“The research work, the data and details which have gone into this book, make it very valuable for any student of military history. In fact, it would serve as the text book for study and research on 1965 Indo-Pak War.”
General Mirza Aslam Beg
COAS Pak Army 1988-1991
Hardback: 638 pp
Size: 245 x 315 mm
Weight: 2.27 Kg
ISBN: 969-9063-009
Now a textbook for the Military History Entrance Examination Paper of The
COMMAND & STAFF COLLEGE, QUETTA
More than fifty years ago, the Subcontinent erupted in a conflict which came to be called the lndo-Pak War of 1965. Illusion of Victory is a most comprehensive account of that first full-fledged war fought between India and Pakistan. Many aspects of this war, especially those related to plans and conduct of operations have been unraveled tor the first time by this book. It brings out the uncertainties of the governments of the time and the hesitations and reluctance of the military commanders on both sides. Here is the story of Indian intransigence towards the unresolved issue of Kashmir which provoked clandestine guerrilla operations and eventually precipitated into an all-out war. The narrative takes the reader from the headquarters of corps and divisions into the very forefront to witness the battle as it were from a forward trench or from the hatch of a tank! Eclipsed by the 1971 War and its aftermath, this forgotten page of history has been resurrected by the Author using all the advantage of his military experience. Inevitably Kashmir was the cause of war, and the fighting might have remained confined to the disputed territory in 1965 but for the Pakistani coup de main directed at Akhnur on 1 September which threatened Jammu and ipso facto Indian Held Kashmir. The Indian reaction was predictable but it is amazing how hesitant the Indian Army Chief (General J N Chaudhuri) was at that time to cross the international border. Nevertheless the Indian Army still managed to achieve complete surprise when it eventually attacked Pakistan on 6 September 1965. However, no soon had the Pakistan Army reacted with a strong armored group in Khem Karan than General Chaudhuri ordered the Indian forces opposite Kasur to withdraw east of River Beas! There was no dearth of miscalculations on the Pakistani side too which the Indians failed to exploit to their advantage. This brief but intense war had plenty of exciting moments for both protagonists.Interestingly the title of the book was prompted by a passage from Lieutenant General Harbakhsh Singh's book, WAR DESPATCHES - lndo-Pak Conflict 1965 (page 159, paragraphs 130 & 131).
"......it was only natural that in the first flush of victory we should be carried away by sentiments in which cold logic found no place. In fact an objective assessment at that stage would have been frowned upon as unpatriotic. So we did a lot of mutual back thumping. But when the dust settled down and the achievements, ....were viewed in their correct perspective, stripped of the aura of sensation, the initial feeling of exaltation gradually gave way to one of disillusionment."