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KingOfGods

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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. 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, says James Hattar



Do you believe in Miracles? Yes NOW I DO!

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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. Not only was the enemy attack dented, they were also forced to withdraw and defend when India launched its own offensive. Longewala was, thus, a decisive battle.

A body of 84 Punjabi infantry soldiers with neither artillery nor tank support, neither minefield of any kind nor air support, and with a lonely long winter night ahead of them, decided the outcome of this battle. There were also four soldiers of the BSF camel division. All this was in favour of the enemy, who launched an offensive with the 51 Infantry Brigade of about 3000 men and 22 Armoured Regiment. This was the scenario on December 4 night (1971), when the Pakistanis crossed the international border heading for Longewala, 16 km from the border. The post was held by 'A' Company of 23 Punjab under Major (later Brigadier) Kuldip Singh Chandpuri. The Pakistani plan was to have breakfast at Longewala, lunch at Jaisalmer and dinner at Jodhpur.


The action opened at 2.30 a.m. on a moonlit night when the first Pakistani attack was launched. Much gunfire pierced the desert night. As the enemy tanks, Chinese made T-59s, came within range, 'A' Company's two recoilless (RCL) guns opened up, each eliminating an enemy tank. The assaulting armour was jolted to a halt, but the infantry assault continued. As the Pakistanis approached 'A' company defenses, they were confronted by a barbed wire fence of three stands. This halted the infantry attack too, as the enemy thought this indicated a minefield. Smoke and desert dust added to the confusion. This fence was erected just to mark the boundary of the Longewala post, to keep BSF camels in - 10 of them - and keep other animals, like wild camels, out. The enemy's heads were kept pinned down by the withering small arms fire from the post's defences.

Two hours later, the enemy attacked again from another direction. The result was much the same, as 'A' Company refused to give ground. This attack too petered to a halt, with the perimeter fence again creating doubts in the enemy's mind.

Just before the first light appeared at 6.30 a.m. on December 5, the Pakistanis attacked yet again with venom from yet another direction. Longewala Post was now virtually surrounded by the enemy. Dawn was not far behind, and it revealed to both the Pakistanis and the Indians their relative positions. An enemy tank lay stalled just 50 meters from the defenses - in perfect working condition and abandoned by its Pakistani crew. Smouldering enemy tanks dotted the scene not much further away. The night's work had warmed the hearts of the 'A' Company boys and they now anticipated a major armour assault, with the screen of darkness lifted from the battlefield.

The structures making up the Longewala Post, and much of its defensive positions, had been subjected to a murderous enemy medium artillery battering all night long. The huts, a smouldering rubble at dawn, had lit up the night sky earlier. The tank destruction was aided by barrels of diesel fuel loaded on the tanks to take them to Jaisalmer and beyond, before administrative echelons caught up with the planned Pakistani advance. When a tank was hit, the extra diesel had literally added fuel to the fire.

All night long, Major Chandpuri was requesting for tanks and reinforcements. When day broke, help arrived proverbially from the heavens. A lone air reconnaissance sortie failed to locate enemy tanks and asked for assistance. Two light aircraft of the artillery's Air Observation Post (Air OP) were quickly on the scene, directing Hunter aircrafts to their kills. It was now a case of a cat being set among the pigeons with the Pakistani air force busy elsewhere. The IAF boys had it all to themselves at will.

Enemy tanks were like sitting ducks, without any cover of even shrubbery to protect them. With extra drums of diesel on them, every time a tank was hit they were virtually incinerated. When the IAF pilots ran out of tank targets, they took a heavy toll of the enemy vehicles, with hundreds of them pock-marking the sandy panorama. The IAF did a truly first-class job, sending the enemy into complete disarray, back across the border.

Never since Independence has the IAF knocked out 36 enemy tanks in a single battle. 'A' Company's own anti-tank weapons, accounted for another 12. In addition, one tank was recovered in working condition after the war, on which the men performed bhangra. In many cases, tanks had been struck by more than one rocket. This is understandable, for due to the high speed of the Hunter aircraft at great heights, the target comes to sight for just a few seconds, making it difficult to differentiate between an already dead target, and a moving one. Air Chief Marshall P.C. Lal in his book My Years With The IAF made a claim of "about 40 tanks." He also paid a glowing tribute to 'A' Company 23 Punjab's determined stand at Longewala. His book had this to say:

"Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, the company commander who took the brunt of the attack, and fought with great grit, courage and determination, was awarded a very well deserved Maha Vir Chakra (MVC)."

The Pakistani Divisional and Brigade Commanders, assigned to capture Longewala, were both sacked. It is believed that the three Pakistani infantry commanding officers and the armoured regiment commander, and many more, also suffered the same ignominy.

