Operation Bison is the codename of the assault and capture of Zoji La

Zoji La

Zoji La is a high mountain pass in India, located on the Indian National Highway 1 between Srinagar and Leh in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range. Though often referred to as Zojila Pass in the foreign press, the correct English translation is Zoji Pass or simply Zojila, since...

, Dras

Dras

Dras is a town in the Kargil District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is often called 'The Gateway to Ladakh'. The town shot into prominence in the summer of 1999 following Pakistani-backed incursions into Jammu and Kashmir...

 and Kargil district

Kargil District

Kargil is a district of Ladakh, Kashmir, India. Kargil lies near the Line of Control facing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Baltistan to the west, and Kashmir valley to the south. Zanskar is part of Kargil district along with Suru, Wakha and Dras valleys...

 in Ladakh by the Indian Army

Indian Army

The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...

  during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947

Indo-Pakistani War of 1947

The India-Pakistan War of 1947-48, sometimes known as the First Kashmir War, was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four wars fought between the two newly independent nations...

.

Zoji La had been seized by Pakistani raiders in 1948 in their campaign to capture Ladakh

Ladakh

Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...

. The pass was captured by Indian forces on 1st November in a daring infantry assault, which achieved success primarily due to the surprise use of armour, then the highest altitude at which armour had operated in combat in the world.

Initially, an unsuccessful attack was launched by 77 Parachute Brigade

77th Indian Infantry Brigade

The 77th Indian Infantry Brigade was a infantry formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in India June 1942. The brigade was assigned to the Chindits and organised into eight columns for operations behind enemy lines in Burma...

 (Brig Atal) to capture Zoji La

Zoji La

Zoji La is a high mountain pass in India, located on the Indian National Highway 1 between Srinagar and Leh in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range. Though often referred to as Zojila Pass in the foreign press, the correct English translation is Zoji Pass or simply Zojila, since...

. Operation Duck, the earlier epithet for this assault, was renamed as Operation Bison by Lt Gen Cariappa

Kodandera Madappa Cariappa

Field Marshal Kodandera "Kipper" Madappa Cariappa OBE was the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and led the Indian forces on the Western Front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947.He is among only two Indian Army officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal Field Marshal...

, the Western Army commander. M5 Stuart light tanks of 7 Cavalry

7th Light Cavalry

The 7th Light Cavalry, was a regular army cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army which first came into British service with the East India Company and went on to serve on the North West Frontier and in World War I and World War II.-Formation:...

 were moved in dismantled conditions through Srinagar and winched across bridges while two field companies of the Madras Sappers

Madras Engineer Group

Madras Engineer Group are a regiment of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The Madras Sappers draw their origin from the erstwhile Madras Presidency army of the British Raj. This regiment has its HQ in Bangalore...

 converted the mule track from Baltal

Baltal

Baltal is a camping ground for pilgrims, 15 km north of Sonamarg on the Sindh river at the base of Zojila pass in Jammu and Kashmir . This little valley is only a day's journey away from and provides a shorter high-altitude alternate route to the sacred cave of Amarnath....

 up the Zoji La to Gumriinto a jeep track. The surprise attack on 1st November by the brigade with armour supported by two regiments of 25 pounders

Ordnance QF 25 pounder

The Ordnance QF 25 pounder, or more simply, 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was introduced into service just before World War II, during which it served as the major British field gun/howitzer. It was considered by many to be the best field artillery piece of the war, combining high rates of fire with a...

 and a regiment of 3.7 inch guns

3.7 inch Mountain Howitzer

The Ordnance QF 3.7 Inch Mountain Howitzer was an artillery weapon, used by British and Commonwealth armies in World War I and World War II, and between the wars.-History:...

, saw the Pakistanis being surprised. The pass was forced and the raider column pushed back to Matayan

Matayan

The Matayan is the sole authority to administer the Muthappan temple, found in the Kannur district of Kerala state, south India.The Matayan family is also known as the Parassani Matappurakal family....

 and later Dras

Dras

Dras is a town in the Kargil District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is often called 'The Gateway to Ladakh'. The town shot into prominence in the summer of 1999 following Pakistani-backed incursions into Jammu and Kashmir...

. The brigade linked up on 24 November at Kargil

Kargil

' :* Kargil district, in Ladakh, Indian-administered Kashmir* Kargil town, the chief town of the district* Kargil War, a 1999 armed conflict between India and Pakistan in the Kargil district...

 with Indian troops advancing from Leh while the Pakistanis eventually withdrew northwards toward Skardu

Skardu

Skardu , is the main town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Gilgit Baltistan....

.