New Delhi, March 13: The Indian military will recreate for a global audience a battle from World War II history when it escorts representatives from nearly 65 countries to the desert northwest of Jaisalmer on Monday for an exercise tantalisingly christened Brazen Chariots.

Senior officers in army headquarters often fight shy of explaining the rationale behind the names for military wargames and exercises. But this — Brazen Chariots — is a giveaway. It has been drawn from a book written by a South African major who served in the British army in the second world war.

Calcutta-born Major Robert Crisp, a former Test cricketer who is now dead, wrote his account of the British army’s battles with the Nazi General Rommel’s Afrika Korps in North Africa. In November-December 1941, Rommel’s Panzer tanks had massed around the Libyan city of Tobruk. The general, who was also called the “desert fox”, is one of the tallest figures in 20th century military history and is hugely credited with using his war machines innovatively.

The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force are now looking for new ideas for their desert warfare doctrine. In the India-Pakistan scenario — in which Brazen Chariots is set —each side knows the other’s military too well to be surprised by hardware. The army is looking for surprise elements in the timing of attacks and in its manoeuvres. The Indian Army’s Brazen Chariots will be its 21st century version of how it intends to fashion battles in the desert.

Pakistan has not been invited to send its representative for the exercise. China has, and the army is ambivalent about the status of the invitation to Iran. It sent out invitations to more than 150 countries. Among those whose military officials and defence attachés will fly out to the desert are the UK, the US, France, Russia, Australia, Thailand, all of India’s neighbours barring Pakistan, and Central Asian countries.

Combat planes and attack helicopters of the Indian Air Force will also be used in the wargame.