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Battle of Asal Uttar
	Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
	; Captured Pakistani tanks on display near Bhikhiwind, India
Date	8–10 September 1965; (2 days)
Location	Asal Uttar, Khemkaran, Punjab, India
Result	Indian victory Withdrawal of the Pakistani army from Khem Karan;
Belligerents
India	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Lt. Gen. Harbaksh Singh; Lt. Gen. J. S. Dhillon; Maj. Gen. Gurbaksh Singh; Brig. Thomas K. Theogaraj;	Maj. Gen. Nasir Khan †; Brig. A.R.Shami †;
Units involved
2nd Independent Armoured Brigade 3rd Cavalry; 9th Horse; 8th Light Cavalry;	1st Armoured Division 4th Cavalry; 5th Horse; 6th Lancers; 24th Cavalry; 12th Cavalry; 19th Lancers;
Casualties and losses
Indian claims:; ~10 tanks destroyed	Indian claims:; ~100 tanks destroyed or captured

The Battle of Asal Uttar (Hindi : असल उत्तर ,^[a] Punjabi: ਅਸਲ ਉੱਤਰ ^[7]) was one of the largest tank battles fought during the 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 Battle of Kursk in World War II. 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. 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.^[3] The commander of Pakistani forces Maj. Gen. Nasir Ahmed Khan was killed in action.^[3] 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.^[15]

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 seven^[16] enemy tanks with a 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]

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

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

AMX-13 tank displayed at the Ahmednagar Cavalry Tank Museum in India. The AMX-13/75 was one of several types of armour fielded by the Indian Army during the battle
Rear view of the same tank

Other battles in the vicinity

See other battles in the vicinity during 1965 India-Pakistan War.

Notes

^ 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

^ Prasad, Bisheshwar. The Fourth Round: Indo-Pak War in 1965. Vikas Publishing House, 1975.
^ Sinha, Lt. Gen. L.P. *Operation Cactus Lily: The Greatest Commando Operation Ever.* Knowledge World, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wilson, Peter (2003). Wars, proxy-wars and terrorism: post independent India. Mittal Publications. pp. 83–84. ISBN 81-7099-890-5.
^ 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.
^ Amin, Agha Humayun. "The Battle of Lahore and Pakistans Main Attack in 1965". Military Historian. AH Amin. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
^ Singh, Lt.Gen Harbaksh (191). War Despatches. New Delhi: Lancer International. p. 108. ISBN 81-7062-117-8.
^ "Voter List 2015, Punjab" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab. pp. 11, Row No. 163–165. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
^ R.D. Pradhan & Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan (2007). 1965 War, the Inside Story: Defence Minister Y.B. Chavan's Diary of India-Pakistan War. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 47. ISBN 978-81-269-0762-5.
^ ^a ^b Wilson, Peter (2003). Wars, proxy-wars and terrorism: post independent India. Mittal Publications, 2003. ISBN 978-81-7099-890-7.
^ B. Chakravorty (1995). Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. Allied Publishers. p. 17. ISBN 81-7023-516-2.
^ Dandapani, Vijay (18 January 2015). "Unsung hero". The Hindu.
^ "Brigadier Thomas Theograj". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
^ "Saga of Strategy & Courage". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
^ Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. ISBN 978-0-313-33538-9.
^ ^a ^b ^c Zaloga, Steve (July 1999). The M47 and M48 Patton tanks. Osprey Publishing, 1999. ISBN 978-1-85532-825-9.
^ Maj Gen Cardozo, Ian (2003). PARAM VIR. New Delhi: Lotus Collection. ISBN 81-7436-262-2
^ 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
^ Singh, Sarbans (1993). Battle Honours of the Indian Army, 1757–1971. Vision Books. ISBN 978-8170941156.
^ "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.
^ "This R-Day, get ready for Discovery channel's 'Battle Ops'". The Hindu. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.

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