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{{Short description|Major battle of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Longewala
| partof            = the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
| image             = Longewala.jpg
| image_size        = 300
| caption           = Tank tracks at Longewala. Photographic reconnaissance image taken at the time showing the desperate last-minute manoeuvres by Pakistani tanks in the Longewala sector. Circles show destroyed Pakistani tanks.
| date              = 4–7 December 1971<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=12|day1=4|year1=1971|month2=12|day2=7|year2=1971}})
| place             = [[Longewala]], [[Rajasthan]], [[India]]
| map_type          = India Rajasthan
| map_relief        = 
| coordinates       = {{coord|27.524942|70.156693|type:event|display=inline}}
| map_size          = 
| map_marksize      = 
| map_caption       = 
| map_label         = 
| territory         = 
| result            = Indian victory<ref>p. 1187, IDSA</ref>
| status            = 
| combatants_header = 
| combatant1        = {{flag|India}}
| combatant2        = {{flag|Pakistan}}
| commander1        = {{plainlist|
{{flagicon|India|army}} Major [[Kuldip Singh Chandpuri|K. S. Chandpuri]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Lal |first=Pratap Chandra |isbn=978-81-7062-008-2 |url=http://www.abebooks.com/9788170620082/Years-Iaf-Lal-Marshal-8170620082/plp |title=My Years with the Iaf |year=1986 |access-date=6 July 2013}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|India|air force}} Wing Cdr. D. M. Conquest <ref>https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/4692</ref>
* {{flagicon|India|army}}  Major Atma Singh
}}
| commander2        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Maj Gen. B. M. Mustafa
* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Brig. Tariq Mir
* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Brig. Jahanzeb Abab
* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Lt. Col. Akram Hussain
* {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Lt. Col. Zahir Alam Khan
}}
| strength1         = 1 Company (120 personnel) accompanied by half a platoon (6-7  border guards)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/1971-india-pakistan-war-bhairon-singh-rathore-longewala-dies-jodhpur-81/article66281600.ece/amp/|title=1971 India-Pakistan war {{!}} Bhairon Singh Rathore, hero of Longewala, passes away in Jodhpur at 81|publisher=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref><ref name="DeRouenHeo2007">{{cite book|author1=Karl R. DeRouen|author2=Uk Heo|title=Civil Wars of the World: Major Conflicts Since World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nrN077AEgzMC&pg=PA101|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-919-1|pages=101–}}</ref><br>
2 Medium machine guns<br>
2 [[L16 81mm mortar]]s<br>
4 [[PIAT|PIAT anti-tank rocket launchers]]<br>
2 [[Jonga]]-borne 106mm [[M40 recoilless rifle|M40 RCL gun]]<br>
4 [[Hawker Hunter]]s<br>
3 [[HAL Marut]]s<br>
10 [[Camel cavalry|Camels]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001216/windows/main2.htm|title=Taking on the enemy at Longenwala|author=James Hattar|website=[[The Tribune]]}}</ref>
| strength2         = 2 [[Mechanized infantry|Mobile infantry brigade]] (2,000–3,000 personnel)<ref name=DeRouen>{{cite book|last=DeRouen|first=Karl R.|title=Civil Wars of the World|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1851099191|editor=Karl R. DeRouen, Uk Heo|page=596}}</ref><ref name=Jaques>{{cite book|last=Jaques|first=Tony|title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty-First Century|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-0313335389|page=597}}</ref><br>
