May 26, 1999
First air strike launched
After the Cabinet Committee on Security approved use of air power on Indian side of the Line of Control, the air force launched air strikes with MIG-21s, MIG-27s and armed Mi-17 helicopters. The start was inauspicious. The IAF lost two fighters the very next day –while Flight Lieutenant  K.Nachiketa’s MiG-27 crashed in the Batalik sector due to engine flameout, Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja’s MiG-21 was shot down by a missile. Nachiketa was taken as prisoner of war, but Ahuja was killed by his captors.

June 8, 1999
Par Army’s barbarism
Pakistan Army returned the mutilated bodies of five Indian soldiers, including Lieutenant Saurabh Kalia. The whole nation was outraged and pressure mounted on the caretaker Indian government to escalate the war. The five-man patrol from four Jats had gone missing in the Kaksar sector on May 14. The soldiers had been tortured and killed in captivity.

 June 13, 1999
Tololing: The first breakthrough
The Indian Army recaptured the Tololing feature after three weeks of bitter fighting. The honours went to 2 Rajputana Rifles. The success was a turning point in the Kargil war and a major morale booster for the army. Pakistani intruders on the Tololing ridgeline, barely 5 km from Drass town, could dominate the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway. The battle saw major Vivek Gupta, Major Padmapani Acharya and Capt. N. Kenguruse become legends. All threee were posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the nation’s second highest gallantry award.

June 20, 1999
Point 5140: ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’
Captain Vikram Batra immortalized the slogan ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’ in the battle for Point 5140 in the Drass sector. An enemy commander challenged him over the radio saying “Why have you come Sher Shah (Batra’s nickname given by his commanding officer)? You’ll not go back.” Batra replied, “We shall see within one hour, who remains on the top.”
The capture of Point 5140 paved the ways for a string of successes such as Point 4700, Point 5100, and Three Pimples. Batra was killed while trying to rescue an injured officer during an enemy counterattack against Point 4875 of July 7. His last words were, “Jai Mata di”. Batra was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation’s highest gallantry award, for his heroic deeds of valour. 

July 4, 1999
Tiger Hill: The battle comes to the living room
The 155-mm Bofors howitzers and fighter Jets pounded enemy positions on this mountaintop, which dominated parts of the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway. The army launched an assault with 120 artillery guns and multi-barrelled Grad rocket launchers.
For the first time in India’s history, a battle was covered live by TV channels. 18 grenadiers launched the final assault under the cover of darkness and captured the objective after fierce hand-to-hand fighting.
Riddled with bullets, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav killed four Pakistani soldiers with his bare hands.
Yadav was decorated with the Param Vir Chakra, the nation’s highest gallantry awards.

July 26, 1999
Military operations concluded
The Indian army launched its final attacks in the last week of July after Drass had been cleared of Pakistani forces. The army captured eight Pakistani soldiers and a large number of weapons and ammunition. The day has since been marked as Kargil Vijay Diwas.
India resumed control of all territory as per the July 1972 Shimla Peace Accord.
The army also recovered the identity cards and pay books of Pakistani army personnel.