মেঘনা এয়ারলিফট | 1971 war- Meghna Airlift – Blitzkrieg without tanks
সিলেটের আর্মি যাতে ঢাকা প্রোটেকশন দিতে না পারে সেই লক্ষ্যে মেঘনা এয়ারলিফট। মাত্র ৫০ জন ছিলো শুরুতে। তাতেই পাকিস্তানী আর্মি ভাবলো অনেক সৈন্য নেমেছে। বিস্তারিত ভিডিওর নীচে যুক্ত হল।
বিভিন্ন সোর্স থেকে পাওয়া এসম্পর্কিত তথ্যগুলো রেফারেন্সসহ এখানে যুক্ত করা হল।
Undaunted by the river, which was a mile wide in this area, 57 Division executed a massive airlift operation providing an air bridge to establish a bridgehead accross the Meghna. The existing bridge connecting Ashuganj to Bhairab Bazar across the river was avoided deliberately, foreseeing that it will be held in strength and would be prepared as a demolition task to prevent it falling in Indian hands. In the next few days, an entire brigade was airlifted across, followed by another brigade later. This airlift operation completely isolated the Pakistani forces defending the river line near Bhairab Bazar. The local Bengali population provided invaluable assistance to the Indians in this crossing, helping to push across the amphibious PT-76 tanks, which got bogged down while crossing the river, and fed reliable information on the Pakistani dispositions. This rapid buildup of forces across the Meghna, employing tactical airlift capability of the IAF, demonstrated the ability of the Indian forces to execute a complex joint operation in the heat of battle, and proved to be a decisive element in the Indian victory.(Citino, Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm, 203)
Source: THROUGH THE LENS OF OPERATIONAL ART: 1971 BANGLADESH CAMPAIGN
There are many outstanding examples of air support during the 1971 war which merit consideration because of the contribution they made to the eventual outcome of the conflict. In the East, the Army’s 4 Corps, led by Lt Gen Sagat Singh, became a highly mobile strike force, the activities of which spread from Sylhet down to Feni and beyond. This Corps was operating east of the Meghna river. They came from Agartala in Tripura, moved westward to the Meghna, crossed it to advance rapidly on Dhaka. It had already got to Narayanganj on the outskirts of Dhaka when the war ended. The mobility of 4 Corps was due very largely to its intelligent and bold use of helicopters. Besides it had its own road transport and the use of boats and barges. Improvisation was the key to the whole business. They improvised in order to move, in order to strike, in order to get as close to Dhaka as possible. Undoubtedly the manner in which the Air Force and 4 Corps worked together contributed a great deal to the collapse of the Pakistani opposition in East Pakistan.
Source: My Years with the IAF Air Chief Marshal PC Lal
Operations across the Meghna River
Sensing the uncertainty that gripped the Pakistani forces, Lt Gen Sagat Singh helilifted 4 GUARDS/311 Mountain Brigade/57 Mountain Div along with a Light Troop of artillery to ‘Raipura’ across River Meghna, about ten kilometres South of Bhairab Bazar on December 09 itself. They moved ten kilometres further South unopposed and established a Firm Base near ‘Narsingdi’ on December 10. 73 Mountain Brigade/57 Mountain Div started crossing River Meghna in country boats South of Bhairab Bazar on December 09 and contained Pakistani deployment there. 311 Mountain Brigade including a major part of its supporting artillery completed its build up in Narsingdi area by December 11, both by helilift and by country boats to cross River Meghna. Narsingdi was overrun on December 12 and both the rail and road bridges there were captured intact. On December 13, the rail bridge over the Lakhya River connecting to Tungi was captured and 73 Mountain Brigade advanced further. By the evening of December 14, 65 Mountain Regiment under 311 Mountain Brigade had moved up its guns and had started pounding targets located in the heart of Dacca Cantt. On December 13, Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh had switched 301 Mountain Brigade/23 Mountain Div from Chandpur to Daudkandi due to the availability of river crossing boats there and by December 15, assisted by helilift, the Brigade concentrated near Baidya Bazar. It stormed across the Sitalakhya River on the morning of December 16 and started probing Dacca proper from the East, till news of Pakistan’s decision to surrender was received by noon. Thus, Sagat Singh had succeeded in moving 73 and 311 Mountain Brigades to the Northeast of Dacca and 301 Mountain Brigade to the East of Dacca by December 16, besides 93 Mountain Brigade and FJ Sector forces which had reached North of Dacca, to unleash the final assault on Dacca from December 17 onwards had Niazi not agreed to the unconditional surrender. This was a great feat of arms for any Field Commander practicing ‘Deep Operations Theory’ and overcoming obstaclesridden country over a distance of 150200 km. His menacing manoeuvres caused a ‘freeze mentality’ to set in amongst senior Pakistani commanders in the Eastern Theatre, leading to near complete breakdown of Pakistani morale and the ‘will to fight’. The crossing of the River Meghna which is over 4,000 feet wide at its narrowest stretch, from December 0910 onwards, without a bridge being available, was a gamechanger which ultimately led to the liberation of Bangladesh. 4 Corps under Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh restored the pride of Indian Army after the disaster of the 1962 IndiaChina War and the stalemated 1965 IndiaPakistan Conflict, when the aggressors had got away scotfree. As a tribute to him, Lt Gen JS Aurora first went to Agartala by helicopter to pick him and his Divisional Commanders before landing at Dacca for the surrender ceremony, which thereby got delayed. From the Pakistani side, General Aurora was given the ‘Guard of Honour’ by 2 Commando Battalion (later renamed SSG) led by their Commanding Officer. The surrender ceremony was witnessed by the troops of 2 PARA and 6 BIHAR (FJ Sector/101 Communication Zone), 13 GUARDS (95 Mountain Brigade/101 Communication Zone), 4 GUARDS (311 Mountain Brigade/ 57 Mountain Div) and 5 (I) Armoured Squadron (63 CAV and 311 Mountain Brigade/ 57 Mountain Div. It can be said in passing, that Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh became the undisputed “Duke of Wellington” of India.
Source: Deep Operations Theory 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War