40 tanks<ref name=Jaques/><br>
1 field regiment<br>
2 artillery batteries
| casualties1       = 2 personnel killed<ref name="Francis">{{cite book|author=Col J Francis (Retd)|title=Short Stories from the History of the Indian Army Since August 1947|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rotnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA93|date=30 August 2013|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=978-93-82652-17-5|pages=93–96}}</ref><ref name="mention">{{cite web |title=1971 war hero gives hour-by-hour account of the battle of Longewala |url=https://www.mynation.com/news/1971-war-hero-gives-hour-by-hour-account-of-the-battle-of-laungewala-pjcyzd |publisher=Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd |access-date=17 August 2020}}</ref><br>
1 [[Jonga]] and [[M40 recoilless rifle]] destroyed<ref name="Francis"/><br>
5 camels killed
| casualties2       = 200 personnel killed<ref name="Francis">{{cite book|author=Col J Francis (Retd)|title=Short Stories from the History of the Indian Army Since August 1947|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rotnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA93|date=30 August 2013|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=978-93-82652-17-5|pages=93–96}}</ref><br/>36 tanks destroyed<br>
500+ vehicles destroyed or abandoned<ref name="Francis"/><ref name=Jaques>{{cite book|last=Jaques|first=Tony|title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty-First Century|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-0313335389|page=597}}</ref>
| notes             = 
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani War of 1971}}{{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani Wars}}
| units1            = {{flagicon|India|army}} [[12th Infantry Division (India)|12th Infantry Division]]
*{{flagicon|India|army}} Alpha Company, 23rd Battalion, [[Punjab Regiment (India)|Punjab Regiment]] 
{{flagicon image|BSF Flag.svg}} 14th [[Border Security Force|BSF]] Battalion (attached to 23rd Punjab)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/1971-war-hero-bhairon-singh-rathore-who-inspired-many-to-serve-the-country-cremated-with-full-state-honours-news-246688|title = 1971 War Hero Bhairon Singh Rathore, Who Inspired Many To Serve The Country, Cremated With Full State Honours}}</ref>
{{flagicon|India|air force}} 122 Squadron
| units2            = {{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} 18th Infantry Division
*{{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} 206 Brigade
*{{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} 51 Brigade
*{{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} 22 Cavalry ([[Type 59 tank|T-59]])
*{{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} 38 Cavalry ([[M4 Sherman|Sherman]])
*{{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} Field Rgt. ([[Ordnance QF 25-pounder|25 pdr]])
*{{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} 120 mm mortar battery
*{{flagicon|Pakistan|army}} 130 mm med. battery
| width             = 360px
}}
The '''Battle of Longewala''' (4–7 December 1971) was one of the first major [[engagement (military)|engagements]] in the western sector during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], fought between assaulting [[Pakistan]]i forces and [[India]]n defenders at the Indian border post of [[Longewala]], in the [[Thar Desert]] of [[Rajasthan]]. The battle was fought between 120 Indian soldiers accompanied by four [[Hawker Hunter]] and three [[HAL Marut]] fighter-bombers and 2,000–3,000 Pakistani soldiers accompanied by 30–40 tanks.

