Battle of Phillora

Battle of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Battle of Phillora

Part of Indo-Pakistani war of 1965

Sculpture showing the Indo-Pakistani War

30km
19miles

Degh

Samba

Jammu

Akhnur

Phillora

Gujranwala

Wazirabad

Sialkot

Ravi river

MRL

MRL

Marala Headworks

Phillora and surroundings

| Date| 7–11 September 1965
(4 days)

|

Location|

Phillora in Sialkot (Punjab, Pakistan)

32°22′52″N 74°43′11″E﻿ / ﻿32.3810°N 74.7197°E﻿ / 32.3810; 74.7197
Result|  Indian victory[1][2]
Territorial
changes|  India captures 470 km2 (180 sq mi) of Pakistani territory[3]
Belligerents
India|  Pakistan
Commanders and leaders

* Lt. Gen. Harbakhsh Singh
* Lt. Gen. Pat Dunn
* Maj. Gen. Rajinder Singh
* Lt. Col. Ardeshir Tarapore

* Lt. Gen. Bakhtiar Rana
* Maj. Gen. Abrar Hussain[a]

Units involved

1st Armoured Division

* 1st Armoured Brigade
* 16th Cavalry Regiment
* 17th Horse Regiment
* 4th Horse Regiment
* 62nd Cavalry Regiment
* 43rd Lorried Brigade[4]

6th Armoured Division

* 10th Cavalry Regiment
* 11th Cavalry Regiment

33rd TDU
4th Frontier Force
14th Para Brigade[4]
Casualties and losses

Neutral Sources:

* 6 Centurions destroyed/damaged [5]

Per India:

* 11 tanks destroyed/damaged[6][7][8]

Per Pakistan:

* 30 - 45 tanks[9]

Neutral Sources:

* 67 Tanks (mostly Pattons) destroyed/damaged [10]

Per India:

* 67 tanks destroyed and damaged (31 wrecks recovered)[11][8][1][2][12]
* 9 M36B2 tank destroyers and 4 RCL jeeps destroyed/captured [13][14][15]

Per Pakistan:

* 22 tanks[9]

* v
* t
* e

Indo-Pakistani war of 1965

|  Prelude

* Desert Hawk
* Biar Bet
* Sardar Post

Gujarat

* Dwarka
* Rajasthan
* Kishangarh Fort

Kashmir Front

* Gibraltar
* Grand Slam
* Haji Pir Pass

Punjab Front

* Batapur
* Jassar Bridge
* Burki
* Ichogil
* Phillora
* Chawinda
* Dograi
* Khemkaran
* Asal Uttar

Other

* Air War
* 8-Pass Charlie
* Pathankot Airstrike
* Tashkent Declaration

* v
* t
* e

Indo-Pakistani conflicts

Kashmir conflict

* War of 1947–48
* War of 1965
* War of 1971
* Siachen conflict
* Kargil War
* 2001–02 standoff
* 2008 standoff
* 2025 conflict

Other conflicts

* 1959 Canberra shootdown
* Bangladesh Liberation War
* Atlantique incident

Border skirmishes

* 2011
* 2013
* 2014–15
* 2016–18
* 2019
* 2020–21
* 2023
* 2025

Strikes

* LoC 2016
* Balakot 2019
* J&K 2019

The Battle of Phillora was a large tank battle fought during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It commenced on 10 September when the Indian 1st Armoured Division, with four armoured regiments and supporting forces under command, attacked positions in the Sialkot sector held by Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. After three days the Pakistanis withdrew with the loss of 66 tanks. The Indians admitted to the loss of 6 Centurions although Pakistan estimated Indian losses in between 30 to 45 tanks.[16]

The battle coincided with the Battle of Asal Uttar where the Indians were again successful. It was followed by the Battle of Chawinda, where the Indian offensive was halted. On 22 September a ceasefire came into force.

## Battle

[edit]

The battle commenced on 10 September 1965 when Indian troops launched a massive attack in the Phillora sector headed by Indian 1st Armoured Division. Equipped with four armoured regiments, and with a motorised infantry brigade attached, the division faced stiff opposition from the Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. Pakistani aircraft attacked the Indian forces. Their tanks suffered little damage while the supporting transport and infantry columns were harder hit. Over the next two days there was intense fighting before the outnumbered Pakistani troops made a tactical retreat towards Chawinda. At this point India claimed to have destroyed 66 Pakistani tanks but Pakistan admitted the loss of 22 tanks.[9][17]

According to ex-Pakistan Army Major and military historian A.H. Amin the Pakistani armour failed at the battle of Phillora:

> 6 Armoured Division ordered Guides (10th) Cavalry and 14 FF to mount an attack from Bhagowal-Bhureshah area against the right flank of the Indians aimed at area Libbe-Chahr at 1130 hours on 11th September. The aim of this attack was to relieve pressure on 11th Cavalry. The Guides had a severe firefight with 16th Light Cavalry losing many tanks as well as destroying some enemy tanks but were unable to make any impression and the main Indian attack against 11th Cavalry holding Phillora proceeded smoothly. Phillora was captured by the Indians on 1530 hours on 11th September. The 11th Cavalry fought well and lost so many tanks that from 11th September onwards it ceased to function as a complete tank regiment.[18]

