11th Infantry Division | |
---|---|
Active | July 1965 - Present |
Country | Pakistan |
Allegiance | PAK |
Branch | Pakistan Army |
Type | Infantry |
Role | Division |
Size | 20,000 men (though this may vary as units are rotated) |
Part of | IV Corps |
Division Headquarters | Lahore, Punjab province |
Colours | Red over Black |
Anniversaries | Defence Day |
Engagements | Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Battle of Lahore, Battle of Khem Karan, Battle of Husseinwala |
Decorations | Awards and decorations of the Pakistan military |
Commanders | |
General Officer Commanding | Major General Malik Amir Muhammad Khan |
Colonel Staff | Colonel Babar |
Notable commanders | General Raheel Sharif General Abdul Hamid Khan LTG Nadeem Taj Major General Raza Muhammad Major General Azeem Asif LTG Shafaat Ullah Shah Major General Muhamad ALI Khan |
The 11th Infantry Division is an active formation of the Pakistan Army. It is currently deployed in Lahore as part of IV Corps, and is responsible for the defence of that city and the surrounding areas.
The division was formed just before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Prior to this, the army chief at the time, General Muhammad Musa, had been calling for raising two new divisions; [1] this was denied by the government citing a benign security environment, the lack of funds and the general reluctance of the US to fund new risings under the foreign military assistance scheme. [2]
After the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the Indian army underwent a substantial increase in numbers and capability and, therefore, the Pakistani government reversed its position and the division was raised by utilising reserve GOC, Major General Abdul Hamid Khan. [3] The Division was then assigned to the defence of Lahore.
The Division as a whole first went into action at the Battle of Lahore, though individual units had seen action already in the Rann of Kutch and in Operation Grand Slam. It, along with the 10th Division, successfully withstood the Indian assault towards Lahore, with the 11th fighting in the Kasur region. After this battle, the division was committed to the Khem Karan offensive, for which the Divisional HQ was given command of the 1st Armoured Division. The two formations successfully managed to capture Khem Karan, though further attacks by the 1st Armoured were checked by the Indians. At the same time as the fighting in Khem Karan, the Indian offensive towards Sialkot was making progress at the Battle of Chawinda and the 1st Armoured was withdrawn to reinforce the Pakistani forces in that sector. The 11th was forced to fall back to Khem Karan, where it withstood multiple attempts by the Indians to retake the town, however the ceasefire found the division in command of the town and several hundred square kilometres of Indian territory. [4]
Six years later, the division once again went into action in the 1971 war, and in a repeat of the experience in 1965, the Division crossed the Radcliffe Line, the international border, once more. 106 Brigade succeeded in overwhelming the resistance of the Indian 15th Battalion, Punjab Regiment (35 Infantry Brigade, 14th Infantry Division of India) to take significant ground near Hussainiwala, thereby controlling a key dam and threatening the border town of Ferozepur. [5] One of the famous features that the formation captured was the Qaisar-e-Hind Fort.
The division is at present deployed around Lahore and has the following composition: [6]
The 1st Armoured Division is an armoured division of the Indian Army, headquartered at Patiala, Punjab. It is part of II Corps of the Indian Army's Western Command.
The Battle of Basantar also known as the Battle of Shakargarh or Battle of Barapind was one of the vital battles fought as part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in the western sector of India. The Indian troops won a hard-fought battle that secured this area in the Punjab/Jammu sector. The name Battle of Basantar actually encompasses the entire gamut of battles and skirmishes fought in the Shakargarh sector.
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 Khem Karan 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.
Khem Karan is a town and a nagar panchayat in Tarn Taran district of Patti tehsil of the Majha region of the Indian state of Punjab.