A [[Company (military unit)|company]] of the [[Indian Army]]'s 23rd Battalion, [[Punjab Regiment (India)|Punjab Regiment]], commanded by Major [[Kuldip Singh Chandpuri]], was left with the choice of either attempting to hold out until reinforced, or fleeing on foot from a Pakistani [[mechanized infantry]] force.<ref name="TI">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001216/windows/main2.htm|title=The Tribune – Windows – Featured story|work=tribuneindia.com|access-date=2 August 2016}}</ref> Choosing the former, Chandpuri ensured that all his assets were correctly deployed and made the best use of his strong defensive position, as well as weaknesses created by errors in enemy tactics. He was also fortunate that an [[Indian Air Force]] [[forward air controller]] was able to secure and direct aircraft in support of the post's defence until reinforcements arrived six hours later.<ref name="Dijg">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Harvijay |title=Battles that Made History – Defstrat |url=https://www.defstrat.com/magazine_articles/battles-that-made-history-15/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.defstrat.com}}</ref>

The Pakistani commanders made several questionable decisions, including a failure of their [[strategic intelligence]] to foresee the availability of Indian [[fighter-bombers]] in the Longewala area, exercising [[operational mobility]] with little or no [[route reconnaissance]], and conducting a tactical [[frontal assault]] with no [[engineer reconnaissance]].<ref name="theprint.in">{{Cite web|url=https://theprint.in/opinion/the-1971-battle-of-longewala-a-night-of-confusion-sam-manekshaws-order-pakistans-folly/329321/|title = The 1971 Battle of Longewala: A night of confusion, Sam Manekshaw's order, Pakistan's folly|date = 3 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="Dijg">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Harvijay |title=Battles that Made History – Defstrat |url=https://www.defstrat.com/magazine_articles/battles-that-made-history-15/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.defstrat.com}}</ref> That led to the Pakistani [[brigade]] group being left extremely vulnerable to air attack and vehicles becoming bogged in terrain unsuitable for the movement of armoured vehicles, as they tried to deploy off a single track and were more susceptible to enemy fire since they used external fuel storage in [[military tactics|tactical combat]] and attempted to execute a night attack over unfamiliar terrain, and infantry was surprised by [[obstacles to troop movement]], which caused confusion and stalling the attack during the crucial hours of darkness, when the assaulting infantry still had a measure of concealment from Indian [[small arms]] and [[Crew-served weapon|infantry support weapon]] fire.<ref name="theprint.in"/>

== Background ==
The main thrust of the Indian Army during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 war]] was directed towards the eastern theatre, with the western sector envisioned as a holding operation to prevent the [[Pakistan Army]] from achieving any success that would allow the [[President of Pakistan]], [[Yahya Khan]], any bargaining tool to trade against the captured territories in the east. By the last week of November 1971, the Indian Army had launched offensive manoeuvres at [[Battle of Atgram|Atgram]] against Pakistani border posts and communications centres along the eastern border. The [[Mukti Bahini]] also launched an offensive against [[Jessore]] at this time.<ref name= LOC>{{Cite web|url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+pk0032)|title=Pakistan — Yahya Khan and Bangladesh|publisher= Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date = 6 April 2009|date=April 1994}}</ref> It was clear to [[Islamabad]] by this time that open conflict was inevitable, and that [[East Pakistan]] was indefensible in the long run.<ref name= gs>{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1984/KRG.htm |title = The India-Pakistan War of 1971: A Modern War|author=Kyle, R.G. |date=14 March 1964|access-date=6 April 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090418234716/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1984/KRG.htm| archive-date= 18 April 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> Yahya Khan chose at this point to try to protect Pakistan's integrity and to hold India by [[Ayub Khan (Field Marshal)|Ayub Khan]]'s strategy—''"The defence of East Pakistan lies in the West"''.<ref name=Faruqui>''Failure in Command: Lessons from Pakistan's Indian Wars, 1947–1999.'' Faruqui A. Defense Analysis Vol.17, No. 1, 1 April 2001</ref>

== Prelude ==
=== The Western sector ===

Khan's policy made the assumption that an open conflict with India would not last long due to [[United Nations|international pressure]], and that since East Pakistan was undefendable, the war effort should be concentrated on occupying as much Indian territory as possible as a bargaining tool at the negotiating table.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Choudhary |first=Diptendu |title=INDIA–PAKISTAN WAR :50 Years Later |publisher=Pentagon Press |year=2022 |isbn=978-93-90095-69-8 |location=India |pages=115–116}}</ref> The initial plans for the offensive called for at least temporary [[air dominance]] by the [[Pakistan Air Force]] (PAF) under which Khan's troops could conduct a lightning campaign deep into [[Western India]] before digging in and consolidating their positions. The PAF launched [[Operation Chengiz Khan|pre-emptive strikes]] on the evening of 3 December that led to the formal commencement of hostilities in the western theatre. The city of [[Rahim Yar Khan]], close to the international border, formed a critical communication centre for Khan's forces and, situated on the Sindh–Punjab railway, remained a vulnerable link in Khan's logistics. The fall of Rahim Yar Khan to Indian forces would cut off the railway as well as road link between [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|West Punjab]], starving Khan's forces of fuel and ammunition delivered to [[Karachi]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kumar |first=Bharat |title=The Epic Battle of Longewala |publisher=Natraj Publishers |year=2020 |pages=India |language=en}}</ref>

