Battle of Chawinda: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Battle in the Indo–Pakistani War of 1965}} |
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{{pp-semi-vandalism|expiry=February 5, 2009|small=yes}} |
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{{pp-extended|small=yes}} |
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{{Infobox Military Conflict |
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{{Use British English|date=October 2012}} |
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|conflict=Battle of Chawinda |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} |
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|partof=[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
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|date= Actual battle :[[September 6]], [[1965]] – [[September 22]], [[1965]] |
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| width = 380px |
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|place='''Chawinda''', [[Pakistan]] |
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| image = File:Sculpture showing Indo-Pak war.jpg |
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|result= Decisive Pakistani Victory |
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| image_size = 300px |
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|combatant1={{IND}} |
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| caption = Sculpture showing the Indo-Pakistani War |
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|combatant2={{PAK}} |
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{{clear}} |
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|commander1=P.O Dunn |
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{{OSM Location map |
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|commander2= Tikka Khan |
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| coord = {{coord|32.3|N|74.7|E}} <!-- Map center --> |
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|strength1=1,700 tanks<br/>80,000 infantry initial<br/>150,000 end of battle |
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| float = center |
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|strength2=600 tanks 30,000 infantry<br/>1000 Tanks and 110,000 infantry end of battle }} |
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| zoom = 8 |
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| width = 290 <!-- width and height of the frame. numeric input - do not add px --> |
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| height = 300 |
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| caption = {{center|Chawinda and surroundings}} |
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| nolabels = 1 |
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| minimap = |
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| mini-file = |
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| mini-width = |
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| mini-height = |
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| minipog-x = |
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| minipog-y = |
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| scalemark = |
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| shape = |
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| map-data-light = Q6754702 |
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<!-- Marala Headworks --> |
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| mark-coord1 = {{Coord|32|40|24|N|74|27|50|E}} |
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| mark1 = Blue pog.svg |
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| mark-size1 = 7 |
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| label1 = Marala Headworks |
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| label-size1 = 10 |
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| label-color1 = blue |
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| label-pos1 = top |
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| mark-title1 = [[Marala Headworks]] |
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| mark-description1 = Beginning of the Marala Ravi Link Canal |
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<!-- Maral-Ravi Link Canal 1 --> |
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| mark-coord2 = {{coord|32.3746|N|74.4153|E}} |
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| mark2 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg |
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| mark-size2 = 10 |
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| label2 = MRL |
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| label-size2 = 10 |
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| label-color2 = blue |
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| label-pos2 = right |
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| mark-title2 = Marala-Ravi Link Canal |
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| mark-description2 = Stated objective of the Indian campaign |
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<!-- Maral-Ravi Link Canal 2 --> |
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| mark-coord3 = {{coord|32.2308|N|74.6031|E}} |
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| mark3 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg |
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| mark-size3 = 10 |
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| label3 = MRL |
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| label-size3 = 10 |
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| label-color3 = blue |
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| label-pos3 = right |
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| mark-title3 = Marala-Ravi Link Canal |
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| mark-description3 = Stated objective of the Indian campaign |
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<!-- Ravi river --> |
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| mark-coord4 = {{coord|31.89798|N|74.62616|E}} |
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| mark4 = Blue pog.svg |
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| mark-size4 = 7 |
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| label4 = Ravi river |
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| label-size4 = 10 |
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| label-color4 = blue |
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| label-pos4 = right |
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| mark-title4 = Ravi river |
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| mark-description4 = Bottom of the Marala Ravi Link Canal |
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<!-- Sialkot --> |
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| mark-coord5 = {{Coord|32|29|33|N|74|31|52|E}} |
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| mark5 = Red pog.svg |
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| mark-size5 = 8 |
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| label5 = Sialkot |
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| label-size5 = 10 |
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| label-color5 = black |
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| label-pos5 = bottom |
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| mark-title5 = [[Sialkot]] |
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| mark-description5 = [[Sialkot]] |
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<!-- Wazirabad --> |
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| mark-coord6 = {{Coord|32.4417427|74.1182117}} |
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| mark6 = Red pog.svg |
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| mark-size6 = 8 |
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| label6 = Wazirabad |
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| label-size6 = 10 |
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| label-color6 = black |
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| label-pos6 = bottom |
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| mark-title6 = [[Wazirabad]] |
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| mark-description6 = Town in Pakistani Punjab on the [[Grand Trunk Road]] |
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<!-- Gujranwala --> |
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| mark-coord7 = {{Coord|32|9|24|N|74|11|24|E}} |
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| mark7 = Red pog.svg |
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| mark-size7 = 8 |
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| label7 = Gujranwala |
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| label-size7 = 10 |
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| label-color7 = black |
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| label-pos7 = bottom |
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| mark-title7 = [[Gujranwala]] |
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| mark-description7 = [[Gujranwala]] |
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<!-- Chawinda --> |
