Sam Manekshaw recounts his best war memories

THE BEST: He will be remembered as one of the finest military brains of India.

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New Delhi: Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw will be remembered as one of the finest military brains India ever produced. Here's Sam Bahadur recounting his best war memories. This is an excerpt from a documentary prepared by the UN-assisted Parzor Foundation.

On the Second World War

Japanese thrashed the life out of me. A Japanese put a whole burst of Tommy Gun into my stomach. No body thought I would ever live. It was 36 hours after I was wounded and there was blood coming out of my mouth and from everywhere else. And my batman Meher Singh got hold of the surgeon - an Australian surgeon. He said 'Saheb is wounded'. Surgeon asked 'where is he wounded?' He said 'in the stomach'.

Surgeon said 'Ah can't waste my time on him'.

Then he looked at me and asked what happened to you young chap.

By that time I had regained my consciousness and replied a 'bloody mule kicked me'. So he said 'Oh you got a sense of humour.

So they operated on me.

On the 1962 War:

When Chinese came into NEFA and General Kaul was sacked and Krishna Menon was removed then Nehru sent for me. He said 'will you go and take over'? I said 'I have been waiting 18 months for this Prime Minister'.

He said 'Oh that was all a mistake. Will you take over?' So I took over. All I wanted to know is who are my commanders, where are the Chinese, how much ammunition have I got? How much oil, petroleum and food have I got? And just leave the map to me. After half an hour I rang the bell and he came in and I said I don't know whether I am doing right or wrong but these are my orders. That was the time when the chief of staff took his hat off put it on the ground chomped on it. Thank God at last some one is giving orders. We never had orders before and my orders were that we start advancing.