{{Infobox military conflict , width = 380px , image = Indian Centurian tank being examined by journalists near Chawinda.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = Journalists examining a knocked out Indian centurion tank after the battle at Chawinda {{clear {{OSM Location map , coord = {{coord, 32.3, N, 74.7, E , float = center , zoom = 8 , width = 290 , height = 300 , caption = {{center, Chawinda and surroundings , nolabels = 1 , minimap = , mini-file = , mini-width = , mini-height = , minipog-x = , minipog-y = , scalemark = , shape = , map-data-light = Q6754702 , mark-coord1 = {{Coord, 32, 40, 24, N, 74, 27, 50, E , mark1 = Blue pog.svg , mark-size1 = 7 , label1 = Marala Headworks , label-size1 = 10 , label-color1 = blue , label-pos1 = top , mark-title1 =

Marala Headworks Marala Headworks is a headworks situated on the Chenab River near the city of Sialkot in Sialkot district in Punjab, Pakistan. A weir was first built during 1906–1912 in the British India to feed the Upper Chenab Canal, as part of the 'Triple ...

, mark-description1 = Beginning of the Marala Ravi Link Canal , mark-coord2 = {{coord, 32.3746, N, 74.4153, E , mark2 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg , mark-size2 = 10 , label2 = MRL , label-size2 = 10 , label-color2 = blue , label-pos2 = right , mark-title2 = Marala-Ravi Link Canal , mark-description2 = Stated objective of the Indian campaign , mark-coord3 = {{coord, 32.2308, N, 74.6031, E , mark3 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg , mark-size3 = 10 , label3 = MRL , label-size3 = 10 , label-color3 = blue , label-pos3 = right , mark-title3 = Marala-Ravi Link Canal , mark-description3 = Stated objective of the Indian campaign , mark-coord4 = {{coord, 31.89798, N, 74.62616, E , mark4 = Blue pog.svg , mark-size4 = 7 , label4 = Ravi river , label-size4 = 10 , label-color4 = blue , label-pos4 = right , mark-title4 = Ravi river , mark-description4 = Bottom of the Marala Ravi Link Canal , mark-coord5 = {{Coord, 32, 29, 33, N, 74, 31, 52, E , mark5 = Red pog.svg , mark-size5 = 8 , label5 = Sialkot , label-size5 = 10 , label-color5 = black , label-pos5 = bottom , mark-title5 =

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

, mark-description5 =

, mark-coord6 = {{Coord, 32.4417427, 74.1182117 , mark6 = Red pog.svg , mark-size6 = 8 , label6 = Wazirabad , label-size6 = 10 , label-color6 = black , label-pos6 = bottom , mark-title6 =

Wazirabad Wazirabad (Urdu/) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative capital of Wazirabad District (formerly a Tehsil of Gujranwala District). Famous for its cutlery products, it is known as the city of cutlery and is also quite famous f ...

, mark-description6 = Town in Pakistani Punjab on the

Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It r ...

, mark-coord7 = {{Coord, 32, 9, 24, N, 74, 11, 24, E , mark7 = Red pog.svg , mark-size7 = 8 , label7 = Gujranwala , label-size7 = 10 , label-color7 = black , label-pos7 = bottom , mark-title7 =

Gujranwala Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...

, mark-description7 =

, mark-coord8 = {{coord, 32.3495, N, 74.7075, E , mark8 = Red pog.svg , mark-size8 = 7 , label8 = Chawinda , label-size8 = 10 , label-color8 = black , label-pos8 = bottom , mark-title8 = Chawinda , mark-description8 = Chawinda , mark-coord10 = {{coord, 32.9019451, 74.7347398 , mark10 = Red pog.svg , mark-size10 = 7 , label10 = Akhnur , label-size10 = 10 , label-color10 = black , label-pos10 = right , mark-title10 =

Akhnur Akhnoor is a town and Municipal governance in India, municipal committee, near city of Jammu in Jammu district of Indian National Congress, Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It lies 28 km awa ...

, mark-description10 = Town in Indian-administered Kashmir, the target of Pakistan's

Operation Grand Slam Operation Grand Slam was a key military operation of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It refers to a plan drawn up by the Pakistan Army in May 1965, that consisted of an attack on the vital Akhnoor Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The br ...

