Battle of Asal Uttar

Coordinates: 31°08′15″N 74°33′11″E / 31.13748°N 74.5530719°E / 31.13748; 74.5530719
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Battle of Asal Uttar
Part of
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Captured Pakistani tanks on display near Bhikhiwind, India
Date8–10 September 1965
(2 days)
Location
Asal Uttar, Khemkaran, Punjab, India
Result

Indian Victory[1][2]

  • Withdraw of the Pakistani army to Khem Karan
Belligerents
 India  Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
  • India Lt. Gen. Harbaksh Singh
  • India Lt. Gen. J. S. Dhillon
  • India Maj. Gen. Gurbaksh Singh
  • Brig. Thomas K. Theogaraj
Units involved

India 2nd Independent Armoured Brigade

1st Armoured Division

Casualties and losses
24 tanks destroyed ~100 tanks destroyed or captured

The Battle of Asal Uttar (

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was fought from 8 to 10 September 1965, when the Pakistan Army thrust its tanks and infantry into Indian territory, capturing the Indian town of Khemkaran 5 km from the International Border.[8] 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 the Indian Army, conditions of the plains, better Indian tactics, and a successful Indian strategy.[9][10]

Battle

The battle is described as one of the largest tank battles in history since 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. The battle strategy was the brainchild of Brigadier Thomas K. Theogaraj.[11][12][13]

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[9][14] while the Indians, by their account, lost only 24 tanks during this counter offensive.[15]

Conclusion

105 mm Jonga-mounted RCL gun, manned by Abdul Hamid, which destroyed a number of tanks during the battle

Despite the initial thrust of the Pakistani Army into Indian territory, the battle ended in a decisive Indian Victory.

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.[15]

recoilless gun.[17]

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.[15]

Battle Honour

The honour Asal Uttar was awarded for the period 9 to 11 September to the following units-[18]

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.[19][20]

Gallery

Other battles in the vicinity

Listed north to south.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ असल उत्तर (pronounced like – Aasal Uttaard) is the actual name of the village in Khemkaran Sector where this battle was fought. असल उत्तर >>Asal Uttar>>असल उत्तर. Phonetic differences between the Hindi/Punjabi and English Languages sometimes causes a wrong pronunciation which changes the meaning of the words. Asal Uttar read as असल उत्तर means "Real Reply" or a "befitting response", but is not the code name for the battle.

References

  1. ^ Prasad, Bisheshwar. The Fourth Round: Indo-Pak War in 1965. Vikas Publishing House, 1975.
  2. ^ Sinha, Lt. Gen. L.P. *Operation Cactus Lily: The Greatest Commando Operation Ever.* Knowledge World, 2012.
  3. ^
    ISBN 81-7099-890-5
    .
  4. ^ History, Official. "All out war pg 39" (PDF). Official History of 1965 war. Times of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  5. ^ Amin, Agha Humayun. "The Battle of Lahore and Pakistans Main Attack in 1965". Military Historian. AH Amin. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  6. ISBN 81-7062-117-8
    .
  7. ^ "Voter List 2015, Punjab" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab. pp. 11, Row No. 163–165. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  8. ISBN 978-81-269-0762-5
    .
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-81-7099-890-7
    .
  10. ISBN 81-7023-516-2
    .
  11. ^ Dandapani, Vijay (18 January 2015). "Unsung hero". The Hindu.
  12. ^ "Brigadier Thomas Theograj". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Saga of Strategy & Courage". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  14. ISBN 978-0-313-33538-9
    .
  15. ^
    ISBN 978-1-85532-825-9
    .
  16. ISBN 81-7436-262-2
  17. ^ The Param Vir Chakra Winners' home page for Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine indianarmy.nic.in
  18. ISBN 978-8170941156
    .
  19. ^ "Battle of Asal Uttar – Largest Tank Battle Since World War II Mission & Wars". Veer by Discovery. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  20. ^ "This R-Day, get ready for Discovery channel's 'Battle Ops'". The Hindu. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.

Resources

External links

31°08′15″N 74°33′11″E / 31.13748°N 74.5530719°E / 31.13748; 74.5530719

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Asal_Uttar&oldid=1219669940"