The Scarlet Sword by H. E. Bates
In Kashmir, a small expatriate community seek shelter from the fighting in a Catholic mission. But the tribesmen who sweep down from the hills are bent on rape and massacre. And the mission is in their path. For ten days, the inhabitants suffer occupation, before finally being liberated by the British Army. But even when surrounded by chaos and senseless destruction they still manage to find hope - in God, in action, in each other.