, mark-coord11 = {{coord, 32.73, N, 74.87, E , mark11 = Red pog.svg , mark-size11 = 9 , label11 = Jammu , label-size11 = 10 , label-color11 = black , label-pos11 = right , mark-title11 =

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

, mark-description11 = City in Indian-administered Kashmir , mark-coord12 = {{coord, 32.57, N, 75.12, E , mark12 = Red pog.svg , mark-size12 = 8 , label12 = Samba , label-size12 = 10 , label-color12 = black , label-pos12 = right , mark-title12 =

Samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

, mark-description12 = Town in Indian-administered Kashir, the base for the 1st Armoured Division , mark-coord13 = {{coord, 32.3863, 74.8988 , mark13 = AS-rzeka-icon.svg , mark-size13 = 10 , label13 = Degh , label-size13 = 10 , label-color13 = blue , label-pos13 = right , mark-title13 = Degh river , mark-description13 = , conflict = Battle of Chawinda , partof = the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 , map_type = Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan , coordinates = {{coord, 32, 23, 03, N, 74, 43, 30, E, type:event, display=inline , map_caption = Location of

Chawinda Chawinda () is a city located near village Sehna wali in Pasrur Tehsil, Sialkot District, Punjab, Pakistan. The town sits at an altitude of , close to the border with Jammu and Kashmir. Chawinda was the site of a key tank battle during the In ...

Pakistani Punjab Punjab (, ) is a province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the most populous province in Pakistan and the second most populous subnational polity in the world. Located in the central-eastern region of the country, i ...

##Location of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, map_label = Chawinda , date = 14 September 1965,
18–19 September 1965
({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=9, day1=18, year1=1965, month2=9, day2=19, year2=1965) {{cite book , author1=Jogindar Singh , title=Behind the Scene: An Analysis of India's Military Operations, 1947–1971 , year=1993 , publisher=Lancer Publishers , isbn=1-897829-20-5 , pages=217–219 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toheLRVgjLsC&pg=PA217 , access-date=12 January 2015 {{sfn, Chakravorty, 1992a {{cite book , author1=Abrar Hussain , title=Men of Steel: 6 Armored Division in the 1965 War , date=2005 , publisher=Army Education Publishing House , isbn=969-8125-19-1 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BvttAAAAMAAJ , pages=36–52 {{sfn, Nawaz, 2008, pp=227–230{{sfn, Krishna Rao, 1991 , place =

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, result = Inconclusive , combatant1 = {{flag, Pakistan , combatant2 = {{flag, India , commander1 = {{plainlist, * {{flagicon, Pakistan, army

Bakhtiar Rana Bakhtiar Rana ( ; b. 3 November 1910–1999) was a senior Pakistani military officer who was notable for commanding the 1st Corps, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Biography Rana was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab in British India on 3 N ...

* {{flagicon, Pakistan, army Abrar Hussain{{efn, " brar Hussainhad fought in the World War II and won the MBE due to his bravery as a young army lieutenant. Later in the 1965 War, he was awarded the gallantry award,

Hilal-i-Jurat The Hilal-e-Jurat ( , as if it were ''Halāl-e-Jurāt''; English: Crescent of Courage , sometimes spelled as Hilal-e-Jur'at, Hilal-e-Jurat, Hilal-i-Jurrat and Hilal-i-Juraat)Various official sources that are highly reputable spell the name of th ...

, for leading an infantry brigade as part of the 6th Armoured Division that fought the famous tank battle with the Indian Army at Chawinda in Sialkot and halted the advance of the invading Indian troops in Pakistan’s territory."{{citation needed, date=April 2021 * {{flagicon, Pakistan, army Sardar M. Ismail * {{flagicon, Pakistan, army Amjad Chaudhry * {{flagicon, Pakistan, army S. M. Hussain * {{flagicon, Pakistan, army Abdul Ali Malik * {{flagicon, Pakistan, army Muzzafaruddin * {{flagicon, Pakistan, army Nisar Ahmed Khan , commander2 = {{plainlist, *{{flagicon, India, army Harbakhsh Singh *{{flagicon, India, army Patrick Dunn *{{flagicon, India, army Rajinder Singh *{{flagicon, India, army S.K. Korla *{{flagicon, India, army M. L. Thapan *{{flagicon, India, army

Ardeshir Tarapore Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore, PVC (18August 1923 – 16September 1965), was an Indian military officer and posthumous recipient of India's highest military award, the Param Vir Chakra. After completing his schooling in Pune, T ...

