This force has 12 brigades and more than 50,000 troops.

However, the combat unit has only 4 brigades, an armored brigade, a mechanized infantry brigade and two infantry brigades, while the other 8 brigades are support units, of which 4 are engineering brigades and the other 4 are logistics support brigades, whose mission is to provide support to combat units.

The key, of course, is the 17th Panzer Brigade.

This brigade is the ace unit of the Pakistan Army, the first to be equipped with the "Khalid 2" main battle tank, and it is a reinforced brigade.

With artillery support, the brigade broke through the Indian army's border defense in less than an hour.

In fact, it was a border post, and the Indian army stationed there had only one infantry company.

Subsequently, the brigade advanced along the Indian army's border road, or more precisely the border line.

There is no way to do this, that is, from the logistical point of view, the border roads of India must be controlled, otherwise the transport vehicles will not be able to keep up.

Along the way, there was some resistance, but it wasn't fierce.

Because they did not expect the Pakistani army to attack from this direction, let alone the Pakistani army that appeared behind them, the Indian troops along the way did not have time to react.

It was not until noon that the Pakistani army met real resistance about 40 kilometers west of Jammu.

An armored battalion of the Indian army appeared at the front.

For the Indian army, this reaction speed is already very fast.

It's just that there is no suspense in this battle.

Why?

The main force of the Indian armored battalion is the T72M1, and it is the oldest, nominally improved, but the combat effectiveness is not strong at all.

In fact, many tanks don't even have reactive armor.

Why?

The T72's engine is already poor, and it is even more problematic to operate in the highland area, so the Indian army's armored troops rarely wear reactive armor for the tank.

What's worse is that these T72M1s are not equipped with many armor-piercing shells.

Of course, even if there are armor-piercing shells, the threat to "Khalid 2" is minimal.

The battle lasted almost two hours, and more than 20 T72M1s were destroyed, of which at least 8 were abandoned by Indian tank crews.

Not a single "Khalid 2" was destroyed.

The only Khalid 2 damaged in the battle was hit by an armor-piercing shell fired by one of its own tanks, but it was repaired that evening.

In the evening, the Pakistani assault force had already reached the outside of Jammu.

In one day, this armored unit made a surprise attack of almost 100 kilometers.

This speed is enough to shock the Indian army.

Of course, this armored force is also strong enough.

Although in Jammu there is also an armored brigade of the Indian army, the main combat equipment of the brigade is still T72M1, and it is in a very bad state.

In fact, the Indian armored battalion that was annihilated in the afternoon came from the brigade.

In the face of the ace unit of the Pakistan Army, the armored units of the Indian army did not even have the courage to go out of the city to fight.

At that time, the Indian army's armored units retreated directly into the city, and the tanks were dispersed, and it seemed that the tanks were used to fight the Pakistani army in the city.

By this time, the intention of the Pakistani army could not have been more obvious.

Interestingly, the General Staff of the Indian Army still stubbornly believes that the Pakistani army's aim is Srinagar, and the offensive in the direction of Jammu is still a feint.

In addition, some Indian generals still believe that it is necessary to increase the investment of troops in the direction of Lahore and force the Pakistani army to adjust its deployment by storming Lahore, after all, Lahore is more important than Jammu, and Pakistan cannot abandon Lahore for the sake of Jammu.

It's hard to believe.

It's just that, judging from the situation at that time, what other options did the Indian army have?

The main forces of the armored corps are in the direction of Lahore, and the rest are all near New Delhi.

In fact, the troops deployed in Jammu and Srinagar are all mountain troops, that is, infantry units, and the poor transportation conditions limit the Indian army's battlefield mobility ability, making it difficult for the Indian army to quickly adjust its defensive deployment, and it is impossible to mobilize combat troops in a large area.

Rush to the aid of Jammu?

The key is to have troops to be sent.

In addition, in the eyes of the Indian army, the situation of the Pakistani army is not much better.

Although the Pakistani army from Jhelum advanced to the outskirts of Jammu, the logistics of the Pakistani army had to rely on the Indian border road, which was built for the border guards in a very bad way, not only the road was narrow, but also many sections of the road were not paved.

A low-grade highway like a country road can support the combat attrition of several brigades?

If not, then the Pakistani army will take the initiative to retreat at some point.

After all, the combat consumption of armored forces is very huge, the dependence on supplies is very large, and if logistics cannot keep up, armored forces cannot fight.

On the contrary, in the Lahore direction, the situation of the attacking Indian army was much better.

As for Srinagar, it is the capital of Kashmir, so the Pakistani army will take Srinagar no matter what, and will never give up Srinagar.

It was in this way that the General Staff of the Indian Army gave the defenders of Jammu an order to defend to the death.

At that time, the Indian army was still storming Lahore.

In fact, the Indian army's judgment was not wrong.

For the Pakistani army, the biggest difficulty is logistical support.

Otherwise, the troops that assaulted from the west of Jammu would not have brought with them the equivalent of eight brigades.

How is it guaranteed?

In the short term, it will definitely have to rely on four logistics brigades, that is, to deliver war supplies to the front line as much as possible, even if the transportation efficiency is frighteningly low.

However, in the long run, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of transportation.

How to improve?

Road.

Obviously, this is precisely why 4 engineering brigades were brought with them.

In fact, these four brigades are all infantry brigades, but they have brought enough engineering equipment, and a small number of officers and men have received relevant training.

It is the company "Angu" that provides the training.

At that time, in order to improve the "quality of service", the company also sent hundreds of advisers to the front line to assist the Pakistani army in solving the problems encountered.

These consultants, in many cases, are in person.

You don't need to repair the road well, the key is to make the road wide to ensure that two trucks can pass at the same time, that is, it can ensure that it is unimpeded.

Of course, the highway is in Indian-administered Kashmir, so naturally there is nothing to worry about.

By wartime standards, the construction methods were also extremely barbaric. Most of the time, it is just a direct blasting, blasting through the mountains on both sides of the road, and then using a bulldozer to open the road.

As for the road surface, it is leveled with a roller at most.

Affected by logistical support, the Pakistani army, which had assaulted on the outskirts of Jammu, did not immediately launch an attack, but divided its troops into two routes and began to make a detour to the north and south.

The cost of urban warfare is too great, and fighting outside the city is much better.

Of course, before attacking Jammu, it must be surrounded and it will be necessary to join up with the other two forces.