Major Amin also criticised India for its strategic miscalculation:

> The Indians fought well but in the overall strategic context the capture of Phillora was of little consequence. Had the Indians shown similar resolution and a little more coup d'œil and modified their plans at the brigade and divisional level on 8 September, by 11 September they would have been leisurely holding the east bank of the MRL (Marala–Ravi link canal).[18]

## Result

[edit]

On 12 September the battle ended in a decisive victory for the Indian Army with the Pakistani forces retreating and regrouping to put up a last stand at Chawinda[19][17] A day before, the Indian Army had experienced another victory at Asal Uttar when they successfully thwarted a Pakistani offensive in the Khem Karan sector. The continued thrust by the Indian Army into Pakistani territory finally culminated in the Battle of Chawinda, where the Indian army's advance was halted.[20][21][22] On 22 September the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on request and emergency call by India as India was going to halt by Pakistan that called for an unconditional ceasefire from both nations.[23] The same day a ceasefire agreement was signed and hostilities ceased.[24] The war ended the following day. India retained almost 200 square miles (500 square kilometres) of Pakistani territory in the Sialkot sector including the villages of Phillora, Pagowal, Maharajke, Gadgor and Bajagrahi. But before ceasefire Pakistan was able to recapture these areas from India.[7][12]

## See also

[edit]

* Indo-Pakistan Wars
* Operation Grand Slam

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "[Abrar Hussain] had 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, 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]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Prabhakar, Peter Wilson (2003). Wars, proxy-wars and terrorism: post independent India. Mittal Publications, 2003. p. 84\. ISBN 978-81-7099-890-7.
2. ^ a b James Rapson, Edward; Wolseley Haig; Sir Richard Burn; Henry Dodwell; Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler; Vidya Dhar Mahajan. "Political Developments Since 1919 (India and Pakistan)". The Cambridge History of India. Vol. 6\. S. Chand. p. 1013.
3. ^ "Big Picture: 1965, fifty years later". The Indian Express. 5 September 2015.
4. ^ a b Amin, Agha.H. "Situation Leading to and Battle of Phillora". Major. A.H Amin. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
5. ^ M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965 (Duel Book 71) Kindle version by David R. Higgins(Author), Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland, Page 67
6. ^ A Western Sunrise : India's War With Pakistan by Kunal Verma ISBN 978-93-90652-46-4 p.319
7. ^ a b Chakravorty, B.C. (1992). "Chapter VII, Operations in Sialkot Sector" (PDF). In Prasad, S.N. (ed.). History of the Indo-Pak War, 1965 (PDF). History Division, Ministry of Defence, Government of India – via ETH Zurich.
8. ^ a b Singh, Lt.Gen Harbaksh (1991). War Despatches. New Delhi: Lancer International. p. 186. ISBN 81-7062-117-8.
9. ^ a b c Riza, Shaukat (1977). The Pakistan Army War of 1965. Natraj. p. 164\. ISBN 978-81-85019-60-4.
10. ^ M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965 (Duel Book 71) Kindle version by David R. Higgins(Author), Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland, Page 67
11. ^ M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965 (Duel Book 71) Kindle version by David R. Higgins(Author), Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland, Page 67
12. ^ a b Singh, Lt.Gen Harbaksh (1991). War Despatches. New Delhi: Lancer International. p. 147\. ISBN 81-7062-117-8.
13. ^ M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965 (Duel Book 71) Kindle version by David R. Higgins(Author), Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland, Page 68
14. ^ A Western Sunrise : India's War With Pakistan by Kunal Verma ISBN 978-93-90652-46-4 p.320
15. ^ Men of steel : 6 Armoured Division in the 1965 war : war despatches of Major General Abrar Husain / Abrar Husain
16. ^ Higgins, David R. (20 January 2016). M48 Patton vs Centurion: Indo-Pakistani War 1965. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 69\. ISBN 978-1-4728-1094-6.
17. ^ a b Zaloga, Steve (1999) The M47 and M48 Patton tanks ISBN 1-85532-825-9 pg.34-35.
18. ^ a b Amin, Major Agha H. "Situation Leading to and Battle of Phillora". Think Tank. AH Amin. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
19. ^ Wilson, Peter (2003). Wars, proxy-wars and terrorism: post independent India. Mittal Publications, 2003. ISBN 978-81-7099-890-7.
20. ^ Fricker, John (1979). Battle for Pakistan: the air war of 1965. University of Michigan: I. Allan. p. 128\. ISBN 978-0-71-100929-5.
21. ^ Cohen, Stephen P.; Dasgupta, Sunil (14 January 2013). Arming without Aiming: India's Military Modernization. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8157-2492-6.
22. ^ Zaloga, Steven J. (July 1999). The M47 and M48 Patton Tanks. Bloomsbury USA. p. 36\. ISBN 978-1-85532-825-9.
23. ^ Pradhan, R.D. (2007). 1965 war, the inside story. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2007. ISBN 978-81-269-0762-5.
24. ^ Barua, Pradeep (2005) The state at war in South Asia ISBN 0-8032-1344-1 pg.192.

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Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|

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