In 1965, while India was still licking its wounds from the disastrous war against the Chinese in 1962, the belligerent Pakistanis decided to wrest Kashmir from India. To test the waters, they launched their first military probes into the Rann of Kutch between February and May; India responded. By the end of July, India gave in to the dictates of the UN and stood down the troops it had mobilized in the Punjab and Kargil sectors in response to the Rann of Kutch skirmishes. Pakistan then launched its masterstroke—Operation Gibraltar—in Kashmir in August. Nearly 12,000 trained mujahids were covertly deployed in multiple groups, each named after historical plunderers of the subcontinent. Confident that they had superior armour (M-47 and M-48 Patton tanks), better fighter planes (F-86 Sabres and F-104 Starfighters), and better submarines (Daphnes) than India, the Pakistanis expected that in the event of an expanded war, the Indians would collapse just as they had against China in NEFA three years previously. However, India repulsed the attack and cut off the entry and exit points into the Kashmir Valley by capturing the Haji Pir Bulge. Operation Gibraltar fizzled out. Pakistan then launched Operation Grand Slam in September 1965 in Chhamb and Jaurian. The resultant Indian counter-attack saw the focus shift to various other sectors—Lahore, Barki, Kasur (Khem Karan), Fazilka, Sialkot, and Barmer—on the international border. With the two air forces getting involved almost immediately, the armed skirmishes turned into full-scale war.
As they had in 1962, the junior officers and men of the Indian armed forces acquitted themselves admirably despite the on-the-fly reorganization of forces, lack of intelligence, obsolete equipment, and lacklustre military leadership. What could have ended in victory instead culminated in a stalemate. Official Indian figures put the total number of casualties at 12,714, out of which 2,763 were killed, 8,444 wounded, and 1,507 went missing.
An estimated 2,000 casualties took place after the ceasefire, raising questions about the effectiveness of the UN as a global peacekeeping body. Neutral observers put Pakistani deaths at over 5,000. The conflict ended when the Tashkent Agreement was signed by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and President Ayub Khan on 10 January 1966, agreeing to observe the ceasefire lines and withdraw armed personnel to positions that they had held before 5 August 1965.
Starting with the wounds of Partition and the disagreements over Kashmir, and based on the author’s research of the terrain, and numerous interviews with soldiers, officers, bureaucrats, and others who had a first-hand view of the conflict, 1965: A Western Sunrise is the definitive account of the 1965 war between India and Pakistan.
Having set the benchmark in the 1990s for films on all the three services, Shiv Kunal Verma has had a unique ringside view of matters military. His coverage of the Kargil War and the films on the National Defence Academy (The Standard Bearers) and the Indian Military Academy (The Making of a Warrior) are considered classics. His illustrated books include Tamil Nadu and the highly acclaimed work—The Northeast Trilogy—which has also been published as a large format book. The Long Road to Siachen: The Question Why and 1962: The War That Wasn’t are considered among the most authoritative works in the Indian military history genre.
Read More‘By far the most lucid and detailed account of the 1965 war, the book sets the bar in military writing. Knitting together the political, the military, and the personal, the quagmire of events suddenly becomes crystal clear.’
—Air Marshal Denzil Keelor, VrC
‘After initial setbacks, we had Pakistan on the ropes. They were reeling and had no ammunition left, while we could have gone on for another three weeks. India’s old failing, the lack of a killer instinct, came to the fore with people at the top giving wrong information and taking horrendous decisions. For those of us who fought, we were robbed of a decisive victory. A definitive account of those dramatic days.’
—Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar, VrC
‘After his earlier bestselling book on the 1962 conflict with China, the author seamlessly shifts gears and takes us to the 1965 war with Pakistan. From the Rann of Kutch to Kashmir, then to the plains of the Punjab, it’s a breathtaking narrative of a war that was fought both on the ground and in the air.’
—Lieutenant General Ajai Singh
17 Poona Horse / Butur Dograndi
‘For those of us who fought and saw so many of our comrades die–many of whom remained unsung for half a century–this book is a fitting tribute to their memory. The author’s research and understanding of what and how things happened is both excellent and incisive.’
—Major General Somprakash Jhingon
8 Garhwal Rifles / Butur Dograndi
‘We did all the hard work, time and again coming back with all the information we could gather, and yet, tragically, it never permeated down to the fighting troops. Both in 1962 and 1965, there seemed to be a mental block when it came to using air power to achieve our objectives. The author once again lays all the cards, face up, on the table as only he can. Every Indian needs to read this book.’
—Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath, MVC & Bar
No. 106 Squadron