Khemkaran
Encyclopedia
Khem Karan is a town and a nagar panchayat
in Tarn Taran district
in the Indian state
of Punjab
. It was the site of a major tank
battle in 1965 resulting it also being known as the graveyard of tanks.
The 1965 Indo-Pakistani War
was witness to the largest tank battle in military history since World War II. This battle led to the creation of Patton Nagar (or Patton City) at the site of the battle viz., Khemkaran. This is because many Patton tank
s fielded by the Pakistan
i forces were either captured or destroyed at the scene.
Before the partition Khem Karan used to be in Lahore District During the Partition it was Given to Amritsar Sahib to East Punjab (India).
Near the Bhikhiwind
village in the Khemkaran area, a strip of land was called Patton Nagar for a short while in 1965. It was here that more than 60 tanks of the Pakistani army were displayed at the end of the September India-Pakistan conflict. The Pakistan Army tanks were captured at the Battle of Asal Uttar
by India's 4 Mountain Division and it became a memorial to the Pakistani tanks being bogged down in the marshes during the 1965 War. The tanks were displayed for some time after which they were shipped to various cantonments and army establishments for display as war trophies.
The Indian Army managed to capture 97 Pakistani Tanks as a result of the botched assault by the 1 Armoured Division of the Pakistan Army at the Battle of Assal Uttar on 10 September 1965. Six Pakistani Armoured Regiments took part in the battle, namely the 19 Lancers (Patton), 12 Cavalry (Chaffee
), 24 Cavalry (Patton) 4 Cavalry (Patton), 5 Horse (Patton) and 6 Lancers (Patton).
The Indian forces in the field that day consisted of three Armoured regiments with tanks of varying quality, the Deccan Horse (Shermans), 3 Cavalry (Centurion
) and the 8 Cavalry (AMX-13
). The battle was so fierce and intense that at the end of the war, the Fourth Indian Division a.k.a. "The Fighting Fourth" had captured about 97 tanks in destroyed/damaged or intact condition. This included 72 Patton tanks and 25 Chaffees and Shermans. 32 of the 97 tanks, including 28 Pattons, were in running condition. The Indian forces lost 32 tanks. Fifteen of them were captured by the Pakistan Army, mostly Sherman tanks. 4 Indian Airforce fighter planes were shot down out of which 2 were Gnat and 2 were Mystere. One pilot was made POW.
, Khem Karan had a population of 11,940. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Khem Karan has an average literacy rate of 47%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 54%, and female literacy is 39%. In Khem Karan, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Nagar Panchayat
A nagar palika or nagar panchayat is a form of an urban political unit in India comparable to a municipality.An urban centre with more than 30,000 and less than 100,000 inhabitants is classified as a nagar panchayat....
in Tarn Taran district
Tarn Taran district
Tarn Taran district is one of the districts in the state of Punjab in North-West Republic of India. Some of its main cities are Tarn Taran Sahib which is located near Amritsar and Patti, City of Taran Taran is a holy place for Sikhs of India and abroad.Tarn Taran district was formed in 2006 from...
in the Indian state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
. It was the site of a major tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
battle in 1965 resulting it also being known as the graveyard of tanks.
The 1965 Indo-Pakistani War
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
was witness to the largest tank battle in military history since World War II. This battle led to the creation of Patton Nagar (or Patton City) at the site of the battle viz., Khemkaran. This is because many Patton tank
Patton tank
Patton tank may refer to:*M46 Patton, a tank model operational during the Korean War*M47 Patton, a tank model in service from 1952 through 1959 with the U.S. Army, and through the mid 1990s in foreign service...
s fielded by the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i forces were either captured or destroyed at the scene.
History
Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib (1621-1675) Ninth Sikh Prophet visited Khem Karan and Stayed here a local Built a Well in Memory of Guru Sahib a Old Building Gurdwara Stood here which in 1965 during the Indo-Pak war The Pakistani Army Captured Khem Karan Town The Locals Fled. The Pakistani Army damaged The Historic Gurdwara Much Damage was done to it it was when the Indian Army Arrived and After a battle the Indian Army won the battle Pushing the Pakistani Army out from this Area that the Sikhs Repaired the Gurdwara and Renovated it again.Before the partition Khem Karan used to be in Lahore District During the Partition it was Given to Amritsar Sahib to East Punjab (India).
India-Pakistan war (1965)
The tank battles of 1965 form part of military history as the most intense armored battles between the end of World War II and the 1991 Gulf War. Close to a thousand tanks, on both sides, took part in the pitched battles and offensives. At the start of the war, Indian strength was limited to one armored division and one independent armored brigade, along with six armored regiments supporting infantry divisions. Pakistan had two armored divisions, with the then very modern M-48 Patton tanks. India had an equivalent tank in the Centurion, but their strength was limited to only four armored regiments.Patton Nagar
Bhikhiwind
Bhikhiwind is a town and a nagar panchayat in Tarn Taran district in the state of Punjab, India.-Demographics: India census, Bhikhiwind had a population of 10,269. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Bhikhiwind has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national...
village in the Khemkaran area, a strip of land was called Patton Nagar for a short while in 1965. It was here that more than 60 tanks of the Pakistani army were displayed at the end of the September India-Pakistan conflict. The Pakistan Army tanks were captured at the Battle of Asal Uttar
Battle of Asal Uttar
The Battle of Asal Uttar was one of the largest tank battles fought during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965...
by India's 4 Mountain Division and it became a memorial to the Pakistani tanks being bogged down in the marshes during the 1965 War. The tanks were displayed for some time after which they were shipped to various cantonments and army establishments for display as war trophies.
97 tanks captured at Assal Uttar
M24 Chaffee
The Light Tank M24 was an American light tank used during World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War and with the French in the War in Algeria and First Indochina War. In British service it was given the service name Chaffee, after the United States Army General Adna R...
), 24 Cavalry (Patton) 4 Cavalry (Patton), 5 Horse (Patton) and 6 Lancers (Patton).
The Indian forces in the field that day consisted of three Armoured regiments with tanks of varying quality, the Deccan Horse (Shermans), 3 Cavalry (Centurion
Centurion tank
The Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period. It was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades...
) and the 8 Cavalry (AMX-13
AMX-13
The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1953 to 1985. It served with the French Army and was exported to over twenty-five other nations...
). The battle was so fierce and intense that at the end of the war, the Fourth Indian Division a.k.a. "The Fighting Fourth" had captured about 97 tanks in destroyed/damaged or intact condition. This included 72 Patton tanks and 25 Chaffees and Shermans. 32 of the 97 tanks, including 28 Pattons, were in running condition. The Indian forces lost 32 tanks. Fifteen of them were captured by the Pakistan Army, mostly Sherman tanks. 4 Indian Airforce fighter planes were shot down out of which 2 were Gnat and 2 were Mystere. One pilot was made POW.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Khem Karan had a population of 11,940. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Khem Karan has an average literacy rate of 47%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 54%, and female literacy is 39%. In Khem Karan, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.