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| ==Battle== | ==Battle== | ||
| The battle started on 10 September, when Indian troops launched a massive attack on the Phillora sector. Its 1st Armoured Division was on the offensive in that area. Equipped with four armoured regiments, this division faced stiff opposition from the Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. | |||
| India had its 1st Armoured Division on the offensive in this area. Equipped with four armoured regiments, this division faced stiff opposition from the Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. Some of the fiercest tank battles were fought at Phillora and then finally at Chawinda. At the end of the fighting, India had claimed more than 170 tanks destroyed, of which 42 were captured in the I Corps area (11 of them intact and 31 of them in destroyed or damaged condition). India admitted its own losses in the area to be 29 tanks destroyed and another 41 damaged, that were repaired after the war. This is substantiated by a Pakistani Official History of the 6th Armoured Division "Men of Steel" that states that 35 tanks were left in Indian control (17 M48, 9 M47, 9 M36B2) but that nine of these were recovered after the war when Indian troops vacated the Sialkot area following the declaration of ceasefire.<ref>http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/Galleries/Wars/PattonNagar/1965/</ref> | |||
| The initial Indian drives were pushed back towards Gadgor for a loss of 15 tanks.<ref>Zaloga, Steve (1999) ''The M47 and M48 Patton tanks'' ISBN 1855328259 pg.34.</ref> Pakistani air attacks did little damage to the tank columns and more to lorry and infantry columns. For the next two days intense fighting continued and the outnumbered Pakistani troops made a tactical retreat towards Chawinda. At this point India claimed to destroyed 67 Pakistani tanks, a figure that western military historians discards critically.<ref>Zaloga, Steve (1999) ''The M47 and M48 Patton tanks'' ISBN 1855328259 pg.35.</ref> | |||
| ==Conclusion== | ==Conclusion== | ||
| On September 12, 1965, the tank battle at Phillora ended in an important tactical victory for the Indian Army with the |
On September 12, 1965, the tank battle at Phillora ended in an important tactical victory for the Indian Army with the Pakistani forces retreating and regrouping to put up a last stand at Chawinda.<ref>Zaloga, Steve (1999) ''The M47 and M48 Patton tanks'' ISBN 1855328259 pg.35.</ref><ref name=Wilson/> A day before, the Indian Army had experienced another victory at Asal Uttar when they successfully thwarted Pakistani offensive in the Khem Karan sector. The continued thrust by the Indian Army into Pakistani territory finally culminated in the ], where Indian army was decisively defeated and all Indian offensives ceased on that front by 22 September.<ref>Barua, Pradeep (2005) ''The state at war in South Asia'' ISBN 0803213441 pg.192.</ref><ref name=Pradhan>{{cite book | ||
| |last = Pradhan | |last = Pradhan | ||
| |first = R.D. | |first = R.D. | ||
Revision as of 21:35, 29 December 2009
| Battle of Phillora | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 India |
 Pakistan | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ardeshir Tarapore | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 29 tanks destroyed |
Unknown 66 tanks destroyed (Indian claims) | ||||||
| Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
| Indo-Pakistani conflicts | |
|---|---|
| Kashmir conflict
Other conflicts Border skirmishes Strikes |
The Battle of Phillora was one of the largest tank battles fought during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was the first major engagement between the two nations in the Sialkot sector and coincided with the Battle of Asal Uttar.
Battle
The battle started on 10 September, when Indian troops launched a massive attack on the Phillora sector. Its 1st Armoured Division was on the offensive in that area. Equipped with four armoured regiments, this division faced stiff opposition from the Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. The initial Indian drives were pushed back towards Gadgor for a loss of 15 tanks. Pakistani air attacks did little damage to the tank columns and more to lorry and infantry columns. For the next two days intense fighting continued and the outnumbered Pakistani troops made a tactical retreat towards Chawinda. At this point India claimed to destroyed 67 Pakistani tanks, a figure that western military historians discards critically.
Conclusion
On September 12, 1965, the tank battle at Phillora ended in an important tactical victory for the Indian Army with the Pakistani forces retreating and regrouping to put up a last stand at Chawinda. A day before, the Indian Army had experienced another victory at Asal Uttar when they successfully thwarted Pakistani offensive in the Khem Karan sector. The continued thrust by the Indian Army into Pakistani territory finally culminated in the Battle of Chawinda, where Indian army was decisively defeated and all Indian offensives ceased on that front by 22 September.
References
- ^ Wilson, Peter. Wars, proxy-wars and terrorism: post independent India. Mittal Publications, 2003. ISBN 8170998905, 9788170998907.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help) - Zaloga, Steve (1999) The M47 and M48 Patton tanks ISBN 1855328259 pg.34.
- Zaloga, Steve (1999) The M47 and M48 Patton tanks ISBN 1855328259 pg.35.
- Zaloga, Steve (1999) The M47 and M48 Patton tanks ISBN 1855328259 pg.35.
- Barua, Pradeep (2005) The state at war in South Asia ISBN 0803213441 pg.192.
- Pradhan, R.D. 1965 war, the inside story. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2007. ISBN 8126907622, 9788126907625.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help)