{{KIA , units1 = Pakistan's I Corps
''Cavalry units'': {{plainlist, * 10th Cavalry (44x

M48 Patton The M48 Patton is an American first-generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in February 1952, being designated as the 90mm Gun M48, armored, full-tracked, combat vehicle of the medium-gun tank class. It was designed as a replacement for ...

s) * 11th Cavalry (44x M48 Pattons) * 22nd Cavalry (44x M48 Pattons) * 25th Cavalry (44x M48 Pattons) * 33rd TDU Sqdn. (15x

Shermans The M4 Sherman, officially medium tank, M4, was the medium tank most widely used by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It ...

) *

19th Lancers The 19th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. Before 1956, it was known as 19th King George V's Own Lancers, which was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1922, by the amalgamation of 18th King ...

(44x M48 Pattons) , units2 = India's I Corps
''Cavalry units'':{{sfn, Zaloga, 1980, p=19{{harvnb, Barua, 2005,
191
} {{plainlist, * 4th Horse (45x Centurions) * 17th Poona (45x Centurions) *

16th Cavalry The 6th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. Previously, it was known as the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse), and was a regular cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by amalgamati ...

(45x Centurions) * 2nd Lancers (45x

) * 62nd Cavalry (45x Shermans) , strength1 = {{plainlist, * 30,000–50,000 infantry * 132 tanks {{small, (plus reinforcements) , strength2 = {{plainlist, * 80,000–150,000 infantry * 260 tanks {{cite web , last=Amin , first=Major A.H. , title=Battle of Chawinda Comedy of Higher Command Errors , url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/mar/chawinda.htm , work=Military historian , publisher=Defence journal(pakistan) , access-date=12 July 2011 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719144243/http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/mar/chawinda.htm , archive-date=19 July 2011 , url-status=dead , casualties1 = {{plainlist, * Tank losses: ** ''Neutral claims:''
60 {{cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kNzCDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA600 , title=Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015, edition= 4th , first=Micheal , last=Clodfelter , date=2017 , publisher=McFarland , isbn=978-1476625850 , page=600 –61{{harvnb, Higgins, 2016, p=75 ** ''Indian claims:'' 155{{sfn, Chakravorty, 1992a, p=221
(144 put out, 11 captured) ** ''Pakistani claims:'' 44{{sfn, Zaloga, 1980, p=35 , casualties2 = {{plainlist, * Tank losses: ** ''Neutral claims:''
100–180 ** ''Indian claims:'' 70{{sfn, Chakravorty, 1992a, p=221
(29 destroyed, 41 damaged) ** ''Pakistani claims:'' 120{{sfn, Zaloga, 1980, p=35–180 , territory = {{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 {{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani Wars The Battle of Chawinda was a major engagement between

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 as part of the

campaign. It is well known as being one of the largest

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

battles in history since the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

, which was fought between the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. {{cite book , author=Michael E. Haskew , title=Tank: 100 Years of the World's Most Important Armored Military Vehicle , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8JQCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA201 , year= 2015 , publisher=Voyageur Press , isbn=978-0-7603-4963-2 , pages=201– The initial clashes in

coincided with the Battle of Phillora, and the fighting here intensified once the Pakistani forces at Phillora retreated. The battle came to an end shortly before the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

mandated an immediate

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

, which would formally end the hostilities of the 1965 war.{{sfn, Pradhan, 2007 {{cite web , url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/indo-pak_1965.htm , publisher=GlobalSecurity.org , title=Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 , access-date=2012-06-02

Sialkot campaign

The Sialkot campaign was part of the strategy of

riposte In fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most ...

that India had devised to counter Pakistan's advances into

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

(J&K). It called for relieving Jammu by advancing from either

(in J&K) or

Dera Baba Nanak Dera Baba Nanak is a town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district, in the state of Punjab (India), Punjab, India. It is the sub-district headquarters of Dera Baba Nanak (Sub-district), Dera Baba Nanak tehsil. It is 36 km away from Gurdaspur ...

(in Indian Punjab) with a view to encircling the city of

along the

Marala–Ravi Link Canal The Marala–Ravi Link Canal (MRL canal) is a canal in Punjab, Pakistan, Pakistani Punjab that flows from the Marala Headworks on the Chenab River near Sialkot to the Ravi river. It was constructed in 1956 to transfer water from Chenab to Ravi as ...

