Battle of Longewala
E587178
The Battle of Longewala was a pivotal 1971 India–Pakistan border engagement in the Thar Desert, where a vastly outnumbered Indian force successfully repelled a major Pakistani armored assault.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
battle
ⓘ
military engagement ⓘ |
| airOperationsBase | Jaisalmer air base NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| airSupport | Indian Air Force Hawker Hunter aircraft NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| airSupportRole | close air support to Indian ground forces ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Longewala battle NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| attackingForceEquipment |
Pakistani M4 Sherman tanks
ⓘ
Pakistani T-59 tanks NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| attackingForceStrength | several thousand Pakistani troops ⓘ |
| attackingForceType | Pakistani armoured and infantry force ⓘ |
| belligerent |
Indian Air Force
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Indian Army NERFINISHED ⓘ Pakistan Army NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commander |
Brigadier Tajammul Hussain Malik
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commemoratedBy | annual remembrance events at Longewala post ⓘ |
| conflict | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryInvolved |
India
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Pakistan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| date |
4 December 1971
ⓘ
5 December 1971 ⓘ |
| defendingForceSize | about 120 Indian soldiers ⓘ |
| defensivePosition | Indian border outpost at Longewala ⓘ |
| front | Rajasthan sector NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| impact |
failure of Pakistani offensive in that sector
ⓘ
significant Pakistani tank losses ⓘ |
| legacy | celebrated as a classic defensive stand by Indian Army ⓘ |
| location |
Longewala
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Rajasthan, India NERFINISHED ⓘ Thar Desert NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| memorial | Longewala War Memorial in Rajasthan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| militaryBranchInvolved |
Indian Army infantry
ⓘ
Pakistan Army armoured units ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
Indian defenders were heavily outnumbered
ⓘ
battle fought in desert terrain ⓘ extensive use of air power against armour ⓘ |
| partOf | Western Front of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryDefence | dug-in infantry and recoilless rifles ⓘ |
| relatedWork | Film "Border" (1997) depicting the battle NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| result | Indian victory ⓘ |
| strategicSignificance |
boosted Indian morale during 1971 war
ⓘ
prevented Pakistani advance towards Jaisalmer ⓘ |
| tacticalOutcome | Pakistani armoured advance halted ⓘ |
| terrain | sandy dunes and open desert ⓘ |
| theatre | Western sector of India–Pakistan border ⓘ |
| timeOfDay | began during the night of 4–5 December 1971 ⓘ |
| war | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.