The Battle of Lahore, also referred to as the Lahore Front, constitutes a series of battles fought in and around the Pakistani city of Lahore during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. The battle ended in a victory for India, as it was able to thrust through and hold key choke points in Pakistan while having gained around 360 to 500 square kilometres of territory. Indian forces halted their assault on Lahore once they had captured the village of Burki on its outskirts. The rationale for this was that a ceasefire−negotiated by the United States and the Soviet Union−was to be signed soon, and had India captured Lahore, It would have most likely been returned to the process of ceasefire negotiations.
The Battle of Chawinda was a major engagement between Pakistan and India in the Second Kashmir War as part of the Sialkot campaign. It is well known as being one of the largest tank battles in history since the Battle of Kursk, which was fought between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in World War II.
Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, PVC, was an Indian Army soldier who was posthumously given India's highest military decoration, the Param Vir Chakra, for his actions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the Piffers in reference to their military history as the PIF of the British Indian Army, or as the FF. The regiment takes its name from the historic North-West Frontier, a former province of British India and later Pakistan.
The 10th Indian Infantry Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the Anglo-Iraqi War, the Invasion of Syria-Lebanon, the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the North African Campaign, and the Italian Campaign.
I Corps is a military field formation of the Indian Army. The Corps is headquartered at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. It was raised on 1 April 1965. It was still being raised when it was despatched to the front in 1965. Raised as the First Strike Corps of the Indian Army, it was launched into operations in the Sialkot sector. The Corps conducted a counteroffensive during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. In the 1971 war against Pakistan, it took part in the Battle of Basantar.
The 7th Infantry Division, also known as the Golden Arrow and Peshawar Division, is one of the Pakistan Army's oldest and most battle-hardened division. The officers and men of the Golden Arrow Division have fought in all of Pakistan's Wars and have an unmatched combat service record.
The 6th Armoured Division is a Pakistan Army armoured division currently based in Gujranwala, in Punjab Province.
The 16th Light Cavalry is a regiment of the Armoured Corps, a primary combat arm of the Indian Army. Prior to India gaining independence from the British in 1947, it was a regular cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1776 and is the oldest armoured regiment raised in India. The 16th Light Cavalry saw service in a number of conflicts ranging from the Second Anglo-Mysore War in 1781 to World War II. It has a number of battle honours including "Punjab 1965" earned during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
The Battle of Phillora was a large tank battle fought during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It commenced on 10 September when the Indian 1st Armoured Division, with four armoured regiments and supporting forces under command, attacked positions in the Sialkot sector held by Pakistani 6th Armoured Division. After three days the Pakistanis withdrew with the loss of 66 tanks. The Indians admitted to the loss of 6 Centurions.
The Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army was a corps-sized military formation headed by a lieutenant-general, who was designated the Eastern Command Commander. After the partition of India by United Kingdom, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was divided into two territories separated by 1,000 miles (1,600 km). Most of the assets of the Pakistan armed forces were stationed in West Pakistan; the role of the Pakistan armed forces in East Pakistan was to hold that part of the country until the Pakistani forces defeated India in the west. The Pakistan Army created the Eastern Command, with one commander in the rank of Lieutenant General responsible for the command. The armed forces, had drawn up a plan to defend Dhaka by concentrating all their forces along the Dhaka Bowl.
The Guides Infantry, or 2nd Battalion (Guides) The Frontier Force Regiment, is an infantry battalion of the Pakistan Army. It was raised in 1846 as part of the famous Corps of Guides.
The Battle of Burki (Barki) was a battle fought by Indian infantry and Pakistani armour in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. 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. 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. The battle resulted in an Indian victory.
Lieutenant General Khem Karan Singh MVC was a General Officer in the Indian Army. He was awarded Padma Bhushan for his services to the nation during the 1971 war. He also received Maha Vir Chakra for his services during 1965 Indo-Pakistan war.
Brigadier Thomas Krishnan Theogaraj (1919-2001) was a senior officer in the Indian Army. Brigadier Theogaraj commanded the 2nd Independent Armored Brigade and played a key role during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. For his role in the war he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
91 Field Regiment (Asal Uttar) is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army.