I considered his rank of a full Colonel, and also thought of the five AMX tanks (brand new) which had been left behind by the Pakistanis, in their foolish dash over the Dera Baba Nanak bridge. “I intended to replace this officer when Colonel Bharat Singh trooped into my office and volunteered to go and take over the regiment which he had commanded once. The Commandant warned in his orders that the Pakistanis had Patton tanks, which had better range and a better calibre of gun compared to the Shermans which his regiment possessed. He adds that it was the first day of the war when he got a report that the Commandant of an armoured regiment with the 15 Infantry Division “had not been well” and as a result, he had issued an order to his tank regiment in writing, not to take their tanks nearer than 2,000 yards up to the Ichhogil Canal. Regarding Col Bharat Singh, Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh wrote in his book In The Line of Duty, that Colonel Bharat Singh was Colonel A at his headquarters at Simla. On September 11, the Commandant of an armoured regiment was replaced by Colonel Bharat Singh after certain orders issued by the Commandant regarding contact with enemy Patton tanks were viewed dimly by senior officers. Harbaksh Singh GOC-in-C Western Command (extreme left). ![]() The Punjab Chief Minister Ram Kishan discussing the situation in the Punjab vis-a-vis Pakistani aggression on our country with Lt. ![]() However, the Brigade moved back to the 4 Mountain Division sector on September 13 after the situation was stabilised. The official history of the war notes that on September 11, 1965, when a major enemy armour and infantry threat was reported developing on the Ranian axis, near Amritsar, 2 (Independent) Armoured Brigade was moved into the 15 Division sector on the intervening night of September 11 and 12.
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