Our army museums have war trophies in the form of Indian captured tanks, vehicles, RRs and above all the jeep of Major General Niranjan Prasad, GOC 15th Indian Division, which he abandoned with maps on the Wagah-Lahore axis after a very bold counterattack by Pakistani reserve brigade of 10th Division; personally led by the Brigade Commander Brigadier Qayum Sher, a courageous and competent commander of his time.
Armed forces' officers and men are trained and motivated worldwide for combat but their real worth for combat can be judged during war only. The army with the best fighting machines and the bravest soldiers stands out distinctly. The mission is always supreme, no matter the intensity of combat operations or the size of opposing forces.
History is replete with war accounts where smaller armies having the best fighting stock of officers' corps and men defeated much larger armies through brilliant displays of courage and skills of warfare. A few decisive battles in which numerically inferior forces defeated massive battalions are included in the annals of military history: The battle of Yarmuk (636AD) between the Byzantine Empire (strength 400,000) and the Arab army (strength 40,000), which was decisively won by the latter. The Crusade wars between 1095 to 1099 and in 1147-49, where the Crusaders had fielded much superior and bigger armies were defeated by the Muslims. The Turkish War of Independence (1919-23) fought against the Allies (British, French, Armenians, Italians, Greeks etc. of one million forces) and ended up with victory for numerically much inferior Turks. Shahab-ud-Din Ghori (1192) and Ahmad Shah Abdali (1761) defeated much bigger Hindu armies. French Army was defeated by Vietnam guerilla forces in the battle of Dien Ben Pho (1954).
Pakistan has been up against the numerically superior army of India. Both countries have fought three wars primarily on the Kashmir issue. India claims occupied Kashmir on a fictitious instrument of accession while Pakistan claims Kashmir on principles of partition of the subcontinent that makes Kashmir an inalienable part of Pakistan. The first Indo-Pakistan War of 1948 forced India to rush to the UN Security Council for a ceasefire. She promised to hold a plebiscite under the supervision of the UN in Kashmir but failed to honour her commitment. India spared no effort to strengthen military deployments inside Kashmir to crush the freedom movement with force. Pakistan like a hapless spectator observed Indian atrocities inside Kashmir and the insensitivity of the international community to address the long-standing issue. The situation was viewed in Pakistan with great public discontent and frustration. Pakistan exercised restraint during the Sino-India War in 1962, although the opportunity emerged to enter the forces in Jammu-Kashmir when the bulk of the Indian Army was moved to fight the Chinese offensive. India went into deep shock. The defeat affected the international image of the Indian army and it was now viewed as a weak and demoralised military. It was natural for Pakistani leadership to consider a military option for Kashmir like China and more so when diplomatic efforts had clearly failed. The operational plans were drawn up by Pakistan to provide support to the Kashmir Freedom Movement and resolve the issue internationally for a final resolution. Pakistan was left with no option but to help the Kashmiri brothers due to the dishonourable conduct of India (by not fulfilling plebiscite promises) and the indifferent attitude of the international community.
In April 1965, a military encounter took place between the Indian and Pakistani troops in Rann of Kutch where India suffered casualties and withdrew a few miles from their forward positions established in territories under a claim of Pakistan. Victory in the Rann of Kutch made the Pakistani nation jubilant. Indian Prime Minister threatened Pakistan with a war at a time and place of Indian choice.
In the first week of August 1965, Operation Gibraltar was put into execution. The plan envisioned an attack by infiltration by highly motivated irregulars. The ceasefire line was crossed in nine groups comprising five companies each through multi-prong routes leading to Srinagar, Nowshera, Rajauri, Bandipur, Qazinag, Titwal, Gurais, Kel and Kargil. The operation could not unfortunately achieve the desired results despite successful penetration and had to be called off. The Commander-in-Chief PAF, Air Marshal Nur Khan stood out for extreme bravery when he personally accompanied a C-130 flight for a hazardous aerial drop mission near Srinagar for the infiltrated force. The C-130 aircraft had no night flying capability and had to rely on a Doppler navigation system for night flying in mountainous regions of Kashmir. The PAF mission remained successful and in fact, contributed positively during the exfiltration phase of the force.
