Page 180 - Leadership in the Indian Army

briefed about the general situation, he called his Chief of Staff and told him
that he wanted to issue orders. Sam recalls that the Chief of Staff took out
his cap, threw it on the ground and jumped on it, saying, ‘Thank God there

is somebody giving orders. We have never had any orders till now.’ After
his staff had assembled, Sam issued his famous order; ‘Gentlemen, there
shall be no more withdrawals.’ He knew that nothing else could restore
confidence as quickly as advancing to the positions they had lost.
Sam had been in command for just five days when the Prime Minister
visited his headquarters in Tezpur, accompanied by his daughter, Indira
Gandhi and the Chief of Army Staff, General J.N. Chaudhuri. When Sam

informed them that his troops were advancing, Nehru reacted strongly,
saying that he did not want any more people killed. The Army Chief tried to
pacify the Prime Minister, telling him that he would talk to the Corps
Commander and get the orders reversed. Sam was incensed and asked the
Chief to either let him command his Corps the way he liked or send him
back to Staff College.

Indira Gandhi had no official position in the government but wielded
enormous influence. She remonstrated that it was shameful that they had a
commander who wanted to fight but was not being allowed to do so. The
country and the Army had already earned a bad name and she felt that it
was time someone did something about it. Nehru tried to interrupt her but
she would have none of it. Turning to Sam, she told him to go ahead and do
what he liked. Sam could do little more than thank her.

Sam’s next task was to reorganise the defences of the North East Frontier
Agency (NEFA). He went around the area, visiting the units and talking to
the commanders and troops. Morale was low and the men had many
complaints. Sam tried to do his best to improve things and took corrective
action to overcome the shortages of clothing, equipment and
accommodation. He felt that NEFA could have been defended and often

gave the example of the North West Frontier, where a handful of tribesmen
on hilltops could hold up entire brigades comprising trained British and
Indian troops, supported with artillery and air. In his view, the only reason
for the failure was low morale and lack of higher direction—from Delhi as
well as from Army and Corps Commanders.
In December 1963, Sam was appointed GOC-in-C Western Command. He
remained there for only a year, before moving to Eastern Command as

Army Commander in November 1964. During one of his visits to the Mizo