How Bharat Force Saved the Day in the 1965 India-Pakistan War

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While Lt Col Megh Singh successfully led the Megh Force during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Bharat Force came up after a quick decision was taken to replace the commanding officer of an armoured regiment

One of the hallmarks of the 1965 India-Pakistan war was the improvisations brought about by the Western Army Commander Lieutenant General Harbaksh Singh and General Officer Commanding (GOC) 11 Corps Lt Gen JS Dhillon to deal with emerging operational situations.

Among the many that were implemented, some were very successful like the Bharat Force and Megh Force, while other spur-of-the-moment decisions of the Army Commander had poor results such as the capitulation of 4 Sikh.

As far as the issue of leadership goes, at a macro level, the quick change of a division commander who failed to perform and the immediate sacking of incompetent commanding officers and brigade commanders in the 1965 war is unmatched to date in any other military operation in the country.

Source: Indian Express