The Indians suffered casualties at the hands of the Pakistanis, eventually withdrawing. Three Indian armoured regiments clashed with the Pakistani 25th Cavalry regiment (later dubbed Men of Steel) led by their CO, Lt. Indian armour advanced southwest until they reached the first Pakistani units deployed around Phillaurah village. Having successfully established a base inside Pakistani territory, the Indians prepared to unleash the 1st Armoured Division on the 8th of September. Situation at 0600 hours on 8th September: Indian 1st Armoured Division’s plans following establishment of base in Pakistan The initial Indian advances at Charwa and Maharajke along the WB were challenged by a numerically inferior company-sized Pakistani forces which held their ground before running out of ammunition and withdrawing south towards Chawinda. This bridgehead would then serve as a base for the main advance south by the 1st Armoured Division. On the night of 7/8th September, the Indian 6th and 14th Divisions advanced across the working boundary (WB) west of Sialkot, intending to establish a bridgehead in Pakistani territory. M36B2 Tank Destroyer Sequence of Events Leading up to the Battle of Chawinda Situation on 7-8 September Night: Displacement of 24 Brigade and Plans of Indian Bridge heads The WW2-era M36B2 and Shermans were both obsolete vehicles with out-dated designs and weak guns hardly capable of piercing the armour of modern-day tanks. However, the circumstances of Chawinda left little room for speed and manoeuvring by Pakistani tanks, which were on the defensive against a numerically superior opponent for the most part. Pakistani Sherman in action during the battle of Lahore The Patton was lighter and faster, equipped with the less powerful 90 mm gun. The Indians were primarily equipped with Sherman and Centurion tanks – the latter was a heavier, and better-armoured tank with a more powerful 20 pounder gun. Pakistani M48 Patton in action Pakistani Troops with a captured Indian Centurion at Chawinda Pakistani armour consisted of M47/M48 Pattons, M4 Shermans and M36B2 Tank Destroyers. The battles in the Chawinda Sialkot area witnessed motley of tanks in action on both sides.
This would be aptly demonstrated during the battles to follow. The WW2-era M36B2 and Shermans were both obsolete vehicles with out-dated designs and weak guns hardly capable of piercing the armour of modern-day tanksīoth sides lacked intelligence on enemy intentions and strengths. On the Pakistani side, defense of the areas north/northeast of Chawinda fell to the 24th Brigade of the 15th Division, while the rest of the 15th Division was committed to the defense of Sialkot proper.Ħth Armoured Division’s original plan for the battle was based on holding focal pivots in the area with minimal strength while reserving strong forces for a counter-offensive strike. Preventing the reinforcement of the Lahore front by tying down Pakistani reserves.Cutting of the Grand Trunk Road and seizing key Pakistani territory.Pre-empting further Pakistani offensives directed towards Jammu in the aftermath of Operation Grand Slam.Codenamed Operation NEPAL, the Indian attack in the Sialkot sector had multiple objectives: The Indian offensive against Lahore on 6th September was simultaneously followed by their main thrust along the Sialkot front on the night of the 7/8th of September. Read more: The graveyard of Indian tanks: the battles in the Sialkot sector in the 1965 war Indian Plans Indian Plans for Operations Nepal and Riddle and Pakistani deployments was a recently formed formation, still in the throes of reorganization and not yet up to division level strength when the war began.
Abrar Husain, was initially located in the vicinity of Gujranwala, as Pakistani 1st Corps reserve force. Sardar Muhammad Ismail and was located in Sialkot with its brigades spread across the front.
Pakistani forces in the Sialkot sector primarily consisted of: I Corps Artillery Brigade supported by 24 and 71 Medium Regiments.Indian 1st Corps, the striking arm of the Sialkot offensive consisted of the following forces: Sialkot Sector – Opposing Formations and Plans With roughly a hundred and thirty Pakistani and two hundred and thirty Indian tanks involved, Chawinda easily factors in as one of the largest conventional tank battles fought to date post World War 2. Pakistan’s actions at Chawinda were akin to the defensive battles fought by German Wehrmacht and SS-Panzer formations as they sought to counter Soviet armour-infantry breakthroughs in Eastern Ukraine by numerically superior forces in early 1943.
The battle of Chawinda marked the largest clash of armour since the great tank battles of World War 2.
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