Defense Day Special: History of the India-Pakistan War
India and Pakistan have been secretly or openly at war since their withdrawal from the Indian subcontinent on 14 August 1947. Kashmir has been an area of major conflict between these two states and there have been three major wars over Kashmir. The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 was the most decisive of all the wars between the two countries. It began in August and lasted until September 23, 1965.
Most of the weapons and armor used by both countries were supplied by the Americans, Russians and British, who disposed of old equipment used in World War II. The Battle of Chawinda was one of the most important battles of the war and is now considered one of the greatest tank battles of World War II after the Battle of Kursk.
The Pakistani city of Sialkot was one of the cities that the Indians planned to use as a base for further operations in Pakistan after the invasion. The village of Chavinda is located a few kilometers from the capital and was the center of the action. General Dunn was the commander of the 1st Corps-Indian Army, where he commanded the Panzer Division, the Mountain Division and two other divisions.
The Indian Army consisted of 80,000 to 150,000 infantry and 230 tanks, Centurions and Shermans. Meanwhile, the Pakistani counterattack army initially consisted of an armored division, an infantry division and an artillery division. Reinforcements, including another infantry division and another armored division, arrived later in the battle.
The Pakistani side consisted of 30,000 to 50,000 infantry, 132 tanks used in the initial defense, and 150 reinforcements left without significant losses in the tank battle near Phillorah. Sherman and Patton tanks joined the battle.
