| Battle of Chunj | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 | |||||||||
  Chunj
Chunj feature on a map | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Gen. K. S Thimayya Brig. Harbaksh Singh Brig. J. C. Katoch |
Lt. Nausherwan Khan Capt. Rao Farman Ali Maj. A. M. Sloan †[b] Maj. Ghulam Rasul | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
163 Brigade 1 Sikh 1 Madras 3 Royal GR |
4/16 Punjab 3/12 FF | ||||||||
The Battle of Chunj, or the Chunj Operation, was a military campaign from 25 June – 9 July, 1948 between Pakistani and Indian forces, during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948.[3] The 163rd Brigade first advanced from Handwara to Tithwal and from Uri to Urusa. The 163rd Brigade then launched an offensive from Tithwal, raising a threat to Pakistani-held Muzaffarabad. The move caused much panic in the Pakistani high command.[5] The capture of Domel[c] was the main objective of the Indian offensive. Domel, only eighteen miles from Tithwal, was a key position for the Pakistan Army to hold at Muzaffarabad.[5]
The 10th Brigade of the Pakistan Army, under Brigadier Haji Iftikhar Ahmad, was tasked to stop the Indian advance, and defend Muzaffarabad at all costs.[6] The Pakistani high command also consider it necessary to drive out the Indian troops from the heights of the Chunj range and push the Indian troops back into the left bank of the Neelum River, also known as the Kishanganga River.[7] With the evacuation of all the advanced positions across the river, the Indian command considered it a major loss.[8]
The Indian forces had gained success by capturing Tithwal earlier, but with the fall of the Chunj to Pakistan, the summer offensive of the Indian army from Tithwal to Muzaffarabad failed.[9] The Pakistani advance added a huge area to the Pakistani controlled side on the left bank of the Neelum River.[10] Major Alan Macfarlane Sloan, a British engineer office and professional soldier fighting for the Pakistanis, was praised for his actions which led to the capture of crucial peaks in the Tithwal area in July 1948.[11] The Pakistani forces switched their focus towards the Chakothi area after achieving victory in Tithwal. Later, another victory in Pandu by the Pakistanis pushed the Indians out of the Pandu feature, a commanding position over other nearby features, a noteworthy achievement in the conflict.[12] Stalemate ensued afterwards in this sector until ceasefires took effect on 1 January 1949.[13]
- ^ Prasad (1987), pp. 196–199
- ^ Prasad (1987), p. 202
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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:11was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Ali (2022), p. 1
- ^ Prasad (1987), p. 202
- ^ Suharwardy (1983), p. 189 : Cheema (2014), p. 48
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