ghazi52
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Unsung hero
Maj Gen Syed Ali Hamid on the last stand of Daffadar (Sergeant) Haq Nawaz against overwhelming odds in 1965
by Major General Syed Ali Hamid
April 5, 2019
You may have seen the movie starring Brad Pitt in the role of Don Collier, a real life battle-hardened U.S. Army sergeant who commanded a Sherman tank nicknamed Fury during the Second World War. During the 1965 War, Pakistan also had its ‘Don’.
His name was Haq Nawaz and he was a daffadar (sergeant) in the 11th Cavalry Frontier Force. He made his last stand in an unequal contest between his crew manning an M36B2 Tank Buster and Indian Centurion tanks of Hodson and Poona Horse.
After fighting a hard engagement in Chambb, 11th Cavalry had rapidly shifted south to rejoin 6th Armored Division in the adjoining Sialkot Sector. The Indians had unleashed their counter offensive and Pakistani forces were hard pressed to stem its advance. The regiment arrived at Rahwali on the 9th of September with a squadron-and-a-half of M48 Tanks that had survived the previous battle. Its third squadron in which Haq Nawaz was serving in the repair section had lost all its Second World War vintage M36B2 Tank Busters – some to enemy action but most to mechanical breakdowns. It had also lost its brave squadron commander Major Raza Shah who was martyred while charging the enemy in the last remaining M36B2 and was awarded a posthumous Sitara-e-Jurat.
Depiction of Daffadar Haq Nawaz’s last stand in an M36B2 Tank Buster, during the Battle of Phillaurah on the 11th of September 1965
The regiment was tired after a hectic and urgent move by road and rail to Rahwali but there was no time to rest. The squadron of Tank Busters was reequipped with more of the same which had been hauled out of storage at Rawalpindi and moved to the war zone with their parts still preserved in grease and some without wireless sets and missing the gunner’s telescope. Needless to say they were in no condition to challenge the Indian Centurion tanks but the crews had no option but to go into battle.
The next night, 11th Cavalry along with 9th Frontier Force Battalion was thrust into the eye of the storm and executed a relief-in-line of 25th Cavalry and units of 24th Infantry Brigade who were pulled back to defend Chawinda. The relief was ill-timed and it was also badly managed since there was no armoured brigade headquarters to coordinate with the troops being relieved.
At first light on the 11th of September, the Indian 1st Armoured Division re-launched its attack to capture Phillaurah and Chawinda with Hodson and Poona Horse. The M36B2 squadron had been positioned between the two M48 squadrons and bore the brunt of the attack. A fierce tank battle ensued and the air was saturated with the smell of gunpowder.
The tempo of battle was fast and four M36B2s were lost in the early stages of the battle. In this melee, Daffadar Haq Nawaz had brought his dodge truck with the section well forward to repair the M36B2s of his squadron which were frequently breaking down. He approached a tank standing next to a hamlet from which emerged the gunner and driver who appeared badly shaken. They narrated that the commander and loader had been badly injured by an artillery airburst and evacuated and they were at a loss what to do.
Haq Nawaz was a proud Gaitwal from the Kahuta Galiyat whose forebears had a strong tradition of serving in the army. Without hesitation, he decided to take command of the tank and crew and ordered a sowar from the repair section to fill in as the loader. A glance inside the turret revealed enough ammunition and after some tinkering the engine fired. However no amount of tinkering could coax the wireless set back to life and thus Haq Nawaz had no contact with the squadron. Nearby was a dried out pond and he ordered the driver to steer the tank into the depression and the relative safety of a hull-down position.
Standing in the turret he scanned the area with his binoculars but the movement of tanks and artillery shelling had raised a cloud of dust making it difficult to either locate the enemy or recognize friend from foe. The field of fire was also limited by tall crops of barley and sugarcane. In between scanning the area, Nawaz gave a pep talk to his crew urging them to remain alert and ready for a kill.
Out of the haze appeared the unmistakable box-like shape of an Indian Centurion tank only 500 meters away moving across the line of fire. Haq Nawaz calmly directed the gunner to lay on to the target and fire. The Centurion tank was well armoured but the round struck the hull between the tracks, igniting the ammunition and a column of flame shot out of its cupola. He congratulated his crew on achieving their first kill of the day but there was no letup in his concentration and his watchful eyes kept searching the area.
Nawaz must have been pleased with himself. He was proving his worth as a tank commander and started playing with his bushy moustache. A flicker of a smile may have emerged on his serious face when he saw another Centurion moving on his flank. He laid his tank gun in ambush and as the Centurion emerged from behind a clump of trees he fired two rounds in quick succession.
The tank came to a staggering halt and a little later its crew bailed out. This was his second kill and any tanker would be proud of such an achievement. Nawaz was still busy looking to his flank when his tank was rudely shaken. For a moment he didn’t know what had happened and he shouted into the microphone but there was no response from the crew. He shouted again but there was silence. Suddenly he felt giddy and saw his sleeve soaked in blood. He ducked down into the turret saw his gunner crouched on his seat and bleeding but the loader and driver, though ashen faced, were OK.
