Second Battle of Elephant Pass

Coordinates: 09°31′N 80°24′E / 9.517°N 80.400°E / 9.517; 80.400
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Second Battle of Elephant Pass
Part of the
Operation Unceasing Waves III
Date22–23 April 2000
Location
Elephant Pass, Sri Lanka
09°31′N 80°24′E / 9.517°N 80.400°E / 9.517; 80.400
Result LTTE victory
Belligerents
Military of Sri Lanka
 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Commanders and leaders
Lt. Gen. Srilal Weerasooriya
Maj. Gen Egodawela
Brig. Percy Fernando †
Col. Bhathiya Jayatilleka †
Col. Neil Akmeemana †
Col. Harish Hewarachi †
Lt. Col. Hewage Hewawasam †
Colonel Bhanu,
Lt. Colonel Lakshiya †
Strength
~40,000 [1] ~1200 [2]
Casualties and losses
1000+ killed
100+ missing
1,687 wounded[1]		 LTTE Claim: 35 killed [2]
Second Battle of Elephant Pass is located in Northern Province
Second Battle of Elephant Pass
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Location of base in Northern Province, Sri Lanka

The Second Battle of Elephant Pass[3] (code-named Operation Unceasing Waves III (ஓயாத அலைகள் மூன்று)[4] by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), was fought in April 2000 for the control of the Sri Lankan military base in Elephant Pass, Jaffna.

Background

A SLAC Daimler Armoured Car destroyed at Elephant Pass in the earlier part of the war.

Elephant Pass links the

fort there, which was later rebuilt and garrisoned by the Dutch in 1776[5] and later by the British. Since the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War, the Sri Lanka Army
maintained a detachment at Elephant Pass, having established a permanent base.

In 1991 the LTTE made their first attempt to take the Elephant Pass base. The attack failed and the Tigers suffered over 500 casualties.[6] Elephant Pass remained under government control, although much of the Jaffna Peninsula fell to LTTE control in the early 1990s. In 1995, in Operation Riviresa the Sri Lankan military recaptured the Jaffna Peninsula and Elephant Pass became the southern flank of the Sri Lankan forces in Jaffna. It became the springboard for several offensives, such as Operation Sath Jaya. After the LTTE recaptured Kilinochchi in 1998, Elephant Pass once again became the southern flank of the Sri Lankan forces in Jaffna. By late 1999, the forward defense line of Elephant Pass was at Paranthan. By this time the Sri Lanka Army base at Elephant Pass had been expanded with a complex of military installations under the command of the 54 Division with over 5000 personnel attached.

Given these circumstances, LTTE leader

Prabakaran changed his strategy to take Elephant Pass by gradually encircling and weakening the troops inside, cutting off supplies and, in effect, strangling the base. The idea was to avoid a frontal assault that would have led to the loss of many LTTE lives, since the army had numerical and logistical superiority.[6]
The Elephant Pass isthmus is of strategic importance, as it links the northern mainland known as Wanni with the Jaffna Peninsula.

Battle

LTTE cadres embarking a Sea Tigers boat.

LTTE planned Operation Unceasing Waves III with the objective of taking control of the peninsula and launched its first stage on 11 December 1999 with seaward landings at Vettalankerny east of Elephant Pass, engaging the

Pooneryn
, opening up a third front from west of Elephant Pass. Highly accurate artillery and mortar bombardment from the LTTE caused heavy casualties among commando units sent to stop the LTTE infiltrations from Pooneryn; 8th Gajaba, which had been moved to Vettalankerny, was down to 94 soldiers.

In March 2000 Army Commander Lt. Gen. Srilal Weerasooriya carried out several changes to the command structure following reports of low morale among troops in Jaffna. At this time there was a series of Commanders of the Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna (SFHQ-J) the apex command of the Jaffna sector including Elephant Pass which had been under siege for months. Maj. Gen. Sarath Munasinghe, who had been the Commander, SFHQ-J from 11 November 1999 to 12 December 1999, had retired and been succeeded by Maj. Gen. Nihal Jayakody, who died on 19 January 2000 after having suffered a heart attack. He was succeeded by Maj. Gen. A.M.C.W.B. Senewirathna. In March, Weerasooriya appointed Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera as the Overall Operational Commander, North and Maj. Gen. Sarath Fonseka as Commander, SFHQ-J. Weerasooriya also sent the 55 Division to Jaffna under the command of Maj. Gen. Sivali Wanigasekara to boaster the 30,000 troops already in Jaffna, the move taking over a month to complete by sea and air.[6][7]

In April 2000 the LTTE breached the Vettalankerny line.

