Other Conflicts: Indo-Pakistan (1965) and Vietnam (1965-1975)

Knocked out Pakistani M47 Patton Tanks
via http://www.thehansindia.com

Asal-Utter

Pakistan and India had been granted their independence from Great Britain in 1947. Almost immediately, Pakistan and India began to clash over the semi-autonomous border region of Kashmir.[1] Even after accepting a U.N. mandated ceasefire, both India and Pakistan sought to gain an advantage over each other. By courting both India and Pkaistan through military and economic aid, the United States had tried to contain Communism in South and Southeast Asia. The Pakistani Army, by 1965, was largely equipped with American tanks, while India had acquired tanks and munitions from different nations.[2]

On September 1, 1965, Pakistani regular forces openly invaded Inidian Kashmir, following on the heels of Pakistani Guerilla forces.[3] However, even as Indian forces fell back, the Pakistani offensive became a disaster. Falling back to Asal-Uttar, Indian troops set up an ambush. On September 9, in the course of a massive tank battle, the Indians claimed ninety-seven Pakistani tanks.[4] Among the knocked out Pakistani tanks were American built M-47 Patton tanks. At Philora, the Pakistanis lost another sixty tanks. The ceasefire on September 22 ended the conflict, reestablished the status quo, and ending what is a major tank war, but one that is not studied in depth outside of that region.

Tanks in the Vietnam War

The primary purpose of American tanks in Vietnam was to provide support to American troops fighting the Communist insurgency in South Vietnam. The US Army’s first M48 Pattons arrived in country in 1966, and were quickly pitted into battles against NVA infantry at places like LZ 27 Victor, where the Pattons provided crucial fire support. The NVA sought avoid frontal assaults on American armor for the rest of the War.[5] The M551 Sheridan reconnaissance tank, lighter and faster than the Patton, was likewise used for scouting and fire support, but was not nearly as rugged as the Patton was. Mines and shoulder fired rockets like the RPG proved to be quite lethal to the Sheridan.[6] The Patton, with its greater weight and raw power, was better able to punch through the thick jungle undergrowth.

Knocked out PT-76 at Ben Het
Public Domain, US ARmy

Tank battles were rare during the Vietnam War, largely because the Communists rarely employed them. The North Vietnamese Army attacked the Lang Vei Special forces camp during the night of February 6-7, 1968, overrunning the base while using Soviet built  PT-76 amphibious light tanks.[7] A year later, at the Ben Het Special Forces Camp, American and NVA tanks fought for the first time. Two PT-76’s were knocked out by American M-48s during the night battle. Later, the Army of Vietnam, battling the NVA on their own, used American tanks to great affect in the 1972 Quang Tri offensive, stopping, NVA attacks and preventing the fall of Hue City.[8] All told, the Vietnam War was mostly about infantry support, using armor to supplement the airmobile and ground based units in that conflict.

US Army M48 Patton, Central Highlands 1969
US Army

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[1] Robert J. McMahon, The Cold War on the Periphery: The United States, India, and Pakistan, (New York: Columbia University, 1994), 21.

[2] McMahon, Cold War on the Periphery, 324.

[3] Ibid., 327.

[4] Peter Wilson Prabhakar, Wars, Proxy-Wars, and Terrorism: Post Independence India, (New Dehli: Mittal Publications, 2003), 84.

[5] Lewis Sorley in “Adaption and Impact: Mounted Combat in Vietnam,” Camp Colt to Desert Storm, 340.

[6] Phillip Keith, Black Horse Riders, (New YorK: St. Martin’s, 2012), 298.

[7] Sorely, “Adaptation and Impact,” Camp Colt to Desert Storm, 345.

[8] Ibid., 335.