Indian battle plans called for a strike by the 12th Indian Division across the border towards [[Islamgarh]] through Sarkari Tala, subsequently advancing through Baghla to secure Rahim Yar Khan. This would destabilise the Pakistani defences in the Punjab and [[Kashmir|Jammu & Kashmir]] Sector, allowing the planned Indian offensive [[Battle of Basantar|in the Shakargarh sector]] to sweep the Pakistani forces trapped there.<ref name=Ludra>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010113/windows/main4.htm|title=An assessment of the battle of Longewala|first=K. S.|last=Thakur Ludra|work=The Tribune|location=India|date=13 January 2001|access-date=6 April 2009|page=1}}</ref>

Pakistan, which envisaged the Punjab as an operational centre, had a strong intelligence network in the area and planned to counter its own comparatively weak strength on the ground with a pre-emptive strike through [[Kishangarh]] towards the divisional headquarters south of Ramgarh.<ref name=Ludra/> Longewala, which was originally a [[Border Security Force]] (BSF) post but was later taken over by a company of the Punjab Regiment prior to the war, formed a strategic point en route to capturing vast tracts of land and also a pivotal theatre of war in engaging India on the western front.<ref name="theprint.in"/>

=== Tactical plan ===
Pakistan's tactical plan was based on the assumption that an attack in the area would help their 1st Armoured Division's task in the [[Sri Ganganagar]] area. Pakistan High command also felt that it was important to protect the north–south road link which they felt was vulnerable, as it was close to the border. A [[combined arms]] plan was decided upon. This involved two infantry brigades and two armoured regiments. A separate division, the 18th Division, was formed for this purpose. The 18th Division's operation orders required one infantry brigade (206th) with an armoured regiment (38th Cavalry) to capture and establish a firm base at Longewala, a junction on the Indian road system, and the 51st Infantry Brigade and the 22nd Cavalry ([[Pakistan Army Armoured Corps]]) to operate beyond Longewala to capture [[Jaisalmer]].<ref>[http://www.defencejournal.com/feb-mar99/letter.htm '''Correspondence from Lt. Col. (Retd) H.K. Afridi''' Defence Journal, Karachi. feb-mar99] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622082310/http://www.defencejournal.com/feb-mar99/letter.htm |date=22 June 2006 }} URL accessed on 22 September 2006</ref>

The Pakistani plan was to reach Longewala, Ramgarh and Jaisalmer.<ref>{{Cite book |last=H. Gill |first=John |title=An Atlas  of the 1971 India – Pakistan War: The Creation of Bangladesh |publisher=National Defense University |year=2003 |edition=Bangladesh |location=India |pages=56}}</ref> The plan was far-fetched from the start, if only because it called for a night attack to be conducted over terrain that was not preceded by route or engineer reconnaissance, and the armoured troops were therefore unaware the ground could not support rapid movement towards the objective. As the day unfolded, Longewala would stand out as one of the biggest losses for Pakistan, despite overwhelming superiority before commencement of the battle, largely due to the vehicles becoming bogged down in soft sand.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battles that Made History – Defstrat |url=https://www.defstrat.com/magazine_articles/battles-that-made-history-15/ |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=www.defstrat.com}}</ref>

=== Indian defensive planning ===
[[File:Yoddhasthal Permanent Exhibition Southern command Indian Army Bhopal (<span class="ltr">87</span>).jpg|thumb|[[Jonga]] that destroyed several tanks during battle]]

On the Indian side, the post was held by A Company, 23rd Battalion, Punjab Regiment, led by Major [[Kuldip Singh Chandpuri]], the defences occupying a high sand dune which dominated the area that was largely intractable to vehicles.<ref name="TI"/> The post was surrounded by a [[barbed wire]] fence of three strands. The rest of the battalion was located at Sadhewala, {{convert|17|km}} to the north-east. Chandpuri commanded an infantry company reinforced by a section each of [[medium machine gun]]s (MMGs) and [[L16 81mm mortar]]s, and one [[Jonga]]-mounted [[M40 recoilless rifle]] (RCL). His two other recoilless rifle teams of the anti-tank section were under training at battalion headquarters. Chandpuri also had under his command a four-man team of the camel [[Border Security Force]] division.<ref name=SS>Shorey A. ''Sainik Samachar''. Vol.52, No.4, 16– 28 February 2005</ref>

