Battle of Asal Uttar: Difference between revisions
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|caption=Captured Pakistani tanks on display near Bhilwind, India |
|caption=Captured Pakistani tanks on display near Bhilwind, India |
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|conflict=Battle of |
|conflict=Battle of Khem Karan |
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|partof=[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] |
|partof=[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] |
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|date=[[September 8]] – [[September |
|date=[[September 8]] – [[September 23]], [[1965]] |
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|place=Asal Uttar ([[Punjab, India]]) |
|place=Asal Uttar ([[Punjab, India]]) |
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|result=Stalemate. |
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|result=Decisive Indian victory. Almost complete destruction of Pakistani Armor. |
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|combatant1=[[Pakistan]] |
|combatant1=[[Pakistan]] |
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|combatant2=[[India]] |
|combatant2=[[India]] |
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|commander1= |
|commander1=AH Khan |
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|commander2= |
|commander2=Gurbaksh Singh |
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|strength1= |
|strength1=50,000 maximum, 20,000 at the end |
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|strength2=50,000 |
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|strength2=45 [[Centurion tank|Centurions]],<br> 45 [[Sherman tank|Shermans]],<br> 45 [[AMX-13]] |
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|casualties1= |
|casualties1= 50 tanks |
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|casualties2= |
|casualties2=30 tanks |
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|}} |
|}} |
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[[Image:Pattonb.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Pakistan's tanks on display at "Patton Nagar" in [[Khemkaran]]. Most of these tanks were captured or abandoned in and around Asal Uttar.]] |
[[Image:Pattonb.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Pakistan's tanks on display at "Patton Nagar" in [[Khemkaran]]. Most of these tanks were captured or abandoned in and around Asal Uttar.]] |
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The '''Battle of Khem Karan''' was part of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]. It was fought from [[September 8]] through [[September 23]], [[1965]], when the [[Pakistan Army]] thrust its [[tank]]s and [[infantry]] into [[India]]n territory. Within 36 hours the forces (consisting of 1 Armoured Division and 11 Infantry Division) had managed to capture the Indian town of Khem Karan and drive the defenders away. Further attacks made by elements of 1 Armoured Division, were repelled mainly around the town of Asal Uttar where the Indians managed to destroy or capture 40 Pakistani tanks, for about 30 of their own <ref>Brian Cloughy, A History of Pakistan Army, Wars and Insurrections, Third Edition, ISBN 13:978-0-19-547334-6</ref>, aided mainly by the flooding of the area which bogged the tanks down and the fact that Pakistanis rushed head long into a classical killing field without infantry or artillery support <ref>US Foreign Country Intelligence Document 1966</ref> The Pakistanis then fell back to Khem Karan, and were given a further blow when the 1 Armoured Division was given orders to redeploy to Sialkot sector where it would fight the [[Battle of Chawinda]], leaving the newly formed 11 Infantry Division (which had been created a few months before the war by bringing about reservists and units from other formations)to face the Indian attacks. As it was the Division withstood multiple Indian attacks led by that nation's 4th Mountain Division <ref>Battle Honours of the Indian Army ISBN: 8170941156</ref>, the last on the last night before the ceasefire and Khem Karan remained in Pakistani hands until the end of the war. |
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The '''Battle of Asal Uttar''' ([[Hindi]]: ''Battle of Fitting Reply'') was one of the most decisive battles fought during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]. It was fought from [[September 8]] through [[September 10]], [[1965]], when the [[Pakistan Army]] thrust its [[tank]]s and [[infantry]] into [[India]]n territory. After three days of bitter fighting, the battle ended in a victory for the Indians, thanks to the conditions of the plains. It remains one of the largest [[tank battle]]s fought since [[World War II]]. |
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==Comments== |
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''The men of 1 Armoured Division felt that they had let the side down.''<ref>Gul Hasan Khan,'' A Memoir'' (1993)</ref> |
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Pakistan's invading force, consisting of 1 Armoured Division and 11 Infantry Division, had managed to capture the Indian town of Khem Karan. After the seizure, the Indian Army regrouped and repelled further attacks made by the Pakistani troops and were able to destroy or capture several Pakistani tanks while loosing 10 of their own. Indian troops had flooded the area which bogged the Pakistani tanks down, making them sitting ducks. The Pakistanis then fell back to Khem Karan, and were given a further blow when the 1 Armoured Division was given orders to redeploy to the [[Sialkot]] sector where it would fight the [[Battle of Chawinda]], leaving the newly formed 11 Infantry Division to face the Indian counter-offensive. |
