Operation Cactus - Anatomy of one of India’s Most Daring Military Operations

286 Pages·2018·1.26 MB·English

by  Ashok Chordia

O P E R A T I O N
C A C T U S
A N AT O M Y O F O N E O F
I N D I A’ S M O S T D A R I N G
M I L I TA R Y O P E R AT I O N S

O P E R A T I O N
C A C T U S
A N AT O M Y O F O N E O F
I N D I A’ S M O S T D A R I N G
M I L I TA R Y O P E R AT I O N S
Group Captain Ashok K Chordia (Retd)
Introduction by
Air Marshal Vinod Patney SYSM PVSM AVSM VrC (Retd)
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Cover design shows a note written by Brig FFC Bulsara before the Indian Task Force landed at Hulule and
souvenirs presented by Maj Mohammed Zahir to the author ([phone] [email protected])
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To my beloved parents…

Contents
Acknowledgements xi
List of Abbreviations xv
Introduction xix
Preface xxiii
List of Leaflets xxxiii
Prologue xxxv
A Besieged President
1. The Maldives: The Land and the People 3
2. The Coup that Succeeded, Almost! 11
3. Those were the Days! 19
4. Inertia on D-Day 31
Operation Cactus
5. Clarion Call at Reveille! 43
6. A Cold Start 63
7. A Take-off in Haze 95
8. “Mr President, We’ve Arrived…” 109
9. The Endgame 121
Comprehending Cactus
10. The Anatomy of Cactus 141
11. “Chhatri Mata ki Jai!” 179
12. Some Parallels 195
13. Asides! 219
ix
operation cactus
Epilogue 227
Glossary 229
Selected Bibliography 249
Index 251
x