During Operation Grand Slam (August 1965), Akhnur, the main artery for India to access Occupied Kashmir was to be captured by a powerful ground and air offensive. The first phase of the offensive was launched by 12 Division. It was a major breakthrough and a success. Our heavy calibre artillery, M-47 tanks and the PAF steamrolled resistance by the Indian army and forced the retreat to turn into a rout. Indians left field artillery guns in Chamb (25 pounds) that enabled Pakistan to raise one artillery regiment. It was in Chamb, where Major (later Major General) Nasir-Ullah Baber, HJ, SJ mistakenly landed his helicopter inside the Indian position but kept his cool. He ordered Indians to surrender being surrounded and marched them to Pakistani positions. The second phase was launched by the 7 Division. It advanced with lightning speed and reached the outskirts of Akhnur. The fighting was in progress when India started an all-out war by crossing the international border. Many young officers of the Pakistan Army displayed exceptional courage and won gallantry awards during the Akhnur offensive. Amongst the recipients was Captain Shabbir Sharif, (he received Shaheed Nishan-i-Haider for his courageous role in the 1971 war) who won Sitara-e-Jurat (SJ) in one of the combats in this sector.
It is relevant to mention that fighting along the Kashmir front was a sheer violation of international norms and the Geneva Convention.
On September 6, 1965, India launched a secondary effort in the Lahore Sector with two infantry divisions supported by the air force. In those days no worthwhile obstacle system existed between the border and the Bambawala-Ravi-Bedian (BRB) Canal. Therefore, the Indian advance up to the BRB Canal experienced lighter opposition from the Pakistani troops. By September 7th, 1965, Indian formations reached the BRB Canal but a timely demolition of bridges by Pakistan Army Engineers made their crossing impossible. For the next 17 days, India attempted to gain a foothold across the BRB Canal but was of no success. Battle accounts of Batapur, Dograi, Barki and Hudiara near Kasur in the Lahore Sector were extremely motivating and indeed inspirational. Major Aziz Bhatti embraced Shahadat in the Barki sector and earned Nishan-i-Haider. The Pakistan Air Force and Artillery hunted the Indian Army troops stranded between the BRB and the border. The entire area was littered with destroyed Indian tanks, vehicles and corpses.
On the night of September 8, 1965, India launched the main effort comprising an Armoured Division and 2-3 Infantry Divisions in Sialkot Sector. Concurrently, an effort was launched from Rajasthan in the southern desert regions of Pakistan. This Indian offensive was beaten off by irregular warriors known as Hurs from the desert region. Pakistan was ready to fight the Indian offensive in Sialkot Sector. Sufficient artillery, armour and infantry were de-inducted from Akhnur and concentrated in Sialkot. Indian armour and infantry divisions encountered the fiercest resistance from Pakistan and despite force ratio predominantly in their favour could not breach the defence lines near Chawinda. This town came under international focus where the biggest tank battle was fought between the newly raised Pakistani Armoured Division and the Indian counterpart. Pakistan had by now established a firm grip over the operational situation. Indian offensive in the Lahore Sector was effectively contained astride BRB. Our tanks advanced beyond Khem Karan towards Asal Uttar where one major tank battle ended up in a stalemate. Khem Karan, however, remained in Pakistan's possession till the ceasefire.
PAF dominated the skies throughout the war. IAF was marginalised and rarely took a chance to challenge PAF fighters in the skies. PAF's daring immediate support and deep interdiction missions had devastating effects on IAF and it stood paralysed with the destruction of 70 aircraft as against 17 of the PAF in the entire war. Pakistan Navy, though very small in size, did not lag behind. The bombing of Dwarka, a coastal city near Bombay, on the night of September 7, 1965, by a fleet of seven naval ships with the mission to draw the Indian Navy out for attack and PNS Submarine Ghazi made Pakistani nation proud and jubilant. The entire nation got united to support Pakistan Armed forces in whatever capacity they could. Civilian blood donors and volunteers were limitless to support the military. Pakistan Army suffered a high percentage of casualties in war but it was never regretted considering the gigantic national service it performed by humbling a much bigger Indian Army and containing their offensives within the proximity of the international border.
All major battle zone accounts of the 1965 war should be fully documented and displayed at sites for public interest and to keep the spirit of the 1965 war alive.