The Longewala post had no armoured vehicles, but artillery support was available from a battery of the 170 Field Regiment, tasked with direct support of the battalion, and the [[168 Field Regiment (India)|168 Field Regiment]], which had been deployed to the area in secrecy just a day earlier. The direct support battery was attached to the 168 Field Regiment and served as its "Sierra" Battery. Immediately after PAF strikes on Indian airfields on 3 December, Chandpuri dispatched a 20-man-strong patrol under Second Lieutenant Dharam Veer to Boundary Pillar (<span class="ltr">BP</span>) 638, on the border. This patrol was to play an important part in detecting the advances of Pakistani forces.<ref name="Dijg">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Harvijay |title=Battles that Made History – Defstrat |url=https://www.defstrat.com/magazine_articles/battles-that-made-history-15/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.defstrat.com}}</ref>

== Battle ==
[[File:WLUS (<span class="ltr">20</span>).jpg|thumb|[[Jonga]], mounted with 105 mm RCL gun, which destroyed several tanks]]

[[File:HAL Marut used in the battle of longewala.jpg|thumb|200px|right|One of the three [[HAL Marut]] used by the IAF against Pakistani armour at Longewala]]
During the night of the 4th, Dharam Veer's platoon, while on a patrol, detected noises across the border that suggested a large number of armoured vehicles approaching.<ref>p. 177, Nayar</ref> These were soon confirmed by reports—from the Army's air observation post aircraft flown by Major Atma Singh—in the area of a {{convert|20|km|mi|-long|adj=mid}} armoured column on the track leading to the post advancing in the general direction of the Longewala post.<ref>p. 239, Rao</ref> Directing Dharam Veer Bhakri's patrol to trail the advancing armoured column, Chandpuri contacted battalion headquarters, requesting urgent reinforcements and armour and artillery support. Battalion headquarters gave him the choice of staying put and containing the attack as much as possible, or carrying out a tactical retreat to Ramgarh, as reinforcements would not be available that night. Despite his command having all the transportation to retreat back on time, he chose to stay and fight back the advancing enemy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BATTLE of Longewala-Retold Lest it is forgotten |url=https://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters.aspx?sectionname=History&subsectionname=Indian-History&topicname=BATTLE-of-Longewala~Retold-Lest-it-is-forgotten&chapter=1 |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.esamskriti.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

The Pakistani forces began their attack at 12:30 am.<ref name="p.83, Imprint">p. 83, Imprint</ref> As the offensive approached the lone outpost, Pakistani artillery opened up across the border with medium artillery, killing five of the ten camels from the [[Border Security Force|BSF]] detachment. As the column of 45 tanks neared the post, Indian defences, lacking the time to lay a prepared minefield, laid a hasty anti-tank minefield as the enemy advanced, one infantryman being killed in the process.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Years-later-Longewala-reminds-the-do-or-die-battle/articleshow/27554710.cms|title = Years later, Longewala reminds the do-or-die battle &#124; Jaipur News – Times of India| website=[[The Times of India]] }}</ref><ref name="p.42, Sharma">p. 42, Sharma</ref> The Indian infantry held their fire until the leading Pakistani tanks had approached to within {{convert|15|–|30|m}} before firing their [[PIAT]]s.<ref name="p.42, Sharma"/>{{Failed verification|date=December 2023|reason=Not in source given}} They accounted for the first two tanks on the track with their [[Jonga]]-mounted 106&nbsp;mm [[M40 recoilless rifle]], with one of its crew being killed during the engagement.<ref name="p.42, Sharma" />{{Failed verification|date=December 2023|reason=Not in source given}}  This weapon proved quite effective because it was able to engage the thinner top armour of the Pakistani tanks from its elevated position, firing at often stationary, bogged-down vehicles.<ref name="p.42, Sharma" />{{Failed verification|date=December 2023|reason=Not in source given}} 