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| mark-coord8 = {{coord|32.3495|N|74.7075|E}} |
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| mark8 = Red pog.svg |
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| mark-size8 = 7 |
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| label8 = Chawinda |
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| label-size8 = 10 |
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| label-color8 = black |
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| label-pos8 = bottom |
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| mark-title8 = Chawinda |
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| mark-description8 = Chawinda |
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<!-- Akhnur --> |
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| mark-coord10 = {{coord|32.9019451|74.7347398}} |
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| mark10 = Red pog.svg |
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| mark-size10 = 7 |
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| label10 = Akhnur |
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| label-size10 = 10 |
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| label-color10 = black |
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| label-pos10 = right |
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| mark-title10 = [[Akhnur]] |
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| mark-description10 = Town in Indian-administered Kashmir, the target of Pakistan's [[Operation Grand Slam]] |
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<!-- Jammu --> |
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| mark-coord11 = {{coord|32.73|N|74.87|E}} |
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| mark11 = Red pog.svg |
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| mark-size11 = 9 |
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| label11 = Jammu |
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| label-size11 = 10 |
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| label-color11 = black |
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| label-pos11 = right |
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| mark-title11 = [[Jammu]] |
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| mark-description11 = City in Indian-administered Kashmir |
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<!-- Samba --> |
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| mark-coord12 = {{coord|32.57|N|75.12|E}} |
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| mark12 = Red pog.svg |
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| mark-size12 = 8 |
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| label12 = Samba |
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| label-size12 = 10 |
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| label-color12 = black |
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| label-pos12 = right |
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| mark-title12 = [[Samba, Jammu and Kashmir|Samba]] |
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| mark-description12 = Town in Indian-administered Kashir, the base for the 1st Armoured Division |
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<!-- Degh river --> |
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| mark-coord13 = {{coord|32.3863|74.8988}} |
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| mark13 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg |
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| mark-size13 = 10 |
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| label13 = Degh |
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| label-size13 = 10 |
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| label-color13 = blue |
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| label-pos13 = right |
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| mark-title13 = Degh river |
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| mark-description13 = |
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}} |
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| conflict = Battle of Chawinda |
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| partof = the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] |
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| map_type = Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan |
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| coordinates = {{coord|32|23|03|N|74|43|30|E|type:event|display=inline}} |
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| map_caption = Location of [[Chawinda]] in [[Punjab, Pakistan|Pakistani Punjab]]##Location of [[Chawinda]] in [[Pakistan]] |
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| map_label = Chawinda |
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| date = 14 September 1965,<br />18–19 September 1965<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=9|day1=18|year1=1965|month2=9|day2=19|year2=1965}})<ref name="Jogindar Singh"> |
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{{cite book |author1=Jogindar Singh |title=Behind the Scene: An Analysis of India's Military Operations, 1947–1971 |year=1993 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=1-897829-20-5 |pages=217–219 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toheLRVgjLsC&pg=PA217 |access-date=12 January 2015}} |
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</ref>{{sfn|Chakravorty|1992a}}<ref name="Abrar Hussain"> |
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{{cite book |author1=Abrar Hussain |title=Men of Steel: 6 Armored Division in the 1965 War |date=2005 |publisher=Army Education Publishing House |isbn=969-8125-19-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BvttAAAAMAAJ |pages=36–52}} |
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</ref>{{sfn|Nawaz|2008|pp=227–230}}{{sfn|Krishna Rao|1991}} |
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| place = [[Chawinda]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]] |
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| result = Inconclusive<ref> |
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Sources assessing stalemate: |
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* {{cite book |title=Origins of Political Extremism: Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century and Beyond |author=Manus I. Midlarsky |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2011 |page=256 |isbn=978-1139500777 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N1WwvQYawZEC&pg=PA256}}: "Several major tank battles would be fought, one at Khem Karan in Punjab yielding a major Pakistani defeat, and another at Chawinda involving over 600 tanks, the outcome of which was inconclusive." |
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* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kNzCDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA600 |title=Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015|edition=4th |first=Micheal |last=Clodfelter |date=2017 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1476625850 |page=600}}: "Up to 600 tanks were engaged in the battle, primarily fought around Phillora and Chawinda, September 11–12, but the results were indecisive, largely because neither side properly supported their armor with infantry units." |
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* {{citation |title=The India-Paktstan War – A summary account |first=Zubeida |last=Hasan |journal=Pakistan Horizon |volume=18 |number=4 |date=Fourth Quarter 1965 |pages=344–356 |jstor=41393247}}: "After a few days of intense fighting, in which each side claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the other, the war reached a stalemate on this front." |
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</ref> |
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| combatant1 = {{flag|Pakistan}} |
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| combatant2 = {{flag|India}} |
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| commander1 = {{plainlist| |
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* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} [[Bakhtiar Rana]] |
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* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} [[Abrar Hussain (General)|Abrar Hussain]]{{efn|"[Abrar Hussain] had fought in the World War II and won the [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] due to his bravery as a young army lieutenant. Later in the 1965 War, he was awarded the gallantry award, [[Hilal-i-Jurat]], for leading an infantry brigade as part of the 6th Armoured Division that fought the famous tank battle with the Indian Army at Chawinda in Sialkot and halted the advance of the invading Indian troops in Pakistan’s territory."{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}}} |
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* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Sardar M. Ismail |
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* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} [[Amjad Ali Chaudhri|Amjad Chaudhry]] |
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* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} S. M. Hussain |
