Tanks captured from Pak to adorn war memorial

Vijay Mohan

 Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 21

American-made Sherman and Patton tanks captured from Pakistan during the 1965 war are among a host of war trophies and rare artefacts that would be displayed at the Punjab State War Heroes Memorial and Museum in the border town of Amritsar, which is scheduled to be inaugurated on October 23.

The memorial and museum traces and documents the martial history of the Greater Punjab region since Alexander the Great’s invasion of India and the Battle of Hydaspes, fought on the banks of the Jhelum in 326 BC.

The Sherman Mk-IV was captured by the Seventh Light Cavalry in the Battle of Barki while the Patton, the type with which the Pakistani army was then newly equipped, became the war trophy of 3 Cavalry. Displayed alongside is an Indian Centurion tank, the type that had played a decisive role in the Indo-Pak wars.

A de-commissioned MiG-23 fighter and a scale model of INS Vikrant aircraft carrier are other exhibits in addition to scores of ancient and contemporary Indian personal weapons as well as those captured from the Japanese and Germans during the world wars, photographs, illustrations, paintings and maps.

The site of the complex is also significant. It lies on the fringes of the battlefield of Khem Karan where Pakistani’s powerful 1 Armoured Division was decimated in the 1965 war, with about 90 tanks being captured.  Adjoining the complex is Guru Ki Vadali village, the birthplace of the Sikh Guru Hargobind. It was he who had given practical shape to the Sikh concept of Miri and Piri that was earlier propounded by Guru Nanak.

The 45-metre tall steel sword that forms the memorial’s centrestage draws a parallel with Miri.

The museum has nine galleries showcasing 4,000 years of history witnessed by the sub-continent and the role of Indian soldiers in campaigns around the world. A coffee table book published by the Department of Defence Services Welfare gives a glimpse of the galleries that cover all wars and operations and also touches upon recent developments like the surgical strikes across the Line of Control and the induction of women fighter pilots in the Air Force.

Badal to inaugurate

The memorial will be inaugurated by Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal. Besides Cabinet ministers, four defence ex-chiefs, civilian and military dignitaries, gallantry awardees, retired service officers and ex-servicemen would be present on the occasion. Four British citizens associated with world wars and military history would also be attending the function.