The best of Indian military writing

This is a list of books I have read, or columns I follow, that I recommend. These pertain to India’s wars both before and after independence, as well as current military affairs. I list these as being useful in 
my understanding of Indian military history. Military writing is a bit misleading. There is a 
paucity of good books on India's wars, which deep dive into strategies, tactics, or even details of both 
side's order of battle. The official history of the 1965 and 1971 wars are still not in the public domain.
Accounts of veterans tend to be incomplete and often avoid blame, or take a balanced view of the war they talk about.  
I have therefore included books on Indian geopolitics, which have a military dimension. In independent India, it is the political leadership that takes the decision to go to war. Domestic political compulsions decide military strategy, hence an understanding of how our elected leaders thought about war is 
important for a serious student of India's wars.  

All books on Amazon, some can be downloaded for free.
- Rahul Deans

Pre 19^th century:
Mughals at war: Babur, Akbar and the Indian military revolution 1500-1605
This is an academic dissertation by Andrew De La Garza (free download) which lists the 
military innovations of the Mughals. 

Panipat: Vishwas Patil.
Examines the third battle of Panipat from the Maratha point of view. A battle that the Marathas
should have won, but lost, has lessons relevant today:
Political compulsions getting precedence over military logic. Neglect of logistics – the Maratha army literally starved to death and neglect of alliances. A deviation from the principles of Shivaji Maharaj caused the Marathas to lose and paved the way for British rule in India.  

The decisive battles of India: Col. GB Malleson. His books were written over 100 years ago – therefore the language might be a little archaic. This book gives an excellent account of little studied battles that resulted in the British ruling India. It covers British campaigns all over India, before the mutiny of 1857 and focusses on military operations, more than politics.

Several battles were very close, like the wars of Hyder Ali – considered a more formidable adversary than Tipu Sultan, or the Sikh wars, where the result could easily have been a British defeat. Victory was made possible either because the Indian side neglected logistics, or there was betrayal by a general on the Indian side – Plassey was not the only example of such betrayal.
While there is understandable a British bias, the British did win all these battles, often when the odds were not in their favour and they won with mostly Indian troops. The book made me introspect about why we (the India side) lost battles we should have won. The reasons – superior training and
discipline, understanding the enemy, unity of command and not neglecting logistics are as important then as they are today.

The Indian mutiny of 1857. I recommend books by both Col. GB Malleson and Julian Spilsbury. Col Malleson provides information on battles outside Delhi, rather than just what happened around the
Red fort. Spilsbury looks at the politics of the time. While both talk about the atrocities against the British and overlook the far worse reprisals against Indians after the fall of the Red fort, that is to be expected. 80% of the men who served in the British army to quell the mutiny, were Indian and
they formed the basis of what would be the modern Indian army – composed of what the British called martial races, but in reality, those who were loyal to the British during the mutiny. 

1940s:

India's war. WW2 and the making of modern south Asia. Srinath Raghavan
A good book to understand India’s immense contribution to the second world war – something that the British tried to downplay. It looks at how a large number of soldiers were mobilized, the theory of martial races and how India moved to a war economy. There is a detailed look at operations of Indian formations in various theatres, from North Africa to Singapore and Burma. From the war emerged the Indian army we know today. 

Under two ensigns. The Indian navy 1945-50. Rear Adm. Satyindra Singh
A book for the Navy enthusiast (me), It briefly looks at the history of the Navy in India, starting from the British establishing a navy, to the start of the Ryal Indian Navy and then the navy of independent India. It covers the Naval ratings mutiny and the transition from British to Indian control.  

Slender was the thread. (First Kashmir war). Lt Gen. Protip `Bogey’ Sen
An account of the actions of 161 brigade in the first Kashmir war, from the then brigade commander. 161 Brigade was the first brigade inducted to Kashmir and was involved throughout the fighting. There are many examples of the limitations the Indian army faced and accounts of both the inaction and mistakes at the higher levels of the Indian army. The author also talks freely of tactical mistakes made and of differences he had with this superiors. It reminds one that people in HQ may see things differently from the man on the spot. Apart from disinterested British officers and an inexperienced Indian leadership, there is also the stifling bureaucracy of the newly independent Indian army, that seemed as much of an opponent as Pakistan. The Pakistani account of this war, by Major Amin, which I also list, describes similar mistakes on their side. 

