Maj Gen Havijay Singh In the pre-dawn darkness of September 22, 1965, the 3rd Battalion of the Jat Regiment once again stood within striking distance of Lahore. Commanded by Lt Col Desmond Hayde, the battalion launched a determined night assault on the fortified village of Dograi, perched on the eastern bank of the Ichhogil Canal….
In the sweltering fields of Punjab from September 8 to 10 in 1965, the Indian Army delivered a decisive blow that still resonates as a masterclass in resolve and tactical brilliance. Pakistan’s 1st Armoured Division, equipped with superior American M47 and M48 Patton tanks, advanced with overwhelming numbers, six regiments and roughly 300 tanks against…
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…
Maj Gen Harvijay Singh In August 1965, Pakistan launched Operation Gibraltar, a covert campaign designed to seize Jammu and Kashmir through infiltration and induced rebellion. Under President Ayub Khan, thousands of Pakistani soldiers from the Special Services Group, along with irregulars and Razakars, crossed the Cease Fire Line disguised as locals. Organised into forces…
In an era where advanced technology promises precision, contemporary conflicts reveal a disturbing trend: the deliberate dismantling of civilian life-support systems rather than traditional engagement with armed adversaries. From the ongoing war in Ukraine to operations in the Middle East, the targeting of residential areas, schools, hospitals, energy infrastructure, and cultural heritage sites has become…
“Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.”- Winston Churchill In the annals of the Second World War, few battles resonate with the same strategic and symbolic weight as the First Battle of El Alamein. Fought between 1 and 27 July 1942 in the scorching sands of the Western…
On June 4, 1915, amid the blood-soaked gullies of the Gallipoli Peninsula, the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment (4 SIKH) etched one of the most heroic chapters in the annals of the Indian Army during the First World War. In what became the bloodiest day in the battalion’s history, the unit suffered devastating losses…
In the annals of military history, few actions capture the raw courage, regimental pride, and unyielding devotion to duty as vividly as the desperate resupply mission undertaken by a handful of Sikh and Punjabi soldiers on 17 May 1915. Amid the horrors of the Western Front during the Battle of Festubert, ten men from the…
