Battle of Burki

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We need your support to keep the flame of knowledge burning bright! Our hosting server bill is due on June 1st, and without your help, Bharatpedia faces the risk of shutdown. We've come a long way together in exploring and celebrating our rich heritage. Now, let's unite to ensure Bharatpedia continues to be a beacon of knowledge for generations to come. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let's preserve and share the essence of Bharat.

Thank you for being part of the Bharatpedia family!
Please scan the QR code on the right to donate.

0%

   

transparency: ₹0 raised out of ₹100,000 (0 supporter)



Battle of Burki
Part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Officers of 4 Sikh Regiment posing outside a captured Pakistani police station (in Burki) in Lahore District.
Sculpture showing the Indo-Pakistani War


Village of Burki
Date8–11 September 1965[1][2]
(3 days)
Location31°28′38″N 74°30′45″E / 31.4771°N 74.5125°E / 31.4771; 74.5125
Result Indian victory[3][4]
Belligerents
 India  Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
India Major General Har Krishan Sibal
India Lt Col FS Sondhi
India Lt. Col Satish Chandra Joshi 
India Anant Singh

Pakistan Raja Aziz Bhatti 

Pakistan Squadron Leader Sajjad Haider
Units involved
7 Infantry Division[5]
48 Infantry Brigade
65 Infantry Brigade
5 GUARDS
Central India Horse
9 Madras[6]
4 Sikh[7]
16 Punjab[8]
6/8 Gorkha Rifles
Army

10 Infantry Division
103 Infantry Brigade[9]
17th Punjab Regiment

Air Force
No. 19 Squadron [10]
Strength
1 infantry division[1]
1 armoured regiment[11]
(3 Regiments)
2 Companies of 17th Punjab Regiment
10 F-86 Sabre jets[citation needed]
Casualties and losses
4 tanks destroyed (According to Indian Sources)[3] 84 tanks captured or destroyed[3]
Template:Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The Battle of Burki (Barki) was a battle fought by Indian infantry and Pakistani armour in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.[3] Barki is a village that lies south-east of Lahore near the border with Punjab,Just 11 km from the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, India and is connected to Lahore by the a bridge over the(BRB) Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal.[12] During the fighting, the relative strengths of the two sides were fairly even and Indian infantry clashed with Pakistani forces that were entrenched in pillboxes, dug-outs and slit trenches that had been carved into the canal banks. The Pakistanis were supported by a large number of tanks, as well as fighter jets.[3][failed verification] The battle resulted in an Indian victory.[3][4]

Background[edit]

Pakistan launched Operation Grand Slam on 17 August 1965 in an effort to relieve infiltrators who had been surrounded after the failure of Operation Gibraltar on 15 August and to attempt to cut off the Indian supply lines.[13] With supply lines under severe stress due to Operation Grand Slam, India launched an offensive towards Lahore to open up a second front in the war and distract Pakistani attention from Kashmir.[13] After opening the Lahore Front, Indian troops advanced towards Lahore along three axes – the Amritsar-Lahore, Khalra-Burki-Lahore and Khem Karan-Kasur roads – overwhelming the small Pakistani force.[14]

Indian infantry, supported by the only Indian armoured division, quickly pushed back unprepared Pakistani defenders with the aim of encircling and possibly besieging Lahore. Due to the element of surprise, India was able to capture a large amount of Pakistani territory from the town of Khalra, an Indian border town which lies on a straight road to Lahore through Burki.[2][3] In the meantime, the Pakistani Army mobilised the troops in the region and mounted a three-pronged counter-attack to recapture lost ground. The Battle of Burki was subsequently fought on Khalra-Burki-Lahore road.[3][14]

Pakistan's main goal was to force the Indian infantry into retreat before their armoured support and supply lines could catch up. The Pakistani Army's aim also was to capture much of the territory it had lost earlier in the fighting.[2] The Indian infantry's aim was to capture and hold the town of Burki until reinforcements, including armour and supplies, could arrive.[1][2][4]

Battle[edit]

7 Infantry Division celebrating its 60th Raising Day at Burki War Memorial, July 2022. The division fought decisive battles to capture Burki during 1965 War.[15]

India began their advance from Khalra under Major-General Har Krishan Sibal and tank operations under Lieutenant-Colonel Anant Singh with a village called Jahman being the first major Pakistani outpost to fall.[2] Pakistani troops pulled back towards the next major town, which was Burki, leaving small pockets of resistance at each village to slow down Indian advance.[16]