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* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Abdul Ali Malik |
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* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Muzzafaruddin |
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* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Nisar Ahmed Khan |
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}} |
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<!-- Commenting out: What does "Later" mean? --> |
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<!-- ---- --> |
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<!-- '''Later''': {{plainlist| -\-> --> |
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<!-- * {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Maj. Gen. [[Tikka Khan]] --> |
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<!-- * {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Maj. Gen. Sahibzada Yaqub Ali Khan -->| commander2 = {{plainlist| |
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*{{flagicon|India|army}} [[Harbakhsh Singh]] |
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*{{flagicon|India|army}} [[Patrick Dunn (Indian Army general)|Patrick Dunn]] |
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*{{flagicon|India|army}} Rajinder Singh |
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*{{flagicon|India|army}} [[Siri Kanth Korla|S.K. Korla]] |
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*{{flagicon|India|army}} M. L. Thapan |
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*{{flagicon|India|army}} [[Ardeshir Tarapore]]{{KIA}} |
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}} |
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| units1 = '''[[I Corps (Pakistan)|Pakistan's I Corps]]'''<br/>''Cavalry units'': {{plainlist| |
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* [[Guides Cavalry|10th Cavalry]] (44x [[M48 Patton]]s) |
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* [[11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force)|11th Cavalry]] (44x M48 Pattons) |
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* 22nd Cavalry (44x M48 Pattons) |
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* 25th Cavalry (44x M48 Pattons) |
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* 33rd TDU Sqdn. (15x [[M4 Sherman|Shermans]]) |
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* [[19th King George's Own Lancers|19th Lancers]] (44x M48 Pattons) |
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}} |
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| units2 = '''[[I Corps (India)|India's I Corps]]'''<br/>''Cavalry units'':{{sfn|Zaloga|1980|p=19}}<ref name="Barua 191">{{harvnb|Barua|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA191 191]}}</ref> {{plainlist| |
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* [[4th Duke of Cambridge's Own Hodson's Horse|4th Horse]] (45x [[Centurion (tank)|Centurions]]) |
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* [[Poona Horse|17th Poona]] (45x Centurions) |
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* [[16th Light Cavalry|16th Cavalry]] (45x Centurions) |
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* 2nd Lancers (45x [[M4 Sherman|Shermans]]) |
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* 62nd Cavalry (45x Shermans) |
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}} |
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| strength1 = {{plainlist| |
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* 30,000–50,000 infantry |
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* 132 tanks {{small|(plus reinforcements)}}<ref> |
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{{Cite web |last=Philip |first=Snehesh Alex |date=2019-08-12 |title=How Pakistani Lt Col Nisar Ahmed won over Indian peers after stalling their advance in 1965 |url=https://theprint.in/india/how-pakistani-lt-col-nisar-ahmed-won-over-indian-peers-after-stalling-their-advance-in-1965/275748/ |access-date=2020-11-28 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}} |
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</ref> |
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}} |
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| strength2 = {{plainlist| |
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* 80,000–150,000 infantry |
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* 260 tanks<ref name=MajorAH> |
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{{cite web |last=Amin |first=Major A.H. |title=Battle of Chawinda Comedy of Higher Command Errors |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/mar/chawinda.htm |work=Military historian |publisher=Defence journal(pakistan) |access-date=12 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719144243/http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/mar/chawinda.htm |archive-date=19 July 2011 |url-status=dead}} |
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</ref> |
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}} |
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| casualties1 = {{plainlist| |
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* '''Tank losses:''' |
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** ''Neutral claims:'' 60<ref name=Clodfelter> |
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{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kNzCDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA600 |title=Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015|edition= 4th |first=Micheal |last=Clodfelter |date=2017 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1476625850 |page=600}} |
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</ref> |
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** ''Indian claims:'' 155{{sfn|Chakravorty|1992a|p=221}}<br/>(144 put out, 11 captured) |
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** ''Pakistani claims:'' 44{{sfn|Zaloga|1980|p=35}} |
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}} |
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| casualties2 = {{plainlist| |
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* '''Tank losses:''' |
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** ''Neutral claims:'' 100<ref name=Clodfelter/> |
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** ''Indian claims:'' 70{{sfn|Chakravorty|1992a|p=221}}<br/>(29 destroyed, 41 damaged) |
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** ''Pakistani claims:'' 120{{sfn|Zaloga|1980|p=35}} |
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}} |
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| territory = |
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}} |
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{{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani War of 1965}} |
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{{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani Wars}} |
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The '''Battle of Chawinda''' was a |
The '''Battle of Chawinda''' was a major engagement between [[Pakistan]] and [[India]] in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Second Kashmir War]]{{efn|It is also called the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]].}} as part of the [[Sialkot District|Sialkot]] campaign. It is well known as being one of the largest [[tank]] battles in history since the [[Battle of Kursk]], which was fought between the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Nazi Germany]] in [[World War II]].<ref name="Haskew2015"> |
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{{cite book |author=Michael E. Haskew |title=Tank: 100 Years of the World's Most Important Armored Military Vehicle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8JQCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA201 |year= 2015 |publisher=Voyageur Press |isbn=978-0-7603-4963-2 |pages=201–}} |
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</ref> |
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The initial clashes in [[Chawinda]] coincided with the [[Battle of Phillora]], and the fighting here intensified once the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani forces]] at Phillora retreated. The battle came to an end shortly before the [[United Nations Security Council]] mandated an immediate [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965#Ceasefire|ceasefire]], which would formally end the hostilities of the 1965 war.{{sfn|Pradhan|2007}}<ref name="GlobalSecurity.org - Indo-Pakistan War of 1965"> |
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==The forces== |
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{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/indo-pak_1965.htm |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |title=Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 |access-date=2012-06-02}} |
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General Dunn, the commander of I Corps [[Indian Army]] was given an assortment of units: 1 Armoured Division, 6 Mountain Division, 14 Division and 26 Division. The Pakistani force expected to oppose the Indian thrust consisted of 15 Division, 6 Armoured Division(equivalent to armoured brigade group) and 4 Corps Artillery. Later reinforcements included 8 Infantry Division and 1 Armoured Division. |