(MRL).{{harvnb, Barua, 2005, p=190{{sfn, Singh, 2013, loc=Part 1, paragraphs 32–33{{efn, Pakistani military has long held a theory that the Indian objective was to cut the

. The Grand Trunk Road is a major north–south highway that links, for example, Islamabad and Lahore.{{sfn, Bajwa, 2013, pp=254–255{{sfn, Krishna Rao, 1991, p=129 Some western military analysts also reproduce this theory.{{sfn, Zaloga, 1980, pp=22–23 The canal starts from the Marala Headworks on the

Chenab River The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Hima ...

close to Pakistan's border with J&K, and runs to the west and south of Sialkot, eventually draining into the

Ravi River The Ravi River is a transboundary river in South Asia, flowing through northwestern India and eastern Pakistan, and is one of five major rivers of the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two oth ...

near the town of Narang Mandi. The GOC Western Command Gen. Harbakhsh Singh favoured launching the campaign from Dera Baba Nanak using the 1st Armoured Division. But he was overridden by the Chief of Army Staff Gen. J. N. Chaudhuri, who created a new I Corps under the command of Lt. Gen. Pat Dunn for the purpose. It would operate from Samba.{{sfn, Pradhan, 2007, pp=49–50 Gen. Dunn was given an assortment of units. In addition to the 1st Armoured Division under Maj. Gen. Rajinder Singh, he had:{{sfn, Pradhan, 2007, p=50{{sfn, Bajwa, 2013, pp=252–253 * the 6th Mountain Division under Maj. Gen. S. K. Korla * the 14th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. Ranjeet Singh and * the 26th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. M. L. Thapan. The new corps was still in the process of formation when the hostilities broke out in September 1965. Some of the units were also under-strength because of their forces being tied up elsewhere.{{sfn, Chakravorty, 1992a, p=194 According to the Indian official history, the force contained 11 infantry brigades and 6 tank regiments.{{sfn, Chakravorty, 1992a, p=223{{efn, However, the history lists only 5 tank regiments in the composition: 4 Horse, 16 Cav, 17 Horse, 2 Lancers and 62 Cav.{{sfn, Chakravorty, 1992a, p=194

Pakistani defence

The Pakistani forces opposing the Indian thrust were part of Pakistan's I Corps under Lt. Gen.

. Included in it were:{{sfn, Bajwa, 2013, pp=253–254 * the 6th Armoured Division commanded by Maj. Gen. Abrar Hussain, * the 4th Artillery Corps under Brig. Amjad Ali Khan Chaudhury (affiliated to the 6th Armoured Division), and * the 15th Infantry Division under Brig. S. M. Ismail. The 15th Infantry Division was a mixed infantry and armour force, with four pairs of a brigade and an armoured regiment each. However, only one out of the four pairs (the 24th Brigade and 25th Cavalry) was in the conflict area when the Indian campaign started.{{sfn, Bajwa, 2013, pp=253–254 They were based in and around Chawinda. The 24th Brigade was commanded by Brig. Abdul Ali Malik and the 25th Cavalry was led by Lt. Col. Nisar Ahmed Khan.{{sfn, Nawaz, 2008, pp=224, 225 The 6th Armoured Division, normally based at

, was moved to

Pasrur Pasrur (Punjabi and ), is a historical city of Sialkot District in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the capital of Pasrur Tehsil and is administratively subdivided into 26 wards of the municipal committee Pasrur. Pasrur i ...

in preparation for the war. It had three cavalry regiments: 10th Cavalry (also called the Guides Cavalry), the 22nd Cavalry and the 11th Cavalry.{{sfn, Higgins, 2016, p=46{{harvnb, Bajwa, 2013, pp=253–254. Bajwa does not list 11th Cavalry as being part of the 6th Armoured Division. But it is said to have came under its command from 8 September. The 11th Cavalry, along with the 4th Artillery Corps, was in Chamb as part of

when the operations started. The units were recalled and deployed in the vicinity of Phillora by 8 September. Later reinforcements included the 8th Infantry Division and 1st Armoured Division.{{citation needed, date=April 2021

The battle

The main striking force of the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

I Corps was the 1st Armoured Division, which was supported by the 14th Infantry and 6th Mountain divisions. Indian forces seized the

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

area on 7 September 1965. This was followed by a short engagement at Jassoran in which the Pakistanis suffered losses in the form of about 10 tanks, consequently ensuring complete Indian dominance over the Sialkot-Pasrur railway.{{cite book , title=India-Pakistan war, 1965, Volume 1 , last=Gupta , first=Hari Ram , year=1946 , publisher=Haryana Prakashan, 1967 , pages=181–182 , url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.111576/page/n209/mode/2up , via=archive.org{{failed verification, date=April 2021 Realizing the severe threat posed by the Indians in Sialkot, the Pakistanis rushed two regiments of the 6th Armoured Division from Chamb, Indian-administered

