India’s Wars: A Military History, 1947–1971, by Arjun Subramaniam

In this first of two volumes, Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam offers excellent and concise histories of India’s wars and military operations, starting with the rescue and partial liberation of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947-48 from depredating Pakistani irregulars and ending with the 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan’s genocidal rule. Based on published material available, and supplementing it with interviews, Subramaniam’s India’s Wars provides a layered perspective on the strategic, operational and tactical aspects of these wars and operations. While one agrees to a great extent with what the book has to say about the various land, air and naval campaigns, there are inevitable differences in perspectives, interpretations and nuances on specific issues.