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</ref> |
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== Sialkot campaign == |
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==The Battle== |
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The Sialkot campaign was part of the strategy of [[riposte]] that India had devised to counter Pakistan's advances into [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] (J&K).<ref name=MajorAH/> It called for relieving Jammu by advancing from either [[Samba, Jammu and Kashmir|Samba]] (in J&K) or [[Dera Baba Nanak]] (in Indian Punjab) with a view to encircling the city of [[Sialkot]] along the [[Marala–Ravi Link Canal]] (MRL).<ref name="Barua 190">{{harvnb|Barua|2005|p=190}}</ref>{{sfn|Singh|2013|loc=Part 1, paragraphs 32–33}}{{efn|Pakistani military has long held a theory that the Indian objective was to cut the [[Grand Trunk Road]] at [[Wazirabad]]. The Grand Trunk Road is a major north–south highway that links, for example, Islamabad and Lahore.{{sfn|Bajwa|2013|pp=254–255}}{{sfn|Krishna Rao|1991|p=129}} Some western military analysts also reproduce this theory.{{sfn|Zaloga|1980|pp=22–23}}}} |
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[[Image:ChawindaBattel.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Pakistani troops at ease.]] |
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[[Image:War Monument sialkot.jpg|200px|right|thumb|A war monument in [[Sialkot]] in memory of the Battle of Chawinda]] |
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The inability of the Indian Army to vault the BRB Canal stalemated the Lahore front. The Indians turned their attention to the main thrust, called Operation 'Nepal', in the Sialkot sector. The aim of the attack was to seize the key Grand Trunk Road around Wazirabad. The striking force of the Indian 1st Corps was the 1st Armoured Division supported by the 14th Infantry and 6thh Mountain divisions. The infantry seized the border area on 7 September: realising the threat, the Pakistani rushed two regiments of their 6th Armoured Division from Chhamb to the Sialkot sector to support the Pakistani 7th Infantry Division there. These units, plus an independent tank destroyer squadron, amounted to 135 tanks; 24 M47 and M48 Pattons, about 15 M36B1s and the remainder Shermans. The majority of the Pattons belonged to the new 25th Cavalry commanded by Lt. Col. Nisar, which was sent to the Chawinda area. Fighting around the Gadgor village between the Indian 1 Armoured division and the Pakistani 25th Cavalry Regiment resulted in the Indian advance being stopped. |
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The canal starts from the Marala Headworks on the [[Chenab River]] close to Pakistan's border with J&K, and runs to the west and south of Sialkot, eventually draining into the [[Ravi River]] near the town of Narang Mandi. |
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The Indian plan was to drive a wedge between Sialkot and the 6th Armoured Division, which it believed was stationed around Chawinda. In fact there was only a single regiment there at the time. The Indian 1st Armoured Division's drive quickly divided, with the 43rd Lorried Infantry Brigade supported by a tank regiment attacking Gat, while the main blow of the 1st Armoured Brigade was hurled against Phillaura. Pakistani air attacks caused moderate damage to the tank columns, but exacted a heavier toll on the lorry columns and infantry. The terrain features of the area were very different from those around Lahore, being quite dusty, and the approach of the Indian attack was evident to the 25th Cavalry by the rising dust columns on the Charwah-Phillaura road. |
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The GOC Western Command Gen. [[Harbakhsh Singh]] favoured launching the campaign from Dera Baba Nanak using the [[1st Armoured Division (India)|1st Armoured Division]]. But he was overridden by the Chief of Army Staff Gen. [[J. N. Chaudhuri]], who created a new [[I Corps (India)|I Corps]] under the command of Lt. Gen. Pat Dunn for the purpose. It would operate from Samba.{{sfn|Pradhan|2007|pp=49–50}} |
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Gen. Dunn was given an assortment of units. In addition to the [[1st Armoured Division (India)|1st Armoured Division]] under Maj. Gen. Rajinder Singh, he had:{{sfn|Pradhan|2007|p=50}}{{sfn|Bajwa|2013|pp=252–253}} |
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The Indians resumed their attacks on 10 September 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 Pakistanis settled in defensive positions. The Pakistani position at this point was highly perilous, the Indians outnumbered them by ten to one. |
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* the 6th Mountain Division under Maj. Gen. [[Siri Kanth Korla|S. K. Korla]] |
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* the 14th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. Ranjeet Singh and |
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* the 26th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. M. L. Thapan. |
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The new corps was still in the process of formation when the hostilities broke out in September 1965. Some of the units were also under-strength because of their forces being tied up elsewhere.{{sfn|Chakravorty|1992a|p=194}} According to the Indian official history, the force contained 11 infantry brigades and 6 tank regiments.{{sfn|Chakravorty|1992a|p=223}}{{efn|However, the history lists only 5 tank regiments in the composition: 4 Horse, 16 Cav, 17 Horse, 2 Lancers and 62 Cav.{{sfn|Chakravorty|1992a|p=194}}}} |
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=== Pakistani defence === |
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However, the Pakistani situation improved as reinforcements arrived, consisting of two independent brigades from Kashmir, 8 Infantry Division, and most crucially, their 1 Armoured Division. For the next several days, Indian attacks on Chawinda were checked. A large assault on 18 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. |
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[[File: Brigadier Niazi in Battle of Chawinda, 1965.jpg|[[A. A. K. Niazi|Brigadier Niazi]], (3rd from right) observing a map|thumb]] |
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The Pakistani forces opposing the Indian thrust were part of [[I Corps (Pakistan)|Pakistan's I Corps]] under Lt. Gen. [[Bakhtiar Rana]]. Included in it were:{{sfn|Bajwa|2013|pp=253–254}} |
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* the [[6th Armoured Division (Pakistan)|6th Armoured Division]] commanded by Maj. Gen. [[Abrar Hussain (general)|Abrar Hussain]], |
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* the 4th Artillery Corps under Brig. Amjad Ali Khan Chaudhury (affiliated to the 6th Armoured Division), and |
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* the 15th Infantry Division under Brig. S. M. Ismail. |
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The 15th Infantry Division was a mixed infantry and armour force, with four pairs of a brigade and an armoured regiment each. However, only one out of the four pairs (the 24th Brigade and 25th Cavalry) was in the conflict area when the Indian campaign started.{{sfn|Bajwa|2013|pp=253–254}} They were based in and around Chawinda. The 24th Brigade was commanded by Brig. Abdul Ali Malik and the 25th Cavalry was led by Lt. Col. Nisar Ahmed Khan.{{sfn|Nawaz|2008|pp=224, 225}} |
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The 6th Armoured Division, normally based at [[Gujranwala]], was moved to [[Pasrur]] in preparation for the war.<ref>{{harvnb|Nawaz|2008|p=224}}: "When news of the Indian attack came, he was told to move his troops to Pasrur on the night of 6/7 September as reserve for the 1 Corps. The move occurred during the night. Then at midnight, the division’s staff were told to return to their previous position around Gujranwala by 05:00 hours on 7 September! ... GHQ seemed to be making decisions quite arbitrarily."</ref> It had three cavalry regiments: [[Guides Cavalry|10th Cavalry]] (also called the Guides Cavalry), the [[22nd Cavalry (Pakistan)|22nd Cavalry]] and the [[11th Cavalry (Frontier Force)|11th Cavalry]].{{sfn|Higgins|2016|p=46}}<ref>{{harvnb|Bajwa|2013|pp=253–254}}. Bajwa does not list 11th Cavalry as being part of the 6th Armoured Division. But it is said to have came under its command from 8 September.</ref> The 11th Cavalry, along with the 4th Artillery Corps, was in Chamb as part of [[Operation Grand Slam]] when the operations started. The units were recalled and deployed in the vicinity of [[Battle of Phillora|Phillora]] by 8 September. |
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The Pakistanis followed up by launching [[Operation Windup]], which forced the Indians back across the international border for the most part, though the coming of the ceasefire meant that the Indians still managed to retain some territory. |
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Later reinforcements included the 8th Infantry Division and 1st Armoured Division.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} |