In all, the post defenders claimed 12 tanks destroyed or damaged. The initial Pakistani attack stalled almost immediately when the infantry discovered the barbed wire which had not been spotted in the night, and interpreted it as signifying a minefield. Firing for the Indian RCL crews was made easier by the flames of fires when the spare fuel tanks on the Pakistani tanks, intended to supplement their internal capacity for the advance to [[Jaisalmer]], exploded, providing ample light for Indians located on higher ground, and creating a dense, acrid [[smoke screen]] at ground level for the Pakistani infantry, adding to the confusion. Two hours were lost as Pakistani sappers were brought up, only to discover there was no minefield. However, at this time, Pakistani infantry were required to make another attack, from a different direction, but in the dawn light. The Pakistani advance then attempted to surround the post two hours later by vehicles getting off the road, but many vehicles, particularly armoured personnel carriers and tanks, in trying to soften up the Indian defenders before attacking, became bogged down in the soft sand of the area surrounding the post. Throughout the engagement,  Chandpuri continued to direct the supporting artillery fire.<ref name="p.42, Sharma" />

Although massively outnumbering the Indian defenders and having surrounded them, the Pakistani troops were unable to advance over open terrain on a full-moon night, under small arms and mortar fire from the outpost.<ref name="p.83, Imprint"/> This encouraged the Indians not to give up their strong defensive position, frustrating the Pakistani commanders. As dawn arrived, the Pakistan forces had still not taken the post, and were now faced with doing so in full daylight.<ref name="Dijg">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Harvijay |title=Battles that Made History – Defstrat |url=https://www.defstrat.com/magazine_articles/battles-that-made-history-15/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.defstrat.com}}</ref>

In the morning, the [[Indian Air Force]] was finally able to direct the newly assembled 122 Squadron under the command of WC Donald Melvyn Conquest comprising [[HAL HF-24 Marut]]s and [[Hawker Hunter]] aircraft to assist the post; they were not outfitted with [[Night-vision device|night-vision equipment]], and so had to wait until dawn.<ref>p. 100, Nordeen</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Service Record for Group Captain Donald Melvyn Conquest 4692 GD(<span class="ltr">P</span>) at Bharat Rakshak.com |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/4692 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=Bharat Rakshak |language=en-gb}}</ref> With daylight, however, the IAF was able to operate effectively, with the strike aircraft being guided to targets by the airborne [[Forward Air Controller]] (FAC), Singh, in a [[HAL Krishak]] observation aircraft.<ref>[http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Suresh.html An IAF pilot's account of the battle] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051205024625/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Suresh.html |date=5 December 2005 }}, Suresh</ref> The Indian aircraft attacked the Pakistani ground troops with 16 [[Matra]] T-10 rockets and [[ADEN cannon|30 mm ADEN cannons]] on each aircraft. Without support from the Pakistan Air Force, which was busy elsewhere, the tanks and other armoured vehicles were easy targets for the IAF's Hunters. The range of the 12.7&nbsp;mm [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] [[heavy machine gun]]s mounted on the tanks was limited and therefore ineffective against the Indian jets. Indian air attacks were made easier by the barren terrain. Many IAF officers later described the attack as a "[[turkey shoot]]", signifying the lopsidedness.<ref name="Dijg">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Harvijay |title=Battles that Made History – Defstrat |url=https://www.defstrat.com/magazine_articles/battles-that-made-history-15/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.defstrat.com}}</ref>

By noon the next day, the assault had ended completely, having cost Pakistan 36 tanks 22 of which were destroyed by aircraft fire, 12 by ground anti-tank fire, and 2 captured after being abandoned, with a total of around 100 vehicles destroyed or damaged in the desert around the post. The Pakistani forces were forced to withdraw when Indian tanks from the division's cavalry regiment, the [[20th Lancers (India)|20th Lancers]], commanded by Colonel Bawa Guruvachan Singh, along with the 17th Battalion, [[Rajputana Rifles]], launched their counter-offensive to end the six-hour engagement.<ref name="p.42, Sharma" /> Longewala had proved to be one of the defining moments in the war.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

