Tipu7
PDF THINK TANK: ANALYST
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Captured by pakistan as in its main armor attack crushed leaving behind 100 tanks destroyed or abandoned.
You can try to divert it all you want..everyone knows the objective was to take kashmir first by covert means,and when that didn't succeed by direct attack at akhnoor to cut off indian troops in kashmir.Pak never realized IA could strike back towards Lahore.
Bhutto even declared ''The last chance to take kashmir by force'',and Ayub khan -''hindu morale will not stand a couple of hard blows at the right time and place''.And after these bombastic proclamations had to end up defending lahore.
As for you denying the qualitative superiority of PA and PAF in 1965.Number of tanks on both sides was near equal with over 700.But Half of pakistan's tanks over 350 were latest Pattons from USA which could only be matched by india's centurions.India had only 180 or so centurions.The AMX-13 was a light tank with poor armor and only somewhat good firepower,no match for pattons head on.In artillery PA also had higher numbers of heavy calibre(100mm plus) guns.Moreover india had to keep a substantial part of its forces on the border with china.Only in infantry did IA have a clear numerical superiority.
In the air,the F-86F sabres of PAF had Sidewinder AAMs,while IAF aircraft had no AAMs -a HUGE Disadvantage.IAF gnats only had cannons.
The f-104 starfighter was also the most advanced fighter on the subcontinent -supersonic and the fastest aircraft in the conflict.Both sabre and starfighter had been frontline fighters for USAF.The B-57 bombers imported from USA were also modern and highly potent for ground strikes.
As for India the folland gnat was not even a frontline fighter used by the RAF,it was used as a trainer.IAF used this as frontline fighter jet.The single squadron of mig-21 having been inducted less than a year ago hadn't even completed pilot training.The hawker hunter was the only aircraft in numbers comparable with the sabres,but still lacked AAMs.
Moreover PAF had been getting pilot training in USA since late 50s,IAF at that time had no such facilities.The IAF tactical analysis centre TACDE was opened in 1971.You can ignore these facts all you want.
In all 1965 represented pakistan's one true chance of defeating india militarily,but ended in failure.By 1971 it was too late and result was obvious.
Don't have any thing new and better to say?
lest I "destroy" this forum.
