The Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles fought during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It was fought from 8 to 10 September 1965, when the Pakistan Army thrust its tanks and infantry into Indian territory, capturing the Indian town of Khemkaran 5 km from the International Border. The 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.
Captured Pakistani tanks on display near Bhikhiwind, India
105 mm Jonga-mounted RCL gun, manned by Abdul Hamid, which destroyed a number of tanks during the battle
AMX-13 tank displayed at the Ahmednagar Cavalry Tank Museum in India. The AMX-13/75 was one of several types of armour fielded by the Indian Army during the battle
Rear view of the same tank
Indo-Pakistani war of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, also known as the second India–Pakistan war, was an armed conflict between Pakistan and India that took place from August 1965 to September 1965. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against Indian rule. The seventeen-week war caused thousands of casualties on both sides and witnessed the largest engagement of armored vehicles and the largest tank battle since World War II. Hostilities between the two countries ended after a ceasefire was declared through UNSC Resolution 211 following a diplomatic intervention by the Soviet Union and the United States, and the subsequent issuance of the Tashkent Declaration. Much of the war was fought by the countries' land forces in Kashmir and along the border between India and Pakistan. This war saw the largest amassing of troops in Kashmir since the Partition of India in 1947, a number that was overshadowed only during the 2001–2002 military standoff between India and Pakistan. Most of the battles were fought by opposing infantry and armored units, with substantial backing from air forces, and naval operations.
Top, bottom: Indian soldiers with a destroyed Pakistani M4A1 Sherman tank Pakistani soldiers maneuvering a captured Indian AMX-13 tank
Image: 1965 Indo Pak War Destroyed Sherman Tank
A declassified US State Department letter that confirms the existence of hundreds of “infiltrators” in the Indian-administered part of the disputed Kashmir region. Dated during the events running up to the 1965 war.
Azad Kashmiri Irregular Militiamen, 1965 War