Operation Eraze is the codename of the assault and capture of

Gurais Gurez, or Gurais (''Guráai'' in the local Shina language), is a valley located in the high Himalayas, about from Bandipore and from Srinagar, to the north of the Kashmir valley. At about above sea level, the valley is surrounded by snow-cap ...

in northern Kashmir by the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.

History

is an important communication centre where the route from Srinagar comes north to the Kishenganga river, crosses it in the vicinity of Gurais and Dawar and then proceeds to Gilgit via the

Burzil pass The Burzil Pass (el. ) is an ancient mountain pass in northern Pakistan, and is part of the historic caravan route between the cities of Srinagar and Gilgit. The pass lies approximately north of the administrative line between the Pakistani- ...

and the Astor valley. Gurais is also connected to

Muzaffarabad Muzaffarabad (; ur, ) is the capital and largest city of Azad Kashmir, and the 60th largest in Pakistan. The city is located in Muzaffarabad District, near the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by the Pak ...

by a track along the river valley and by cross-country tracks south to

Sonamarg Sonamarg () or Sonmarg (), known as Sonamarag (; ) in Kashmiri, is a hill station located in the Ganderbal District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located about 62 Kilometers from Ganderbal Town and northeast of the capital city, Srina ...

and east to Dras. The fall of Muzaffarabad led to the advancing of tribal lashkars to Gurais along the Kishenganga valley. Tribal lashkars pushed back by the operations of 161 Infantry Brigade in the winter of 1947 retreated to Gurais over the Rajdhani pass when the snows sealed the pass for the winter. Pakistani forces comprising regular army troops from the

Gilgit Scouts The Gilgit Scouts constituted a paramilitary force of the Gilgit Agency in northern Jammu and Kashmir. They were raised by the government of British India in 1913, on behalf of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, to police the northern front ...

and deserters from the princely State Forces reinforced the lashkars. The Pakistanis were poised to attack Tragbal just north of Bandipore and enter the Kashmir valley as soon as the snows melted. The Indian Army responded by sending 2nd Battalion,

Bihar Regiment The Bihar Regiment is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army. The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment, and r ...

to advance on 15 April 1948 to contact the enemy along the pilgrim route, i.e. the Bandipore - Kanzalwan - Gurais axis. The battalion captured Tragbal and pushed the raiders back to the Rajdhani pass. In May 1948, the battalion was rotated and replaced by the 1st Battalion, Indian Grenadiers under Lt. Col. Singh. Maj Gen K. S. Thimayya, the 'General Officer Commanding' of the Srinagar Division, prepared for a spring offensive to counter the Pakistanis. The 1st Grenadiers won the race to capture the still snow-bound Rajdhani Pass, on the night of 26/27 May, occupying it hours before the Pakistanis. Thimayya now planned for the capture of Gurais codenamed Operation Eraze. Since a single battalion was inadequate, the 2nd Battalion, 4 Gorkha Rifles was inducted to Tragbal and the 1st Grenadiers moved forward for offensive operations, supported by Patiala Mountain Battery. Thimayya planned to advance two companies of 2/4 GR on 24 June along the pilgrim route to hold the enemy and deceive him of the direction of the attack proper to be launched on 25 June by the 1st Grenadiers over the snow-capped ridges along a foot track through Viju Gali. The 1st Grenadiers advanced by tactical leaps and bounds but were caught in the open on the night of 26/27 June by a blizzard without shelter. By superhuman privations, they managed to bring up the guns, outflank the enemy and push him off the ridge towards Gurais. The enemy broke and ran and 1st Grenadiers captured Gurais on at dawn on 28 June. In the meantime, 2/4 Gorkha Rifles had successfully advanced along the pilgrim route and pushed back the Pakistanis from Kanzalwan which they captured with two companies. The Pakistanis stabilised their positions downriver of Kanzalwan and proceeded to isolate the Gorkha picquets. This left the road to Rajdhani pass, occupied by the Battalion Tactical Headquarters and one company of the 2/4 Gorkha Rifles, vulnerable to attack by large forces. A quick attack from Gurais on 26 July failed to relieve Kanzalwan. The 1st Grenadiers then launched a two-pronged night attack supported by artillery on 29 July. The Gorkhas by rigorous patrolling forced the Pakistanis and captured one of the dominating heights over Kanzalwan. The concerted attack broke the siege and the raiders fled westwards towards

Taobat Taobat ( ur, ) is a village in Sharda Tehsil in Neelam Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located from Muzaffarabad and from Kel. It is the last station in Neelam valley. It is also the nearest location from where Neelam River enters ...

, harried by air strikes of the Indian Air Force. For the remainder of the war, the raiders were content to secure the Burzil pass on the route to

Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...

so as to secure the communications of their columns besieging Ladakh. The Indian Army devoid of infantry was unable to apre forces for progressing operations in this sector. Lt. Col. Singh, according to official war diaries, Gorkhas failed to clear Burzil Pass due to strong enemy counterattacks and he walked to Thimmaya requesting not to deploy the Regiment under his command to Ladakh. This strategic deployment allowed complete command control communications for the entire Kashmir valley.

References

{{reflist History of the Indian Army Eraze