Black Tigers stormed into the Iyakkachchi military base in the early hours of the morning in a multi-pronged assault and overran the well-fortified camp after several hours of intense fighting. LTTE rebels penetrated the central base, destroying several artillery pieces, tanks, armored vehicles and ammunition dumps. The capture of Iyakachchi proved to be a major tactical move, since located at Iyakachchi were the only freshwater wells that supplied Elephant Pass and Paranthan. The 54 Division under Maj. Gen. Egodawela attempted to recapture Iyakachchi from the south, but failed. Two fresh battalions—the 1st Sinha and the 9th Gajaba—were airlifted from Vavuniya to Palay and sent from the road to attack the LTTE front line in Iyakachchi. The battalions breached the first line but got trapped in the no-mans-land between the LTTE first and second lines, taking heavy casualties. When the 9th Gajaba withdrew the next day it had suffered over 70 dead and 600 wounded—its fighting capacity had been reduced to 100 from 800 in a matter of hours.[6][7]

The camp was equipped with machinery for

122 mm Type 60 howitzers, 12 120mm mortars, one 25 mm cannon, several .50-cal. machine guns, hundreds of rocket-propelled grenades and thousands of automatic rifles. The Tigers also captured several armored vehicles, tanks, military trucks, bulldozers and high-tech communication systems.[6][8] The Battle of Elephant Pass is considered as the largest military débacle in the history of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.[6][8][9]

Aftermath

The post war monument at Elephant Pass.

Fighting continued until mid-May for control of the Jaffna peninsula, and by 9 May Deputy Defence Minister

Muhamalai and Nagarkovil defensive lines after suffering heavy losses from artillery and airstrikes.[15][16]
Although the fall of Elephant Pass was seen as a great triumph, a series of setbacks highlighted LTTE's weakness against conventional military forces in regular conflict.

On 3 September 2000 the army mounted a massive counteroffensive, named "Agni Keila", to retake some of the LTTE-held territories to the south of its defensive lines, but after advancing a few kilometers the troops met heavy resistance. The army was hampered by the presence of two narrow strips of land over which their forces had to advance. The LTTE had registered all its artillery and mortars onto this area. In addition, it had extensively booby-trapped the strips of land, rendering them extremely dangerous for armored units. Although the army claimed that it managed to advance well into the LTTE lines, heavy casualties forced a withdrawal to its original positions.

In 2006 fighting renewed for control of the Jaffna peninsula. Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels fought pitched battles for control of the peninsula, which left hundreds dead in a matter of months. In a major offensive launched by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, Elephant Pass was recaptured on 9 January 2009.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ TamilNet. "TamilNet". www.tamilnet.com. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  2. ^ TamilNet. "TamilNet". www.tamilnet.com. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  3. ^ "The taking of Elephant Pass". HinduOnNet. 10 May 2000. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Operation Unceasing Waves - The Mullaitivu Battle". www.tamileelam.info. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007.
  5. ^ D.B.S. JEYARAJ (May 2000). "The taking of Elephant Pass". 17 (10). Frontline. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h The taking of Elephant Pass, D.B.S. JEYARAJ Frontline, Volume 17 - Issue 10, May. 13–26, 2000, Retrieved 29 March 2015
  7. ^ a b Chandraprema, C. A. (2012). Gota's Wat. Colombo: Piyasiri.
  8. ^ a b SLA admits loss of Iyakkachchi, TamilNet, Retrieved 4 April 2014
  9. ^ Royalists honoured for bravery, Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka), Retrieved 4 April 2015
  10. ^ GANGULY, DILIP (25 April 2000). "Sri Lankan Air Force Bombs Rebels". apnews.com. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  11. ^ Plea for India to rescue 40,000 Sri Lankan troops, The Guardian, Accessed 17-06-2015
  12. ^ Lanka’s Geneva defence: Course correction needed urgently, by Shamindra Ferdinando, The Island, Accessed 17-06-2015
  13. ^ I know nothing about politics, By Tissa Ravindra Perera, The Nation, Accessed 17-06-2015
  14. ^ We built too many walls and not enough bridges, By Keerthi Ratnayaka, Sri Lanka Guardian, Retrieved 31 March 2015
  15. ^ SF – from Best Commander to Prisoner 022032, By Rasika Jayakody, Ceylon Today, Retrieved 4 April 2015
  16. ^ A fearless defender of the Motherland, SPUR, Daily News (Sri Lanka), Retrieved 4 April 2015
  17. ^ "Army 'takes key Sri Lanka pass'". BBC. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
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