Infact this book will make you ponder over some 'what if' questions. A few of them are even sprinkled throughout the book by the author.
This book explains the initial decades of independent India through the military's perspective and thereby helps our understanding of modern India's geopolitical evolution.
It covers independent India's initial military conflicts, the events leading upto them and the strategies employed in war. It is NOT a story on heroism but the lessons learnt that lead to the evolution of modern India's military might.
An outstanding must read!

[Harry Hughen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a decent overview of Indian military history. Subramaniam wears his Indian nationalism/patriotism on his sleeve, which I do not hate and honestly was thankful for. Some of his claims, especially regarding Pakistan, I knew to take with a grain of salt, and other than that, it did not really detract from the narrative.

The early sections on the formation of the Indian armed service in the world wars under the British were well done, definitely some of the strongest parts of the book.

The battle descriptions were the weakest parts, in my opinion. I often had a hard time tracking what was going on, especially given that I was listening to this book and thus not looking at any maps. The best part was his descriptions of India's and its adversaries(Pakistan and China in this case of this book) grand strategies, and his analysis of what was gained by each side in the various conflicts. My understanding of the 1947-8, 1965, and 1971 India-Pakistan wars and the 1962 Sino-Indian war was all enhanced, and that makes this book worthwhile for me. Nehru (and later Shastri and Indira Gandhi) were, by and large, competent grand strategists, though held back by their general dislike of their own militaries.

Subramaniam emphasized Nehru's catastrophic blunder of putting his trust in the good intentions of Mao Zedong, who was all too happy to take advantage and give India perhaps still its worst humiliation in its post-independence history. India's greatest triumph was of course, 1971, where it successfully liberated Bangladesh from Pakistan's genocidal reign of terror. Subramaniam compellingly shows how Gandhi used her rhetorical and diplomatic talents to build international support, while deferring to her competent generals to actually fight the war. This was a case of quality statecraft and grand strategy, and I agree with Subramaniam that it is a triumph that should be emphasized in the Indian and Global context.

Subramaniam gets added points for describing his interactions with Ramachandra Guha in the conclusion and making reference to his masterful "India After Gandhi" throughout.

[Shrike58 · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, in the course of reading this work, my question has been whether to round up or round down from '3.5', and I wound up rounding down. On the whole, this seems like a solid study of the Indian Republic's first generation of military conflict, while at the same time as offering a window into the mentality of the professional Indian officer; for the author this is something of a memoir. On the other hand, there is no denying that Subramaniam writes better about the aviation and political aspects of this history (having been a pilot, a flag-grade officer, and an academician), than he does about land warfare. As the book goes on, and the wars get bigger, the tactical and operational coverage seems to get more shallow.

I'll also admit that I found a few dumb errors that put me off of the book, mostly in regards to the captions of some of the illustrations. At the start of the chapter on the 1965 Indo-Pak War, a supposed drawing of a Centurion tank is actually a Matilda; as any player of "World of Tanks" would inform you. Less funny is a picture of a Sikh infantryman guarding "Japanese prisoners of war," except that one of these "prisoners" is wearing an American uniform with corporal's stripes and the China-Burma-India patch, and is, presumably, a translator; that's kind of insulting.

Still, it's hard to be too mad at a book that ends with the admonition: "Happy reading!"

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I certainly learned some things, this being a segment of 20th c. history I'm entirely ignorant of, yet it is nevertheless a book with severe limitations. The biggest downside is simply the way in which it was written. While NOT to say that people can't write balanced appraisals of history to which they have a personal connection, it certainly is important to be able to convey to the reader that balance, and Subramaniam utterly fails at that. Far too often he falls into the use of "We" when discussing Indian forces, and peppers the text throughout with little asides that far too strongly reinforce his own membership within the Indian military and his connections to its traditions, even if he was not a participant pre-1972.

Is that a fault which consigns the book to the rubbish heap? I wouldn't go that far, but it does mean that far too often I was left asking myself just how fair an analysis I was really getting, or if I was getting the Indian slant on events, especially when discussing the political context beyond the battlefield.

[Randhir · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Author has performed an onerous task and filled a vacuum. It required a fair amount of grit and tenacity to write a history of India's wars in one readable volume. Not only has he done that but has also included the history of the other two services. The research has been extensive and the language easy and enjoyable and one gets a fair idea of how our armed forces coped with wars for which they were, at times, unprepared. While the Author has done his best he has occasionally fallen victim to the bane of the military historian, myth making. The propensity to glorify one's own or one's regiment's achievements sometimes distorts military history. Though the Author can't be blamed for this, I wish his research had been more meticulous so that he could have exposed contradictions. Nevertheless, it's a benchmark for Indian military history and worth buying.

[Sharat Marar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book chronicles journey of Indian armed forces right from when they were martial races to when they were part of British Indian Army to their role in post independent India. It not only chronicles every war in detail but also looks at it from an academic's eyes, critiquing the strategy and the players involved at that time. It shows how military strategy as a method of statecraft can be effective like China in 1962 war and how Indian politicians and decision makers lost the plot here.

This topic is relatively less researched in India as compared to the west. It draws its findings from the war archives, commentary from war veterans and western war academics. It is a decent read on the subject.

[Kevin Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book while commuting to work. I think that might have been a mistake. This book should be read so that full concentration can be given to the information that is with in. When driving it was sometime difficult to concentrate on the Narrator (who does a great job) and the road. The book is very well written and I learned a lot about the wars that India has fought in since independence to 1972. I just feel that re-reading some sections and seeing charts and diagrams would have helped me understand some of the information better. Like the air warfare and Naval battles. I really liked the further reading suggestions, I will look to find some of them. I do recommend this book if this area is of interest to you.

[Santhosh Kumar CT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning from the past but a long way to go !

The author clearly explains the mistakes of the past and what paved way for the continous wars post independence. Nehru's fear of militaries' coup and idealistic Gandhian principle in front of deterring foes have cost India huge set back. Atleast, the same ways were not continued around the western and eastern frontiers with Pakistan during the wars of 1970s . I also learnt exactly how India paved way for the formation of a new democracy called "Bangladesh" for the first time :)

Good compilation of facts but looks like India has a long way to go
We need to learn to be peaceful in one hand while holding arms and ammunition in the other hand.

[Phil Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good! I'd give it 3.5 stars only because the tone was pretty rah-rah/military-enthusiast, more so than any other book I've read on wars. However, it was not particularly nationalist and seemed to do a good job portraying the Pakistan and Chinese perspectives.

After this and Guha's Gandhi 1915-1948 I was particularly interested to learn more about Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of independent India, and his challenge unifying India. This was a good second read on some of the challenges in the region, focused on the military as the title would suggest.

[Kulpreet Yadav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent compilation of facts and anecdotes of soldiers across the rank spectrum and time period since independence, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the Indian wars since 1947. I enjoyed reading it and was glad that it enriched me with a few never-before-heard perspectives. Highly recommended not just for those who are interested in military history, but also for those who want one-stop access to the overview of India's wars.