HEAVY GUN

FROM THE PAGES OF MEMORY

Pongos: he he he

The fun of my initial years in the Army lay in my serving in a very unique unit. We had the BIGGEST gun in the world at that point in time. Bigger and much bigger guns were made in WWII but they all were phased out. The British felt need of a very big gun for Burma Campaign and that's how 7.2in Howitzer came to India. Soon as the guns arrived the war was over. They were never used.

It took Indian Army 10 years after independence to restructure and expand. State Forces were being merged into Indian Army. Some were made into Infantry, some Artillery. Armoured, by and large, retained their per-independence identity of cavalry units. Most cavalry units were converted to tank units. Some elite cavalry units remained pure cavalry but within Armored corps (pronounced CORE). Soon hard decisions were required and most were merged or disbanded. The rulers of Jammu and Kashmir maintained a Bodyguard Cavalry unit and since Indian Army decided to have only one cavalry unit, the J&K Bodyguard Cavalry along with Mysore Cavalry and Jodhpur Cavalry were 'de-horsed', their horses and equipment sent to 61 Cavalry and the personnel were retained as a 'unit' and given a new role. They did keep in mind the elite nature of units.

That's how, my unit, in 1957 came into being. J&K Bodyguard Cavalry was converted to Artillery and equipped with the heaviest gun in the world to recognize its unique identity. We were also the 'only' unit of its kind in the world. We were called Heavy Gunners. The unit was XX Heavy Regiment. There were lot of good and a few demoralizing things too. Operationally we could be used only in plains of Punjab. The men hence could not go anywhere else. Operationally we were to perform like a small gun units. We were stretched to the limits of physical and mental strength. We moved hundreds of kms unlike small units that moved a few kms. We were experts in bursting bunkers which meant that we were expected to blast a concrete bunker 20 km away. The massive equipment had to be moved cross-country and the Gun Position Officer, at 21 years of age was responsible. Heavy responsibility oon frail shoulders. There were many more challenges. We always came on top. We were the winners. That was long ago. Today, it's about 25 years that the unit stands converted to a 'small' gun unit and has seen entire India! The Heavy Guns are displayed in different cantonments around the country.

To understand what a HEAVY gun was, a brief note on 'guns' will help. India knows Bofors like no other country. It's a gun. A BIG gun. There is another gun - Russian 130mm, which is a BIG gun too. It takes 7-9 Gunners to handle these guns. On the small sized guns we had 25 pounders, 105mm Indian Field Gun. These require 5-6 Gunners to handle. Have a look at following links.

Now these two BIG guns, Bofors and 130 mm were very small in front of our HEAVY gun. The big weigh about 10-12 tons, we weighed 20 tons! The big fired a shell of 30-40 kg's, we fired a shell of 100 kg's. It took two Gunners to load and ram the shell, we required EIGHT! The big guns had four tyres, we had 10!! It was big. And then there were endless associated stories. Some true, some pure bullshit. We as youngsters lived to brag. I can recall two 'bullshit' stories. First one was about our unit firing first shell everyday during 65 and 71 war 'without fuse' which meant that the shell will land on enemy and not explode. It was done so that enemy would know what's coming and abandon positions!!! Second was about requesting the nearby village Sarpanch (the village head) to move out pregnant ladies for the day since the shock of firing could abort babies!!! Both stories were pure bullshit. But yes, we did feel proud of what we had and like any gunner, gave our life for the 'COLOURS' i.e. Our GUN. We had 15 of them split into groups of five each, each called a 'battery'. Around these five guns were about five officers, 7-8 JCO's and 120 odd men and lot of tactical groups that I will skip.

The GUNNERS is a generic term used for Artillerymen but actually gunners are the men who physically handle the gun. Our Gunners were special. All six footers plus or max two inches minus. Massive guys. 13 would be required to operate the gun. Eight would lift and load the shell. For the movement, a massive Russian vehicle called KRAZ was used. It was so powerful that it could tow and run at unimaginable speeds with 20 ton of gun in tow. The drivers hence were special. They were called Driver Special or DS. Highly respected guys. This was the team. A specialist driver, a specialist truck, special 13 Gunners and the biggest gun. When ready for move, this massive Truck-Gun would be called 'Gun-Train'. It was almost 60-70 feet in length.

There was a small problem. The Gun Train could hit speeds of 70 km on highways but could not stop in emergency! There was no airline for brakes that connected gun tyres with the pneumatic system of truck. Wear and tear over years, lack of spares etc did not let it work. So everything was on our DS. And that's why these DS commanded massive respect. Not one accident that took human lives ever. Not one crash. They were good. So speed depended on instructions and the driver’s comfort. Despite all instructions there were times when the DS's, only to impress their gunners would speed up. On highways they never did any of these stunts. They were reliable and safe. MASS X VELOCITY EQUALED MOMENTUM. You can imagine what this gun at 20 tons and 50 km plus speed could do to the Kraz!! It could throw it forward like a toy. It would destroy anything in its path.

And one day the 'M' dropped out!!!

Ass X Velocity.....resulted in momentum and the entire incident slipped into my units history......

Practice Camp of an Artillery unit is the culmination of training. No one can be on holiday. 100% attendance. All tactical groups with 100% equipment is out in ranges. Two months of individual and collective training and live firing. Two months X 24 hours it's just training. The unit is at the pinnacle of training. We were in Punjab and the ranges allotted to us were about 500 km away. Those ranges are closed now. 70 km by 30 km was the size of ranges. Massive training area ,which was completely uninhabited gave us tremendous opportunity to practice our drills.

