10 Current Affairs Facts about Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo ‘Wag’ Pinto

Pune Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo “WAG” Pinto, former General Officer in the Indian Army, breathed his last on the night March 25 at the age of 97. Here are important Current Affairs Facts about the legendary soldier.

1. Born in 1924, General Pinto did his school education in Bangalore and St Aloysius Senior Secondary School, Jabalpur from where he passed his senior Cambridge school leaving certificate with 4 Ds (distinctions).
2. He was popularly known as ‘Victor of Basantar’ for his commanding of the 54^th division in the battle as a Major General.
3. He lastly served as General officer Commanding-in-chief of the Central Command.
4. For his major General role in the Indo-Pak war of 1971, he was awarded the prestigious Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM).
5. His Father Alexander Pinto belonged to the Gustave Pinto branch of the Pintos of Santa Cruz, Goa, which was then part of Portuguese India.
6. He went to college at Robertson College Jabalpur, where he joined the D Company, 10th Nagpur Battalion, University Training Corps (UTC).
7. General Pinto had written a book ‘Bash on Regardless’, in which he described the Battle of Basantar.
8. Lt Gen Wag Pinto was a very special army commander the like of whom we may not see in a hurry. The battle of Basantar was among the longest ground battles fought by the Indian Army under the dynamic and brave leadership of Lt Gen WAG Pinto — “The Victor of Basantar”.
9. The Battle of Basantar was one of the biggest ground battles ever fought by the Indian Army.”
10. Under his leadership, the soldiers received 196 gallantry awards and 2 Param Vir Chakras (Late 2nd Lt Arun Khetrapal was one of them) and 9 Mahavir Chakras (Late Gen Vaidya of Operation Blue Star fame was one of them).

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2021