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==Results== |
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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. The Indian Army lost more than 120 tanks in this battle. Their only gain was a few square kilometers of territory around the original bridgehead. |
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==The battle== |
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The main striking force of the [[Indian Army|Indian]] [[I Corps (India)|I Corps]] was the [[1st Armoured Division (India)|1st Armoured Division]], which was supported by the 14th Infantry and 6th Mountain divisions. [[Indian Armed Forces|Indian forces]] seized the [[India–Pakistan border|border]] area on 7 September 1965. This was followed by a short engagement at Jassoran in which the Pakistanis suffered losses in the form of about 10 tanks, consequently ensuring complete Indian dominance over the Sialkot-Pasrur railway.<ref name="Gupta_1965">{{cite book |title=India-Pakistan war, 1965, Volume 1 |last=Gupta |first=Hari Ram |year=1946 |publisher=Haryana Prakashan, 1967 |pages=181–182 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.111576/page/n209/mode/2up |via=archive.org}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2021}} |
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Realizing the severe threat posed by the Indians in Sialkot, the Pakistanis rushed two regiments of the [[6th Armoured Division (Pakistan)|6th Armoured Division]] from Chamb, Indian-administered [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] (located today in Pakistani-administered [[Azad Kashmir|Azad Jammu and Kashmir]]) to the [[Sialkot District|Sialkot sector]] to support the Pakistani [[7th Infantry Division (Pakistan)|7th Infantry Division]] fighting there. These units, supported by an independent tank destroyer [[Squadron (army)|squadron]], amounted to about 135 tanks; 24 [[M47 Patton|M47]] and [[M48 Patton]]s, about 15 M36B1s and the rest [[M4 Sherman|Shermans]]. The majority of the [[United States|American]] Pattons belonged to the new 25th Cavalry under the command of [[Lieutenant colonel|Lieutenant Colonel]] Nisar Ahmed Khan, which was sent to [[Chawinda]]. Intense fighting around the village of [[Gadgor]] between the Indian 1st Armoured Division and the Pakistani 25th Cavalry Regiment resulted in the Indian advance being stopped.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} |
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The Indian plan was to drive a wedge between Sialkot and the Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. At the time, only one Pakistani regiment was present in the area, and it was wiped out by the Indian 1st Armoured Division's thrust, spearheaded by the 43rd Lorried Infantry Brigade and a tank regiment attacking Gat. The bulk of the Indian 1st Armoured Brigade was [[Battle of Phillora|hurled towards Phillora]]. [[Pakistan Air Force|Pakistani air attacks]] caused significant damage to the Indian tank columns and exacted a heavy toll on the [[Motorized infantry|truck columns]] and [[infantry]]. The terrain of the area was very different from that of the area surrounding [[Lahore]], being quite dusty, and therefore the Indian offensive's advance was evident to the Pakistani 25th Cavalry by the rising dust columns on the Charwah-Phillora road.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} |
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Indian forces resumed their offensive on 10 September 1965 with multiple [[corps]]-sized assaults and succeeded in pushing the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani forces]] back to their base at Chawinda, where the Indian advance was eventually stopped. A Pakistani counterattack at Phillora was repulsed with heavy losses, after which the Pakistanis took up defensive positions. The situation for the Pakistanis at this point was highly perilous; the Indians outnumbered them ten to one.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} |
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However, the Pakistani situation improved as reinforcements arrived, consisting of two independent [[brigade]]s from [[Kashmir]]: the 8th Infantry Division, and more crucially, the 1st Armoured Division.{{Clarify|reason=two brigades or two divisions?|date=April 2021}} For the next several days, Pakistani forces repulsed Indian attacks on Chawinda. A major Indian assault involving India's 1st Armoured and 6th Mountain divisions on 18 September was repelled, with the Indians suffering heavy losses. Following this, on 21 September, the Indians withdrew to a defensive position near their original bridgehead,{{Where|date=April 2021}} with the retreat of India's advancing divisions, all the offensives were effectively halted on that front.{{sfn|Barua|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA192 192]}} |
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Pakistani [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]] vetoed the proposed counterattack, dubbed "Operation Windup", in light of the Indians' retreat. According to the Pakistani [[commander-in-chief]], the operation was cancelled due to the fact that "both sides had suffered heavy tank losses.… would have been of no strategic importance...." and, above all: "the decision... was politically motivated as by then the [[Government of Pakistan]] had made up their mind to accept [the] ceasefire and foreign-sponsored proposals".<ref name=MajorAH/> |
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==Outcome== |
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[[File:Battle of Chawinda.jpg| Burnt out [[Centurion (tank)|Indian Centurion]] being inspected by Pakistani soldiers|thumb]] |
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The battle has widely been described as one of the largest tank battles since [[World War II]].<ref name="gbook"> |
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{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HESVAgAAQBAJ&q=the+biggest+tank+Battle+of+Chawinda&pg=PA490 |title=Nothing But! Book Three What Price Freedom |page=490 |year=2013 |isbn=978-1482816259 |access-date=19 December 2014 |last1=Bhattacharya |first1=Brigadier Samir|publisher=Partridge }} |
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</ref> On 22 September 1965, the [[United Nations Security Council]] unanimously passed a resolution that called for an immediate and [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965#Ceasefire|unconditional ceasefire from both nations]].{{sfn|Pradhan|2007}}<ref name="Midlarsky"> |
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{{cite book |last=Midlarsky |first=Manus I. |title=Origins of Political Extremism: Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century and Beyond |url=https://archive.org/details/originspolitical00midl |url-access=limited |year=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0521700719 |edition=1st |page=[https://archive.org/details/originspolitical00midl/page/n269 256]}} |
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</ref> The war ended the following day. The international military and economic assistance to both countries had stopped when the war started. [[Pakistan]] had suffered [[Attrition warfare|attrition]] to its military might and serious reverses in the [[Battle of Asal Uttar]] and Chawinda, which made way for its acceptance of the United Nations ceasefire.{{sfn|Krishna Rao|1991}} |
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Following the end of hostilities on 23 September 1965, [[India]] claimed to have held about {{Convert|518|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of Pakistani territory in the [[Sialkot District|Sialkot sector]] (although neutral analyses put the figure at around {{Convert|460|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of territory), including the towns and villages of [[Battle of Phillora|Phillora]], Deoli, Bajragarhi, Suchetgarh, Pagowal, Chaprar, Muhadpur and Tilakpur. These were all returned to Pakistan after the signing of the [[Tashkent Declaration]] in January 1966.{{sfn|Chakravorty|1992b}}<ref name=Harbaksh>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Lt. Gen.Harbaksh |title=War Despatches |year=1991 |publisher=Lancer International |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-7062-117-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p54cAAAAIAAJ |page=159}}</ref>{{sfn|Chakravorty|1992a}} |
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==Published accounts== |
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===Documentaries=== |
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''Battle of Chawinda − Indo Pak War 1965 − Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Tarapore'' (2018) is an Indian [[Television documentary|TV documentary]] which premiered on [[Veer by Discovery|Veer by Discovery India]].<ref name="VeerTV_AsalUttar"> |
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{{cite web |title=Battle of Chawinda -Indo Pak War 1965 - Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Tarapore |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZZjfbyswL0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/wZZjfbyswL0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=Veer by Discovery |access-date=6 May 2018}}{{cbignore}} |