Maj Gen Syed Ali Hamid on the last stand of Daffadar (Sergeant) Haq Nawaz against overwhelming odds in 1965
by Major General Syed Ali Hamid
April 5, 2019
You may have seen the movie starring Brad Pitt in the role of Don Collier, a real life battle-hardened U.S. Army sergeant who commanded a Sherman tank nicknamed Fury during the Second World War. During the 1965 War, Pakistan also had its ‘Don’.
His name was Haq Nawaz and he was a daffadar (sergeant) in the 11th Cavalry Frontier Force. He made his last stand in an unequal contest between his crew manning an M36B2 Tank Buster and Indian Centurion tanks of Hodson and Poona Horse.
After fighting a hard engagement in Chambb, 11th Cavalry had rapidly shifted south to rejoin 6th Armored Division in the adjoining Sialkot Sector. The Indians had unleashed their counter offensive and Pakistani forces were hard pressed to stem its advance. The regiment arrived at Rahwali on the 9th of September with a squadron-and-a-half of M48 Tanks that had survived the previous battle. Its third squadron in which Haq Nawaz was serving in the repair section had lost all its Second World War vintage M36B2 Tank Busters – some to enemy action but most to mechanical breakdowns. It had also lost its brave squadron commander Major Raza Shah who was martyred while charging the enemy in the last remaining M36B2 and was awarded a posthumous Sitara-e-Jurat.
Depiction of Daffadar Haq Nawaz’s last stand in an M36B2 Tank Buster, during the Battle of Phillaurah on the 11th of September 1965
The regiment was tired after a hectic and urgent move by road and rail to Rahwali but there was no time to rest. The squadron of Tank Busters was reequipped with more of the same which had been hauled out of storage at Rawalpindi and moved to the war zone with their parts still preserved in grease and some without wireless sets and missing the gunner’s telescope. Needless to say they were in no condition to challenge the Indian Centurion tanks but the crews had no option but to go into battle.
The next night, 11th Cavalry along with 9th Frontier Force Battalion was thrust into the eye of the storm and executed a relief-in-line of 25th Cavalry and units of 24th Infantry Brigade who were pulled back to defend Chawinda. The relief was ill-timed and it was also badly managed since there was no armoured brigade headquarters to coordinate with the troops being relieved.
At first light on the 11th of September, the Indian 1st Armoured Division re-launched its attack to capture Phillaurah and Chawinda with Hodson and Poona Horse. The M36B2 squadron had been positioned between the two M48 squadrons and bore the brunt of the attack. A fierce tank battle ensued and the air was saturated with the smell of gunpowder.
The tempo of battle was fast and four M36B2s were lost in the early stages of the battle. In this melee, Daffadar Haq Nawaz had brought his dodge truck with the section well forward to repair the M36B2s of his squadron which were frequently breaking down. He approached a tank standing next to a hamlet from which emerged the gunner and driver who appeared badly shaken. They narrated that the commander and loader had been badly injured by an artillery airburst and evacuated and they were at a loss what to do.
Haq Nawaz was a proud Gaitwal from the Kahuta Galiyat whose forebears had a strong tradition of serving in the army. Without hesitation, he decided to take command of the tank and crew and ordered a sowar from the repair section to fill in as the loader. A glance inside the turret revealed enough ammunition and after some tinkering the engine fired. However no amount of tinkering could coax the wireless set back to life and thus Haq Nawaz had no contact with the squadron. Nearby was a dried out pond and he ordered the driver to steer the tank into the depression and the relative safety of a hull-down position.
Standing in the turret he scanned the area with his binoculars but the movement of tanks and artillery shelling had raised a cloud of dust making it difficult to either locate the enemy or recognize friend from foe. The field of fire was also limited by tall crops of barley and sugarcane. In between scanning the area, Nawaz gave a pep talk to his crew urging them to remain alert and ready for a kill.
Out of the haze appeared the unmistakable box-like shape of an Indian Centurion tank only 500 meters away moving across the line of fire. Haq Nawaz calmly directed the gunner to lay on to the target and fire. The Centurion tank was well armoured but the round struck the hull between the tracks, igniting the ammunition and a column of flame shot out of its cupola. He congratulated his crew on achieving their first kill of the day but there was no letup in his concentration and his watchful eyes kept searching the area.
Nawaz must have been pleased with himself. He was proving his worth as a tank commander and started playing with his bushy moustache. A flicker of a smile may have emerged on his serious face when he saw another Centurion moving on his flank. He laid his tank gun in ambush and as the Centurion emerged from behind a clump of trees he fired two rounds in quick succession.
The tank came to a staggering halt and a little later its crew bailed out. This was his second kill and any tanker would be proud of such an achievement. Nawaz was still busy looking to his flank when his tank was rudely shaken. For a moment he didn’t know what had happened and he shouted into the microphone but there was no response from the crew. He shouted again but there was silence. Suddenly he felt giddy and saw his sleeve soaked in blood. He ducked down into the turret saw his gunner crouched on his seat and bleeding but the loader and driver, though ashen faced, were OK.