Unit moves in convoys and within convoys in battery groups. We had over 60 vehicles and 12 Guns. Distance to be travelled was close to 500 kms. It would be done in two days. GT road is pride now and was a pride during Sher Shah Suris time too. We would move in convoys and convoy driving is boring! No overtaking, no speeding, keep in tight groups etc. The art of leading a convoy is not understood by all. If leading vehicle is at 40 kmph speed be assured that last one is at 70kmph. If leading vehicle crosses a small village and does not slow up to let convoy make up the distance, be sure that the length of convoy would be 20 kms!

It was our second day and we started from Ambala and were to reach ranges from north along the outer ring road crossing entire Delhi to emerge from south and take the road main road reach our camping area. Lot of briefing on heavy traffic etc was done.

After crossing Sonepat there was a bridge for the four lane road leading to Delhi and about 25-30 m on right was a four lane road leading out of Delhi. The roads were parallel but separated by plain land. We slowed down since we felt that there was a traffic jam ahead. There was no reason since it was beautiful road, four lane and fast moving. Mix of my unit vehicles and civilian vehicles kept piling up. I just overheard a civilian saying " arre yaar fauji gaadi hai..." As if I got a 1000volt shock, I jumped out and ran as fast as I could in the direction that civilian had pointed. Ahead of my vehicle. People were watching me. I knew there was no officer ahead and the leading officer would not have an idea of what happened behind him. I was closest to the reported vehicle. It was a crazy 2 km run. In the commotion I raced ahead and saw the entire world gathered at the bridge. What I saw will never wipe from my memory in this lifetime.....

This bridge narrowed from four lanes to two lanes. The drain was about 40-50 feet below the bridge. It was about 50m long bridge. In the centre was my 7.2in Howitzer perpendicular to road!! The barrel instead of facing me was at 90 degrees to right!! The massive barrel was mounted on a solid steel structure and this in turn was mounted on eight massive tyres. I could see sides of two tyres of the two pairs on my side. The tyres were tightly hugging the footpath. The two long box like steel extensions behind the barrel are called trails, the ends of which rest on two tyres. Now the trails were resting on footpath and the two tyres were invisible!!! Now ahead of these two invisible tyres is a triangular steel structure called 'limber' with a round steel eye called 'tow eye', it's this tow eye that is hooked on to the Kraz and the Kraz thus tows the gun. All was invisible!

Then the MASSIVE SHOCK!!!! Where are my 13 Gunners and my DS? Nothing was seen. Expecting worst I rushed to the gun and climbed the footpath. I expected a smashed Kraz and many dead. A peep down and I was confused. The trails rested on footpath and extended in the air, the two tyres on a steel axle called limber were hanging vertically, the limber has with steel tow-eye was hooked to the Kraz and was intact too.

To the tow eye the Kraz was hooked still. It was hanging vertically 50 feet from ground completely air borne. Where were my men?

A look on the footpath and I had 14 men dishevelled, bruised and with lacerations being tended to by civilians. Some had torn uniforms. BUT ALL WERE ALIVE. I wanted nothing else. Rest everything could be managed but never could I bring back my lost soldier. I thanked God.

And then a civilian told us his eye witness account.

He saw the Kraz braking very hard in the centre of the bridge. The Kraz was violently thrown in the air and climbed the footpath, broke the railing and was thrown off the bridge (MassXVelocity!!) The two tyres of the limber followed and were thrown out too. The trails thereafter climbed the footpath and the gun got a solid jerk and was turned 90 degree on road. The eight tyres then hit the footpath- climbed six inches, came down, climbed again and then settled down. The 20 ton weight was too much for letting it climb. Then everything settled down. Lot of sound dust and shouting. The 14 men were trapped in the vehicle which had its cabin staring at the drain. The men in the rear were piled up in a heap of humans and stores.

Slowly the first one got up and saw everyone was alive. He freed another and they freed next. The driver and co-driver climbed up through rear glass window to the body. These men one by one climbed up to the tailboard and to the limber and on to road. All 14 came out. It was more precarious then one can imagine. This balancing was taking place mid-air. Lot of civilians were helping the soldiers.

Today, I thank each of the faceless civilians who were there when the army needed them!

The scene was unbelievable. A 12 ton massive six tyres vehicle hanging in air connected to a tow-eye! Gun on the road that took full shock and held everything... All safe....

Who would not give life for the COLOURS, our Gun? We would without questioning.

Then the inevitable question..... HOW DID IT HAPPEN? This Guy Govind Singh, the DS, was driving at 50-60 kmph and as he entered the bridge, from nowhere a donkey came to the centre of the road. Without thinking this guy slammed brakes hard.... The training was to carry on since Gun and Gunners could not be risked for animals. He slammed and then MASS X VELOCITY TURNED INTO MOMENTUM that too to save a DONKEY!

I COULDNT CONTROL AND SCREAMED. "GADHA KAHAN PAR THA? RAASTE PAR YA GADI MEIN?" (Where was the DONKEY(ass)? On the road or in the drivers cabin?)

In all seriousness and simplicity Govind replied 'Sahab...RAASTE par...', 'NAHI', I shouted, 'Woh Gaadi Chala raha tha' ..!!!!!! (Sir, On the road… NO I shouted, the donkey was driving the vehicle!)

In that situation we all laughed.
After taking the situation in control the vehicle was retrieved. We collected curses of thousands of people since the last reported length of traffic jam was 50 kms!!!

We fired from same gun.... Precision shooting!!!

ASS X VELOCITY.........

M was dropped forever.

Years later I came back to unit and there was this guy ' Jai Durge Sahab' and had a sheepish smile.... I just asked him.... Arre abhi tak nahi bataya... GADHA GAADI mein tha ya RAASTE par?