Battle of Asal Uttar
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The Battle of Asal Uttar (Hindi : असल उत्तर, Punjabi: ਆਸਲ ਉਤਾੜ[1]) was one of the largest tank 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 tanks and infantry into Indian territory, capturing the Indian town of Khem Karan 5 km from the International Border.[2] The Indian troops retaliated, and after three days of bitter fighting, the battle ended with the Pakistani forces being repulsed near Asal Uttar. Factors that contributed to this were the fierce fight put up by Indian army, conditions of the plains, better Indian tactics and a successful Indian strategy.[3][4]
Battle
Pakistan's invading force, consisting of the 1st Armoured Division and 11th Infantry Division, crossed the International Border and captured the Indian town of Khem Karan. Considering the situation, GOC Indian 4th Mountain Division (Maj. Gen. Gurbaksh Singh) immediately ordered the division to fall back and assume a horseshoe shaped defensive position with Asal Uttar as its focal point.
In the night, the Indian troops flooded the sugar cane field, and the next morning, the Pakistani tanks of the 1st Armoured Division, consisting mainly of M-47 and M-48 Patton tanks, were lured inside the horse-shoe trap. The swampy ground slowed down the advance of the Pakistani tanks, and many of them couldn't move because of the muddy slush. 97 Pakistani tanks mostly Pattons, and a few Shermans and Chaffees, were destroyed or captured[3][5] while the Indians, by their account, lost only 10 tanks during this offensive.[6]
Conclusion
Despite the initial thrust of the Pakistani Army into Indian territory, the battle ended in a decisive Indian Victory.[7] The commander of Pakistani forces Maj. Gen. Nasir Ahmed Khan was killed in action.[7] According to military historian Steven Zaloga, Pakistan admitted that it lost 165 tanks during the 1965 war, more than half of which were knocked out during the "debacle" of Asal Uttar.[6]
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 Armoured Division Artillery. The battle also witnessed the personal bravery of an Indian soldier, Abdul Hamid, who was honoured with the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military award, for knocking out seven[8] enemy tanks with a recoilless gun.[9]
This battle led to the creation of Patton Nagar (or "Patton City") at the site of the battle. This is because a large number of Patton tanks fielded by the Pakistani forces were either captured or destroyed at the scene.[6]
Gallery
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Brig. Hari Singh Deora, 18th Cavalry (Indian Army) after Indian Army destroyed over Patton and Sherman Tanks of Pakistani Army during the 1965 Indo-Pak War.
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Destroyed Pakistani tanks arranged at "Patton Nagar"
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PattonNagar03.jpg
The tanks displayed at Khemkaran
See also
References
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[page needed]
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedWilson83 - ↑ Maj Gen Cardozo, Ian (2003). PARAM VIR. New Delhi: Lotus Collection. ISBN 81-7436-262-2
- ↑ The Param Vir Chakra Winners' home page for Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid indianarmy.nic.in
Resources
- 1965 Official War History, Ministry of Defence, Government of India
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External links
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