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</ref><ref name="VeerTV"> |
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{{cite news |title=This R-Day, get ready for Discovery channel's 'Battle Ops' |url=http://www.thehindu.com/society/discovery-channels-new-series-battle-ops-on-indias-iconic-military-operations/article22520490.ece |access-date=22 April 2018 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=25 January 2018}} |
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</ref> |
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==Notes== |
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{{notelist}} |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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== Bibliography == |
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* {{citation |last=Bajwa |first=Farooq |title=From Kutch to Tashkent: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5a0NAQAAQBAJ |date=2013 |publisher=Hurst Publishers |isbn=978-1-84904-230-7}} |
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* {{citation |last=Barua |first=Pradeep |title=The State at War in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA190 |year=2005 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |isbn=0-8032-1344-1 |page=190}} |
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* {{citation |last=Chakravorty |first=B. C. |title=History of the Indo-Pak War, 1965 |publisher=Government of India, Ministry of Defence, History Division |year=1992a |chapter=Operations in Sialkot sector |chapter-url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter07.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609073555/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter07.pdf |archive-date=9 June 2011 |url-status=dead}} |
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** {{citation |last=Chakravorty |first=B. C. |title=History of the Indo-Pak War, 1965 |publisher=Government of India, Ministry of Defence, History Division |year=1992b |chapter=War diplomacy, ceasefire, Tashkent |chapter-url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter11.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609073753/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter11.pdf |archive-date=9 June 2011 |url-status=dead}} |
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* {{citation |last=Higgins |first=David R. |title=M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tx_DCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 |year=2016 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4728-1093-9}} |
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* {{citation |last=Kalyanaraman |first=S. |chapter=The sources of military change in India: An analysis of evolving strategies and doctrines towards Pakistan |editor1=Jo Inge Bekkevold |editor2=Ian Bowers |editor3=Michael Raska |title=Security, Strategy and Military Change in the 21st Century: Cross-Regional Perspectives |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20ysCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA96 |year=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-56534-5 |pages=89–114}} |
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* {{citation |last=Krishna Rao |first=K. V. |title=Prepare or Perish: A Study of National Security |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G7xPaJomYsEC&pg=PA59 |year=1991 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-81-7212-001-6}} |
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* {{citation |last=Nawaz |first=Shuja |title=Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKyfAAAAMAAJ |year=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-547660-6}} |
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* {{citation |last=Pradhan |first=R. D. |title=1965 War, the Inside Story: Defence Minister Y.B. Chavan's Diary of India-Pakistan War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymYCJQjEGBUC&pg=PA50 |year=2007 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=978-81-269-0762-5}} |
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* {{citation |last=Singh |first=Lt Gen Harbakhsh |title=War Despatches: Indo–Pak Conflict 1965 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rQknTVv0AT0C |publisher=Lancer Publishers LLC |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-935501-59-6}} |
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* {{citation |first=Steven J. |last=Zaloga |title=The M47 & M48 Patton Tanks |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=London |year=1980 |isbn=0-85045-466-2}} |
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== Further reading == |
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* {{cite book |last=Fricker |first=John |title=Battle for Pakistan: the air war of 1965 |year=1979 |publisher=I. Allan |pages=128 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RPttAAAAMAAJ&q=+chawinda |isbn=978-0-71-100929-5}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/mar/chawinda.htm Battle of Chawinda |
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719144243/http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/mar/chawinda.htm Battle of Chawinda – Comedy of Higher Command Errors] |
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*[http://www.dawn.com/2004/07/12/fea.htm#2 In Memory of Martyrs] (first-hand account of the battle) |
*[http://www.dawn.com/2004/07/12/fea.htm#2 In Memory of Martyrs] (first-hand account of the battle) |
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{{Military of India}} |
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{{Military of Pakistan}} |
{{Military of Pakistan}} |
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{{Tank battles|style=wide}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chawinda 1965}} |
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[[Category:Battles involving India|Chawinda]] |
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[[Category:Battles |
[[Category:Battles of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965]] |
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[[Category:Tank battles involving India]] |
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[[Category:Tank battles involving Pakistan]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:History of Sialkot]] |
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[[Category:1960s in Punjab, India]] |
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[[Category:September 1965 events in Asia]] |
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The Battle of Chawinda was a major engagement between Pakistan and India in the Second Kashmir War[b] as part of the Sialkot campaign. It is well known as being one of the largest tank battles in history since the Battle of Kursk, which was fought between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in World War II.[14]
The initial clashes in Chawinda coincided with the Battle of Phillora, and the fighting here intensified once the Pakistani forces at Phillora retreated. The battle came to an end shortly before the United Nations Security Council mandated an immediate ceasefire, which would formally end the hostilities of the 1965 war.[15][16]
Sialkot campaign
The Sialkot campaign was part of the strategy of riposte that India had devised to counter Pakistan's advances into Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).[10] It called for relieving Jammu by advancing from either Samba (in J&K) or Dera Baba Nanak (in Indian Punjab) with a view to encircling the city of Sialkot along the Marala–Ravi Link Canal (MRL).[17][18][c]
The canal starts from the Marala Headworks on the Chenab River close to Pakistan's border with J&K, and runs to the west and south of Sialkot, eventually draining into the Ravi River near the town of Narang Mandi.
The GOC Western Command Gen. Harbakhsh Singh favoured launching the campaign from Dera Baba Nanak using the 1st Armoured Division. But he was overridden by the Chief of Army Staff Gen. J. N. Chaudhuri, who created a new I Corps under the command of Lt. Gen. Pat Dunn for the purpose. It would operate from Samba.[22]
Gen. Dunn was given an assortment of units. In addition to the 1st Armoured Division under Maj. Gen. Rajinder Singh, he had:[23][24]
- the 6th Mountain Division under Maj. Gen. S. K. Korla
- the 14th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. Ranjeet Singh and
- the 26th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. M. L. Thapan.
The new corps was still in the process of formation when the hostilities broke out in September 1965. Some of the units were also under-strength because of their forces being tied up elsewhere.[25] According to the Indian official history, the force contained 11 infantry brigades and 6 tank regiments.[26][d]
Pakistani defence
The Pakistani forces opposing the Indian thrust were part of Pakistan's I Corps under Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana. Included in it were:[27]
- the 6th Armoured Division commanded by Maj. Gen. Abrar Hussain,
- the 4th Artillery Corps under Brig. Amjad Ali Khan Chaudhury (affiliated to the 6th Armoured Division), and
- the 15th Infantry Division under Brig. S. M. Ismail.