(located today in Pakistani-administered

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

) to the Sialkot sector to support the Pakistani 7th Infantry Division fighting there. These units, supported by an independent tank destroyer squadron, amounted to about 135 tanks; 24 M47 and

s, about 15 M36B1s and the rest

. The majority of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Pattons belonged to the new 25th Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Nisar Ahmed Khan, which was sent to

. Intense fighting around the village of Gadgor between the Indian 1st Armoured Division and the Pakistani 25th Cavalry Regiment resulted in the Indian advance being stopped.{{Citation needed, date=April 2021 The Indian plan was to drive a wedge between Sialkot and the Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. At the time, only one Pakistani regiment was present in the area, and it was wiped out by the Indian 1st Armoured Division's thrust, spearheaded by the 43rd Lorried Infantry Brigade and a tank regiment attacking Gat. The bulk of the Indian 1st Armoured Brigade was hurled towards Phillora. Pakistani air attacks caused significant damage to the Indian tank columns and exacted a heavy toll on the truck columns and

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. The terrain of the area was very different from that of the area surrounding

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, being quite dusty, and therefore the Indian offensive's advance was evident to the Pakistani 25th Cavalry by the rising dust columns on the Charwah-Phillora road.{{Citation needed, date=April 2021 Indian forces resumed their offensive on 10 September 1965 with multiple

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

-sized assaults and succeeded in pushing the Pakistani forces back to their base at Chawinda, where the Indian advance was eventually stopped. A Pakistani counterattack at Phillora was repulsed with heavy losses, after which the Pakistanis took up defensive positions. The situation for the Pakistanis at this point was highly perilous; the Indians outnumbered them ten to one.{{Citation needed, date=April 2021 However, the Pakistani situation improved as reinforcements arrived, consisting of two independent

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

s from

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

: the 8th Infantry Division, and more crucially, the 1st Armoured Division.{{Clarify, reason=two brigades or two divisions?, date=April 2021 For the next several days, Pakistani forces repulsed Indian attacks on Chawinda. A major Indian assault involving India's 1st Armoured and 6th Mountain divisions on 18 September was repelled, with the Indians suffering heavy losses. Following this, on 21 September, the Indians withdrew to a defensive position near their original bridgehead,{{Where, date=April 2021 with the retreat of India's advancing divisions, all the offensives were effectively halted on that front.{{sfn, Barua, 2005,
192
} Pakistani

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

vetoed the proposed counterattack, dubbed "Operation Windup", in light of the Indians' retreat. According to the Pakistani commander-in-chief, the operation was cancelled due to the fact that "both sides had suffered heavy tank losses.… would have been of no strategic importance...." and, above all: "the decision... was politically motivated as by then the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

had made up their mind to accept heceasefire and foreign-sponsored proposals".

Outcome

The battle has widely been described as one of the largest tank battles since

. {{cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HESVAgAAQBAJ&q=the+biggest+tank+Battle+of+Chawinda&pg=PA490 , title=Nothing But! Book Three What Price Freedom , page=490 , year=2013 , isbn=978-1482816259 , access-date=19 December 2014 , last1=Bhattacharya , first1=Brigadier Samir, publisher=Partridge On 22 September 1965, the

unanimously passed a resolution that called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire from both nations.{{sfn, Pradhan, 2007 {{cite book , last=Midlarsky , first=Manus I. , title=Origins of Political Extremism: Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century and Beyond , url=https://archive.org/details/originspolitical00midl , url-access=limited , year=2011 , publisher=Cambridge University Press , isbn=978-0521700719 , edition=1st , pag
256
} The war ended the following day. The international military and economic assistance to both countries had stopped when the war started.

had suffered attrition to its military might and serious reverses in the

Battle of Asal Uttar The Battle of Asal Uttar (Hindi : असल उत्तर , Punjabi: ਅਸਲ ਉੱਤਰ), also known as the Battle of Khemkaran, was major tank battle fought during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. It was one of the biggest tank battle ...

and Chawinda, which made way for its acceptance of the United Nations ceasefire.{{sfn, Krishna Rao, 1991 Following the end of hostilities on 23 September 1965,

claimed to have held about {{Convert, 518, km2, sqmi, abbr=on of Pakistani territory in the Sialkot sector (although neutral analyses put the figure at around {{Convert, 460, km2, sqmi, abbr=on of territory), including the towns and villages of Phillora, Deoli, Bajragarhi, Suchetgarh, Pagowal, Chaprar, Muhadpur and Tilakpur. These were all returned to Pakistan after the signing of the

