Battle of Asal Uttar

Battle of Asal Uttar
Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Pakistani army in Khemkaran.
Date6–23 September 1965
(17 days)
Location
Asal Uttar, Khemkaran, Kasur, Punjab
Result Inconclusive[1][2][3][4][5]
Territorial
changes		 Pakistan captures 50 km2[6] to 95 km2[7] of Indian territory
Belligerents
 India  Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Units involved

India 2nd Independent Armoured Brigade

Pakistan 1st Armoured Division

Strength
  • 42 x Centurion Mk.VIIs
  • 42 x Sherman Vs
  • 42 x AMX-13s
    • Total: 126
    • 168 x M47 Pattons
    • 42 x Sherman 76s
    • 42 x M24 Chaffees
    Total: 254
    Casualties and losses
    32 tanks[12] 97 tanks[12]

    The Battle of Asal Uttar (Hindi : असल उत्तर ,[a] Punjabi: ਅਸਲ ਉੱਤਰ [13]), also known as the Battle of Khem karan(Urdu: کھیم کرن), was one of the biggest tank battle after WW2. The battle mostly fought in Kasur-Khemkaran axes, the battle consists of different battles and skirmishes throughout the period of 6 September to 23 September during 1965 war.[14][15][16]

    Battle

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    Attack on Kasur

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    On September 5/6, Indian XI Corps (4 Mountain, 7 and 15 Infantry Divisions, 2nd Independent Armored Brigade) launched its three divisions against Lahore. 4th Mountain Division was on the southern axis, launching from Khemkaran towards Kasur, which lays 6-7 km from the international border.  7th Division was to the north of 4th Mountain Division, also aiming at Kasur from a different direction. But the Indian attack was repulsed and Pakistan army counterattack took the war inside the Indian territory.[17][18][19]

    Capture of Khemkaran

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    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. On 7 September, 6 Lancers squadron of Pakistan army captured Valtoha against stiff opposition but because of the lack of infantry they had to back to their basecamp Khemkaran at night in the process a fierce tank battle ensued in which 9 indian tanks were destroyed while Pakistan lost none according to Pakistani accounts.[20][17]

    Battle at Asal Uttar

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    The battle strategy of the Asal Uttar was the thought up by Brigadier Thomas K. Theogaraj.[21][22][23]

    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[15][24] while the Indians, by their account, lost only 24 tanks during this counter offensive.[25] By the neutral account India lost 32 tanks meanwhile pakistan lost 97 tanks at Asal Uttar.[12]

    Attempts to recaptured Khemkaran

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    After the victory at Asal Uttar, Indian army made multiple attempts to recapture the lost town of Khemkaran. The first attempt was made on 12 September in which 125 Indian soldiers were captured[26] and 8 tanks destroyed, with many tanks captured. The second attempt was made between 21-23 September but all attacks were repulsed by the Pakistani army.[17][27] Khemkaran remained in Pakistani control till the end of the war and was returned after the Tashkent Agreement.

    Conclusion

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    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.[8] The commander of Pakistani forces Maj. Gen. Nasir Ahmed Khan was killed in action.[8] 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.[25]

    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[28] enemy tanks with a recoilless gun.[29]

    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.[25]

    It is noted by the author of Battle Honours of the Indian Army that, 'this [4th] Division tarnished its name again when a divisional attack on 21/22 September to capture Khem Karan failed miserably, which is a forthright and honourable admission of defeat.[30]

    Battle Honour

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    The honour Asal Uttar was awarded for the period 9 to 11 September to the following units-[31]

    Indian side:

    Pakistani side:

    Published accounts

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    Documentaries

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    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.[32][33]

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    See also

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    Notes

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    1. ^ 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

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    1. ^ Prasad, Bisheshwar. The Fourth Round: Indo-Pak War in 1965. Vikas Publishing House, 1975.
    2. ^ Sinha, Lt. Gen. L.P. *Operation Cactus Lily: The Greatest Commando Operation Ever.* Knowledge World, 2012.
    3. ^ https://issra.pk/pub/books/Pak-India-Wars-1965&1971.pdf
    4. ^ https://aimh.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Primer-2021.pdf
    5. ^ TIME (24 September 1965). "World: The Curious Battle of Kasur". TIME. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
    6. ^ Praagh, David Van (2003). The Greater Game: India's Race with Destiny and China. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. ISBN 978-0-7735-2639-6.
    7. ^ https://aimh.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Primer-2021.pdf
    8. ^ a b c Wilson, Peter (2003). Wars, proxy-wars and terrorism: post independent India. Mittal Publications. pp. 83–84. ISBN 81-7099-890-5.
    9. ^ 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.
    10. ^ Amin, Agha Humayun. "The Battle of Lahore and Pakistans Main Attack in 1965". Military Historian. AH Amin. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
    11. ^ Singh, Lt.Gen Harbaksh (191). War Despatches. New Delhi: Lancer International. p. 108. ISBN 81-7062-117-8.
    12. ^ a b c Gilbert, Oscar E.; Cansiere, Romain (2017). Tanks: a century of tank warfare. Casemate short history. Oxford: Casemate. ISBN 978-1-61200-490-7.
    13. ^ "Voter List 2015, Punjab" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab. pp. 11, Row No. 163–165. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
    14. ^ 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.
    15. ^ a b Wilson, Peter (2003). Wars, proxy-wars and terrorism: post independent India. Mittal Publications, 2003. ISBN 978-81-7099-890-7.
    16. ^ B. Chakravorty (1995). Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. Allied Publishers. p. 17. ISBN 81-7023-516-2.
    17. ^ a b c Cloughley, Brian (2000). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-579374-1.
    18. ^ Riza, Shaukat (1977). The Pakistan Army War of 1965. Natraj. p. 'p';211. ISBN 978-81-85019-60-4.
    19. ^ "The Battle for Assal Uttar: Pakistan and India 1965". web.archive.org. 6 November 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
    20. ^ Nawaz, Shuja (2008). Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within. Oxford University Press. p. 'p';232. ISBN 978-0-19-547660-6.
    21. ^ Dandapani, Vijay (18 January 2015). "Unsung hero". The Hindu.
    22. ^ "Brigadier Thomas Theograj". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
    23. ^ "Saga of Strategy & Courage". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
    24. ^ Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. ISBN 978-0-313-33538-9.
    25. ^ a b c Zaloga, Steve (July 1999). The M47 and M48 Patton tanks. Osprey Publishing, 1999. ISBN 978-1-85532-825-9.
    26. ^ "Wrong Timing The Battle: Khem Karan And Afghanistan | Salute". 23 October 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
    27. ^ Hamid, Major General Syed Ali (6 September 2019). "Tank Battle at Khem Karan". thefridaytimes.com. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
    28. ^ Maj Gen Cardozo, Ian (2003). PARAM VIR. New Delhi: Lotus Collection. ISBN 81-7436-262-2
    29. ^ 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
    30. ^ Cloughley, Brian (2000). A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-579374-1.
    31. ^ Singh, Sarbans (1993). Battle Honours of the Indian Army, 1757–1971. Vision Books. ISBN 978-8170941156.
    32. ^ "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.
    33. ^ "This R-Day, get ready for Discovery channel's 'Battle Ops'". The Hindu. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.

    Resources

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