The Battle of Dograi was a military engagement from 20 to 22 September 1965, during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It took place in the area of Dograi village on the outskirts of
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
in
Pakistani Punjab
Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
.
Background
Dograi is a strategically important village as it is located just 49 km from
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
, the capital of
Pakistani Punjab
Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
and the 2nd largest city in Pakistan. The village being so close to Lahore gave it a high level of importance as it would be a vital bargaining chip in any territorial negotiations and exchanges after the closure of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
Preliminaries
Prior to the main battle, the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
's 3 Jat battalion had already tried to capture Dograi on 6 September 1965 but had to abandon its positions as they could not be reinforced due to strafing of supply lines by aircraft of the
Pakistan Air Force
, "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional)
, colours =
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, march =
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.
Between 6 September and 20 September, numerous attempts were made to capture Dograi, but were unsuccessful due to the position having been reinforced by the Pakistan Army.
On 20 September, the 3 Jat unit, consisting of over 500 men and commanded by Lt. Col. Desmond Hayde was tasked with capturing the position.
The defending Pakistani force was composed of troops from
16 Punjab,
3 Pashtun, consisting of over 900 men. 16 Punjab was commanded by Lt. Col J.F. Golwalla.
Reconnaissance patrols reported that Dograi was well fortified with pillboxes and buildings in the built-up region to cover all axes. The Pakistani infantry battalion had placed two Light Machine Guns in each infantry section, and the assaulting Indian forces were expecting to confront a lot of resistance. Heavy mining and wires also made the approaches extremely hazardous.
The battle
The 3 Jat battalion advanced at night on the flanks of the Pakistani position and launched its attack. Despite the unexpected attack taking Pakistani troops by surprise, fighting was intense and fierce, initially with guns and grenades, and then with bayonets and finally with bare hands. After 27 hours of nonstop combat and flushing out operations, the Pakistani troops surrendered and abandoned the position.
The Indian forces advanced until the eastern banks of the
Icchogil canal
__NOTOC__
Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian Canal (BRB Canal), also called Ichogil Canal, is a manmade waterway in Pakistan that takes off from the Upper Chenab Canal near the Bambanwala village (to the west of Daska), runs southeast until reaching close ...
, just a few hours before the UN-brokered ceasefire came into effect.
Result
The battle resulted in India's capture of Dograi just a day before ceasefire was announced and was used as a valuable bargaining chip in the
Tashkent negotiations.
The battle is commemorated by the Indian Army as it was a battle where 550 Indian troops successfully captured a fortified position from over double the number of well entrenched defenders.
For gallantry, the Indian Army awarded four
MVCs, 4
VrC, 7
Sena Medal
The Sena Medal is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for s ...
s, 12
Mention in Dispatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
and 11 COAS Commendation Cards.
See also
Battle of Ichogil Bund
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Dograi
Dograi
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965