HINDUSTAN STANDARD, NOVEMBER 18, 1971
LOGISTIC DEFICIENCIES HURTING PAK TROOPS
LT. General L. P. Sen, D. S. O.
Our Military Correspondent
In every campaign, the administrative arrangements must be equal to meeting the strain imposed by the tactical plan. If care is not taken to ensure this the commander in the field will find himself without an even chance of success and may even face disaster. Such it will be recalled, was the case with Germany’s crack Afrika Korps in the western desert in World War II. Not even its brilliant commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, could save it. Has the Pakistani Army in Bangladesh ensured that its administrative arrangements are capable of withstanding for a prolonged period? The resistance being put up by the Mukti Bahini.
There is a feeling in many quarters that the logistic support of the Pakistani Army is not as healthy as it should be and that in the near future the situation may become very serious for them. This view is based on the fact that the Pakistan military junta when it decided to cow down the people of Bangladesh did not think in terms of a long-drawn-out campaign. It was to be a blitzkrieg lasting only for a short while.
In view of this, the three divisions that were moved from West Pakistan to Bangladesh by air and sea arrived with their logistics based not on a war-but a peacetime footing.
The stout resistance put up by the Mukti Bahini over the last eight months has very definitely forced the Pakistani troops to dig deep into their limited stocks. As the fight with the Mukti Bahini continues over a prolonged period replenishment of these stocks would be a necessity. This will involve a long lift from West Pakistan but this should present no problem provided there is no interferences. But it is in this field that the Mukti Bahini guerillas have embarrassed the Pakistan Army to no small degree.
By the large-scale destruction and dislocation of road and railway bridges, culverts and minor bridges the guerillas have presented the Pakistani forces with a serious headache. It has had far more than a nuisance value as local labor to assist in repairing the damage is scarce.
But it is not the destruction of the road and rail bridges that has done the greatest damage. Attacks on ships in harbors and other inland watercraft in places such as Chittagong, Chalna, the Mongla area and Chandpur have placed a severe strain on the Pakistanis. Grain and munitions ships and a tanker have been sunk.
Pakistan’s exposed army in Bangladesh can in afford these loss of food stuff by local purchase is no longer possible.
Take for example the case of Jessore. This cantonment has been receiving its needs from Dacca, mainly through Goalundo Ghat and by air. A crucial road junction on this route Satkhira has however, had to be abandoned by the Pakistani Army and to make certain action to severe the route at more points in Kushtia district such as Jhenida and Chuadanga.
Even so, there was an emergency supply route using Chalna port. Mukti Bahini frogmen, however early this week sank a Greek vessel in the navigation channel totally blocking it. The supply line of Jessore through this route is therefore, affected and it may have to be confined to air lifts or air drops. This is an expensive form of maintenance, especially when aircraft are limited and there is always the possibility of losing them through ground fire.
The position of Chittagong is apparently not much better. Mukti Bahini commandos have been very active in this area from the commencement of operations. They have put out of commission all but two of the moorings. The port’s ability to handle heavy military hardware has thus been severely curtailed and there is the ever present fear that ships moored to them will be subjected to attacks by the frogmen.
Ships flying foreign flags have been sunk and their owners are now very firm that they will not visit Chittagong port. Perhaps that is not an irreparable loss as the overland route connecting Chittagong with Chandpur or Dacca has been severed.
In order to repair its severely battered life line Pakistan has tried hard to develop an inland waterway to Chandpur. This has not however, been very successful as Chandpur has been receiving the attention of the commandos. Four vessel carrying food and supplies for the Army were recently sunk there including a vessel recently acquired from China.
In desperation, the Pakistan authorities have issued orders to their gunboats to shoot and destroy all country boats plying in the Chalna and Satkhira areas. This is likely to have widespread repercussions, as the people of the delta regions have always used the waterways for travel and cargo carrying. It could result in the locals of the area facing starvation in the course of time.
Will Pakistan be able to rectify her logistic mismanagement and retrieve the situation? As things stand at present and with the Mukti Bahini activities increasing it is possible but it will not be a simple task. Distance from the home base in West Pakistan and devastations will make it even more difficult.
What then, will this lead to? It could be that what befell Rommel’s troops in the desert could repeat itself again in Bangladesh. The Mukti Bahini has already tipped up the hour glass and if they maintain the pressure as they have in the past the sands must inevitably run out for the Pakistani forces in the course of time.