Battle of Basantar
E587849
The Battle of Basantar was a key tank and infantry engagement on the western front between India and Pakistan in December 1971, noted for intense armoured combat and significant Indian territorial gains.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
battle
ⓘ
tank battle ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Battle of Barapind
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Battle of Basantar–Barapind NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| armourLossesIndia | several tanks destroyed or damaged ⓘ |
| armourLossesPakistan | dozens of tanks destroyed or captured ⓘ |
| awardAssociated | Param Vir Chakra NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| belligerent |
Indian Army
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Pakistan Army NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| casualtiesSideIndia | hundreds killed and wounded ⓘ |
| casualtiesSidePakistan | hundreds killed and wounded ⓘ |
| commanderIndia |
Lt Gen K. K. Singh
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Maj Gen R. D. Raina NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commanderPakistan | Lt Gen Irshad Hassan Khan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| conflictIn | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| conflictType | conventional land warfare ⓘ |
| countryInvolved |
India
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Pakistan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| date | December 1971 ⓘ |
| decisiveAction |
Indian crossing of the Basantar River
ⓘ
repulse of Pakistani armoured counterattacks ⓘ |
| endDate | 1971-12-16 ⓘ |
| equipmentUsedIndia | Centurion tanks NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| equipmentUsedPakistan | M48 Patton tanks NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| front | Western Front NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| heroicAct | Arun Khetarpal destroyed multiple Pakistani tanks before being killed in action NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| location |
Basantar River
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
India–Pakistan border NERFINISHED ⓘ Punjab region NERFINISHED ⓘ Shakargarh sector NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
combined arms operations of tanks and infantry
ⓘ
intense armoured combat ⓘ |
| notablePersonDecorated | Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | Western Front of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| result | Indian victory ⓘ |
| startDate | 1971-12-04 ⓘ |
| strategicObjectiveIndia | to cut Pakistani lines of communication in Shakargarh bulge ⓘ |
| strategicSignificance | limited Pakistani offensive capability on the western front ⓘ |
| tacticalFeature |
minefields
ⓘ
river crossing operations ⓘ |
| territorialOutcome | significant Indian territorial gains in Shakargarh sector ⓘ |
| theatre | India–Pakistan Western theatre 1971 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| unitInvolvedIndia |
16 (Independent) Armoured Brigade
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
17 Horse (Poona Horse) NERFINISHED ⓘ 4 Horse (Hodson’s Horse) NERFINISHED ⓘ 47 Infantry Brigade NERFINISHED ⓘ 54 Infantry Division NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| unitInvolvedPakistan |
13 Lancers
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
31 Cavalry NERFINISHED ⓘ 8 Infantry Division NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.