#TodayInHistory The Indian Army captures the town of Dograi, comming within striking range of Lahore, during the 1965 War, and had it not been for an impending ceasefire, would have captured the city too. This however was a follow up to the Battle of Burki.

While the Battle of Asal Uttar is well known during the 1965 War, another equally significant one is the Battle of Burki. where the Indian Army advance very close to Lahore, almost to the verge of capturing it. It was once again a decisive victory.

Burki is a small village, quite close to Lahore, connected to it by the Ichogil canal. This canal was actually built by residents of the city, to protect themselves from future Indian aggressions, and goes all the way up to the Sutlej river. Also called the BRB Canal.

With the twin failure of Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar and Operation Grand Slam during the '65 War, the Indian Army decided to open up a 2nd front towards Lahore. This was to distract Pakistani focus on Kashmir, and also reduce the stress on the supply lines.

Again the Indian side had just 1 Infantry division, 1 Armor Regiment, in contrast to the Pakistani side that had 3 Regiments, 150 tanks, and backed up by their Air Force. On top of that the areas around Lahore were well fortified with pillboxes, dugouts and trenches.

Much like Asal Uttar, the under equipped Indian Army, gained the advantage over the larger Pakistani contingent, with a series of lightning attacks, and captured a good amount of territory right near the border.

The Pakistan Army meanwhile mounted a 3 pronged counter attack, to recapture the lost territory, And this Battle of Burki was fought on the Khalra-Burki-Lahore road mainly. Pakistan aimed to force the Indian Army into retreat.

While the Pakistan Army, aimed to force the Indian Army into retreat before their supply lines could arrive, and recapture the lost territory. The Indian Army on the other hand sought to hold Burki for as long as the reinforcements could arrive.

Major-General Har Krishan Sibal led the advance from the town of Khalra, while Lt. Col Anant Singh, led the small tank contingent. Both belonged to the 5th Gorkha Rifles, also called as the Fighting Fifth Batallion, whose motto was Shaurya Evam Nistha, one really tough unit.

Between Sept 8-10, 1965, the Indian Army steadily advanced towards Burki, in the face of constant shellling by the Pakistani forces. Also the Pakistan Army made a strategic retreat, leaving small pockets of resistance in every village on the way, which slowed down the advance.

However by Sept 10, the Indian Army was able to destroy most of the Pakistani tanks en route to Burki. 84 Pakistani tanks were destroyed, compared to just 4 Indian tanks, much like at Assal Uttar. Once again the smaller Indian tank contingent proved itself.

By this time the 18th Cavalry Regiment had sent the tanks, which reinforced the Indian side, and with most of the Pakistani tanks knocked out, the Indian Army had not much of a problem in advancing towards Burki, inspite of the tight defenses.

Pakistan had put up a tight defense network around Lahore, and the areas of Burki, Dograi, but still could not stop the Indian infantry from advancing. One thing with most of their tanks knocked out, they had no back up armor to stop the Indian forces.

Even though the Pakistani Air Force was called, to provide support, it proved to be ineffective, with the Indian forces ducking into the trenches and dugouts. And finally the Indian Infantry, mostly the Sikh Regiment here, fought hard, managed to overpower the defenses.

Burki was captured on September 11, and the Indian Army held it inspite of repeated Pakistani counter attacks and air force strafing. Indian soldiers here posing in front of a captured police station.

And from there on to Dograi, one of the most daring operations undertaken by the Indian Army under the cover of darkness, marked by intense fighting, raw courage under fire. The Battle for Dograi started in the night, and by dawn, the town was in Indian hands.

Indian Army had to face tremendous resistance in Dograi, from the dug outs, pillboxes, trenches, and snipers in every building there. It was literally walking into the lion's den, but the Indian infantry swept into it, fighting hard at every inch.

Lt Col Desmond Hayde to his troops leading the attack on Dograi, on the night.
"We are going to capture Dograi or die there. Look for me in Dograi, you will find me dead or alive there".
And the soldiers mostly Sikhs here, swept in with cries of "Jo Bole So Nihal"

Dograi was taken after one of the most intense resistance ever, street by street, house to house fighting, pillbox by pillbox. Indian Jawans, ran through a barrage of gun fire, hurled grenades into the pillboxes. One of the most intense and bloodiest battles ever.

2 anecdotes during Battle of Dograi, one was Pale Ram a subedar, wounded during the capture of a bunker, had 7 bullets in his stomach.
"It was nothing much, I had stormed and captured a bunker and was going for another one when I suddenly blacked out"

There was another soldier Naik, whose right arm was blown off by shell fire during the capture of Dograi, and this is what he said
"Please tell the Doctor Sahib to let me to back to the front. I still have one arm left to fight with." Whew.

Lahore was now within striking range of the Indian Army, just around 4-5 Km. But with the ceasefire being declared soon, the Army did not advance further.
Dograi, Asal Uttar, Burki, battles that were the turning point of the '65 War. Where the Indian Army won against all odds.

Compared to the Pakistan Army that was supported by US, had the latest military equipment, the Indian Army in '65 was under equipped, just about recovering from the '62 disaster. Yet with exemplary leadership and sheer courage under fire, they managed to hold back the Pakistanis

The 1965 War is not as much discussed or celebrated as the 1971 one, but for me it was an equally important one. One thing comming after the 1962 disaster, it was a morale booster, holding off the attack by a much better equipped Pakistani Army, supported by the US.

Secondly, the '65 War in a way speeded up the process of modernization of the Indian Army, which stood in good stead during the '71 War. And finally the sheer courage under fire, outstanding leadership, that helped it to win key battles like in Dograi, Burki and Asal Uttar.