"For decades the real facts about India's catastrophic defeat in the 1962 war with China, have remained shrouded in mystery. Innuendoes, emotional tirades, politicized accusations, personalized mud slinging and rumours have substituted cold, hard and documented facts. This book seeks to address this major gap in Indian military history, trace accountabilities for this monumental failure and plead for historical justice for those wronged. The author presents facts from long suppressed enquiry commission-reports, official history, Chinese sources and documented studies by international scholars. The professional background and qualifications of the major dramatis personae have been analyzed, their recorded decisions scanned and relevant actions revealed. The relevant portions that have been referred to, from published memoirs of the key players, have either remained undisputed over decades, or corroboration from other authentic sources have been provided. Hearsay and unsubstantiated anecdotes have been left out as far as possible, recorded evidence provided with each proposition and inference. Satellite imagery has been extensively used to give readers a comprehensive feel of the battle area and the surrounding locale. All relevant features and important locations have been plotted on these images. An honest endeavour has been made to make the readers experience the reality of the battle-ground, terrain and conditions, by means of thorough detailing and vivid descriptions.
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