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Revision as of 06:10, 23 April 2005 by 70.33.118.55 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Battle of Longewala December 5 - December 6 1971 was a military battle between Indian and Pakistani troops. It was a part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 fought in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan state in India. It's generally regarded to be one of the decisive battles in the 2 week war.
In every conflict there comes a turning point. In the 1971 war against Pakistan, the Battle of Longewala in the western sector was one such point for India. Against immeasurable odds, the Indian 'A' company of 50 odd soldiers, managed to repulse a 2000-3000 strong 51 Infantry Brigade backed by the 22 Armour Regiment of Pakistan. Longewala was a strategic point enroute to capturing vast tracts of land. The Pakistani plan in the words of Brig Tariq Mir “Insha Allah we will have breakfast at Longewala, lunch at Ramgarh and dinner at Jaisalmer,” was far fetched from the word go. And as the day unfolded, Longewala would stand out as one of the biggest routs in a battle for Pak despite overwhelming superiority before commencement of the battle.
The actual battle
The action began on Dec. 5th at 2:30 AM when Pakistan made the daring attempt to cross the desert & the international border heading for Longewala in Rajasthan state, 16 km from the border. As the tanks neared, the Indian side which did not possess any anti-tank weapons or landmines or heavy artillery however managed to eliminate 2 of the tanks with 2 RCL guns. Though jolted, the Pak advance managed to surround the post a couple of hours later trying to soften the Indians before attacking. Although massively outnumbered and surrounded, the Indians never gave up which confused the invading troupe. As time passed and dawn arrived, it was clear Pakistan had lost the initiative when it should have gone in for the kill.
With the IAF (Indian Air Force) coming to the Longewala post's rescue by dawn, and the PAF (Pakistan Air Force) busy elsewhere, the tanks and armoured vehicles were easy targets for the IAF's Hawker Hunter aircrafts. Not only was the Pak attack dented, but it was also forced to withdraw when India launched its own offensive. Longewala was, thus, a decisive battle.
Notwithstanding the Indian victory, there were intelligence & strategic failures on both sides. India's intelligence failed to forecast such a huge invading batallion in the western sector. Moreover the defending post was not heavily guarded. Finally, they didn't push home the advantage by finishing more tanks when the IAF had the Pakistan tanks on the run though they did take out a total of nearly 50 tanks in one single battle.
Invading Pakistan troops meanwhile, had over-estimated the Longewala post due to the stiff resitence encountered there. They also failed to anticipate an Indian counter-attack from the skies and waited too long to deliver a lethal blow. And they attacked with virtually no air cover. Infact the entire offensive was so daring that it bordered more on the foolhardy given the fact that the T-59/Type_59 Chinese made tanks were slow to cross the shifting sands of the Thar desert and the vast desert provided little to no cover for the tanks and infantry in case of an aerial assault.
A blockbuster hindi (bollywood) movie "Border" was made that revolved around this battle.
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