On 17 Sep 3 JAT was ordered to recapture Dograi as a part of a fresh 15 Infantry Division offensive. After detailed planning and probing attacks, Dograi would be retaken inch by inch once again in a gruesome battle. 3 JAT was in the Assembly Area by 1.15 AM on 21 Sep. 13 PUNJAB who had attacked MILE 13 enroute could not make much headway. This attack however divided the enemy’s attention from the 3 JAT attack giving them immense tactical advantage. 3 JAT assault began at 2 AM with two companies Charlie and Delta leading. Delta Company found the old village empty and wheeled right to new Dograi. Charlie Company came under intense fire from the canal bank. One platoon of Delta Company, following Charlie Company, charged through to attack the depth positions.

The enemy, a mixed company of 12 Punjab and 18 Baluch were routed. The fight was ferocious; of the seventy three men of Charlie Company who had charged the enemy, only twenty seven were left on their feet. This initial success was followed by house-to-house clearance and bloody mopping up operations. By 4 AM the enemy was gripped by panic and started running away. 3 JAT mounted their light machine guns on rooftops and picked off the fleeing enemy.

Bravo Company following Charlie Company passed through to attack the demolished bridge on Ichhogil Canal. They were met with intense fire …. the leading section was completely wiped out. This did not deter the Company; they soon ejected the enemy platoon guarding the east bank. Alfa Company was tasked to hit the enemy’s tank harbour. They dashed ahead to surprise the enemy while the main attack was building up, two enemy tanks were captured. The regiment regrouped quickly on the objective and prepared for a counterattack by the enemy.

The first of four counter attacks began with an intense barrage of artillery fire at about 4.30 AM. The JATs were waiting and responded fiercely killing the Counterattack Force Commander. The morning brought fresh surprises. Nearly two companies of 16 Punjab (Pak) were found to be still occupying defences in MILE 13 from where they were engaged in a firefight with 13 PUNJAB. 3 JAT was likely to be sandwiched between the counterattacks and these Pak companies holding well prepared defences.

Captain Jagtar Sangha, Squadron Commander of SCINDE HORSE lined up two troops (8 Tanks) abreast the GT Road and charged the defences at MILE 13 with all guns blazing. Two of his tanks were hit with strim grenades but the charge was pressed home. The defenders of 16 Punjab were so unnerved that they broke ranks and ran. Many were taken prisoners including Lt Col GF Golewala, the Commanding Officer (CO). The second counterattack came at 7 AM with intense shelling of Dograi and MILE 13. Swift and accurate retaliation with RCLs and Artillery firing in direct firing role unnerved the attackers and destroyed a number of their tanks.

The Pakistanis remained determined, and counter attacked again at 10 AM. A squadron of Pakistani tanks attempted to outflank 54 Infantry Brigade from the North. RCLs of 1 JAT and 1/3 GORKHA Rifles of 38 Infantry Brigade deployed in the North were grouped to face the assault. An intense Infantry Tank battle ensued, the enemy tanks charged through the defences of one of the forward companies of 1 JAT, passing over their trenches. The brave JATs stood firm. After nearly an hour, the Pakistani withdrew leaving behind six burning hulks. There was also no respite in Dograi, the enemy continued shelling and snipers made movement through the rubble of Dograi for reorganisation and casualty evacuation difficult. By evening 3 JAT was reinforced by a draft from the JAT Regimental Centre and two companies of 13 PUNJAB.

 Nightfall brought ominous signs of a fourth counterattack. Alfa Company however discovered the enemy assembly area and using machine guns launched a spoiling attack against the enemy disintegrating his plans. Morning of 23 Sep revealed 65 bodies of soldiers from 8 Punjab (Pak). By night 22 Sep four counterattacks were beaten back with heavy losses to the enemy. Respite from fighting came with cease-fire in the early hours of 23 Sep. Islamuddin a Pakistani soldier who had once served in 3 JAT came to the west bank of Ichhogil canal on afternoon of 23 Sep and shouted across, “Only my old battalion could have done this!” What better tribute? The exceptional leadership and courage of the CO Lieutenant Colonel Desmond Hayde was acknowledged with the award of a Maha Vir Chakra

. The Battle of Dograi was fought in cold blood with determination and guts. In both battles for Dograi, 3 JAT suffered 5 Officers killed and 9 wounded, involving practically all officers of the battalion; 1 JCO killed and 8 wounded and 82 other ranks killed and 214 wounded. The battalion won three Maha Vir Chakras, four Vir Chakras, seven Sena Medals, 12 Mention-in-Dispatches and 11 Chief of Army Staff’s Commendation Cards. The casualty figures and decorations bear witness to the outstanding performance by indomitable 3 JAT in the face of heavy odds. The enemy suffered heavy casualties of 509 killed, 400 wounded while 100 soldiers and officers were taken as Prisoners of War (POW).