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''"This [4th] Division tarnished its name again when a divisional attack on September 21/22 to capture Khem Karan failed miserably."''<ref>Battle Honours of the Indian Army ISBN: 8170941156</ref> |
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==Losses== |
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India had its largest haul of Pakistani tanks during this battle. At the end of the war, the Fourth Indian Division .a.k.a. "The Fighting Fourth" along with the 2 Armoured Brigade had captured about 97 tanks in destroyed, damaged or intact condition. This included 72 Patton tanks and 25 Chafees and Shermans. 32 of the 97 tanks, including 28 Pattons, were in running condition.<ref name=brpatton>[http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Patton2.html Patton Nagar] - www.bharat-rakshak.com</ref> |
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==Famous Participants== |
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Indian losses in Khem Karan sector for the whole war were 32 tanks.<ref name=brpatton /> Roughly about fifteen of them were captured by the Pakistan Army, mostly Sherman tanks. Only ten of these occurred during the battle. |
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*[[Pervez Musharraf]], later Army Chief of Staff and [[President of Pakistan]], participated in this battle as a [[lieutenant]] of artillery in the 16 (SP) Field Regiment, 1st Armored Division Artillery. |
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==Conclusion== |
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| ⚫ | *[[Abdul Hamid (soldier)|Abdul Hamid]] being honoured with the [[Param Vir Chakra]], India's highest military award, for having knocked out two enemy tanks with a [[recoilless gun]].<ref>[http://indianarmy.nic.in/PVC/photo_6.htm The Param Vir Chakra Winners' home page for Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid]</ref> |
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As the day ended, the Pakistani First Armoured Division was devastated. India won the battle, which was one of the turning points of the war. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Patton2.html Pictures of the ''Patton Nagar''] |
* [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Patton2.html Pictures of the ''Patton Nagar''] |
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*[http://ispr.gov.pk/Multimedia/1965/images/9%20k_jpg.jpg Pakistani High Command outside Khem Karan Railway Station] |
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*[http://www.ispr.gov.pk/Multimedia/1965/images/5%20d_jpg.jpg Pakistan soldier poses next to a marker symbolising the fall of Khem Karan] |
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[[Category:Battles of the Indo-Pakistan Wars|Asal Uttar]] |
[[Category:Battles of the Indo-Pakistan Wars|Asal Uttar]] |
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Revision as of 11:13, 31 December 2007
| Battle of Khem Karan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Pakistan | India | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| AH Khan | Gurbaksh Singh | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 50,000 maximum, 20,000 at the end | 50,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 50 tanks | 30 tanks | ||||||
The Battle of Khem Karan was part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was fought from September 8 through September 23, 1965, when the Pakistan Army thrust its tanks and infantry into Indian territory. Within 36 hours the forces (consisting of 1 Armoured Division and 11 Infantry Division) had managed to capture the Indian town of Khem Karan and drive the defenders away. Further attacks made by elements of 1 Armoured Division, were repelled mainly around the town of Asal Uttar where the Indians managed to destroy or capture 40 Pakistani tanks, for about 30 of their own [1], aided mainly by the flooding of the area which bogged the tanks down and the fact that Pakistanis rushed head long into a classical killing field without infantry or artillery support [2] The Pakistanis then fell back to Khem Karan, and were given a further blow when the 1 Armoured Division was given orders to redeploy to Sialkot sector where it would fight the Battle of Chawinda, leaving the newly formed 11 Infantry Division (which had been created a few months before the war by bringing about reservists and units from other formations)to face the Indian attacks. As it was the Division withstood multiple Indian attacks led by that nation's 4th Mountain Division [3], the last on the last night before the ceasefire and Khem Karan remained in Pakistani hands until the end of the war.
Comments
The men of 1 Armoured Division felt that they had let the side down.[4]
"This [4th] Division tarnished its name again when a divisional attack on September 21/22 to capture Khem Karan failed miserably."[5]
Famous Participants
- Pervez Musharraf, later Army Chief of Staff and President of Pakistan, participated in this battle as a lieutenant of artillery in the 16 (SP) Field Regiment, 1st Armored Division Artillery.
- Abdul Hamid being honoured with the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military award, for having knocked out two enemy tanks with a recoilless gun.[6]
References
- ^ Brian Cloughy, A History of Pakistan Army, Wars and Insurrections, Third Edition, ISBN 13:978-0-19-547334-6
- ^ US Foreign Country Intelligence Document 1966
- ^ Battle Honours of the Indian Army ISBN: 8170941156
- ^ Gul Hasan Khan, A Memoir (1993)
- ^ Battle Honours of the Indian Army ISBN: 8170941156
- ^ The Param Vir Chakra Winners' home page for Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid
Resources
- 1965 Official War History, Ministry of Defence, Government of India
- Pakistan Military Consortium
- The Battle of Assal Uttar: Pakistan and India 1965 - ORBAT
