Hold at All Costs: The Siege and Relief of Poonch 1947-48

The Princely State of Jammu & Kashmir was invaded during the first week of October 1947 when, well over three weeks before breaching the border with Kashmir, the raiders led by Pakistan army officers, attacked the isolated garrisons of the State forces in Bhimbar-Mirpur-Poonch area, pushed back the forward posts and then occupied the areas so divested. Many prosperous towns and most of the villages in the countryside started falling to the enemy one by one. Indian Army did land in Kashmir in the last week of October but by then, situation was becoming irretrievably adverse in the areas West of Pir Panjal Range. And then, Poonch found itself completely isolated and cut off from rest of the world. The town remained cut off for almost a year except for the aerobridge that was established through sheer hard work and muscle power jointly put in by civilians and Indian troops. The long period of isolation saw some outstanding leadership, steadfast soldiering, unmatched civil-military co-operation and flying skills of the highest order. The saga that got written in the process, stands recorded in this book for the future generations of the nation to read and to get inspired! 

This book is a record of what happened, where it happened and how it was handled!

About the Author

Colonel Ajay K Raina, SM, is an Indian Army veteran and a military historian. He has authored 25 books, including a five-book series on the 1947-48 Conflict in Jammu & Kashmir. He is the founding Trustee of the Military History Research Foundation ®, which aims to enable military historians and authors to take their well-researched works to the public. The author can be contacted at ajaykrraina@gmail.com