Maj Gen Harvijay Singh
On the pre-dawn hours of 1 September 1965, Pakistani forces launched Operation Grand Slam across the Cease Fire Line in the Chhamb-Jaurian sector. Their objective was clear and ambitious: a swift armoured thrust to seize the vital Akhnoor bridge, sever the Pathankot-Jammu highway, and isolate Indian forces in Kashmir.
Keywords: Operation Grand Slam 1965, Battle of Chhamb, Akhnoor defence, Indian Army bravery 1965, women warriors BSF Akhnoor
The sector was lightly held by India’s 191 Infantry Brigade—four battalions supported by a squadron of AMX-13 tanks from 20 Lancers. Pakistan enjoyed overwhelming superiority: nearly six-to-one in tanks and artillery, with Patton tanks facing the lighter Indian armour. Yet the defenders refused to yield easily.
The 3rd Battalion of the Mahar Regiment, under Lieutenant Colonel G.S. Sangha, bore the initial brunt. Fighting a determined delaying action against superior numbers, the unit forced the attackers to pay for every yard. Sangha later received the Maha Vir Chakra. In the south, small troops of 20 Lancers tanks, and a recoilless-gun screen from 15 Kumaon, blunted the armoured spearheads. Major Bhasker Sen’s squadron fought a tenacious rear-guard action during the withdrawal across the Munawar Tawi, earning him the Maha Vir Chakra as well.
By 2 September the brigade had pulled back to Jaurian and then to Akhnoor. The Indian Air Force, initially slow to respond with ageing Vampires, later brought Gnats into the fray. On 3 September, Flight Lieutenant Trevor Keelor shot down a Pakistani Sabre, becoming one of the first IAF pilots to claim an aerial victory in the war and receiving the Maha Vir Chakra.
Though Pakistan made early gains, poor concentration of armour and a subsequent change of command slowed the offensive. Indian reinforcements arrived, and the larger war elsewhere forced Pakistan to abandon the push for Akhnoor. The bridge held.
Sixty years later, the same Akhnoor sector continues to test resolve. In May 2025, during Operation Sindoor, an all-woman BSF team led by Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari held forward posts under intense shelling for three days, refused withdrawal, and forced Pakistani troops to abandon their positions. Their grit echoes the 1965 defenders who stood firm when outnumbered and surprised.
The story of Chhamb is not merely one of tanks and tactics. It is a reminder that courage under pressure, leadership when the odds are stacked, and refusal to break define true warriors—qualities that today’s women in uniform continue to embody with quiet determination.
Major General Harvijay Singh is a third-generation officer, his two sons are also army officers.
He holds degree of B.Tech. and Master’s Degree in Management Sciences. He is a Certified Ethical Hacker and Cyber Forensic Investigator.
He is Member and Historian of the Punjab Military Literature Society, Chandigarh.
He has written books on Indo Pak Wars: 1948, 1965, 1971 – ‘Battles That Made History’, ‘Indo Pak War 1947-48’ (for Part D) and ‘Gallant Soldiers: Short Stories of Big Deeds’. He has also written Monographs on Grey Zone Warfare and Lessons Learnt from the Ukraine War. He is a regular contributor to Magazines on Military Strategy and Technology and a speaker on current Global Military events.
He is the winner of ARTRAC Scholar Warrior Badge for writing on Contemporary Military Thinking and Strategy.