The birth of High Altitude Warfare School(HAWS) of Indian Army in 1948 can be directly attributed to the loss of Gilgit-Baltistan in the Siege of Skardu to Pakistan in 1947–1948 Indo-Pakistani War. The school was established in December 1948 by General K S Thimayya, then holding the rank of Brigadier. It was initially known as the "19 Infantry Division Ski School". During the winter of 1949–1950, the school was redesignated as a Command Establishment and renamed as the "Winter Warfare School". On 8 April 1962, it was upgraded to a Category A Training Establishment and adopted its current name.