The Armored Victory of Khem Karan
Lt Col Arun Vaidya and the Deccan Horse
Lt Col Vaidya commanded the Deccan Horse at Asal Uttar and Cheema, delivering decisive blows against Pakistani Patton tanks. The same officer who helped win the 1965 war would later become Army Chief - and a martyr to terrorism, assassinated in 1986.
The Master of Armored Warfare
While Abdul Hamid became the face of individual heroism at Asal Uttar, the overall victory was the result of coordinated armored operations by multiple regiments. Among the commanders who shaped that victory, Lieutenant Colonel Arun Shridhar Vaidya of the Deccan Horse stands out - a brilliant tactician whose armored maneuvers were decisive in breaking Pakistani armor.
His story would continue far beyond 1965 - to the highest rank in the Indian Army, and to a tragic end on the streets of Pune.
The Making of an Armored Commander
Arun Vaidya was born on January 27, 1926, in Thane, Maharashtra, into a family with a tradition of public service. He joined the British Indian Army during World War II and was commissioned into the Deccan Horse - one of India's oldest cavalry regiments.
The Deccan Horse traced its origins to 1790, having served in campaigns from the Anglo-Mysore Wars through both World Wars. By 1965, it was equipped with Centurion tanks - older than Pakistan's Pattons but well-maintained and crewed by experienced tankers.
Lt Col Vaidya had been commanding the Deccan Horse for two years when war came. He knew his tanks, his men, and the terrain like few others.
The Strategic Situation at Khem Karan
The Battle of Asal Uttar (September 8-10, 1965) was part of a larger engagement in the Khem Karan sector. Pakistan had launched its 1st Armoured Division - their best - in a thrust toward Amritsar. If they succeeded, they would cut off Kashmir from the rest of India.
The Indian defense was organized by Major General Gurbaksh Singh, who created a killing ground in the sugarcane fields. Multiple armored regiments, including the Deccan Horse, were positioned to engage Pakistani armor from multiple directions.
Lt Col Vaidya's role was to command a mobile reserve that could respond to Pakistani breakthroughs and deliver counterblows. It required tactical flexibility, quick decision-making, and aggressive execution - all hallmarks of Vaidya's command style.