== Aftermath ==
Since the Indians were on the defensive, they managed to inflict heavy losses on the Pakistanis: 200 soldiers killed,<ref name="Francis"/> 36 tanks destroyed or abandoned, and 500 additional vehicles lost.<ref name=Jaques/> The Pakistani [[Hamoodur Rahman Commission|judicial commission]] set up at the end of war recommended the commander of 18th Division, Major General Mustafa, be tried for negligence.<ref name="HRC Report">{{Cite report|author=Hamoodur Rehman |author-link=Hamoodur Rehman |author2=Sheikh Anwarul Haq |author3=Tufail Ali Abdul Rehman |title=Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report |url=http://www.pppusa.org/Acrobat/Hamoodur%20Rahman%20Commission%20Report.pdf |publisher=Government of Pakistan |pages=79–80 |access-date=19 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304011310/http://www.pppusa.org/Acrobat/Hamoodur%20Rahman%20Commission%20Report.pdf |archive-date= 4 March 2012 }}</ref>

Notwithstanding the Indian victory, there were intelligence and strategic failures on both sides. India's intelligence service failed to provide warning of such a large armoured force in the western sector. Moreover, the defending post was not heavily armed. Finally, they did not push home their advantage and destroy the fleeing Pakistani tanks while the IAF had them on the run. They did, however, destroy or capture some 36 tanks, one of the most disproportionate tank losses for one side in a single battle after [[World War II]].<ref name=JH/>

The Pakistani troops, meanwhile, had underestimated the post's defensive capability due to the difficulty of approach over sand, conducting the attack at night and in full-moon light, against stiff resistance from a well-prepared defensive position located on a dominant height. Attacking with virtually no air cover, they took too long to close for an assault on the position, and failed to anticipate the availability of Indian [[close air support]]. Given that Pakistan's [[Sherman tank]]s and [[Type 59 tank|T-59/Type 59]] Chinese tanks were slow on the sandy [[Thar Desert]], some military analysts have opined that the attack may have been poorly planned and executed, given the terrain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/pakistan/army-orbat-corps-aor.htm|title=Pakistan Army Order of Battle — Corps Sectors|access-date=14 January 2014}}</ref> Some Pakistani tanks suffered engine failure due to overheating in trying to extricate themselves, and were abandoned. The open desert battleground provided little to no cover for the tanks and infantry from air attacks. The plan to capture Longewala may have been good in conception, but failed due to lack of air cover. As a result, two tank regiments failed to take Longewala.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-02-19 |title=Longewala not won by infantry alone, air power played key role: IAF book |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/longewala-not-won-by-infantry-alone-air-power-played-key-role-iaf-book/articleshow/81100982.cms |access-date=2023-06-17 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

[[File:KuldipsinghchandpuriGujjar.jpg|x216px|right|thumb|Maj. Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, [[Maha Vir Chakra|MVC]]]]

For his part, the Indian company commander, Chandpuri, was decorated with India's second-highest gallantry award – the [[Maha Vir Chakra]]. Several other awards were earned by members of the defending company and the battalion's commander.<ref name="Dijg">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Harvijay |title=Battles that Made History – Defstrat |url=https://www.defstrat.com/magazine_articles/battles-that-made-history-15/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.defstrat.com}}</ref> On the other hand, the Pakistani divisional commander was dismissed from service.<ref name = JH/>

British media reported on the defence of Longewala; James Hatter compared the Battle of Longewala to [[Battle of Thermopylae]] in his article ''Taking on the enemy at Longewala'', describing it as the deciding moment of the 1971 war.<ref name=JH/> Similarly, Field Marshal [[Michael Carver|R. M. Carver]], the [[Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)]] at the time, visited Longewala a few weeks after the war to learn the details of the battle from Chandpuri.<ref name=JH>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001216/windows/main2.htm|title=Taking on the enemy at Longewala|first= James|last= Hattar|work= The Tribune|date=16 December 2000|access-date=6 April 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090422023208/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001216/windows/main2.htm| archive-date= 22 April 2009| url-status= live}}</ref>

