Battle of Asal Uttar

Battle

The battle is described as one of the largest tank battles in history since the Battle of Kursk in World War II. Pakistan's invading force, consisting of the 1st Armoured Division and 11th Infantry Division, crossed the India–Pakistan border and captured the Indian town of Khemkaran. 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.

On 7 September, 6th Lancers squadron of Pakistan army captured Valtoha against stiff opposition but because of the lack of infantry they had to go back to their Khemkaran basecamp at night in the process a fierce tank battle ensued.

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 97 Pakistani tanks (mostly Pattons, and a few Shermans and Chaffees) were destroyed, including 40+ captured. While the Indians, by their account, lost only 10 tanks during this counter offensive.

Conclusion

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

The commander of Pakistani forces Maj. Gen. Nasir Ahmed Khan was killed in action. According to military historian Steven J. 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.

Pervez Musharraf, later Army Chief 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 enemy tanks with a recoilless gun.

After the victory at Asal Uttar, the Indian Army made multiple attempts to recapture the lost town of Khemkaran but these were unsuccessful. Khemkaran remained in Pakistani control till the end of the war and was returned after the Tashkent Agreement.

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.

Battle honours

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

Indian side:

• Deccan Horse
• 3 Cavalry
• 91 Mountain Regiment
• 40 Medium Regiment
• 4 Grenadiers
• 18 Rajputana Rifles (now 11 Mechanised Infantry Regiment)
• 1 Dogra (now 7 Mechanised Infantry Regiment)
• 2 Mahar
• 9 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles

Pakistani side:

• 6th Lancers (Watson's Horse)

Published accounts

Documentaries

Battle of Asal Uttar – Largest Tank Battle Since World War II (2018) is an Indian TV documentary which premiered on the Veer by Discovery series, Mission & Wars.

Resources

• 1965 Official War History, Ministry of Defence, Government of India
• The Battle of Assal Uttar: Pakistan and India 1965, Orbat.com, 24 February 2002, archived from the original on 6 November 2006, retrieved 3 November 2006