AFVOA Newletters of Year 2003

Page 16 of 170 On 5 th December 1961, 3/1 Gorkha Rifles was ordered to clear up a roadblock established by the gendarmerie at a strategic roundabout at Elizabethville, Katanga. The plan was that one company with two Swedish armoured cars would attack the position frontally and Capt. Gurbachan Singh Salaria with two sections of Gorkhas and two Swedish armoured personnel carriers would advance towards this roadblock from the airfield to act as a cutting- off force. Capt. Salaria with his small force arrived at a distance of 1500 yards from the roadblock at approximately 1312 hours on 5 December and came under heavy automatic and small arms fire from an undetected enemy position on his right flank. The enemy also had two armoured cars and about 90 men opposing Capt. Salaria’s small force. Capt. Salaria appreciating that he had run into a subsidiary roadblock and ambush and that the enemy force might reinforce the strategic roundabout and thus jeopardise the main operation, decided to remove this opposition. He led a charge with bayonets, kukris and grenades supported by a rocket launcher. In this gallant engagement, Capt. Salaria killed 40 of the enemy and knocked out the two armoured cars. This unexpectedly bold action completely demoralised the enemy who fled despite his numerical superiority and protected positions. Capt. Salaria was wounded by a bursts of automatic fire in his neck but continued to fight till he collapsed owing to profuse bleeding. Capt. Salaria’s gallant action had prevented any movement of the enemy force towards the main battalion’s action at the roundabout. It had also prevented the encirclement of UN Headquarters in Elizabethville. Capt. Salaria subsequently died of his wounds. Capt. Salaria’s personal example, utter disregard for his personal safety and dauntless leadership inspired his small but gallant force of 26 Gorkhas to hold on to their position, dominate the enemy and inflict heavy casualties despite the enemy’s superiority in numbers and tactical position. Capt. Salaria’s leadership, courage, unflinching devotion to duty and disregard for his personal safety were in the best traditions of our army.