Indian field intelligence acquisition was poor. Such a large combined Pakistani force, concentrating opposite Longewala, should have been known in advance.

Indian strategic intelligence was virtually inadequate, as it was unaware of enemy troop movements opposite the Jaisalmer sector. The Indian 12 Infantry Division made attack plans in the absence of this information, forcing last minute changes in plans from attack to defence.

Excellent Army and Air Force cooperation ensured our success at Longewala. Pakistan had no air cover for its attack, resulting in its virtual rout.

It is not solely the numbers that matter. Determination, resoluteness and leadership too count. Major Chandpuri had not even a full company complement of infantry, and no other protection yet he stood firm against an overwhelming Pakistani attack. Pakistan's infantry force was almost 30 times greater in strength. The Punjabis had no armour all night long, whereas the enemy had about 60 tanks. It was the Pakistani leadership that did not press its attacks with determination and showed no resoluteness and poor leadership in front of the Longewala Post fencing. This especially, when the post was surrounded. The Punjabis' refusal to capitulate, confused the enemy leaders.

What would have happened if 'A' Company of 23 Punjab had lost heart and abandoned Longewala Post? The Pakistanis would really have had dinner at Jodhpur as there was virtually no Indian defence in between and there is no prize for guessing what that would have entailed. This really was an epic battle that saved Rajasthan.

Three weeks after the battle, the then Defence Minister, Jagjivan Ram, speaking at Jalandhar, described the people of Punjab as brave and heroic. He congratulated them for making a grave for Pakistani tanks at Longewala.

A very significant tribute was paid to the Punjabis' achievement, against unbelievable odds, by none other than Britain. Its Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal R.M. Carver, especially visited the battle scene a few weeks later, to see for himself the miracle at Longewala.

Link: An Article by the British Media on 1971 War at Longewala

:smokin:
 
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A perfect reminder to our neighbours what the INDIAN ARMY IS ALL ABOUT
 
on the map (in the video), they misspelled the country's name as papistan. not cool:angry:
we still need to respect a much smaller nation to have the guts to fight gloriously


Are you sure about these words????

Don't you know that "one Pakistani soldier was equal to 10 Indian soldiers." So who the hell was "smaller nation?" They were equal, if not superior, to India.:rofl::rofl:

Some of them still believes this.:rofl::rofl:

But what happened in the above-mentioned battle was..........120 Indian soldiers with the help of 4 Hawker Hunters, 1 HAL Krishak, and 1 Jeep mounted M40 recoilless rifle DEFEATED 2800 Pakistani troops with their 65 tanks, 138 military vehicles, 5 field guns, and 3 anti aircraft guns.



With the given equation, it was proved at Longewala that One Indian soldier is euqal to 23.3333 Pakistani Soldier.

If we incldue recoilless rifle, Hunters, Krishak, all the tanks, vehicles, guns, etc., with soldiers in the equation, the result is One Indian soldier is euqal to 23.8968 Pakistani Soldier.[/B]:chilli:

Longewala.jpg

Tank tracks at Longewala. Photographic reconnaissance image taken at the time showing the desperate last minute manoeuvres by Pakistani tanks in the Longewala sector. Circles show destroyed Pakistani tanks.


One more thing............we didn't invite them play war-war. They decided themselves to satisfy their itch from Indian Soldiers.

:smokin:
 
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. 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, says James Hattar

YouTube - Battle of Longewala 1971 India Pakistan war

Link: An Article by the British Media on 1971 War at Longewala

:smokin:


WOW..............What a beating!!!!

:victory::taz::chilli:

Longewala-Tracks.jpg

The famous picture of tank tracks in the sand around Longewala, captured at that time by the PR Canberra flown by Wg Cdr R S Benegal now adorns the enclosure at the VIP entrance of Vayu Bhawan.

:woot:
 
Huh. Hunter in indian acquisition were more likely to be hunted than hunter. Anyways fanboys galore.

:disagree:
 
let him have their bit of 'glory' !!!
 
hunters in IAF were hunted. its the sabre slayer gnat that deserves praise
 
i think credit fully goes to our soldiers stood in the ground facing an armoured regiment of PA..
 
Are you sure about these words????

Don't you know that "one Pakistani soldier was equal to 10 Indian soldiers." So who the hell was "smaller nation?" They were equal, if not superior, to India.:rofl::rofl:

Some of them still believes this.:rofl::rofl:

But what happened in the above-mentioned battle was..........120 Indian soldiers with the help of 4 Hawker Hunters, 1 HAL Krishak, and 1 Jeep mounted M40 recoilless rifle DEFEATED 2800 Pakistani troops with their 65 tanks, 138 military vehicles, 5 field guns, and 3 anti aircraft guns.



