Page 243 - Leadership in the Indian Army

situation was critical, since the enemy was following closely. At that
moment, Prem dashed out from under cover and crawled beneath the tank.
He adjusted the charges and after lighting the fuse, ran back in a hail of

bullets. The tank exploded, and the culvert collapsed in the face of the
enemy.
Prem’s act of heroism was witnessed by his CO, who later recommended
him for the MC. Despite it being his first exposure to the battlefield, he had
shown exceptional courage. However, in his letter to Mohini, he dismissed
what he had done as a ‘small thing’. But while Prem was overly modest
about his own achievements, he did not fail to commend those of others.

During the same battle, he witnessed an act of courage which he often
recounted later. The enemy had occupied a hill, and repeated attacks by 3
Royal Garhwal Rifles had failed. Finally, a foothold was gained, halfway up
the hill. The slope was steep and the going slow. The enemy opened up with
artillery and mortars, and men started to fall. There was a wave of panic and
the brigade began to retreat. Only a company of Garhwalis and Bhagat’s

section of Sappers stood firm.
Seeing the men turn rearward, Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, the CO of the
Garhwalis, leaped onto a prominent rock. While this made him vulnerable
to enemy fire, it also ensured that he was visible to his troops. Soon, Prem
also joined him. Colonel Taylor began to shout at his men, exhorting them
to turn around and face the enemy. He stood there for 20 minutes, exposed
to enemy fire. Encouraged by their CO’s fearlessness, the men began to

rally, and slowly, the rout was stemmed. The men turned about, overcome
by shame and a determination to win. They attacked with renewed vigour
and the hill was soon captured. At some point during the attack, Prem
noticed that Colonel Taylor was swaying, and that one of his arms was
hanging loose. He was shocked to see that the CO had been wounded, his
arm reduced to a mass of mangled bone and flesh. Prem reached out to help

him, but Taylor barked: ‘Stay where you are. Don’t let the men know I have
been wounded.’ And he stood there till the tide had turned and the retreat
averted. Only then did he ask for medical aid and collapsed. Prem was
stunned. Never before had he witnessed such cool courage and dedication.
In mid-November 1940, 10 Infantry Brigade was relieved by 9 Infantry
Brigade in the Gallabat area. In January 1941, the general offensive for the
battle of Keren commenced. On 31 January, a mobile column of 3/12 Royal

Frontier Force Rifles under the command of Lieutenant Colonel J.A. Blood