6 Sep 65 | 11:30 hrs
3 Jat’s heroic dash halted at BRBL as they encountered a demolished bridge
In 3 Baloch Narrative the bridge stood stable as they first hit the leading tanks of 14 Scinde Horse across the canal
… this is the story of the bridge
4 Engineers was responsible to prepare the bridges for demolition
A platoon of B Company was assigned for the GT Road Bridge on BRBL Canal near Batapur
Sappers spent 5 September in digging trenches around the bridge sites across the divisional front
On 6 Sep morning, chambers had been drilled in Batapur bridge but explosive was yet to be placed when news arrived of Indian attack and with it came the flux of refugees
With just 45 minutes of demolition work completed leading elements of 3 Jat and 14 Horse reached the far bank
Engineers platoon kept working under the battlefield fire and shelling
They saw two leading tanks of 14 horse blown by 3 Baloch anti tank fire and sped up the work
An impatient Brigade Commander ordered the half prepared demolition to fire at 1030 hrs
That just did partial damage
A vehicle sent with demolition charge was destroyed by Indian Artillery shelling before reaching the site
Bridge was partially demolished and explosives in short supply
Then arrived Major Aftab Ahmed Khan, B company commander of 4 Engineers
The officer had 50 crates laden with anti tank mines prepared
A wall of sandbags was raised on the eastern bank as protection to sappers placing the crates on bridge
It took engineers the entire evening transporting the improvised explosive crates on the bridge
It was a little after midnight at 0045 hrs on 7 Sep that these crates were caused to explode thus achieving the complete demolition of Batapur Bridge
BRBL eastern bank was the farthest Indian assaulting troops could reach
They indeed won Dograi and that, dear reader, we shall talk about in another snippet..