On 8 September, Pakistan began the counter-attack with Pakistani artillery pounding the Indian advance on 8, 9 and 10 September.[2] This constant shelling slowed down the Indian advance but was unable to stop it completely.[2] This was followed by a counterattack by Pakistani armour consisting of considerable part of Pakistan's 1st Armoured Division.[1] Indian infantry eventually clashed with Pakistani tanks at Burki, which resulted in most of the Pakistani armour being damaged or destroyed by 10 September.[3]

The Indian infantry was able to hold off the Pakistani armoured units until Indian tanks from the 18th Cavalry Regiment arrived. They were then able to subsequently launch the main assault on 10 September with armour support. As most of the Pakistani tanks had already been incapacitated, the Pakistani defenders had little armoured support from the remaining tanks. A few Pakistani fighter jets were called in to provide air cover for Pakistani troops and to target Indian positions.[4] However, the use of fighters to perform ground strafing against ground troops instead of bombers with bombs and missiles meant that little was achieved through air support.[4] The limited number of jets and the easy availability of trenches and defensive structures for cover added to the ineffectiveness of Pakistani air operations. As a result, after intense fighting, Indian infantry captured Burki on 11 September and held it throughout the rest of the war.[4]

Aftermath[edit]

After the capture of Burki, the Indian advance continued towards Dograi, a town in the immediate vicinity of Lahore. The town and surrounding areas were captured on 22 September, bringing the city of Lahore within range of Indian tank fire. Despite the Indian Army's capture of the Burki sector through the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal, the outnumbered military companies under Major Raja Aziz Bhatti had forced the Indian Army to engage in hand-to-hand combat during the night of the 7–8 September 1965, and the fighting continued through the next three days despite the Indian Army's numerical advantage. Subsequently, the Indian Army's armour columns had to halt their plans of capturing Lahore but focus of securing the Burki sector and destroying the bridge connecting the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal.[17][18]

Awards[edit]

Battle Honour of ‘Barki’ & theatre honour of Punjab 1965 was conferred on 16 Punjab, 4 Sikh and 9 Madras of 65 Infantry Brigade.[19]

The 5 GUARDS of the Indian Army, which played an important part in capturing Burki, was also conferred with the "Battle Honour Burki" and "Theatre Honour Punjab".[20]

The Pakistani commander, Major Raja Aziz Bhatti was later posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, the highest military decoration given by Pakistan.[21] Each year he is honoured in Pakistan on 6 September, which is also known as Defence Day.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Capt, Ranbir Singh Gp (2005), Major Defence Operations Since 1947, Ocean Books, p. 100, ISBN 978-81-88322-67-1
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Gupta, Hari Ram (1967). India-Pakistan war, 1965, Volume 1. Hariyana Prakashan. pp. 154–157 – via archive.org.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Melville de Mellow (28 November 1965). "Battle of Burki was another outstanding infantry operation". Sainik Samachar.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Singh, Gp Capt Ranbir (2009), Memorable War Stories, Ocean Books/Prabhat Prakashan, ISBN 978-81-88322-66-4Template:Unreliable source inline
  5. "Wrong Timing the Battle: Khem Karan and Afghanistan". 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  6. "Capture of Barki by 4 Sikh" (PDF). 1 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  7. "Saragarhi Battalion to commemorate valour of its soldiers". The Times of India. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  8. "Veterans celebrate Battle Honour Day". 12 September 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  9. "BATTLE HONOURS OF THE INDIAN ARMY – 18, 1965 INDO PAK WAR: BARKI, ASSAULTING THE ICHHOGIL CANAL". 2 April 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  10. Air Commodore Qadeer Ahmad Hashmi. "PAF in Defence of Lahore". DefenceJournal.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2001.
  11. Das, Chand N. (1997), Hours of Glory: Famous battles of the Indian army, 1801–1971, Vision Books, p. 106, ISBN 9788170940692
  12. Gopal, Ram (1967), Indo-Pakistan war and peace, 1965, Pustak Kendra, p. 118
  13. 13.0 13.1 "Indo-Pakistan War of 1965". globalsecurity.org.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Johri, Sitaram (1967), The Indo-Pak Conflict of 1965, Himalaya Publications, pp. 129–130
  15. "Golden Arrow Division celebrated its 60th Raising Day at Barki War Memorial". 1 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  16. Saxena, K. C. (1966), Pakistan, Her Relation with India 1947–1966, Vir Publishing House, p. 169
  17. fgdd. The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2002. ISBN 978-0-85229-787-2.
  18. "PAKISTAN ARMY". www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  19. "Golden Arrow Division celebrates Barki Day to commemorate 'Battle of Barki'". 10 September 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  20. "War memorial inaugurated". Tribune News service. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  21. Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan. 1966. p. 9.

Template:Military of Pakistan