With the given equation, it was proved at Longewala that One Indian soldier is euqal to 23.3333 Pakistani Soldier.

If we incldue recoilless rifle, Hunters, Krishak, all the tanks, vehicles, guns, etc., with soldiers in the equation, the result is One Indian soldier is euqal to 23.8968 Pakistani Soldier.[/B]:chilli:

Longewala.jpg

Tank tracks at Longewala. Photographic reconnaissance image taken at the time showing the desperate last minute manoeuvres by Pakistani tanks in the Longewala sector. Circles show destroyed Pakistani tanks.


One more thing............we didn't invite them play war-war. They decided themselves to satisfy their itch from Indian Soldiers.

:smokin:

Everybody has a battle they can relish for generations, but only one side can have that joy. Longewala was one such battle that the Indians can boast about, however that does not mean we do not have our share of success, the Defence of Lahore, Battle of Chawinda and the Pakistani air superiority in 1965 are our successes.........where our soldiers defied all odds, going against the theoretical concepts of war, they denied a determined enemy with superiority in numbers and in some cases even equipment the satisfaction of gaining even an inch of our land.
 
on the map (in the video), they misspelled the country's name as papistan. not cool:angry:
we still need to respect a much smaller nation to have the guts to fight gloriously

Exactly. There is no point ridiculing the enemy. They should be shown respect where respect is due. Longewala was a good plan and it took advantage of India's weakness in the area.

It failed due to very poor execution by PA. a while back, in an Indian forum a military personal had written that Battle of Longewala was a victory handed over on a platter.

The Pakistanis seriously overestimated Indian numbers in the area. And after two tanks got knocked out, they became overcautious. Their attacks were mainly from infantry and were repelled by the Indian soldiers in well-entrenched positions. And when dawn arrived, Hunters arrived. And to take out tanks in that desert must have been like clubbing new born seals.

I am not underrating the bravery of th Indian soldiers here, by any means. To face such odds require incredible bravery. But the reality is that had the Pakistanis mounted an all out assault, they would have been overwhelmed.
 
Everybody has a battle they can relish for generations, but only one side can have that joy. Longewala was one such battle that the Indians can boast about

Yes......But look what an impact this battle had on the whole war. Do I need to tell the outcome of 1971 Indo-Pak War. If so, you will complain that I am rubbing salt on your wounds.;)


however that does not mean we do not have our share of success, the Defence of Lahore, Battle of Chawinda and the Pakistani air superiority in 1965 are our successes.........where our soldiers defied all odds, going against the theoretical concepts of war, they denied a determined enemy with superiority in numbers and in some cases even equipment the satisfaction of gaining even an inch of our land.

Nope..........wrong again. In 1965, India was recovering from 1962 war with China. The morale wasn't at its peak. Also, India didn't start the war, so was on a defensive stance. Our aim was to defend our territory, not to capture Pakistani area.


AFTERMATH

At the conclusion of the war, many Pakistanis considered the performance of their military to be positive. September 6 is celebrated as 'Defence Day' in Pakistan, in commemoration of the successful defence of Lahore against the Indian army. The performance of the Pakistani Air Force, in particular, was praised.

However, the Pakistani government was accused by foreign analysts of spreading disinformation among its citizens regarding the actual consequences of the war. In his book "Mainsprings of Indian and Pakistani foreign policies", S.M. Burke writes —

  • After the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 the balance of military power had decisively shifted in favor of India. Pakistan had found it difficult to replace the heavy equipment lost during that conflict while her adversary, despite her economic and political problems, had been determinedly building up her strength.

Most observers agree that the myth of a mobile, hard hitting Pakistan Army was badly dented in the war, as critical breakthroughs were not made. Several Pakistani writers criticized the military's ill-founded belief that their "martial race" of soldiers could defeat "Hindu India" in the war. Rasul Bux Rais, a Pakistani political analyst wrote –

  • The 1965 war with India proved that Pakistan could neither break the formidable Indian defenses in a blitzkrieg fashion nor could she sustain an all-out conflict for long.

Moreover, Pakistan had lost more ground than it had gained during the war and, more importantly, failed to achieve its goal of occupying Kashmir; this result has been viewed by many impartial observers as a defeat for Pakistan


Here are the neutral assessments of war.

