Battle of Asal Uttar

Overview

The Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 fought from 8 to 10 September 1965 at Asal Uttar, a village in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab, India. When the Pakistan Army thrust its tanks and infantry into Indian territory, capturing the Indian town of Khem Karan 5 km from the India–Pakistan border, 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.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, fought over three days in the Punjab village of Asal Uttar in Tarn Taran district. The engagement was triggered by a Pakistani armored and infantry thrust into Indian territory that captured the town of Khem Karan, approximately 5 km from the border. Indian forces under Harbaksh Singh and Brig. Thomas K. Theogaraj succeeded in repulsing the Pakistani advance after bitter fighting, denying Pakistan the breakthrough it had sought in the Punjab sector. The outcome blunted the Pakistani offensive momentum in this axis of the 1965 war. Contributing factors cited include the performance of Indian troops, exploitation of the local plains terrain, and superior Indian tactical and strategic decisions during the engagement.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)