War and peace in modern India. Srinath Raghavan
A book that describes both the political and military decision making and operations of some of Indian army’s little-known operations, immediately after independence. It covers Junagarh, Hyderabad and Bengal, along with Kashmir. There is a long section on the build up to the 1962 war - which started a decade earlier. There is a lot of detail on boundary negotiations and Nehru's compulsions.
India also came close to war with Pakistan over East Pakistan, as early as 1950. While Gen. Sen's book on the 1948 Kashmir war laments the fact that his brigade did not have the forces he wanted, this book shows that there were probably no troops to spare and that the security situation and threats in other parts of India, precluded strengthening the army in Kashmir, or escalating the war.  

1962 war:

The Henderson-Brooks report (free download available): While Nehru tends to take a large share of the blame for the defeat of 1962, along with Defence minister Krishna Menon, the report, written by a serving Lt. Gen – along with then Brigadier Bhagat, is in my view, a damming indictment of the army leadership. There was a failure to appreciate the Chinese threat, accepting objectives that were beyond the scope of the army, not being able to communicate with the military leadership (for the doomed brigade in Tawang), or the political leadership. It seemed every officer above the level of battalion commander lacked competence. 

1962. The war that wasn’t. Shiv Kunal Verma
The best of the several account I have read of the 1962 war. The author’s had a personal interest in the conflict. He comprehensively examines the thinking and decisions that led to the war, followed by a detailed analysis of operations. Every unit involved in the war is covered. While the debacle of 7^th brigade on the Namkachu river is known, the author covers further operations round Se La pass and Walong.   

Himalayan Blunder. Brig. Dalvi
A first person account from the brigade commander of the ill fated 7^th Infantry brigade, that was lost in a few hours on the Namkachu river. Brig. Dalvi details the extensive failures of the then political leadership along with Gen Kaul which led to the massacre of his men. As a result, the book, first published in 1969, was banned in India for several years. It has extensive info on what really matters in war – terrain, climate, supplies etc.
 
Watershed 1967. India’s forgotten victory over China. Probal Dasgupta
An analysis of two skirmishes in Sikkim in 1967 (Nathu La and Cho La) where India stood up to China.
Although in terms of casualties it had a relatively small impact, it showed, as Galwan did in 2020, what would have happened in 1962, if a determined higher command in the area had stood up to China.

1965 War

War despatches. Lt Gen. Harbaksh Singh
Written in a very dry army style (the word `despatches’ is an army term) and more suited for a serious scholar of military history, it is however the one book where every unit is accounted for on each day of the war. Gen. Harbaksh Singh as GOC West, commanded all formations in combat (there was no Northern Command then) and was best placed to provide this account. Unlike the more comprehensive book by Shiv Kunal Verma, it does not analyse, just says what happened - as it was recorded at the time. Lack of maps in the kindle version are a problem.  

1965: A Western sunrise: Shiv Kunal Verma
A successor to his excellent book on the 1962 war, the author has again presented a meticulously researched book on the 1965 war, starting with the lesser known skirmishes in Kutch. He also 
highlights flaws in our senior leadership's handling of the war. While we `won' the war, it was because we did not let Pakistan meet its objectives, while ours were more limited. Verma presents a comprehensive view of all the battles of this war. The maps and explanation of operations are easy to understand for the amateur enthusiast. 

1971 War

India’s wars since independence. Maj Gen Sukhwant Singh
I am recommending this because of the paucity of books on the 71 war, for the serious military enthusiast. The title is misleading. The book is largely about the 1971 war, including how it was influenced by 1965 and how India prepared. The author describes even company level actions, but 
without maps (which the kindle edition lacks) it is difficult to follow. 

1971 The fall of Dhaka: Maj Gen GD Bakshi
A book well suited to the casual reader, on the army’s operations in 1971 in the East, resulting in India’s biggest ever victory and the creation of Bangladesh. 

Recent wars
Kargil. From surprise to victory. Gen. VP Malik.
The definitive account of the Kargil war, by the then army chief. A third of the book covers actual combat. The general discusses why we were taken by surprise by Pakistani intrusions and the shortcomings of the defence bureaucracy, that continued after the war. 