Neutral assessments

There have been several neutral assessments of the losses incurred by both India and Pakistan during the war. Most of these assessments agree that India had a upper hand over Pakistan when ceasefire was declared. Some of the neutral assessments are mentioned below —

According to the United States Library of Congress Country Studies:
The war was militarily inconclusive; each side held prisoners and some territory belonging to the other. Losses were relatively heavy—on the Pakistani side, twenty aircraft, 200 tanks, and 3,800 troops. Pakistan's army had been able to withstand Indian pressure, but a continuation of the fighting would only have led to further losses and ultimate defeat for Pakistan. Most Pakistanis, schooled in the belief of their own martial prowess, refused to accept the possibility of their country's military defeat by "Hindu India" and were, instead, quick to blame their failure to attain their military aims on what they considered to be the ineptitude of Ayub Khan and his government.

TIME magazine reported that India held 690 mi2 of Pakistan territory while Pakistan held 250 mi2 of Indian territory in Kashmir and Rajasthan. Additionally, Pakistan had lost almost half its armour temporarily. The same article stated that -
Severely mauled by the larger Indian armed forces, Pakistan could continue the fight only by teaming up with Red China and turning its back on the U.N.

Devin T. Hagerty wrote in his book "South Asia in world politics" –
The invading Indian forces outfought their Pakistani counterparts and halted their attack on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city. By the time United Nations intervened on September 22, Pakistan had suffered a clear defeat.

In his book "National identity and geopolitical visions", Gertjan Dijkink writes –
The superior Indian forces, however, won a decisive victory and the army could have even marched on into Pakistani territory had external pressure not forced both combatants to cease their war efforts.

An excerpt from Stanley Wolpert's India, summarizing the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, is as follows:
In three weeks the second Indo-Pak War ended in what appeared to be a draw when the embargo placed by Washington on U.S. ammunition and replacements for both armies forced cessation of conflict before either side won a clear victory. India, however, was in a position to inflict grave damage to, if not capture, Pakistan's capital of the Punjab when the cease-fire was called, and controlled Kashmir's strategic Uri-Poonch bulge, much to Ayub's chagrin.

In his book titled The greater game: India's race with destiny and China, David Van Praagh wrote –
India won the war. It gained 1,840 square kilometers of Pakistani territory: 640 square kilometers in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan's portion of the state; 460 square kilometers of the Sailkot sector; 380 square kilometers far to the south of Sindh; and most critical, 360 square kilometers on the Lahore front. Pakistan took 540 square kilometers of Indian territory: 490 square kilometers in the Chhamb sector and 50 square kilometers around Khem Karan.

Dennis Kux's "India and the United States estranged democracies" also provides a summary of the war.
Although both sides lost heavily in men and materiel, and neither gained a decisive military advantage, India had the better of the war. New Delhi achieved its basic goal of thwarting Pakistan's attempt to seize Kashmir by force. Pakistan gained nothing from a conflict which it had instigated.

"A region in turmoil: South Asian conflicts since 1947" by Robert Johnson mentions –
India's strategic aims were modest – it aimed to deny Pakistani Army victory, although it ended up in possession of 720 square miles (1,900 km2) of Pakistani territory for the loss of just 220 square miles (570 km2) of its own.

An excerpt from William M. Carpenter and David G. Wiencek's "Asian security handbook: terrorism and the new security environment" –
A brief but furious 1965 war with India began with a covert Pakistani thrust across the Kashmiri cease-fire line and ended up with the city of Lahore threatened with encirclement by Indian Army. Another UN-sponsored cease-fire left borders unchanged, but Pakistan's vulnerability had again been exposed.

English historian John Keay's "India: A History" provides a summary of the 1965 war –
The 1965 Indo-Pak war lasted barely a month. Pakistan made gains in the Rajasthan desert but its main push against India's Jammu-Srinagar road link was repulsed and Indian tanks advanced to within a sight of Lahore. Both sides claimed victory but India had most to celebrate.

Uk Heo and Shale Asher Horowitz write in their book "Conflict in Asia: Korea, China-Taiwan, and India-Pakistan" –
Again India appeared, logistically at least, to be in a superior position but neither side was able to mobilize enough strength to gain a decisive victory.


they denied a determined enemy with superiority in numbers and in some cases even equipment the satisfaction of gaining even an inch of our land.

An INCH:rofl::rofl:

India gained 1,840 square kilometers of Pakistani territory (640 square kilometers in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan's portion of the state; 460 square kilometers of the Sailkot sector; 380 square kilometers far to the south of Sindh; and most critical, 360 square kilometers on the Lahore front). Pakistan took 540 square kilometers of Indian territory (490 square kilometers in the Chhamb sector and 50 square kilometers around Khem Karan.)

Feel free to disagree; but please provide facts in favor.:tdown:
 
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