Battle of Longewala, myth busted

It is very proudly told by the Indians throughout the globe of 120 odd Indian soldiers of the Indian 23rd Punjab having repulsed 2000 soldiers of 2 Pakistani brigades and 60 tanks of 22nd Cavalry, losses of 200 soldiers killed and 52 tanks destroyed. Maj. Kuldip Singh Chanpuri latter a brigadier was decorated with the  Mahavir Chakra (2nd highest galantry award of India) for this battle. He is credited as to having destroyed 8 Pakistani T-59 tanks. Latter a movie called Border was also made on this issue in 1996.
Pakistani accounts always contradicted what Indians stated according to Brigadier Zahir Alam Khan only 18 T-59 tanks were lost, and that the advance only stopped due to 4 Iandian Air Force Mk 5.5 Hawker Hunters. According to Brig.Zahir all went wronge because the attacking for carrying out Operation Labaik werent adequatly armed.There were engineering battalions to support and inadequate artillery (just 4 guns) and just 5 anti-aircraft guns which too got jammed in the desert. Tanks got bogged down and became an easy target for the IAF Hunters. BUT! There was no army to army contact!
 General Abdul Muqeem Khan , in his book ‘Crisis of Leadership in Pakistan’, mentions that large number of vehicles, tanks and guns got bogged in sand. The enemy was the master of skies and destroyed 18 tanks and other vehicles at his leisure. 

One of the own-destroyed T-59 left in Rajistan.

17 T-59s were destroyed by Indian Hunters inside Rajistan while another one was destroyed inside Pakistani territory as the 22 Cavalry fell back. All destroyed tanks were recovered and pulled backed but only 2 T-59s in, servicle order, were left behind because they had bogged down in sand and were latter destroyed by own tanks.


In 2008 almost 37 years after the end of Third Indo-Pak War 1971, even Indians started to accept the reality. Maj.Gen.Khambatta GOC 12 Infantry Division accepts that there was no army to army combat! Even Maj. Gen.Atma Singh Hansara goes to the extent saying Pakistanis suffered no losses in men except for tanks. Air Marshall Bawa Singh who was then a Wing Commander states there was no contact between opposing forces at all. When he went to Longewala post he saw Chanpuri hiding in a trech when Chanpuri saw someone comming he lept thinking it was a Pakistani wanting to take him Pow!

‘This is my challenge. There was no contact between the enemy and the army. When I landed at Longewala on December 5, Chandpuri was hiding in the trench. I called out to him and he was relieved to see a Sardar. He thought they were going to be captured. Let us not fake battles to earn medals’

AIR MARSHAL MS BAWA

Indians must revisit the true account of this story and respect the reality rather than myths created by Bollywood cinemas.
Further details could be studied from an Indian site in which Indian sources themselves completely deny any army to army contact between both the sides.http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=Ne150308the_truth.asp