In 2008, the battle was the subject of disagreement, some officers of the time ascribing all the combat success to the IAF.<ref>{{cite news|title= The truth of courage|url= http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=Ne150308the_truth.asp|publisher= tehelka|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141022072452/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=Ne150308the_truth.asp|archive-date= 22 October 2014}}{{cite news|title= The truth of courage|url= http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=Ne150308the_truth.asp|publisher= tehelka|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141022072452/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=Ne150308the_truth.asp|archive-date= 22 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Army lied to the nation Longewala? |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/army-lied-to-the-nation-on-laungewala/article1-279335.aspx |work=Hindustan times|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104065802/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/army-lied-to-the-nation-on-laungewala/article1-279335.aspx |archive-date= 4 November 2014}}</ref> This led to Chandpuri suing for the token amount of one [[Indian rupee|rupee]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sura |first=Ajay |date=29 November 2013 |title=War veteran's book reiterates doubts over Army's role in Longewala battle |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/War-veterans-book-reiterates-doubts-over-Armys-role-in-Longewala-battle/articleshow/26545285.cms |newspaper=The Times of India}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
The Battle of Longewala was depicted in the 1997 [[Bollywood|Hindi]] film ''[[Border (1997 film)|Border]]'', which was directed by [[J. P. Dutta]] and starred [[Sunny Deol]] as Major Kuldeep Singh, [[Jackie Shroff]] as Wing Commander M.S. Bawa, [[Sunil Shetty]] as Assistant Commandant Bhairon Singh (BSF), and [[Akshaye Khanna]] as Dharam Veer.<ref>p. 17, Alter</ref> The main criticism of the movie was that it showed Indian forces being in a terrible position before any sort of help came from the IAF.<ref>{{Cite web |title=If the reel Border is full of drama and heroism, so was the real battle in 1971 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/films/story/19970728-if-the-reel-border-is-full-of-drama-and-heroism-so-was-the-real-battle-in-830426-1997-07-27 |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Div col}}
* [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
* [[Timeline of the Bangladesh Liberation War]]
* [[Military plans of the Bangladesh Liberation War]]
* [[Mitro Bahini order of battle]]
* [[Pakistan Army order of battle, December 1971]]
* [[Battle of Chamb]]
* [[Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan]]
* [[1971 Bangladesh genocide]]
* [[Operation Searchlight]]
* [[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts]]
* [[Military history of India]]
* [[List of military disasters]]
* [[List of wars involving India]]
{{col div end}}

== Citations and notes ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== References ==
* Indivisible Air Power, ''Strategic Analysis'', Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, 1984, v.8, 1185–1202
* ''Imprint'', Justified Press, 1972, v.12:7–12 (Oct 1972 – Mar 1973)
* Alter, Stephen, ''Amritsar to Lahore: A Journey Across the India-Pakistan Border'', University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000
* Nordeen, Lon O., ''Air Warfare in the Missile Age'', Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985
* Suresh, Kukke, Wg. Cdr. (Retd), Battle of Longewala: 5 and 6 December 1971, 1971 India Pakistan Operations, http://www.bharat-rakshak.com
* Sharma, Gautam, ''Valour and Sacrifice: Famous Regiments of the Indian Army'', Allied Publishers, 1990

== Further reading ==
* Anil Shorey ''Pakistan's Failed Gamble: The Battle of Laungewala'' Manas, 2005, {{ISBN|81-7049-224-6}}.
* Brigadier Zafar Alam Khan ''The Way It Was''. He was probably the commanding officer of the 22nd Armoured Regiment.
* Virendra Verma, Hunting hunters: Battle of Longewala, December 1971: a study in joint army-air operations (Stories of war in post-independence India), Youth Education Publications, 1992

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051123003713/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1971War/Longewala.html The battle from the Indian Air Force Journal, 1997]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060111180949/http://orbat.com/site/history/historical/india/indiawest1971.html The Western Theatre in 1971;— A Strategic and Operational Analysis by A.H. Amin] – Orbat

{{1971 Indo-Pak War}}
{{Military of India}}
{{Military of Pakistan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Longewala 1971}}
[[Category:Battles of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971]]
[[Category:Tank battles involving India]]
[[Category:Tank battles involving Pakistan]]
[[Category:Desert warfare]]
[[Category:Operations involving the Indian Air Force]]
[[Category:Jaisalmer district]]
[[Category:1970s in Rajasthan]]