The Liberation War of 1971 was a culmination of months of suffering being subjected by Pakistan on their Eastern Wing —Bangladesh. India, on the other hand, was forced to go to war with Pakistan after it carried out air attacks against several Indian Airfields on December 3, 1971. Pakistan’s strategy of ‘The Defence of the East lies in the West’ was badly shaken with India-Bangladesh ferocity. The Liberation War was also first of its kind as it established a strong relationship between India and Bangladesh. I am highly impressed by the number of authors who have shared their experiences of the war. This book is a tribute to the local populace of both India and Bangladesh, as also to the armed forces of both the countries. Written in a lucid language, this book would be of interest to all—military, civilians, academicians and policy makers alike as it gives a vivid account of the war.
General NC Vij, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM (Retd)
Former Chief of the Army Staff
The book gives an excellent account of the synergised operations fought by the Army, Navy and the Air Force in the Eastern and Western sectors during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. In a well calibrated air campaign, while IAF acted as a spearhead in Indian Military’s blitzkrieg in the East; in the West, it stood as a wall to thwart any offensive design of the Pakistan Army to violate India’s territorial integrity.
IAF achieved unique distinction by conducting precision strikes against selected targets in both wings of Pakistan. Not only did it destroy the Karachi oil storage tanks and refineries, severely degrading their warfighting capabilities in the West; the bombing of the Governor’s House in Dhaka acted as a psychological blow, resulting in Pak Army’s unconditional surrender in the East. The anecdotes given by the veterans and their families have added immense value to the book.
Air Marshal VK Bhatia, PVSM, AVSM, Vr C & Bar (Retd)
Former Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief
Western, South-Western and Central Air Commands
Editors: VK Ahluwalia | AN Jha
Editors
Lt Gen (Dr.) VK Ahluwalia is Director, CLAWS. Lt Gen Ahluwalia superannuated as Army Commander, Central Command in March 2012. Thereafter, he served as a Member in the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT).
Brig AN Jha is Senior Instructor (SI), PROMEX. Brig Jha has been an instructor in The Infantry School and Army War College, Mhow (MP).
Contents
Message by Defence Minister
Shri Rajnath Singh
Message by COAS
General MM Naravane,PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
List of Abbreviations
Section 1: Defence of the East Lies in the West: Dynamic Leadership at Play
1. Historical Perspective and Geo-Strategy: ‘Defence of the East Lies in the West’
VK Ahluwalia and Narjit Singh
2. As India Decided, Pakistan Initiated the 1971 War
JS Cheema
3. Leadership@1971: An Amateur’s View
Shreya Das Barman
4. SAM: Our Chief during ’71 Operations
Behram M Panthaki
Section 2: Eastern Sector: Acts of Valour
5. The War I Experienced: Armour and Air Battle
AjitApte
6. The Battle for Sylhet
Ian Cardozo
7. A Rescue to Remember: First Family
Ashok Kumar Tara
8. The Battle of Garibpur
Vijay Gidh
9. Manoeuvre Warfare: Battle of Govindganj
JBS Yadava
10. The First Amphibious Assault by the Indian Army
ARK Reddy
11. Battle of Chatlapore: Reminiscences of a Subaltern
BM Daniels
12. Discard Pamphlet Teaching in War
BirenBorgohain
13. The Belated Battle Honour: Raghupratap at Shyamganj
Ghanshyam Singh Katoch
14. First Artillery Unit of Bangladesh
OS Goraya
15. Scintillating Saga of Sagat Singh
Probal Das Gupta
Section 3: Power of the Muktijoddhas and the Local Populace
16. Attack: Kalachara Tea Garden
M Harun-Ar-Rashid
17. Calculated Brutality: The Ordeal
Shamsher M Chowdhury
18. Operation Kilo Flight
ShamsulAlam
19. My Brother NaseemMohsin: A Freedom Fighter
Selina Mohsin
20. An Overview of Bangladesh Liberation War
IshfaqIlahi Choudhury
21. Unheard Voices: Revelations by Bangladesh Citizens
(Excerpts from Personal Interviews)
Jyoti M Pathania
Section 4: Pakistan’s Miscalculations in the Western Sector: Most Befitting Response
22. The 1971 India-Pakistan War: Through a Captain’s Eyes
Zameer Uddin Shah
23. 1 Corps Operations: A Critical Appraisal
PJS Sandhu
24. Battle of Chhamb
AJS Sandhu
25. Capture of Lipa Valley (POK)
RS Sujlana
26. Battle of Dera Baba Nanak
JKV Singh
27. Saga of Capture of Parbat Ali (Nayachor)
DC Berry
28. Strange Gift for a Regimental Medical Officer
David Muthumani
29. Unheard Voices of the Indian Armed Forces
(Excerpts from Personal Interviews)
Jyoti M Pathania
Section 5: Fire and Fury of the Sister Services: The Synergy Operations by the Indian Navy
30. Geopolitics of Cold War: How it Impacted the India-Pakistan 1971 Maritime Operations
SCS Bangara
31. Commissioning with Five Medals
Mani Singh Mamik
32. Indian Navy’s Biggest Bonfire in the Arabian Sea
Soumya Nair
Section 6: Operations by the Indian Air Force
33. Spectacular Joint Operations in the Eastern Theatre
Arjun Subramaniam
34. Radar Orbat of Pakistan 1971: Reminiscences
AG Bewoor
35. The Attack on Governor’s House: My Memories as a Flying Officer
Harish Masand
36. Personal Accounts: The Untold Stories on the Eastern Sector
Ashminder Singh Bahal
37. My Husband: Squadron Leader Anil Bhalla
SitaBhalla
Section 7: Subalterns: Baptised by Fire
38. “Write to my Parents, I fought Well”
ArunPatole
39. Probationer Paratrooper
LJS ‘Lali’ Gill
40. Battles of Nainakot and BissoBuzurg
Rajiv Williams
41. Battle along Akhaura-Ashuganj-Dhaka Axis
BalrajKapur
42. When Time Stood Still
GG Dwivedi
Section 8: 50 Years of Liberation War: We look Beyond
43. Major Takeaways: Liberation War
AjinkyaJadhav and Narjit Singh
44. Regional Dynamics: Beyond the Liberation War
VK Ahluwalia
45. India-Bangladesh Relations: Expectations for the Next 50 Years
ANM Muniruzzaman
46. India-Bangladesh Relation and Way Forward
ANJha
Notes on Editors
Notes on Contributors
Index
Political Science
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