The 15th Infantry Division was a mixed infantry and armour force, with four pairs of a brigade and an armoured regiment each. However, only one out of the four pairs (the 24th Brigade and 25th Cavalry) was in the conflict area when the Indian campaign started.[27] They were based in and around Chawinda. The 24th Brigade was commanded by Brig. Abdul Ali Malik and the 25th Cavalry was led by Lt. Col. Nisar Ahmed Khan.[28]
The 6th Armoured Division, normally based at Gujranwala, was moved to Pasrur in preparation for the war.[29] It had three cavalry regiments: 10th Cavalry (also called the Guides Cavalry), the 22nd Cavalry and the 11th Cavalry.[30][31] The 11th Cavalry, along with the 4th Artillery Corps, was in Chamb as part of Operation Grand Slam when the operations started. The units were recalled and deployed in the vicinity of Phillora by 8 September.
Later reinforcements included the 8th Infantry Division and 1st Armoured Division.[citation needed]
The battle
The main striking force of the Indian I Corps was the 1st Armoured Division, which was supported by the 14th Infantry and 6th Mountain divisions. Indian forces seized the border area on 7 September 1965. This was followed by a short engagement at Jassoran in which the Pakistanis suffered losses in the form of about 10 tanks, consequently ensuring complete Indian dominance over the Sialkot-Pasrur railway.[32][failed verification]
Realizing the severe threat posed by the Indians in Sialkot, the Pakistanis rushed two regiments of the 6th Armoured Division from Chamb, Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (located today in Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir) to the Sialkot sector to support the Pakistani 7th Infantry Division fighting there. These units, supported by an independent tank destroyer squadron, amounted to about 135 tanks; 24 M47 and M48 Pattons, about 15 M36B1s and the rest Shermans. The majority of the American Pattons belonged to the new 25th Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Nisar Ahmed Khan, which was sent to Chawinda. Intense fighting around the village of Gadgor between the Indian 1st Armoured Division and the Pakistani 25th Cavalry Regiment resulted in the Indian advance being stopped.[citation needed]
The Indian plan was to drive a wedge between Sialkot and the Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. At the time, only one Pakistani regiment was present in the area, and it was wiped out by the Indian 1st Armoured Division's thrust, spearheaded by the 43rd Lorried Infantry Brigade and a tank regiment attacking Gat. The bulk of the Indian 1st Armoured Brigade was hurled towards Phillora. Pakistani air attacks caused significant damage to the Indian tank columns and exacted a heavy toll on the truck columns and infantry. The terrain of the area was very different from that of the area surrounding Lahore, being quite dusty, and therefore the Indian offensive's advance was evident to the Pakistani 25th Cavalry by the rising dust columns on the Charwah-Phillora road.[citation needed]
Indian forces resumed their offensive on 10 September 1965 with multiple corps-sized assaults and succeeded in pushing the Pakistani forces back to their base at Chawinda, where the Indian advance was eventually stopped. A Pakistani counterattack at Phillora was repulsed with heavy losses, after which the Pakistanis took up defensive positions. The situation for the Pakistanis at this point was highly perilous; the Indians outnumbered them ten to one.[citation needed]
However, the Pakistani situation improved as reinforcements arrived, consisting of two independent brigades from Kashmir: the 8th Infantry Division, and more crucially, the 1st Armoured Division.[clarification needed] For the next several days, Pakistani forces repulsed Indian attacks on Chawinda. A major Indian assault involving India's 1st Armoured and 6th Mountain divisions on 18 September was repelled, with the Indians suffering heavy losses. Following this, on 21 September, the Indians withdrew to a defensive position near their original bridgehead,[where?] with the retreat of India's advancing divisions, all the offensives were effectively halted on that front.[33]
Pakistani officers vetoed the proposed counterattack, dubbed "Operation Windup", in light of the Indians' retreat. According to the Pakistani commander-in-chief, the operation was cancelled due to the fact that "both sides had suffered heavy tank losses.… would have been of no strategic importance...." and, above all: "the decision... was politically motivated as by then the Government of Pakistan had made up their mind to accept [the] ceasefire and foreign-sponsored proposals".[10]
Outcome
The battle has widely been described as one of the largest tank battles since World War II.[34] On 22 September 1965, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire from both nations.[15][35] The war ended the following day. The international military and economic assistance to both countries had stopped when the war started. Pakistan had suffered attrition to its military might and serious reverses in the Battle of Asal Uttar and Chawinda, which made way for its acceptance of the United Nations ceasefire.[5]
Following the end of hostilities on 23 September 1965, India claimed to have held about 518 km2 (200 sq mi) of Pakistani territory in the Sialkot sector (although neutral analyses put the figure at around 460 km2 (180 sq mi) of territory), including the towns and villages of Phillora, Deoli, Bajragarhi, Suchetgarh, Pagowal, Chaprar, Muhadpur and Tilakpur. These were all returned to Pakistan after the signing of the Tashkent Declaration in January 1966.[36][37][2]
Published accounts
Documentaries
Battle of Chawinda − Indo Pak War 1965 − Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Tarapore (2018) is an Indian TV documentary which premiered on Veer by Discovery India.[38][39]
Notes
- ^ "[Abrar Hussain] had fought in the World War II and won the MBE due to his bravery as a young army lieutenant. Later in the 1965 War, he was awarded the gallantry award, Hilal-i-Jurat, for leading an infantry brigade as part of the 6th Armoured Division that fought the famous tank battle with the Indian Army at Chawinda in Sialkot and halted the advance of the invading Indian troops in Pakistan’s territory."[citation needed]
- ^ It is also called the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
- ^ Pakistani military has long held a theory that the Indian objective was to cut the Grand Trunk Road at Wazirabad. The Grand Trunk Road is a major north–south highway that links, for example, Islamabad and Lahore.[19][20] Some western military analysts also reproduce this theory.[21]
- ^ However, the history lists only 5 tank regiments in the composition: 4 Horse, 16 Cav, 17 Horse, 2 Lancers and 62 Cav.[25]
References
- ^ Jogindar Singh (1993). Behind the Scene: An Analysis of India's Military Operations, 1947–1971. Lancer Publishers. pp. 217–219. ISBN 1-897829-20-5. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- ^ a b Chakravorty 1992a.
