In the meantime Elephant Pass was under siege. Anti-aircraft batteries prevented any helicopter borne assistance and Sia Marchetti aircraft were used to reliev the pressure by strafing the hinterland. Nevertheless the forward platoons of the LTTE were approaching the garrison, their armour including tractors converted into armoured cars. A former Buddhist priest, Corporal Gamini Kularatne of the 6/SR then crawled out of the garrison under machine gunfire. With total disregard for his own safety he approached an improvised armoured car. As the garrison watched in disbelief he mounted it and lobbed in his grenades thus destroying the vehicle before he was mown down by enemy fire. He was posthumously awarded the "Parama Weera Vibushanaya" our equivalent of the Victoria Cross. Later his ashes were taken to Hasalaka where he was given a Military funeral befitting a hero. Today a statue at Hasalaka perpetuates the memory of this former Buddhist priest who gave up his robes and joined the Army after the massacre of 27 Buddhist priests and noviciates at Arantalawa by the LTTE.

The first sign of victory was in the third week when Major Shiran Jinasena of the 1/SLAC commanding a squadron of Saladin armoured cars broke through enemy lines despite two of his vehicles reinforcements earlier that week then regrouped his armour. Saladin and Saracen armoured cars from the 1/SLAC and 3/SLAC and the South African built Buffel APCs, which are normally assigned to Vetteleikernai and were then brought into combat. On August 2nd the cavalry charge was led by Major Jinasena. He was followed by Major Rohan De Silva of 4/GR who commanded a squadron of Buffel APCs. Then the three infantry Brigades under Brigadier Wimalarathna , which included the newly arrived 7th Brigade under Colonel Gamini Angammana, went into action. On August 3rd 1991 our troops repeatedly intercepted LTTE messages such as,

"These devils are pouring in from all sides"

"We cannot resist them anymore"

On August 4th, the forward platoons in the Task Force reached the beleagured garrison singing their battle song 'Hela Jathika Abhimane'. A few hours latter General Kobbekaduwa came in on an Armoured car from his old regiment the 1/SLAC to congratulate his troops. He was greeted with the lusty singing of the theme song of war film 'Sandesaya'

Of Lt. Colonel Sanath Karunarathne and his six hundred officers and other ranks from the 6/SR it could surely be said,

"Theirs was not to reason why,

Theirs was to do and die."

Indeed our Arm can be justly proud of this battalion which held the beleagured garrison for four weeks under the most difficult of circumstance and gave the nation her first recipient of the Parama Weera Vibushanaya, our equivalent of Victoria Cross. By the same token the LTTE exhibited once again, as they did in Vadamarachchi in May 1987 and in Jaffna in October 1987(during the siege by General Depinder Singh), their magnificent skills in soldiering.

It is widely accapted that General Kobbekaduwa is the best known field commander produced by our army. A superb soldier he was also the epitome of an officer and gentleman in the true sense of the word. Indeed his humanitarian values were just as well as known as his skill in battle. Since 1990 the General-Officer-Commanding the Second Division based in the North, he had under him over 20,000 troops and had front extending over 100 Kilometres. Notwithstanding his legendary fame and the troops at his disposal, he was able to push the front northwards only at the rate of one kilometre per year. Such was the formidable enemy he faced.

Against that background his only option was an Inchon type of landing which General of the Army Doulas MacArthur of the United States planned and executed brilliantly in 1950 during the Korean war. General Kobbekaduwa advocated an amphibious landing on the Jaffna peninsula from the island of Kyts, which he would personally lead, and for Brigadier Vijaya Wimalaratne to lead another column into Jaffna from Palaly. The General hoped to capture the Jaffna peninsula in 15 days as against the 11 days taken by General Depinder Singh of the IPKF. He admitted that casualties would be heavy. After detailed discussions the three service Commanders vetoed this plan because of the heavy casualties it would entail.

However President Premadasa saw political advantage in the liberation of the Jaffna peninsula and finally approved the operation in August 1992. Genaral Kobbekaduwa was elated, though he was still mourning for his father who had died a few days earlier. To finalize plans he left his forward headquarters in Vavuniya for the Naval Base at Karainagar near Jaffna. On August 5th 1992, General Kobbekaduwa, Brigadier Wimalatatne and senior staff officers left Karainagar for Kayts. They were accompanied by Commodore Mohan Jayamaha, Naval Officer Commanding the North. After their reconnaissance mission, for some inexplicable reason all these senior officers got into one Land Rover. Tragically that vehicle was blown up by a mine. Everybody on board was killed except a batman who had both his legs amputated.