Battle of Hussainiwala
| Battle of Hussainiwala | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 | |||||||||
Pakistani troops hoist Pakistani flag at Kasr-e-Hind in Hussainiwala area | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| India | Pakistan | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Brig. Pran Anand[2] Lt. Col T.S Shastry Maj. Kanwalijit Sandhu (POW) Maj. S.P.S Warraich (POW) |
Maj. Gen Majeed Malik Brig. Mohammad Mumtaz Khan Lt. Col Ghulam Hussain Chaudhry Walayat Khan Habib Ahmed Asif Khurshid Afzal | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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The Battle of Hussainiwala was fought between India and Pakistan in the village of Hussainiwala as part of the western front of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After fierce fighting, Hussainiwala was captured on 4 December 1971 by the 106th Infantry Brigade of the Pakistani Army, and the defending Indian 15 Punjab unit retreated with heavy losses.[3][4]
Prelude
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 broke out on 3 December 1971 upon the launch of Operation Chengiz Khan by the Pakistan Air Force to carry out preemptive strikes on Indian Forward operating base targets and Radar installations. Upon the outbreak of war, would see the Pakistani II Corps begin an offensive into Punjab aimed at Ludhiana and Bhatinda.[5]
Battle
On 3 December with the outbreak of the war, the 106 Brigade had planned a two phased attack in three prongs. The 41 Baloch was to advance onto the Kaiser-e-Hind Fortress, while the 3 Punjab was to move to secure the perimeter along the headwaters at Hussainiwala. The 106 Brigade had begun their advance onto Hussainiwala at 6:15 PM on December 3 with a 15-minute artillery barrage by the 45 Field Regiment Artillery.
Major General Sukhwant Singh mentioned in his book, India's Wars Since Independence, that the Pakistani operational plan envisaged a three-pronged offensive: the first advancing along the main road axis through the defensive barrier, the second directed southwards towards the bridge at the perimeter-defended locality, and the third launched from the northwestern axis with the objective of overrunning the Border Outposts (BOPs).[6]
The B Company (Three Punjab) ran into minefields planted by the 15 Punjab during their advance but continued on despite heavy enemy fire. At 6:30 PM, the 41 Baloch crossed the Dipalpur Canal, while A Company (Three Punjab) advanced through the minefields despite heavy casualties and the loss of their commander, Major Muhammad Hanif. Waves of Pakistani attacks persisted throughout the night, however halting at the Bhagat Singh Memorial. The Memorial changed hands twice as Major SPS Waraich (Commander of the Indian Barriers at the Memorial) halted the Pakistani advance. Major Ashraf Khan of the 41 Baloch had arrived at the Hussainiwala headwaters after crossing the Dipalpur Canal with heavy casualties, as he cut off Indian resistance along the perimeter of the headwaters. The Four Cavalry arrived as armored support for the 41 Baloch to diminish and capitulate remaining Indian resistance.[7]
December 4
As the morning of the 4 December arrived, the Indian Air Force provided air support with 24 sorties on the positions of the Pakistani soldiers.[8] The Hussainiwala bridge sustained damage with four of its spans being destroyed between the two days.[9][10]
By the night of December 4, the resistance offered by the 15 Punjab was hopeless, as the Pakistanis had secured the Dipalpur Canal and the headwaters, and Hussainiwala was bound to fall. In order to prevent the complete extermination of the 15 Punjab, Lt. Colonel Shastry retreated from Hussainiwala.[11][12]
Aftermath
Upon the withdrawal of the 15 Punjab from Hussainiwala[13], the village fell to the Pakistani Army.[14] The Pakistani Army would withdraw from both Hussainiwala and Kaiser-e-Hind on 17 December 1971 after the end of the war.[15]
Casualties
As the primary infantry component during the warfare, 15 Punjab suffered from significant losses. Two officers and 53 other rank personnel of the unit were killed in action. Two junior commissioned officers and thirty-five other rank soldiers were taken as prisoner of war, later repatriated. However, two key officers of the battle, Major Warich and Major Sandhu were reportedly announced missing in action, and nobody knows about them till now.[16][17][18]
Decorations
The personnel of the Pakistan Army were awarded 1 Hilal-i-Jur'at, 5 Sitara-e-Jurat, 6 Tamgha-i-Jurat, and 1 Imtiazi Sanad for their conduct during the Battle of Hussainiwala.[19]
References
- ↑ Gill, John H. (2003). An Atlas of the 1971 India - Pakistan War: The Creation of Bangladesh. National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. p. 53.
- ↑ Gill, John H. (2003). An Atlas of the 1971 India - Pakistan War: The Creation of Bangladesh. National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. p. 87.
- ↑ "1971 War: The Battle of Hussainiwala". 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
- ↑ "Tribute to Hussainiwala battle heroes". The Tribune. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ↑ Gill, John H. (2003). An Atlas of the 1971 India - Pakistan War: The Creation of Bangladesh. National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies.
- ↑ Singh, Sukhwant (1981). India's Wars Since Independence: Defence of the western border. Vikas Publishing House. p. 142.
- ↑ Ahmed, Habib (2015). The battle of Hussainiwala and Qaiser-i-Hind: the 1971 war (1 ed.). Karachi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-906472-4.
- ↑ Sukhwant Singh. India's Wars Since Independence: Defence of the Western Front. Internet Archive. Advent Books. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-7069-1277-7.
- ↑ "New Hussainiwala bridge, 47 yrs later". The Tribune. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ↑ "Defence Minister Inaugurates Hussainiwala Bridge Blown Up During 1971 War". www.ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ↑ Sukhwant Singh. India's Wars Since Independence: Defence of the Western Front. Internet Archive. Advent Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7069-1277-7.
- ↑ Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail (Retired) (2020-07-15). Against All Odds The Pakistan Air Force In The 1971 Indo Pakistan War. p. 55.
- ↑ Sukhwant Singh. India's Wars Since Independence: Defence of the Western Front. Internet Archive. Advent Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7069-1277-7.
- ↑ Gill, John H. (2003). An Atlas of the 1971 India - Pakistan War: The Creation of Bangladesh. National Defense University, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. pp. 53–54.
- ↑ Saikia, Yasmin (2017-07-03). "The Battle of Hussainiwala and Qaiser-i-Hind: The 1971 War". Journal of Military History. 81 (3): 932–934.
- ↑ "40 years after war, bridge opens near Hussainiwala border". The Times of India. 2013-12-05. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ↑ Shorey, Anil (2005). A legendary force, 1st Patiala : 300 years of 15 Punjab (Patiala). Internet Archive. New Delhi : Manas Publications. p. 168. ISBN 978-81-7049-246-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ↑ "1971 India-Pakistan war: The silent screams of those missing in action". Firstpost. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ↑ "The Battle of Hussainiwala". BOL News. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- Ahmed, Habib (2015). The battle of Hussainiwala and Qaiser-i-Hind: the 1971 war (1. ed.). Karachi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1990-6472-4. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- Rahman, Tariq (2022). "The 1971 War: The Pakistani Experience". Pakistan's wars: an alternative history. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003254645. ISBN 9781003254645. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- Saikia, Yasmin (July 1, 2017). "The Battle of Hussainiwala and Qaiser-i-Hind: The 1971 War". Journal of Military History: 932–934. (review of Ahmed Habib's book)