- ^ Abrar Hussain (2005). Men of Steel: 6 Armored Division in the 1965 War. Army Education Publishing House. pp. 36–52. ISBN 969-8125-19-1.
- ^ Nawaz 2008, pp. 227–230.
- ^ a b Krishna Rao 1991.
- ^
Sources assessing stalemate:
- Manus I. Midlarsky (2011). Origins of Political Extremism: Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century and Beyond. Cambridge University Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-1139500777.: "Several major tank battles would be fought, one at Khem Karan in Punjab yielding a major Pakistani defeat, and another at Chawinda involving over 600 tanks, the outcome of which was inconclusive."
- Clodfelter, Micheal (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015 (4th ed.). McFarland. p. 600. ISBN 978-1476625850.: "Up to 600 tanks were engaged in the battle, primarily fought around Phillora and Chawinda, September 11–12, but the results were indecisive, largely because neither side properly supported their armor with infantry units."
- Hasan, Zubeida (Fourth Quarter 1965), "The India-Paktstan War – A summary account", Pakistan Horizon, 18 (4): 344–356, JSTOR 41393247: "After a few days of intense fighting, in which each side claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the other, the war reached a stalemate on this front."
- ^ Zaloga 1980, p. 19.
- ^ Barua 2005, p. 191
- ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (12 August 2019). "How Pakistani Lt Col Nisar Ahmed won over Indian peers after stalling their advance in 1965". ThePrint. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Amin, Major A.H. "Battle of Chawinda Comedy of Higher Command Errors". Military historian. Defence journal(pakistan). Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
- ^ a b Clodfelter, Micheal (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015 (4th ed.). McFarland. p. 600. ISBN 978-1476625850.
- ^ a b Chakravorty 1992a, p. 221.
- ^ a b Zaloga 1980, p. 35.
- ^ Michael E. Haskew (2015). Tank: 100 Years of the World's Most Important Armored Military Vehicle. Voyageur Press. pp. 201–. ISBN 978-0-7603-4963-2.
- ^ a b Pradhan 2007.
- ^ "Indo-Pakistan War of 1965". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- ^ Barua 2005, p. 190
- ^ Singh 2013, Part 1, paragraphs 32–33.
- ^ Bajwa 2013, pp. 254–255.
- ^ Krishna Rao 1991, p. 129.
- ^ Zaloga 1980, pp. 22–23.
- ^ Pradhan 2007, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Pradhan 2007, p. 50.
- ^ Bajwa 2013, pp. 252–253.
- ^ a b Chakravorty 1992a, p. 194.
- ^ Chakravorty 1992a, p. 223.
- ^ a b Bajwa 2013, pp. 253–254.
- ^ Nawaz 2008, pp. 224, 225.
- ^ Nawaz 2008, p. 224: "When news of the Indian attack came, he was told to move his troops to Pasrur on the night of 6/7 September as reserve for the 1 Corps. The move occurred during the night. Then at midnight, the division’s staff were told to return to their previous position around Gujranwala by 05:00 hours on 7 September! ... GHQ seemed to be making decisions quite arbitrarily."
- ^ Higgins 2016, p. 46.
- ^ Bajwa 2013, pp. 253–254. Bajwa does not list 11th Cavalry as being part of the 6th Armoured Division. But it is said to have came under its command from 8 September.
- ^ Gupta, Hari Ram (1946). India-Pakistan war, 1965, Volume 1. Haryana Prakashan, 1967. pp. 181–182 – via archive.org.
- ^ Barua 2005, p. 192.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Brigadier Samir (2013). Nothing But! Book Three What Price Freedom. Partridge. p. 490. ISBN 978-1482816259. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ^ Midlarsky, Manus I. (2011). Origins of Political Extremism: Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century and Beyond (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-0521700719.
- ^ Chakravorty 1992b.
- ^ Singh, Lt. Gen.Harbaksh (1991). War Despatches. New Delhi: Lancer International. p. 159. ISBN 81-7062-117-8.
- ^ "Battle of Chawinda -Indo Pak War 1965 - Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Tarapore". Veer by Discovery. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "This R-Day, get ready for Discovery channel's 'Battle Ops'". The Hindu. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
Bibliography
- Bajwa, Farooq (2013), From Kutch to Tashkent: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, Hurst Publishers, ISBN 978-1-84904-230-7
- Barua, Pradeep (2005), The State at War in South Asia, U of Nebraska Press, p. 190, ISBN 0-8032-1344-1
- Chakravorty, B. C. (1992a), "Operations in Sialkot sector" (PDF), History of the Indo-Pak War, 1965, Government of India, Ministry of Defence, History Division, archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2011
- Chakravorty, B. C. (1992b), "War diplomacy, ceasefire, Tashkent" (PDF), History of the Indo-Pak War, 1965, Government of India, Ministry of Defence, History Division, archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2011
- Higgins, David R. (2016), M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965, Bloomsbury Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4728-1093-9
- Kalyanaraman, S. (2015), "The sources of military change in India: An analysis of evolving strategies and doctrines towards Pakistan", in Jo Inge Bekkevold; Ian Bowers; Michael Raska (eds.), Security, Strategy and Military Change in the 21st Century: Cross-Regional Perspectives, Routledge, pp. 89–114, ISBN 978-1-317-56534-5
- Krishna Rao, K. V. (1991), Prepare or Perish: A Study of National Security, Lancer Publishers, ISBN 978-81-7212-001-6
- Nawaz, Shuja (2008), Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-547660-6
- Pradhan, R. D. (2007), 1965 War, the Inside Story: Defence Minister Y.B. Chavan's Diary of India-Pakistan War, Atlantic Publishers & Dist, ISBN 978-81-269-0762-5
- Singh, Lt Gen Harbakhsh (2013), War Despatches: Indo–Pak Conflict 1965, Lancer Publishers LLC, ISBN 978-1-935501-59-6
- Zaloga, Steven J. (1980), The M47 & M48 Patton Tanks, London: Osprey Publishing, ISBN 0-85045-466-2
Further reading
- Fricker, John (1979). Battle for Pakistan: the air war of 1965. I. Allan. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-71-100929-5.
External links
- Battle of Chawinda – Comedy of Higher Command Errors
- In Memory of Martyrs (first-hand account of the battle)