Battleground Chhamb (The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971)

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The Battle of Chhamb is considered to be the fiercest, bloodiest, most intense and decisive battle of the 1971 Inda-Pakistan War. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi termed it as 'the toughest'. Pakistan had amassed a very large and formidable force under 23 Infantry Division for their offensive; it comprised five infantry brigades, one armored brigade and 31 artillery batteries. In fact the artillery employed by Pakistan in the Chhamb sector was more than they had to defend themselves in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Having tasted success in this sector the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, this time, with a much larger force, Pakistan hoped to capture the strategically important town of Akhnur. On the other hand, the Indian 10 Infantry Division's task was changed as many as four times in the run up to the war - from a purely Covering Troops action between the Cease Fire Line (CFL) and the permanent defenses well to the rear, to an offensive task, then into a 'Forward Poise' and finally to adopt a posture on 1 December 1971. This final change of plan, literally at the eleventh hour, had a profound bearing on the conduct of the battle.

Notwithstanding this, 10 Infantry Division fought magnificently and managed to hold the Pakistanis on the of the Manawar Tawi River. Just as was preparing to launch major counter-attacks, the sudden declaration of the unilateral ceasefire by India, robbed the division of an opportunity to recapture lost territory. Nor was it taken back during the Shimla negotiations when India held 92.000 Pakistani PoWs in captivity and had the bargaining upper hand. The -lathe holds many lessons for India even today and should be required reading not only for members of the defense forces, but for anybody who is interested in South Asian history.

Major General Sandhu is the third generation of a third family and was commissioned into 2 Field Regiment (SP) on 11 June 1967. In an illustrious career of over thirty seven years, he has held various command staff and instructional assignments and has done all the prestigious military courses. He served in the Punjab Sector in 1971 lndo Pakistan War, and also in the operationally vital regions of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, during the critical periods of the Siachen conflict and Operation Vijay. He retired in 2004 as Additional Director General Artillery the Army Headquarters

Amongst the many battles that India has fought after Independence, why did I select the Battle of Chhamb for detailed study? There are many reasons for it. First, this is the only sector where Pakistan has attacked in each of the three indo-Pakistan wars, i.e. 1947-8, 1965, and 1971• Pakistan appears to have an obsession with the Chhamb Sector; the question is why? Second, this battle is viewed by many as the bloodiest and most decisive battle of the 1971 War. Mrs. Indira Gandhi also termed it as the `toughest. Had Pakistan succeeded in reaching Akhnur, not only would they have cut-off the main highway linking Jammu with the Raj our-Punch Sector, but Jammu itself would have been within striking distance. The third reason is that I have been intrigued by the fact that whereas so much has been written on many of the other battles which India has fought since Independence, there has been no definitive Indian account on the Battle of Chhamb. Although this action figures in all the books written on the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, there is no Indian book dealing exclusively on the Battle of Chhamb Fourth, in the aftermath of the war, the Battle of Chhamb was shrouded in controversy and was viewed in a somewhat 'negative' way. It was variously termed as a 'reverse', a 'defeat' and even a 'debacle', whereas in fact, it was a stubbornly fought defensive battle that dealt a blow to Pakistan's offensive designs and saved Akhnur, and Jammu. In his introduction to a talk he delivered at the United Service Institution of India, New Delhi, on 28 December 1989, Lieutenant General R.K. Jasbir Singh, who commanded the frontline 191 Infantry Brigade during the war, but the 'Gale of Chhamb in perspective, when he said that 'There has been the inevitable misconception, misinformation and regrettable disinformation about the way it was fought; 'X to this I wish to add that over the years there has been some 'distortion' as well Lastly, the GOC of the 10 Infantry Division during the 1971 War, then Major General Jaswant Singh was my father. He had wanted to write an account of the battle, but passed away suddenly while serving as Vice-Chief of Army Staff I, therefore, felt obliged to take on the task he had envisioned. The operation conducted by the 10 Infantry Division in the Chhamb Sector has never been viewed in true light or in the correct perspective. It was the heroic actions of the officers and men of the 'Crossed-Swords' division which blunted Pakistan's most serious offenses and saved Akhnur; but their feats were never acknowledged, leave alone commended. By bringing out an account of this battle I wanted to acknowledge the nation's debt to those who laid down their Ivies in the 'killing fields' of Chhamb. The casualties caused to the Pakistanis in terms of men and material in this short but Pakistanis intense battle, bear ample testimony to the manner in which the Division fought to thwart the enemy's designs in this sector. It is indeed sad that these actions were not commended; the meager number of gallantry awards given to the personnel of this Division defied logic. 'Victory has a hundred fathers, defeat is but an orphan' this saying amply describes the fate of this Division.

In the aftermath of the conflict, many officers were posted out. These included the Brigade Commander of 191 Infantry Brigade and the GOC of 10 Infantry Division, who was made the `scapegoats' in the witch hunt that followed; it is an entirely different matter than when the events were studied in entirety at the highest political level and all the facts came to light, they were 'exonerated' and both rose to become Lieutenant Generals, the former retiring as the Military Secretary and the latter became the Vice-Chief of Army Staff where he died in hairless. Although initially the Battle of Chhamb was discussed in 'hush-hush' tones, gradually the true story came out and today it is quite proudly talked about as a successful defensive battle To get a complete and balanced picture, I have read several books published on the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 by Pakistani as well as Indian authors, including the 'official' booklet published by the Army Headquarters. I have also interacted with some retired officers who took part in this battle. With some I have personally spoken, while to others I sent questionnaires Sadly, however, most of the senior commanders of that time have passed away. Also as someone has rightly remarked, as people grow old, sometimes imagination starts masquerading in the form of memories. Wherever possible, I have corroborated the military actions from multiple sources in order to ensure a f cut narration. Lastly, I have referred to the personal notes of the GOC 10 Infantry Division, with whom I had over the years many discussions on this battle. Since I do not boast of any literary pretensions, I have written this narrative in a simple `military style! Being conscious of the fact that the GOC was my father, I have tried my utmost to give an unbiased and objective account of this battle. The Battle of Chhamb of the 1971 Indo- Pakistan War holds many lessons for us even today, and for this reason alone it is time that we revise our biased views of yesteryears and understand the way this tough battle was actually fought.