Tashkent Declaration The Tashkent Declaration was signed between India and Pakistan on 10 January 1966 to resolve the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Peace was achieved on 23 September through interventions by the Soviet Union and the United States, both of which pus ...

in January 1966.{{sfn, Chakravorty, 1992b{{cite book , last=Singh , first=Lt. Gen.Harbaksh , title=War Despatches , year=1991 , publisher=Lancer International , location=New Delhi , isbn=81-7062-117-8 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p54cAAAAIAAJ , page=159{{sfn, Chakravorty, 1992a

Published accounts

Documentaries

''Battle of Chawinda − Indo Pak War 1965 − Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Tarapore'' (2018) is an Indian

TV documentary Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. * Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

which premiered on Veer by Discovery India. {{cite web , title=Battle of Chawinda -Indo Pak War 1965 - Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Tarapore , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZZjfbyswL0 , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/wZZjfbyswL0 , archive-date=2021-12-21 , url-status=live, publisher=Veer by Discovery , access-date=6 May 2018{{cbignore {{cite news , title=This R-Day, get ready for Discovery channel's 'Battle Ops' , url=http://www.thehindu.com/society/discovery-channels-new-series-battle-ops-on-indias-iconic-military-operations/article22520490.ece , access-date=22 April 2018 , work=

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

, date=25 January 2018

Notes

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References

{{reflist

Bibliography

* {{citation , last=Bajwa , first=Farooq , title=From Kutch to Tashkent: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5a0NAQAAQBAJ , date=2013 , publisher=Hurst Publishers , isbn=978-1-84904-230-7 * {{citation , last=Barua , first=Pradeep , title=The State at War in South Asia , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA190 , year=2005 , publisher=U of Nebraska Press , isbn=0-8032-1344-1 , page=190 * {{citation , last=Chakravorty , first=B. C. , title=History of the Indo-Pak War, 1965 , publisher=Government of India, Ministry of Defence, History Division , year=1992a , chapter=Operations in Sialkot sector , chapter-url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter07.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609073555/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter07.pdf , archive-date=9 June 2011 , url-status=dead ** {{citation , last=Chakravorty , first=B. C. , title=History of the Indo-Pak War, 1965 , publisher=Government of India, Ministry of Defence, History Division , year=1992b , chapter=War diplomacy, ceasefire, Tashkent , chapter-url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter11.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609073753/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter11.pdf , archive-date=9 June 2011 , url-status=dead * {{citation , last=Higgins , first=David R. , title=M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tx_DCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 , year=2016 , publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing , isbn=978-1-4728-1093-9 * {{citation , last=Kalyanaraman , first=S. , chapter=The sources of military change in India: An analysis of evolving strategies and doctrines towards Pakistan , editor1=Jo Inge Bekkevold , editor2=Ian Bowers , editor3=Michael Raska , title=Security, Strategy and Military Change in the 21st Century: Cross-Regional Perspectives , chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20ysCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA96 , year=2015 , publisher=Routledge , isbn=978-1-317-56534-5 , pages=89–114 * {{citation , last=Krishna Rao , first=K. V. , title=Prepare or Perish: A Study of National Security , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G7xPaJomYsEC&pg=PA59 , year=1991 , publisher=Lancer Publishers , isbn=978-81-7212-001-6 * {{citation , last=Nawaz , first=Shuja , title=Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKyfAAAAMAAJ , year=2008 , publisher=Oxford University Press , isbn=978-0-19-547660-6 * {{citation , last=Pradhan , first=R. D. , title=1965 War, the Inside Story: Defence Minister Y.B. Chavan's Diary of India-Pakistan War , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymYCJQjEGBUC&pg=PA50 , year=2007 , publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist , isbn=978-81-269-0762-5 * {{citation , last=Singh , first=Lt Gen Harbakhsh , title=War Despatches: Indo–Pak Conflict 1965 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rQknTVv0AT0C , publisher=Lancer Publishers LLC , year=2013 , isbn=978-1-935501-59-6 * {{citation , first=Steven J. , last=Zaloga , title=The M47 & M48 Patton Tanks , publisher=Osprey Publishing , location=London , year=1980 , isbn=0-85045-466-2

External links

Battle of Chawinda – Comedy of Higher Command Errors
(first-hand account of the battle) {{Military of India {{Military of Pakistan {{Tank battles, style=wide {{DEFAULTSORT:Chawinda 1965 Battles of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 Tank battles involving India Tank battles involving Pakistan History of Sialkot 1960s in Punjab, India September 1965 in Asia