Battle of Asal Uttar

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The Battle of Asal Uttar (Hindi : असल उत्तर ,Template:Efn Punjabi: ਅਸਲ ਉੱਤਰ), also known as the Battle of Khemkaran, was major tank battle fought during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. It was one of the biggest tank battles fought after the Second World War. The battle mostly fought in Kasur-Khemkaran axes. The battle consists of different battles and skirmishes, fought throughout the period of 7 September to 23 September during 1965 war.[1][2][3]

Battle

Attack on Kasur

On September 5/6, Indian XI Corps (4 Mountain, 7 and 15 Infantry Divisions, 2nd Independent Armored Brigade) launched its three divisions against Lahore. 4th Mountain Division was on the southern axis, launching from Khemkaran towards Kasur, which lays 6-7 km from the international border.  7th Division was to the north of 4th Mountain Division, also aiming at Kasur from a different direction. But the Indian attack was repulsed and Pakistan army counterattack took the war inside the Indian territory.[4][5][6]

Capture of Khemkaran

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 and in khemkaran almost 350 indian soliders surrendered.[7] 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. On 7 September, 6 Lancers squadron of Pakistan army captured Valtoha against stiff opposition but because of the lack of infantry they had to back to their basecamp Khemkaran at night in the process a fierce tank battle ensued in which 9 indian tanks were destroyed while Pakistan lost none according to Pakistani accounts.[8][4]

Battle at Asal Uttar

The battle strategy of the Asal Uttar was the thought up by Brigadier Thomas K. Theogaraj.[9][10][11]

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 M47 and M48 Patton tanks, were lured inside the horse-shoe trap. The swampy ground slowed the advance of the Pakistani tanks and many of them could not move because of the muddy slush. Over 100 Pakistani tanks (mostly Pattons, and a few Shermans and Chaffees) were destroyed, with 40+ captured[2][12] while the Indians, by their account, lost only 24 tanks during this counter offensive.[13] By the neutral account India lost 32 tanks meanwhile pakistan lost 97 tanks at Asal Uttar.[14]

Attempts to recaptured Khemkaran

After the victory at Asal Uttar, Indian army made multiple attempts to recapture the lost town of Khemkaran. The first attempt was made on 12 September in which 125 Indian soldiers were captured[15] and 8 tanks destroyed, with many tanks captured. The second attempt was made between 21-23 September but all attacks were repulsed by the Pakistani army.[4][16] Khemkaran remained in Pakistani control till the end of the war and was returned after the Tashkent Agreement.

Conclusion

File:JVF-Mounted-M40-Anti-Tank-Gun.jpg
105 mm Jonga-mounted RCL gun, manned by Abdul Hamid, which destroyed a number of tanks during the battle
File:Tankindia.jpg
Pakistani troops atop an M47 before the battle.

Despite the initial thrust of the Pakistani Army into Indian territory, the battle ended in a decisive Indian Victory.[17] The commander of Pakistani forces Maj. Gen. Nasir Ahmed Khan was killed in action.[17] 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.[13]

File:4horseIndo-Pak War.jpg
Centurion crewmen from 4 Horse inside a destroyed Pakistani M48 Patton after the battle.

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 three[18] enemy tanks with a recoilless gun.[19]

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.[13]

File:PattonC.jpg
"Patton Nagar" - an area adjacent to the battlefield in which all the captured M47 and M48 Pattons were displayed to the public.

It is noted by the author of Battle Honours of the Indian Army that, 'this [4th] Division tarnished its name again when a divisional attack on 21/22 September to capture Khem Karan failed miserably, which is a forthright and honourable admission of defeat.[20]

Battle Honour

The honour Asal Uttar was awarded for the period 9 to 11 September to the following units-[21]

Indian side:

Pakistani side:

Published accounts

Documentaries

Battle of Asal Uttar – Largest Tank Battle Since World War II (2018) is a TV documentary which premièred on Veer by Discovery Channel series, Mission & Wars.[22][23]

Gallery

See also

Notes

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References

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  13. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Maj Gen Cardozo, Ian (2003). PARAM VIR. New Delhi: Lotus Collection. Template:ISBN
  19. ↑ The Param Vir Chakra Winners' home page for Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid Template:Webarchive indianarmy.nic.in
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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Resources

  • 1965 Official War History, Ministry of Defence, Government of India
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External links


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