Tangail Airdrop

Tangail airdrop
Part of the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Date 11 December 1971 Location Tangail, East Pakistan Result Indian victory 2nd Parachute Battalion of the Indian Army captures Poongli Bridge on the River Jamuna, gaining access to the undefended Manikganj-Dacca Road. 93 Brigade of the Pakistani Army cut off from retreating and regrouping at Dacca
Belligerents
India	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Lt Col K.S. Pannu	Brig. Abdul Qadir Khan
Units involved
Indian Army Indian 2nd Parachute Battalion 1 Maratha LI 49 Parachute Field Battery	Pakistani Army 93rd Brigade
Strength
Indian 2nd Parachute Battalion – 1000 PARA SF. 1 Maratha LI – Strength unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Pakistani Eastern Command plan for the defence of East Pakistan from 1967 to 1971 (generic representation—some unit locations not shown.

The Tangail Airdrop was a successful battalion-size Para Commandos (India) operation mounted on 11 December 1971 by the 2nd Battalion (Special Operations) (2 PARA) of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh. The main objective of the operation was the capture of Poongli Bridge on the Jamuna River which would cut off the Pakistani 93rd Brigade which was retreating from Mymensingh in the north to defend the capital of East Pakistan, Dacca, and its approaches. The paratroop unit was also tasked to link up with the advancing Maratha Light Infantry on the ground to advance towards the East Pakistani capital.^[1]

Operation[]

Para drop[]

A battalion of Para Commandos (India) led by Lt Col Kulwant Singh Pannu was reinforced by an artillery battery of 17 Para Field Regiment, an engineering detachment, an ADS, a surgical team and other administrative troops from 50th (Indep) Parachute Brigade. Tasked to cut off the retreat of the Pakistani troops from the north towards Dacca, the unit touched ground at 4:30pm and were greeted by a jubilant crowd of local people, with some even helping the troops carry their packs and ammunition. The drop was dispersed over a wide area, but the Paras regrouped quickly and commenced their attack. By 7.00pm they had captured their main objective, cutting off the Pakistani 93 Brigade retreating from the north. Link-up with 1 Maratha LI was established after the Marathas broke through at Tangail Road and reached the bridgehead that very evening. The Pakistanis, attempting to retake the bridge rushed the Indian positions that evening, however, were repulsed.^[1]

The Tangail Airdrop operation involved An-12, C-119s, 2 Caribous and Dakotas from 11 sqn and 48 Sqn. The IAF also carried out feint drops using dummies dropped from Caribou aircraft to hide the true location and extent of the operation. The only hitch was a Hangup from the lead Dakota. One Paratrooper had a static line hangup, who, after carrying out emergency procedures, was dropped safely about 50 miles away.^[1]

Pakistani war crimes[]

Indian Army which took over the Poongli Bridge from the Pakistani Army was "shocked" at "the sight of mutilated bodies of women, whom the Pakistani troops had killed just before fleeing from Poongli Bridge."^[1]

During the larger war there were widespread killings and other atrocities by the Pakistani Army – including the displacement of civilians in Bangladesh (East Pakistan at the time) and widespread violations of human rights began with the start of Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971. Members of the Pakistani military and supporting militias (Razakar) killed estimated between 300,000^[2] to 3,000,000 people and raped 200,000–400,000 Bangladeshi women in a systematic campaign of genocidal rape.^[3][4][5]

Aftermath[]

The Tangail Airdrop and the subsequent capture of the Poongli bridge gave the advancing Indian Army, assisted by Kader Bahini, the maneuverability to side-step the strongly held Tongi-Dacca Road to take the undefended Manikganj-Dacca Road right up to Mirpur Bridge at the gates of Dacca (Dhaka).

Pakistan Army's 93,000 troops unconditionally surrendered to the Indian Army and India's local ally Mukti Bahini on 16 December 1971.^[6] This day and event is commemorated as the Bijoy Dibos (Bengali: বিজয় দিবস) in Bangladesh and Vijay Diwas in India.^[7][6]

Battle Awards[]

Indian commander Lt Col Kulwant Singh was awarded the MVC for his leadership in battle. The 2Paras were subsequently the first Indian forces to enter Dacca. For this and their role in Capture of the strategic bridge, the Paras received battle honour for Poongli Bridge and theatre honours for Dacca.^{[citation needed]}

See also[]

• Timeline of the Bangladesh Liberation War
• Military plans of the Bangladesh Liberation War
• Mitro Bahini order of battle
• Pakistan Army order of battle, December 1971
• Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan
• Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts

References[]

Sources[]

• Sajjad, Tazreena (2012). "The Post-Genocidal Period and its Impact on Women". In Samuel Totten (ed.). Plight and Fate of Women During and Following Genocide (Reprint ed.). Transaction. pp. 219–248. ISBN 978-1412847599.
• Sharlach, Lisa (2000). "Rape as Genocide: Bangladesh, the Former Yugoslavia, and Rwanda". New Political Science. 1 (22): 89–102. doi:10.1080/713687893. S2CID 144966485.

Military organization
Typical units Typical numbers Typical commander fireteam 2–4 lance corporal, corporal squad, section 5–14 corporal, sergeant, staff sergeant platoon, troop 15–45 second lieutenant, first lieutenant, lieutenant company, battery, squadron 80–250 first lieutenant, captain, major battalion, cohort 300–1000 major, lieutenant colonel regiment, brigade, legion 1,000–5,500 colonel, brigadier general division 10,000–25,000 major general corps 30,000–50,000 lieutenant general field army 100,000–300,000 colonel general, general army group, front 2+ field armies field marshal, general, admiral region, theater 4+ army groups marshal of the air force, general of the army, admiral of the fleet
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