Beyond NJ 9842. The Siachen Saga. Nitin Gokhale
A history of operations on the Siachen glacier, starting from Operation Meghdoot in 1984
The best book in my view on Siachen.

India’s Air defence. From WW2 to Operation Sindhoor. Pankaj Singh.
A topical and informative book on the evolution of our air defences, in the light of the recently concluded Operation Sindhoor.

Misc books on the Indian military
India’s wars: A military history (Volume 1 & 2).  AVM Arjun Subramaniam
A reader friendly, yet detailed account of India’s wars from independence to 2020. Volume two includes India’s operations in Sri Lanka, Kargil and operations along the LOC and LAC. 

The Indian air force in wars. AVM Arun Tiwary
This is the only book with the entire operational history of the IAF, from WW2 to Kargil. Starting from WW2, it features operations of the IAF in all wars . The constraints the air force faced in 1948 and its shortcomings of the IAF's planning, in both 1962 and 1965 are candidly discussed. The author addresses why the Air force was not used in a combat role in 1962 and the lack of army & air force coordination in India's early wars. I was surprised how bad the IAFs planning in the '65 war was, at every level. There is also a lot of data for the serious enthusiast.  

India’s most fearless (3 volumes). Shiv Aroor.
Three volumes featuring India’s military heroes, in both war and peace, in recent years. 
A total of 38 relatively unknown heroes. Their stories cover not just anti-terrorist operations, but
the Galwan skirmish and helping civilians, while risking their lives. The heroes include a medic, ship and submarine crewmen and pilots.  

Biography
Kitne Ghazi aaye, kitne Ghazi gaye: Lt Gen. KJS `Tiny’ Dhillon.
Apart from the General’s early career, it has a good account of counter insurgency in Kashmir.

Making of a General: a Himalayan echo: Lt Gen. Konsam Himalay Singh.
The army’s first general from the North East. The book is as much about his army career, as it is
about his state, Manipur. 

Marching on: Maj. Priya Jinghan. An account of the first ever lady officer cadet (`lady cadet no 1’) at the OTA and her subsequent career.

Columns
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain. Comments extensively on current military affairs. 

Blog of Air Marshal Chopra:  https://55nda.com/blogs/anil-khosla/
Air Marshal Chopra has also written or co-authored several books on the IAF.

From the other side

Writing of Maj. Agha Humayun Amin (online). An examination of the 1948 and 1965 wars from a
Pakistani perspective. He is critical of both armies for following an outdated British doctrine and being timid in their approach – not aggressively seizing openings the other side presented and personnel problems on the Pakistan side in both 1948 & 1965. He briefly writes about 1971, more in terms of its build-up. His book was banned in Pakistan.

From Kargil to the coup: Nassim Zehra. A background to how and why Pakistan launched the Kargil operation. It makes one appreciate the checks and balances of a democracy. The Indian system of government, would never have permitted such a hare brained operation to be launched.

Fighting to the end. The Pakistan army’s way of war: Prof. Christine Fair
A good book to understand how the Pakistan army thinks. How it perceives India, its nuclear policy and analyses its support for terrorist groups and why it will never agree to peace with India. 

Military inc. Inside Pakistan’s military economy: Ayesha Siddiqa.
Explains why the Pak army is really a business, using the country to enrich itself.  Though it has lost every war it has fought, the Pakistan army remains the dominant political and economic force in
Pakistan.

The Durand Dispatch: A newsletter curated by Amira Jadoon. She is an expert on counter terrorism
and writes on the situation on the Afghan-Pak border. A good source to understand the Pashtun and
Baluchi insurgency, from a Pakistani perspective.

Others:

Blind men of Hindoostan: Gen. K Sundarji 
Published in the 80s, years before we had a nuclear doctrine or inducted nuclear weapons, the General in a seminal work of that era, made easier to understand by a fictional scenario, explains why India needed to induct nuclear weapons and what should be the doctrine governing their use. 

India at war. The subcontinent and the second world war. Yasmin Khan
What is little known is that India provided the largest volunteer army for WW2, at 2.5 million men.
The book examines the impact of the war on ordinary Indians.