Air Support in Shakargarh -1971 War

摘要

The Shakargarh Bulge juts into Indian territory in a particularly threatening way - the northern boundary of the bulge runs not too far from the road between Pathankot and Jammu. The Kathua-Samba stretch is a mere 5-6 miles away, offering the possibility of developing operations astride the road towards the vital Madhopur Headworks. Such a manoeuvre could also serve as a ruse while arnmajor offensive in the shape of a riposte was launched towards one of several important objectives like Gurdaspur, Batala or even Amritsar. The Pakistan Army appreciated that a riposte in this sector would likely draw elements of the Indian strategic reserves into the Bulge and embroil them, thus preventing their extrication to face the main Pakistani offensive in the Ganganagar-Suratgarh area.