Just five years after the humiliating setback in the 1962 war, India turned the tables in 1967: two brief but fierce battles at Nathu La (Sept 11–14) and Cho La (Oct 1) along the Sikkim-Tibet border would leave a lasting imprint. 

Tensions flared when India began erecting a three-strand fence near Nathu La an act the Chinese opposed strongly. Indian forces, including 2 Grenadiers, 18 Rajput, and Gorkha units, responded fiercely, with artillery pounding Chinese bunkers from higher ground. After days of heavy exchanges, Indian troops held their positions and forced a Chinese withdrawal.

Barely weeks later, at Cho La, PLA forces launched another push. Waiting were Indian Gorkhas and soldiers of the 10 JAK Rifles under orders from Colonel Kul Bhushan Joshi. In close combat, the khukri symbol of Gorkha valor made its mark, and the Chinese were driven back across the pass.

Though 88 Indian soldiers perished, Chinese casualties reportedly exceeded 300. Yet beyond the numbers lay the deeper impact: a psychological victory that restored the Indian Army’s morale, signalled to Beijing that India could defend its high-altitude borders, and helped stabilize New Delhi’s position in Sikkim. These little-remembered battles are now seen as strategic turning points reminders that after disaster, resolve and preparation can shift the balance in the Himalayas.