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Battle of Chawinda

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Battle of Chawinda
Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
DateActual battle :September 6, 1965 – September 22, 1965
Location
Chawinda, Pakistan
Result Decisive Pakistani Victory
Belligerents
 India  Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
P.O Dunn Tikka Khan
Strength
1,700 tanks
80,000 infantry initial
150,000 end of battle		 600 tanks 30,000 infantry
1000 Tanks and 110,000 infantry end of battle

The Battle of Chawinda was a tank battle, fought as part of the Sialkot Campaign in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

The Forces

General Dunn, the Commander of I Corps Indian Army was given an assortment of troops: 1 Armoured division, 6 Mountain division, 14 division and 26 division. The Pakistani force expected to oppose the Indian thrust consisted of the 15 Division, 6 Armoured Division and 4 Corps Artillery. Later reinforcements included 8th Infantry Division and 1 Armoured Division. This battle was one of the largest tank battles since the Battle of Kursk in World War II.

The Battle

File:ChawindaBattel.jpg
The Battle of Chawinda was biggest tank battle since the Battle of Kursk in World War II
File:War Monument sialkot.jpg
A war monument in Sialkot in memory of Battle of Chawinda

The Indians succeeded in establishing a bridgehead in Pakistani territory on the night of 6/7 December, but they were unopposed until they broke out of the bridgehead on the 8th. Fighting around the Gadgor village between the Indian 1 Armoured division and the Pakistani 25th Cavalry Regiment, resulted in the Indian advance being stopped. The Indians resumed their attacks on the 10th with multiple corps sized assaults and succeeded in pushing the Pakistani forces back to their base at Chawinda, where they were stopped. A Pakistani counterattack at Phillorah was badly mauled, and the Pakistani's settled in defensive positions. The Pakistani position at this point was highly perilous, the Indians outnumbered them by ten to one.

However the Pakistani position improved as reinforcements were brought in, consisting of two independent brigades from Kashmir, the 8th Infantry Division, and most crucially, their 1st Armoured Division. For the next several days Indian attacks on Chawinda were checked by the Pakistani forces. A large assault on the 18th of September involving India's 1st Armoured and 6th Mountain Divisions was unceremoniously repelled with the Armoured Division being mauled and being taken out of action, while the 6th lay disintegrated in front of Pakistani defences. The Indians withdrew back to a defensive position near their original bridgehead.

The Pakistanis followed up these actions by launching Operation Windup, which forced the Indians back across the international border for the most part, however the coming of the ceasefire meant that the Indians still managed to retain some territory.

Results

The Indian Army had failed to achieve many of their objectives, which was to capture Sialkot and thus cut the main Grand Trunk Road, splitting Pakistan in two. In the process, they had seen their most powerful formations destroyed, despite having strategic surprise and a superiority in men and material. Their only gain was a few square kilometers of territory around the original bridgehead. The result of Chawinda battle showed Pakistan was victorious over a much larger India.

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